Friday, November 22, 2024

No rush needed to hand Riza Cardiff job – Gabbidon

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Danny Gabbidon feels Cardiff City should be in no rush to appoint a new permanent manager given the way the club are progressing under Omer Riza.

The Bluebirds were rock bottom of the table having collected just one point from their opening six Championship fixtures of the season.

Erol Bulut was subsequently sacked by the club, but Cardiff have significantly improved under interim boss Riza – who has seen his side claim 11 points from six league outings.

Given the club’s improvement under Riza, former Cardiff and Wales defender Gabbidon says the Bluebirds’ hierarchy should allow the caretaker manager to continue to focus on helping the team steer clear of the relegation zone.

“While they’re winning, why do you need to rush into making a decision?” he told the BBC’s Radio Wales Sport

“They’ve got some big games coming up, Norwich and Luton, those are the games where his credentials as a manager will be tested.

“While they’re winning, I don’t think there’s any rush to do anything or make it permanent.

“If they were losing games still then yes, there’s a quicker need to maybe change things or bring someone in.

“While it’s going at the minute, just let him go on, see how the team does, let him build the confidence in the players, and if they keep picking up results then he will deserve to get the job.”

Mark Hudson and Steve Morison are among those to be given the Cardiff job permanently on short-term deals having had stints as interim manager with the Bluebirds.

However, both failed to last beyond a year in the role, and Gabbidon – who was briefly joint-caretaker boss of the club alongside Scott Young following Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s departure during the 2014-15 campaign – has urged the Bluebirds to learn from previous mistakes.

“We’ve seen Cardiff City go down that road of a caretaker manager coming in, getting some results and you’re quick to give him a contract and once he’s got the job, things go pear shaped,” added Gabbidon.

“At the moment, there’s not too much pressure on him (Riza). Just let the manager manage. No rush for me.”

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