Cardiff manager latest as Reading boss fancied and bookies' favourite unlikely (original) (raw)

Cardiff City enter the second international break of the season without a manager and bottom of the table. Nevertheless, the job remains an extremely attractive one, with no shortage of candidates or applications over the last fortnight.

The last two weeks has seen Cardiff up their points tally sixfold, earning their first win of the season over Millwall as well as a draw, which could easily have been another victory, at Bristol City in the derby over the weekend.

There's no doubt that the shadow of Erol Bulut looms large at Cardiff, though. Having signed a new two-year deal with the club in the summer, it was hoped that the Bluebirds' direction of travel for the next couple of years was sewn up. To have to sack him after six games, which everyone agreed had to be the course of action after the worst start in the club's history, has left a slightly flat feeling around the place.

On the other hand, there is a real sense within that this club, with a core of good young players, can go places under the right leadership. And with a huge portion of the season to go, the Bluebirds want to make some real headway in the months to come.

Cardiff's top brass have spent the last fortnight poring over a longlist of candidates, with another meeting between those at the top expected in the next 24 hours or so, and a number of names have been discussed, one of whom is Ruben Selles.

The Reading boss has gained plaudits for his style of play and the manner in which he has handled the tumultuous period in Berkshire pertaining to the club's ownership, managing to keep the club in League One and keeping them competitive this season amid a number of massive issues behind the scenes.

The 41-year-old succeeded Nathan Jones at Southampton in the Premier League in February 2023 but was not kept on for the following season, after the Saints suffered relegation, and instead he took up the role with the Royals.

But recently there have been cracks and grievances on Selles' part borne of frustration relating to the ownership saga in Reading. Just a fortnight ago he said he had "had enough of the situation", adding: "All the bad situations that can happen in football have happened to me in the last 16 months. I’m not a person that likes to quit but I do need to reflect on where could be the ending point because I’m not happy with everything that’s happened."

He will certainly be a central part of the hierarchy's discussions.

Bookmakers' favourite Slaven Bilic also has his share of admirers at Cardiff. Many at the club believe the Bluebirds have always needed an experienced, steady hand at the tiller. Those who like Bilic are also those who are of the firm belief that it takes a big personality and someone comfortable in their own skin to succeed at the Welsh capital city club.

Previous managers like Dave Jones, Malky Mackay and Neil Warnock are testament to that. There was also great hope that Mick McCarthy would be a success for similar reasons and though the early signs were good — he went unbeaten in his first 11 games in the Cardiff dugout — it went catastrophically bad for the former Republic of Ireland manager in his first full season in charge.

Bilic won promotion to the Premier League with West Brom and has managed in the top flight with West Ham, but has been out of work since leaving Saudi Pro League side Al-Fateh back in August this year. However, following talks this week, it is understood that it is increasingly unlikely that the 56-year-old, who is back home in his native Croatia, will take the job.

Other names who have been touted are former Plymouth Argyle duo Steven Schumacher and Ryan Lowe. Their stocks are both relatively high given the works they did with the Pilgrims, while Schumacher looked to be making decent strides with Stoke City before he was sacked last month after just nine months in charge. Sign up to our Cardiff City newsletter here.

Lowe, meanwhile, did a fantastic job at Preston North End and enjoyed a decent period at the top of the table with them at the beginning of last season. But the Liverpudlian left Deepdale this summer by mutual consent. Schumacher looks unlikely at this stage but there has been no noise either way, at the time of writing, on Lowe. Michael Beale, another one fancied by the bookies, is also in the same category as Lowe.

The familiar names among the bookmakers' odds list of Sam Allardyce, Mark Hughes, Tony Pulis and even Neil Warnock have also all been ruled out. Nathan Jones, who is tied to a long-term deal at Charlton Athletic, is also not thought to be under consideration.

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There is, of course, the incumbent manager, albeit in an interim capacity, in Omer Riza. Cardiff are pleased with the improvement they have seen in the last three games under Riza and are grateful it has bought them some more time to make a more considered decision.

The prospect of Riza staying on beyond this international break has not been ruled out entirely at this stage. Riza himself has made no secret of his desire to take the job permanently, believing he has the requisite experience to take on a head coach job in the Championship.

Cardiff have previous for handing young or relatively inexperienced coaches the job, however the likes of Mark Hudson, Steve Morison and Paul Trollope in recent times all turned out to be poor choices. That's not to say Riza couldn't make a decent fist of it and credit has to be given to him for the way the team has played in the last two matches in particular – but the consensus among supporters does tend to lean towards wanting an experienced head to take on a difficult, if very appealing, job.

There have been some left-field names thrown into the mix at points, too. Given the success of ex-Manchester United players Kieran McKenna (Ipswich Town), Tom Cleverley (Watford) and Ruud van Nistelrooy (PSV Eindhoven), John O'Shea's name has been mentioned in dispatches. Gary O'Neil's assistant at Wolves, Shaun Derry, is another. But perhaps the above consideration doesn't help either of their causes.

It's a situation that looks to be gathering pace this week, anyway, with talks between the hierarchy and preferred candidates continuing.