‘It’s tough’, says Cardiff boss Riza after sack chants
Omer Riza replaced Erol Bulut as Cardiff City boss after what was the club’s worst start to a season in 94 years
Cardiff City boss Omer Riza said he must accept criticism from the stands after some travelling fans called for his departure during his side’s defeat at Sheffield United.
The Bluebirds delivered a battling performance against the promotion-chasing Blades, but came away with nothing following goals from Gustavo Hamer and Ben Brereton Diaz.
The 2-0 loss left them second from bottom in the Championship but still only one point from safety with three games remaining this season.
Sections of the 1,000-plus away following at Bramall Lane vented their frustration late on, chanting “we want Riza out” and “you’re getting sacked in the morning”.
When asked about the chants, Riza said: “It’s tough, it’s disappointing.
“I have to keep doing my job. I am the manager of the club and I have to remain focused to make sure my players are ready for the game on Monday [against Oxford United].
“I have to take what they want to sing and what they want to say on the chin and move forwards.”
Riza had issued an apology just hours before the United game having described some Cardiff supporters as “clueless” during his pre-match press conference.
After a second successive defeat which left Cardiff with only one win in their past nine games Riza said the fans’ frustration was directed at him rather than his team.
“I don’t think it was towards the players,” he said. “I thought the fans were behind the players today it was more towards me.”
Following speculation this week that Cardiff could change their manager for the second time this season and rumours of a return for former boss Neil Warnock Riza again insisted he could save the club from relegation to the third tier.
“If I didn’t think I was the right man for the job, I wouldn’t be standing here,” he added.
“It’s still only one point. Luton beat Derby which keeps us all close. If we approach the Oxford game the way we tried to approach this game, we feel we can get something out of it and take the points we need.
“Whether it’s one result, where it’s two results, whether it’s three, we just have to keep working and keep believing we are going to get the points that we need to survive.”
After hosting Oxford on Monday, Cardiff play their final home game of the season against West Bromwich Albion next weekend, before finishing the season at Norwich City.
Rubin Colwill is a doubt for what is left of the campaign, having been forced off with a hamstring injury only 13 minutes after coming off the bench against United.
