Steve Morison has laid it on the line to his Cardiff City players ahead of their tough trip to Stoke on Saturday – “we can’t go nine from nine.” The former Wales striker was handed the hospital pass of taking charge for the next three games by the Bluebirds board after the departure of Mick McCarthy in the wake of last weekend’s 2-0 home defeat to Middlesbrough. That made it eight defeats in a row, and 19 goals conceded with none scored in the last five games. More worrying is the fact they are now only two points off the relegation zone in 21st place.

By Rob Carbon Steve Morison claims he hadn’t even been in the manager’s office at Cardiff City before he was handed the interim reigns for the next three games last weekend. Now the Bluebirds Under 23 coach has the job of trying to stop the rot at the Welsh capital club after eight successive league […]

Of all the strange revelations given to Cardiff City supporters groups last weekend in a meeting with chairman Mehmet Dalman, surely the least surprising was that owner Vincent Tan has a preference for “a direct style of football.” Of course, he does. This is a man, lest we forget, who told the players when he met them back in 2016 to “shoot more”. Providing secretly mined data previously unknown to club coaches and analysts throughout European football, the Malaysian billionaire said: “If you shoot 30 times you’ll get three goals, 40 times will be four goals, 50 times and you’ll get five goals.

Chris Wilder has been installed as the bookies’ favourite to become the next manager of Cardiff City following the sacking of Mick McCarthy. The 54-year-old Wilder has not taken up a new managerial role since leaving Sheffield United in March, when the club were bottom of the Premier League. Middlesbrough’s 2-0 win over Cardiff on Saturday spelt the end for McCarthy, who had suffered a club record eight straight defeats.

Under fire Cardiff City boss Mick McCarthy admitted he rang up Steve Bruce before his 1,000th game as a manger because he wanted “to speak to someone who is feeling worse than me”. For Bruce it was 1,000 and out after the 3-2 home defeat for Newcastle United against Spurs and McCarthy could well follow him onto the dole queue if his side suffers an eighth successive defeat to Middlesbrough on Saturday. “I spoke to Steve the week before and I actually rang him because I thought I’d find someone who is feeling worse than me. He was top of my list,” said McCarthy.

Neil Warnock has told angry Cardiff City fans: “Be careful what you wish for.” The Bluebirds’ former manager returns to his old club for the first time with fans in the ground since he was sacked almost two years ago. Warnock brings his Middlesbrough side to the Welsh capital with many home fans having regularly called for current boss Mick McCarthy to be fired.

By Tom Prosser Cardiff City lost their seventh straight league game last night away to Fulham and manager Mick McCarthy admitted that his future at the club is in serious doubt. The defeat marked the Bluebirds worst run of form since 1933. “It leaves me on the back end of a really horrible run of results,” said McCarthy. “And if football is true to its usual stuff then we know what happens.

By Paul Jones Under-fire Cardiff City boss Mick McCarthy will be hoping to halt an alarming run of six straight Championship defeats, when his side travel to Craven Cottage to face third place Fulham this evening (Wednesday). This is Cardiff’s worst league return since 1985 and the fans are stunned that the veteran boss is yet to receive his marching orders. Former Cardiff players, Bobby Decordova-Reid and Harry Wilson now play their football at Fulham and could inflict further pain on their former club tonight.

Joel Piroe plans to add to his Welsh derby goal with another at home to West Brom on Wednesday night to provide more updates for his next chat with Ruud van Nistelrooy. The Swans’ young Dutch striker – who has already been compared to a rookie Van Nistelrooy – still has one of the greatest Premier League strikers of his generation on speed dial, even though they stopped working together directly when Piroe left PSV Eindhoven this summer. Former Manchester United star Van Nistelrooy is now a coach at the Dutch club where he made his name and took a hand in shaping Piroe’s progress.

Jamie Paterson has thanked Russell Martin and Swansea City for rescuing his career – and his well-being – after he was dumped by Bristol City. The Swans’ midfielder, whose man-of-the-match performance in the 3-0 win over Cardiff City underlined his value to his new club, has revealed he was at his lowest ebb after leaving Ashton Gate this summer. The 29-year-old was shown the door and left without a club following an injury-hit final few months with the Robins.

Mick McCarthy has pledged to fight on as Cardiff City manager after Swansea inflicted a south Wales derby mauling and a sixth successive defeat on his side. Jamie Paterson, Joël Piroe and Jake Bidwell were on target as Swansea piled the pressure on the embattled McCarthy with a comfortable Championship victory. “I am bitterly disappointed,” said McCarthy, whose side are two places and three points above the relegation zone. “It’s difficult when you are on a run like we are. All of a sudden it doesn’t look cohesive and sometimes you get opened up.

By Tom Prosser Swansea City boss Russell Martin wants his side to the “dominant” team in Sunday’s South Wales derby against Cardiff and believes the make-up of the two teams is very different. “Every manager tries to find the best way to play for their team,” says Martin. “I’m not overly focused on the contrast of styles.