By David Williams
Steve Morison has promised a major overhaul at Cardiff City and the recruitment of players he says “understand the game.”
The Cardiff manager has vowed to re-build his squad after pulling the club away from the Championship relegation zone, but failing to find regular consistency.
That was highlighted by the club’s latest defeat – a 1-0 home defeat to Luton Town – which made it 12 home defeats for the Bluebirds this season, the joint highest in the Championship along with Hull.
Morison suggested afterwards that his squad need too much guidance and lack the ability to solve their own problems on the field – something he says will remain a problem until he can move some players out and sign new ones.
“We are driving them every day,” said Morison, after Harry Cornick’s 71st minute goal had given Luton their second victory in four days.
“We have to drive a hell of a lot more than we should have to, but that’s not going to change until we change the group and we get a more balanced group.
“Unfortunately, the world we are in nowadays, the young players don’t say a word. They just play football.
“We need more players around them that can drive them and keep pushing it so it doesn’t have to come from the staff every day.
“It was very quiet out there today – I think you could hear us more than you could hear anyone else.
Cardiff City – Luton Town 0:1 | 18.04.2022 | @CornickH goal@LutonTown @LutonNews_LTFC @robsnodgrass7 pic.twitter.com/G42Gu6nHQf
— Fan Footage Goals (@FanFootageGoals) April 18, 2022
“We are just not stopping giving them information. When it’s noisy, like I have just said to them in there, you need to pick yourself up.
“We are going to Bramall Lane at the weekend. That’s not going to be so quiet and we won’t be able to talk you through the game so work it out yourselves.
“We need to keep driving them and hopefully once we change the group, we will have to do it that less.”
Asked if he needed more experience in his squad, Morison insisted: “No, just different personnel, different characters. We need a more balanced group.
“You look at that group, towards the end it’s a really young group of men apart from about four of them. It’s tough.
“It’s something we are looking at with the recruitment side of it and it’s something that will massively help us.”
When it was suggested, it was more leadership he was seeking, Morison was even more blunt in his assessment of his current group.
“No, just people who understand the game and know it well and we don’t have to keep organising from the side and keep telling them every single thing, because sometimes we can’t do that and they have to work it out for themselves.
Robert Snodgrass v Cardiff City:
Passing Accuracy – 66.7%
Crosses Attempted – 7
Key Passes – 6
Tackles Won – 5
Clearances – 3
Aerials Won – 2
Fouled – 2
Shots Blocked – 1
Assists – 1👌👌👌@robsnodgrass7 #LTFC #COYH #Championship #EFL pic.twitter.com/xOkYZIKYPX
— The Near Post (@TheNearPostEFL) April 19, 2022
“It’s pressure. It’s eagerness, it’s just not being calm in the moment. When you haven’t done it a million times they just get in that moment and take a breath sometimes and make the right pass or the right finish.
“We actually do that far too often, we get in the final third and don’t actually create. We get into the final third and it’s nearly a chance or nearly the right pass.
“But we will get better, keep driving them, keep giving them the information.
“We will keep putting them out there. That’s the one plus point with this stage of the season, we can keep putting them out there and not have to stress about looking over my shoulder at the minute.”
Former Scotland international Robert Snodgrass created Cornick’s goal in the 71st minute with a precise delivery that Cardiff were never able to match.
Jordan Hugill had a shot smothered by Luton goalkeeper James Shea in the first half, before substitute Isaac Davies spurned another opportunity after the break when he lifted his shot over the bar after being set up by Tommy Doyle.
Morison added: “I hate saying it because it just gets thrown back in your face, but we didn’t deserve to lose the game.
Safe standing @CardiffCityFC was absolutely superb and felt tremendously safe.
Wonderful to see it implemented so well for away fans too.👏🏻
It works.
Would love it at Power Court. #CardiffCity #COYH #safestanding pic.twitter.com/HBHFtzzgto
— Simon Darwen (@Darwen88) April 19, 2022
“They were clinical in their one moment and we weren’t. I thought we dominated the game from start to finish and we had all the chances. They got the goal, we didn’t. It’s really disappointing.
“We have to be better. It’s difficult because you have one team fighting for the play-offs, one just trying to find our way in transition, trying to play a bit of a different style to what got us safe.
“It was nearly all good today apart from the goal. If we score, it might have knocked the stuffing out of them. They score and they have something to hold onto.”
