By Jacob Maddaford
Cardiff City manager Erol Bulut is determined to pick up maximum points from the club’s remaining five games – to save their season from fading away, and possibly his job with it.
A 3-1 defeat at home to Hull City on Saturday effectively ended any serious thoughts the Bluebirds may have had of making the play-offs.
It may also have damaged Bulut’s chances of staying in charge as his contract ends at the close of the campaign and there have been no talks yet over extending his deal.
“We have five more games, and we will try to get maximum points,” said Bulut.
“We have to give something back to our fans and ourselves. The season has not been perfect, but it’s a process here at Cardiff City..
“We have to continue these last five games, to give the fans better football.
“You can lose, but you have to do everything to try to win, not like the first half.”
“Lucky” Erol Bulut Tells Cardiff City To Make Their Mind Up Over His Future
Bulut took the blame himself for Hull’s third goal as he revealed he was talking to defender Nat Phillips in the build-up to conceding.
“There was a misunderstanding between Joe Ralls and Nat”.
“I was talking to Nat. At that moment Ralls played the ball and Nat Phillips didn’t see the ball and then we concede a goal.
“Maybe Ralls could wait a bit more to see if he’s watching, but this has happened, and we cannot change it.”
Cardiff were 2-0 down at half-time following two goals from Hull City midfielder Fabio Carvalho, who now has seven goals in 14 appearances since joining from Liverpool on loan in January.
He received high praise from his manager Liam Rosenior.
“He’s top,” Rosenior said.
“We worked so hard to bring him to the club. He’s shown faith in me and the club by coming here.
“I think anyone who watched the game today saw his pressing, energy and passion.”
✨ Hull City’nin Cardiff City’ye attığı gol.pic.twitter.com/KX8fY4Wlyu
— Fotomaç (@fotomac) April 6, 2024
“He’s a top kid and he’s going to have a wonderful career. I’m really enjoying working with him and hopefully he feels like he’s developing his game under me as well.”
Rosenior underlined how important the win was for his club, who are up to ninth place in the Championship, six points off the play-off places.
“It’s massive at this stage of the season,” he added.
“We’ve been written off a bit, which I like! The players showed really good character today, to take the ball and dominate and play our way.
“We need to continue in that vein. I’ve always been written off, and a lot of my players have been in their careers, too.
“We’ve all got points to prove, and this team has a point to prove. We haven’t got the points that we should, through lapses of concentration, which is normal.
“We’re still a very young, very good team at this level when we get our game right.
Liam Rosenior hails ‘massive win’ for play-off hopefuls Hull at Cardiff https://t.co/BflZXWYilh‘massive-win’-for-play-off-hopefuls-Hull-at-Cardiff?utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss
— じぇいびー (@zakki_soccer) April 6, 2024
“We know that if we get the level of performance right, we can go on a run, and that’s what we’re going to need to do.”
It could have been worse for Cardiff, as Jaden Philogene, who had already scored one against his former club, blazed over the bar after a mistake from Bluebirds midfielder Manolis Siopis.
There are also more injury woes for Cardiff as Bulut confirmed that substitute Josh Wilson-Esbrand had to leave the field with a hamstring injury, just 18 minutes after coming on.
