By Gareth James
Neil Harris insists he does fear losing his job as Cardiff City boss despite the growing pressure.
The Bluebirds chief said he felt the frustration of the disappointing start to the season just as much as the fans.
And he admitted he had to mind the gap to the play-off spots – City are eight points off – ahead of Wednesday’s trip to face lowly Coventry City.
“Yeah,” said Harris, when asked if he was feeling more pressure now given City’s disappointing start to the Championship campaign.
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“Let’s be honest, you asked the question for a reason, because we’ve not won enough games of football. I fully accept the question.
“I feel the pressure because I want to succeed, I’m always talking about wanting to be a winner and being successful as Cardiff City manager.
“We are a club we feel should be in the top 10, fighting for the top six. We have earned that right this year after what we achieved last year, from November onwards. So, pressure in that sense, yes.
“What you’re really asking, do I fear for my job? No. Because I love my job and performances have been excellent.
“But I’m also acutely aware that football is a results business and I want to win games.”
City were expected to challenge for the top six this season having got to the play-offs last season under Harris having spent the summer recruiting the likes of Kieffer Moore and Harry Wilson.
But just one win in their last seven games – four of them draws – has left them languishing in 15th spot.
“I don’t think you can reassure fans, not in the modern society,” added Harris. “It’s all about yesterday and tomorrow, not next week.
“What I’d say is, I’m frustrated and I understand the fans’ frustration because ultimately, over the last eight years, this club has been successful.
“Fans want success and we have had a spell of games where we have not won as many as we should have done and that’s what the fans feel, they want to see their team win.
“The majority accept that we’ve played well. I accept that playing well against Bristol City and not winning might not cut it in a local derby and I accept that. I’m not saying that’s acceptable.
“Dominating the game at the weekend and being as good as we were, I have to expect my teams to win more games than not, playing like that.
“The team is playing well at the moment and results will come off the back of that.
“Everyone watching sees a good team but it’s down to my players to get the result.”
But Harris admits City cannot afford to slip too much further away from the top six as they face a Coventry side just one point above the bottom three.
“It’s not a gap we want,” he added. “We want to be in those play-off positions. We have not won enough games.
“It’s a tough one as a manager because the performances have been excellent recently but we haven’t had the results.
“You need to believe in what you’re doing and how you’re developing the football club, as well as the team, will get you results.
“I’m really pleased with the majority of our play, with or without the ball, but I want to win games of football.
“I certainly don’t want that gap to get any bigger. We showed last year we are capable of closing a bigger gap than that, but it’s not a scenario we wanted to be in this year.
“But we can’t look back; we have to look forward and learn from the errors we have made.
“We will close that gap, I know we will close that gap, certainly if we keep playing like we are.”
