Omer Riza is a patient man and it appears if you work for Cardiff City owner Vincent Tan then you need to be. Tan seems to regard patience as a virtue, so long as it’s not him who is expected to show any.
Craig Harrison has urged his New Saints side not to get too down-hearted after they suffered a 2-1 defeat at Shamrock Rovers in their latest Europa Conference League tie. TNS had led 1-0 but the Irish side came from behind to beat the Cymru Premier champions at Tallaght Stadium.
Majority owners Jason Levien and Steve Kaplan are moving to sell their controlling stake in Swansea City. Fellow shareholders Andy Coleman, Brett Cravatt, Nigel Morris, and businessman Jason Cohen are set to take over ownership.
Cardiff City’s bubble has burst and interim manager Omer Riza has admitted it did not deserve to float beyond Luton. The Bluebirds lost 1-0 at Kenilworth Road, popping a seven-game unbeaten run and inflicting a second defeat on Riza in his eight-game spell in charge. Whether the result affects his chances of being given the permanent manager’s job remains to be seen, but a slip back down to 21st place in the table – above the bottom three on goal difference – cannot have helped his cause.
Luke Williams believes Swansea City have turned a corner and “become a team with an identity” as they moved to within two points of the Championship play-off places. The Swans head coach was in upbeat mood after watching his team secure back-to-back victories following a gritty, but deserved, 1-0 win at home to fifth-placed Watford.
Wales manager Craig Bellamy has likened “streetwise” Harry Wilson to South American trio Carlos Tevez, Javier Mascherano and Luis Suarez. Former striker Bellamy played alongside all three players – with Tevez at Manchester City and Mascherano and Suarez in two different spells at Liverpool – during his colourful career at the top level.
Wales have welcomed back Daniel James and Rubin Colwill for their final Nations League games against Turkiye and Iceland. James has yet to play for new boss Craig Bellamy after suffering a hamstring injury in August.
Harry Wilson has earned huge praise from Fulham manager Marco Silva after the Wales star proved his club’s inspirational matchwinner against Brentford. Wilson – who will be named in the Wales squad on Tuesday morning for the upcoming Nations League matches – claimed a superb second-half added time brace to earn a 2-1 victory over Brentford.
Wrexham boss Phil Parkinson has admitted his team have to “take it on the chin” after they were dumped out of the FA Cup at the first hurdle. Harrogate pulled off the biggest upset of the opening round on Sunday as the Sky Bet League Two side beat League One high-flyers Wrexham 1-0 to reach the second round.
Omer Riza has revealed he held “constructive talks” with Cardiff City’s board as he edges closer to his ambition of being given the manager’s job on a permanent basis. Cardiff scored two late goals to snatch a dramatic 2-1 win at home against promotion-chasing Norwich City at the weekend.
Luke Williams believes Swansea City’s previously shot-shy strikers can build on the club’s first goals for over nine hours. After failing to find the net throughout October, the Swans eventually ended their barren run when Zan Vipotnik turned in Ronald’s cross to spark a 2-1 victory at Oxford United at the weekend.
Wales skipper Aaron Ramsey will miss his side’s push for promotion back to the top tier of the Nations League after being ruled out of their final two fixtures in Group B this month. The Cardiff City midfielder has already missed the last two games after picking up a hamstring injury after coming on as a replacement in the final 10 minutes of the 2-1 win in Montenegro in the second round match in Niksic on 9 September.
When football managers – and rugby coaches – talk about training sessions having “an edge” about them, it normally only means one thing. There’s been a fight. It may not have been full-on, fists swinging, bare-knuckle bruising. But someone, somewhere has over-stepped the mark and tempers have boiled over. Nine times out of 10, managers love this kind of thing. It proves their players are more like thin, hungry dogs, than fat, sleepy cats and they look forward to unleashing the hounds on Saturday afternoon.
Has there ever been a more reliable Welsh footballer than Jess Fishlock? It’s a question worth considering after her country’s heroine once again came to Wales’ rescue late on Tuesday night.
Steve Cooper is facing a touchline ban for Leicester City’s Premier League fixture against Ipswich, having received his third yellow card of the season during the Foxes’ defeat to Manchester United. The Welsh manager’s protests over a potential offside in the lead-up to United’s second goal in their 5-2 Carabao Cup win led referee Andrew Madley to show him a yellow card, a move Cooper later claimed the official “enjoyed” giving.
Ceri Holland finally settled Wales’ near fatal anxieties with the goal that puts her team on the edge of history. After missing countless chances in a one-sided second leg of their play-off semi-final at home to Slovakia, Holland scored the crucial goal eight minutes from the end of extra-time.
Jess Fishlock insists Wales can make it to the Euro 2025 play-off final if they keep cool heads and clear minds when they take on Slovakia on Tuesday night. The Wales star – her country’s best player and inspiration for over a decade – is the potential saviour Wales will look to as they seek to overcome a 2-1 deficit from the first leg.
Omer Riza is forwarding all queries over the Cardiff City manager’s position to the club’s hierarchy. The Bluebirds interim manager is now unbeaten in five matches after a gritty performance eked out a 0-0 draw at West Bromwich Albion.
Two games, two clean sheets and four points – it wasn’t a bad week for Newport County, despite the frustration of missing a penalty in their goalless draw with Fleetwood at Rodney Parade at the weekend. Bryn Morris stepped up in the 25th minute only to see Fleetwood keeper David Harrington, who had moments earlier picked up a yellow card for conceding the spot kick after hauling down Aaron Wildig, save his shot with his legs.
Luke Williams has admitted he has yet to find a solution to Swansea City’s 525 minutes of football without scoring. The Swans head coach watched his team slump to a 1-0 home defeat to Millwall, meaning not only are they without a win in six matches, but they are without a goal in their last five