Here are your Cardiff City headlines for Tuesday, December 27.
O'Dowda: Our position isn't a true reflection, we need to click
Callum O'Dowda believes Cardiff's players just need to click into action and all the talent they have in the squad will then fire them up the table.
Monday night's draw with QPR saw City hold their position as 20th in the league. However, O'Dowda believes the team is better than that.
"It doesn't really reflect on where we are in the division," he said after the match. "No disrespect to the teams around us, but we should be presenting ourselves higher in the division than where we are now.
"We are the ones who have got to change that and create our own luck, if I'm being brutally honest. It's a matter of clicking. It'll just fall for us one day.
"We were unlucky against Blackpool, we should have got three points from that game. [Against QPR], they are a good team, let's not forget how good QPR have been this season and where they are in the league.
"You need to look forward to the next few games. Coventry away and a few days after it's Blackburn. We are in a good place, I think, and we are getting better. The performances have definitely been a lot better. I'm ready for it now."
Cardiff have been placed under a transfer ban, but Mark Hudson on Monday said talks are progressing positively. You can read the full story here.
Speaking about the transfer embargo, the Irishman added: "It's not a distraction. You've seen with Covid, we are not going to be spending millions and millions in the transfer market, anyway. For me, truly, I believe the squad should be pushing way above where we are right now. We know, as players, this is what we've got, this is what we're doing and it's about doing it now."
Robinson says star has been 'amazing' this season
Callum Robinson has heaped praise on his Republic of Ireland and Cardiff team-mate Callum O'Dowda. He put in a man-of-the-match display against QPR and has been one of the most consistent players in City's squad this term.
Speaking about his compatriot, Robinson said: "All season he has been doing really well. Even on the international stage he got his start. He has been amazing for us. He has filled in every position for us down that left side. Maybe he should have squared it, but I can never get on to Cal! He's been great for us."
When asked about the draw with the Rs, Robinson added: "Every home game, we want to win. [It] was a tough game, a good team with some good players, especially in those forward areas.
"Some of the results don't reflect how we've been playing in the league. We have been in most games. We will take the point but we have two big games ahead now."
Hudson pleased with Colwill output
Mark Hudson was delighted with Rubin Colwill's display against QPR after handing him his first start in almost four months.
Colwill looked bright and also stuck to his defensive task well and it will represent a big box ticked so far as the Bluebirds' coaching staff are concerned.
Speaking about the 20-year-old's performance, Hudson said: "I thought he dealt with it well and looked good. It was about getting him in the right place physically so we don't put him at risk.
"Played him last week and he showed flashes of what he's about. He played 75 last week and came off today, which is good. We will have to see how he recovers [on Tuesday]. We have a big turnaround and two big games coming up.
"He has got vision, his work rate was excellent, his work off the ball, positionally good, strong. We had to be patient, so did he, I thought he did really well."
Why Cardiff wore grey kit last night
Cardiff wore their away strip against QPR last night to support Shelter Cymru's #NoHomeKit campaign. Fans were encouraged to wear their away shirts to the QPR game.
Kerys Sheppard, head of fundraising at Shelter Cymru, said: “Last year it was fantastic to see fans and teams across Wales come together to fight the housing emergency. Our frontline services are braced for an incredibly tough winter as the cost of living crisis bites, so it’s brilliant that so many teams and fans are stepping up and supporting #NoHomeKit this Christmas.”
You can join the movement fighting to defend the right to a safe, secure and affordable home for everyone by texting HOME to 70480 to donate £10 or visit https://justgiving.com/campaign/NoHomeKitCymru to donate.
QPR boss' assessment of draw
QPR head coach Neil Critchley believes a draw was a fair result at Cardiff City Stadium but the Bluebirds dominated the game after the break.
“We’re frustrated, if I’m honest,” Critchley said. “In the first half, we had good control of the game and felt that if we improved in certain areas in the second half, we could go on and win the game. Unfortunately, we couldn’t do that and Cardiff were the better team in the second half. That was partly down to them and partly down to us, as well.
“In the end, a point – and a clean sheet – away from home is something we’ll take, all things considered. But we’ve got to improve on what we showed in the second half. We’ve got ability on the pitch, you saw that in the first half. We controlled the game. But, even though we threatened, we didn’t get to the goal enough.
“In the second half, Cardiff seemed to get on top of us and we turned the ball over too many times. We created problems for ourselves that we didn’t need to. We had some promising situations late on where we could have nicked it, but overall a point was a fair result.”
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