' NEIL WARNOCK SAYS HOW HE FEELS '

" NEIL WARNOCK SAYS HOW HE FEELS AFTER HIS FIRST THREE MATCHES IN CHARGE OF CARDIFF CITY "


BY PHIL SMITH

Sunday 23rd October 2016

Cardiff City fans were hoping for the much vaunted 'Neil Warnock effect' to take instant hold, but few would have predicted seven points from three seriously tough games.




First things first, how satisfied were you with your team's performance today?

Well, it's the first time I've seen them away from home and I asked them to give us a performance. We knew Forest would start well because they've got so many good forward players, and they're up there with the top goal scorers in our division. Mind, I'm so disappointed not to have a clean sheet! I was hoping tonight, the other two games we should have had them and once again we've let ourselves down at the death. But it was a game we should have won comfortably. I said to my assistant [Kevin Blackwell] with about five minutes to go, 'something's going to happen here because it's too straightforward'.

Then I think the referee Andy [Woolmer], who is a really good referee, I think he was just a bit bored and wanted to make it a bit more exciting for the last few minutes!



I suppose it gives you something to keep working on, to get that clean sheet?

Well, yeah. To be fair to Andy I think he's one of the top referees, he talks to you, you can understand it, he's good.

But I thought we deserved it, I still don't know how we didn't by four or five with the chances we had, really good chances weren't they?




Yeah, you must have feared when the penalty went in that you might really have to rue those missed chances?

Well it's only a cross that's nodded in and you've lost two points. It would have been a travesty, and it would have been soul destroying so I'm really glad we hung on. But I thought the spine of the team was very good tonight, the two centre-halves, Gunnarsson, and I thought Pilks did well when he had to go into that lone role. There were a lot of plusses tonight.





The reaction that you have had continues, you must be delighted with how these players have responded to you?

Well I asked them against Bristol in the dressing room, 'How do you feel?' This is what we want to feel, I've come to enjoy myself and I want them to enjoy themselves and they are, you can see that, yes it's hard work but when you come off with three points and have that satisfaction, it's a good weekend.

We've got a blank week now and thank goodness, I'm shattered! And I'm not even playing!

The fans will obviously be very excited tonight, you've got to keep a lid on expectations now I guess?
The TV just asked me about promotion but I said 'let's just get out of the bottom three first!' I think we just get carried away don't we, we're nowhere near the finished article, but we've got a genuine bunch of players and the fans get behind us.

We've got our most difficult game coming up next week I think, Wigan at home, it's not a top of the league game but it's a very good championship team. We've got to get three points before we go up to Newcastle.







You've got a bit of momentum now, haven't you?

Yeah well that just comes from results, doesn't it? We've worked hard for those results, to get seven points from those three games is a tribute to the whole staff really. Ronnie Jepson's come in with Kevin Blackwell and everybody's worked hard. The lads have taken it on board and it's not a fluke, we've had some good performances tonight.





We saw Junior Hoilett go off with an injury today, can you give us an update on that?

Junior was just a precaution really, we thought he was struggling a bit at half-time so we told Kieran [Richardson] to get ready.






What can Kieran bring to the table?

He's another good player, he's been busting to get on the pitch but young Bennett's done well, playing his first three games for me. They've done really well but it's nice to have people like that up your sleeve. It's a decent squad now, we're a little bit short in certain areas but that gives other opportunity.
I thought Connolly did ever so well coming in with Peltier injured.





Was that your best attacking performance, in terms of adding chances from open play to your set-piece threat?

I'm not sure it was our best performance, I thought it was hard-working away from home performance. We did create a lot of chances, on another night we could have scored five or six. That's pleasing because you don't score many at a place like this where expectations are so high.

The fans were a big plus tonight as well weren't they, all the way from Cardiff on a Saturday night, they really are amazing, they'll go home happy.





Going forward, there's a need to be more ruthless in front of goal?

Yeah, that's football isn't it, Pilkington could have had a hat-trick on another day. Hopefully we've saved them for another day!




What did you make of Pilkington in that lone striker role?

He did alright, yeah, he's done it before and he likes it... and really he was a bit of a liability out wide first-half with Traore so we were glad to do it if I'm honest!





Neil Warnock celebrates Cardiff City's 2-1 win at Nottingham Forest

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Yep the Neil Warnock effect is in full flow
The Ref gave the penalty probably because he was bored love it

Pilkington was a bit of a liability in the wide role

Brilliant interview straight forward no nonsense.

As he says let's not get carried away but keep the momentum going and we can go away to Newcastle with a let's give it a go attitude.