Update: BBM to boro?

League One promotion hopefuls Cardiff City could be set for a battle to keep hold of manager Brian Barry-Murphy. Championship sides Middlesbrough and Scottish Premiership side Celtic are reportedly interested.

Cardiff City only appointed the former Rochdale man in June 2025 and has only taken charge of 21 games to date. The club have recorded 13 wins, two draws and six defeats as they look to bounce straight back from relegation last season.

The Bluebirds currently sit fourth, after back-to-back defeats meant they lost some ground on the top spot. However, they have shown promising signs so far this season.

However, their promising start to the season could be set for disruption as Championship side Middlesbrough and Scottish giants Celtic both eye a move for him.

Middlesbrough, despite attempts to fight the approach, have seemingly lost Rob Edwards to Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League. Whilst Celtic are still on the lookout for a replacement after Brendan Rodgers stepped down.

Both have reportedly, according to pie-afficionado Alan Nixon, placed Barry-Murphy high on their list.

Wanting Barry-Murphy and getting Barry-Murphy are very different things. Cardiff are well placed in League One at the moment, and the manager only just joined the club with years left to run on his current deal. For Celtic or Middlesbrough to tempt him to leave it will cost big. The opportunity to manage in the Championship, and the almost guaranteed trophies in Scotland may be a factor. However, what he is building in Wales this season has good signs, and he will likely be reluctant to leave such an opportunity so early into his tenure. Cardiff are also likely to be unwilling to allow their rising star to leave less than six months into his spell with the club.

I don’t believe for one minute he will at this moment in time get the job

This can't be right, he's just a useless tinkerman according to some on here?

he'll be a better manager away for the dictator, if he has any sense and offered it, he should run - and no one will blame him

Wouldn't blame him if he left. Not because of Tan but because of the way some of our fans are reacting at the moment. He deserves better support than that.

I don't think any decision the manager makes about his future will be influenced either way by what a handful of fans say on a messageboard.

If that was the case Riza would have left the club in plenty of time last season for us to have had a chance of still being in the Championship rather than hanging around like a bad smell until relegation was virtually guaranteed.

I seriously don’t think he’ll abandon the current project, and there are others in the frame for Boro!

Seriously, who do those ‘wishing’ him gone think will take this group over and do a better job?

I, for one, have been pleasantly surprised and impressed by the start to this season overall, and most of it is down to BBM and his faith in (mainly) youth

We are still a developing team, and we should allow for development and the odd hiccup!

Well said, sir.

I seriously don’t think he’ll abandon the current project, and there are others in the frame for Boro!

Seriously, who do those ‘wishing’ him gone think will take this group over and do a better job?

I, for one, have been pleasantly surprised and impressed by the start to this season overall, and most of it is down to BBM and his faith in (mainly) youth

We are still a developing team, and we should allow for development and the odd hiccup!

Well said Chris.

Some have lost their minds recently and above anything, I'm sad to see them resort to that.

Ned, some want/expect us to walk this League with 3-0 wins in every game, and their whole footballing world revolves around the result

Whilst that (the result) is important, a robotic ‘walk’ to promotion would be boring! For me, the ‘cut and thrust’ of the challenge to overcome the odd adversity is part of what I love about supporting our club!

I seriously don’t think he’ll abandon the current project, and there are others in the frame for Boro!

Seriously, who do those ‘wishing’ him gone think will take this group over and do a better job?

I, for one, have been pleasantly surprised and impressed by the start to this season overall, and most of it is down to BBM and his faith in (mainly) youth

We are still a developing team, and we should allow for development and the odd hiccup!

Well said Chris.

Some have lost their minds recently and above anything, I'm sad to see them resort to that.

Ned, some want/expect us to walk this League with 3-0 wins in every game, and their whole footballing world revolves around the result

Whilst that (the result) is important, a robotic ‘walk’ to promotion would be boring! For me, the ‘cut and thrust’ of the challenge to overcome the odd adversity is part of what I love about supporting our club!

We were top of the league and Vincent Tan said he wanted to see more goals.

Come Christmas if we are mid table, don't bet against it, will we be looking for a manager?

Cardiff City have had NO contact Whatsoever from Middlesbrough or Celtic after both clubs were linked with a move for head coach Brian Barry-Murphy

Apparently he's on shortlist for two jobs "ccfc online"

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Rumour mill continues:

Stockport County manager Dave Challinor is a candidate to be the next Middlesbrough manager

Latest :


Luke Williams has got Peterborough playing like Barcelona in less than two weeks and is now being considered for Boro job.

Can you imagine how much Vinny would want if he were on something like a four-year deal?

I also can't imagine Boro not contacting Cardiff first, apparently Wolves will be paying just shy of 3 mill for Edwards, Vinny would want all of that.

He'll be staying

The manager is the most important person at this club; he would want £20Million, he knows he's on to a good thing.

Just can't see this happening.

However the next couple of months will be critical to BBM future with us.

Not for me. I'd even keep him if we don't go up, if we can persuade him to stay.

This manager is huge for us and can revolutionise us as a club.

We have to trust the process. It took Arteta 2-3 years to get it right with Arsenal.

We need to be willing to wait that long if that's what it takes with BBM.

Because he is a special manager.

I’m with you 100%. I admit, this is a total U-turn for me. I was dead set against his appointment! We were in such a terrible, precarious position then that I wanted a proven, experienced hand. Yet today, based on the results, there isn't a single manager out there I would trade him for. (realistic alternatives anyway)

The update is: It's talk; he's going nowhere!

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Don't actually think he's done anything yet with us started to do job gone off the rails abit to be honest

Cardiff City have reportedly received no contact from Middlesbrough or Celtic regarding head coach Brian Barry-Murphy.

Journalist Alan Nixon revealed on Sunday that Barry-Murphy was one of the names on Middlesbrough's list of targets as they prepare to begin the search for a replacement for Rob Edwards following his controversial move to Wolves, while he is also believed to have admirers at Celtic, who are currently on the hunt for a permanent successor to Brendan Rodgers after his resignation last month.

Speculation about interest in Barry-Murphy from higher levels would undoubtedly have caused some concern at the Cardiff City Stadium, but according to Wales Online, Boro and Celtic are yet to make contact with the Bluebirds about the 47-year-old.

After four years out of senior management following his exit from Rochdale, former Manchester City academy coach Barry-Murphy took over at Cardiff in the summer following their relegation from the Championship, putting pen to paper on a three-year contract in South Wales.

Barry-Murphy has done an outstanding job with the Bluebirds so far, with his side currently sitting fourth in the League One table, just two points behind leaders Stockport County with a game in hand, while he has also guided them to the quarter-finals of the EFL Cup, where they will host Premier League giants Chelsea in a blockbuster tie next month.

Cardiff's promotion push has stalled slightly in recent weeks, with Barry-Murphy's men losing four of their last seven league games, including back-to-back defeats in their last two outings against Bolton Wanderers and Blackpool, but it seems the Irishman's impressive work overall this season has not gone unnoticed.

Middlesbrough currently sit second in the Championship table, but the Teesside outfit have been rocked by Edwards' shock decision to walk out after less than five months in charge to join Premier League bottom side Wolves.

Barry-Murphy is one of the early names to have been linked with the job, along with Millwall manager Alex Neil, who dismissed speculation linking him with a move to the Riverside Stadium as "nonsense" when quizzed about the rumours on Saturday.

However, Boro are yet to firm up their interest in Barry-Murphy by making a formal approach, and it seems he is not their top target to replace Edwards, with Football Insider reporting on Monday that ex-Wolves manager Gary O'Neil is the club's number one choice.

It has been a disappointing season so far for Celtic, with the club currently sitting seven points behind leaders Hearts in the Scottish Premiership, while they have also struggled in Europe, but Martin O'Neill has won three of his four games in charge in all competitions since returning to the club on an interim basis last month following Rodgers' resignation.

It has been claimed that O'Neill could be offered the job until the end of the season, but the Hoops are also considering making a more long-term appointment, with Barry-Murphy becoming the latest candidate to emerge in the frame after previous links with Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna and Wales boss Craig Bellamy.

Despite Barry-Murphy having admirers among the Celtic hierarchy, the Scottish outfit have not initiated contact with Cardiff as things stand, and it appears they could be turning their attention elsewhere, with TEAMtalk reporting that they are preparing to launch a move for Bodo/Glimt manager Kjetil Knutsen.
Barry-Murphy only signed a three-year contract with Cardiff in the summer, and he has built up a strong connection with supporters during the early stages of his tenure, so the club will be confident that they can keep hold of their highly-rated head coach.

However, Edwards' move to Wolves shows that contracts do not necessarily mean anything in the modern game, and it may have been tough for Barry-Murphy to turn down interest from Middlesbrough or Celtic if they were to make an approach, particularly with the Bluebirds' form beginning to falter in League One.

For now, there is no imminent threat of Cardiff losing Barry-Murphy, with O'Neil and Knutsen seemingly the front-runners for the Boro and Celtic vacancies respectively, but if he continues to impress, they will know further interest in his services is inevitable.