BREAKING NEIL HARRIS: “ UPDATES CARDIFF CITY FANS “

" NEIL HARRIS TODAY UPDATED CARDIFF CITY FANS "







NEIL HARRIS:


Angry the other night - was it with the referee, celebrations or just everything?

"Conceding the second goal, the moment we did, you’re in the magnitude of the moment.

"We can’t change that now. I appreciate the question but all I c an do is focus on tomorrow night."








Any fitness issues with Lee Tomlin after three starts in eight days?


"The thought process is always about the bigger picture and all the games. Tommo, we will see how he is tomorrow.

"He wants to play because that’s his character.

"We will look at it tomorrow and how I see the game going. We don’t have to score a goal in the first 10 minutes."


How was training?

NEIL HARRIS:


"Brilliant this morning. The lads were disappointed but we understand the monumental task in front of us.

"Backs to the wall we come out fighting.

"The atmosphere in the group is brilliant and we really look forward to tomorrow."





Fitness?

"No, quick turnaround for both teams so selection will be left until tomorrow afternoon."




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What message are you putting across, how do you go about it?



NEIL HARRIS:

"You have to break it down, first half then second half. Make sure the players know what we want from them, how we want the game to go.

"Remind players on what they’ve done and what they’ve achieved in the past.

"I talked about straight after the game about Leeds United away, we’ve been to Ashton Gate and won the local derby, Preston, Forest, Middlesbrough, a challenging environment, when backs have been to the walls we have stood up to the challenge. We just have to do it one last time."

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NEIL HARRIS:


Mood?

"Good. When we came in I had to pick the boys up, pick myself up too. First half was how we want to play, second half we weren’t quite at our levels.

"Being written off, massively the underdogs now and we need to respond."

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NEIL HARRIS:


A rousing speech pre-match?

"I spoke to the players this morning with some fact and passion. We have won six out of the last eight away games. No Championship club have won more away since I took over.

"Couple that with the quality in our changing room and desire. I reiterate that we were 3-0 down against Leeds.

"It won’t be easy, we are aware of that."

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NEIL HARRIS:


Fulham celebrating like they’d won the tie - complacency for them?

"I’ve not mentioned that to the players. The players have their own thoughts.

"That wasn’t Scott Parker at all, I was just talking about the reaction from the second goal. It might have been magnified because there was a lack of crowd in the stadium.

"I’m not retracting that statement but that’s done now."

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NEIL HARRIS:


It was done in League Two play-offs…

"We understand the challenge in front of us, but the barriers are there to be broken down. Records are there to be broken and they continuously get broken.

"We won’t shy away from that task."

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NEIL HARRIS:



Any fitness issues with Lee Tomlin after three starts in eight days?

"The thought process is always about the bigger picture and all the games. Tommo, we will see how he is tomorrow.

"He wants to play because that’s his character.

"We will look at it tomorrow and how I see the game going. We don’t have to score a goal in the first 10 minutes."

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NEIL HARRIS:


NEIL HARRIS:

"The thought process is always about the bigger picture and all the games. Tommo, we will see how he is tomorrow.

"He wants to play because that’s his character.

"We will look at it tomorrow and how I see the game going. We don’t have to score a goal in the first 10 minutes."

No new injuries

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NEIL HARRIS:



First goal is crucial, will it affect selection?



"Yeah. The truth of the matter is we have to score two more goals than Fulham. We understand that but the game doesn’t have to be won in the first 10 minutes.

"We were on top for the first half hour and Fulham were better than us. Goals in key moments change games, certainly play-off games.

"We need to make sure we’ve got enough threat on the pitch at the start but certainly at the end of the game."

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NEIL HARRIS:



Could you have kept those goals out the other night?

"For the first goal we could have defended better. I’m not criticising my players because that’s unfair given what they’ve achieved so far.

"I think we could have done more, got closer to Onomah. But when he performs a moment like that fair play to the lad.

"Second one was it a foul? I’ve already had my say on that. Then the lad whips it over the wall."

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NEIL HARRIS:


Angry the other night - was it with the referee, celebrations or just everything?

"Conceding the second goal, the moment we did, you’re in the magnitude of the moment.

"We can’t change that now. I appreciate the question but all I c an do is focus on tomorrow night."

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NEIL HARRIS:


You played at Craven Cottage at the end of the season, help or hindrance?

"Help, in terms of post-Covid… Fulham are a good side, they have been together for a period of time and we are fully aware of what’s coming tomorrow night."

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NEIL HARRIS:


What key moments or experiences will you use tomorrow night?

"In my two play-off campaigns as a manager, I’ve been behind in both games at some stage, during the games.

"I take solace in the fact my teams respond, as well as as a whole, overall.

"We respond to difficult circumstances. I take the experiences of how to get through difficult games."

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NEIL HARRIS:


Who has the most pressure tomorrow?


"That’s the beauty of the play-offs. I am a massive play-off fan, I think they are brilliant.

"Going into the game I’m trying to take the pressure off my game a little and stick it on Fulham.

"We have our backs to the wall with a mountain to climb. Pressure on us? A little bit because we want to give a good account of ourselves and win the game.

"Pressure on Fulham? I think so as well because the first goal is crucial.

"We are the biggest underdog in the four teams because we have the most to do. But you have to embrace that underdog statement sometimes and provide that miracle."

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NEIL HARRIS:


Swansea City - if they make the final would that have an impact on you and the players?

"Probably. Is it going to affect our performance? No. Is it going to affect the outcome tomorrow night? No.

"Internally we want to do better than them and they want to do better than us. That’s what rivalry is all about. That’s what drives the fans - passion. The match-day rivalry in your local derbies.

"It’s a massive part of football and that’s why we are all involved in the game.

"Finishing above them in the league was important to me, personally, and the group understand that.

"Yes, we want to do better than them, of course we do. But I can’t affect what they do now. That’s nothing to do with me, that’s to do with them.

"If we get through to the final and they get through to the final then I can affect that. Other than that, they just go about their business."

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NEIL HARRIS:


Crowd not being there, disadvantage to you, you said, does this add to a ‘straight shootout’ feel?

"We can clearly see during the second half that we needed that extra galvanising, that 12th man, we didn’t have it.

"We really played it down before but I do believe we had the most passionate fan base and would have had the biggest help from it. That maybe affected us for the first time since March.

"Tomorrow, it’s not a place where you go and get an unbelievable atmosphere at Craven Cottage, no disrespect to them as a club.

"We’ve done it for 10 games now so we just go out and play. You can’t focus on crowd or no crowd now though, just on the job at hand and that’s to overturn the deficit."

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NEIL HARRIS:


Resilience - a defining moment such as Leeds away?

"Yeah, 3-3 at Leeds. 2-0 down at Charlton in my first game in charge, we came back for the draw. 2-0 down after 18 minutes against Brentford and drew - and should have won the game.

"We have trailed a lot of games and found a way to come back and either win or draw. That gives me a lot of faith in my group - and believe.

"And it should give my players the belief that they can do it.

"We are a team that finds a way of scoring a goal or winning a game. A lot of credit goes to the players for that.

"They have done it time and time again, not just this year but in years gone by as well.

"We can be a dangerous, wounded animal to come back and hurt teams. We have to use that passion, determination and resilience in abundance on Thursday night."

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Pre-match facts:



No team have ever failed to reach the Championship playoff-final after winning the semi-final first leg by 2+ goals (15 previous instances).




Fulham are unbeaten in their last six home games against Cardiff (W3 D3), including 2-0 victory as recently as July 10th.




Cardiff have won six of their last eight games on the road (L2), with four of those victories coming by a two-goal margin or larger.



Fulham are unbeaten in their last eight games, winning six and drawing two whilst keeping five clean sheets during this run.




During the regular Championship season, Fulham made 588 sequences of 10+ passes from open play; 139 more than any other side in the division. In contrast, Cardiff City made just 88 – the fewest of any side.



Cardiff City had the oldest average starting XI during the regular Championship season, with an average age of 28 years and 143 days old.



Fulham’s Josh Onomah has been directly involved in five goals in nine games since the restart (3 goals, 2 assists), after just two in 23 league appearances in 2019-20 before the break (1 goal, 1 assist).



Cardiff City scored 28 set-piece goals during the 2019-20 Championship season; two more than any other side. In contrast, only Barnsley (12) score fewer such goals than Fulham (15).


Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrovic has scored 14 goals in 20 Championship home games this season, netting three in his last two games at Craven Cottage.


Lee Tomlin has had a hand in 18 Championship goals this season (8 goals, 10 assists); eight more than any other Cardiff City player.

How was training?

NEIL HARRIS:


"Brilliant this morning. The lads were disappointed but we understand the monumental task in front of us.

"Backs to the wall we come out fighting.

"The atmosphere in the group is brilliant and we really look forward to tomorrow."

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NEIL HARRIS:




Not been afraid to make changes, shape and players, tempted to change from the start?

"Yeah, quite possibly, a lot of things go through your mind as a manager - personnel, shape, what’s the best way to go. Tactically, what’s the best way to go to get back in the game.

"I’ll say no more..."

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NEIL HARRIS:


Watching tonight?

"Of course. I love play-off games! It’s great. How exciting. I won’t tell you who I want to win though…

"I am definitely backing out of that one."

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NEIL HARRIS:


A lot of goals shared all over the pitch, threats all over?

"Any team that gets to this stage of the season and gets to the top six means they’ve got real threats in their team.

"We need to make sure we’ve got goalscorers from the start and we finish with goalscorers on the pitch as well.

"We have got players that can produce big moments and they’ve done it time and time again in the last few months.

"It gives me the belief that when we get the chance, we will score. That’s what disappointed me the other night, we have been clinical in key moments, especially post-January and we weren’t in the first 20 minutes the other night.

"Goals win games and I know I’ve got players in my group who are capable of scoring big matches."

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NEIL HARRIS:


Time for someone to make themselves a hero?

"Yeah. I think so. You saw that in the game the other night.

"Give Fulham some praise for the other night, but it’s now up to our players to produce those moments.

"We’ve done it, we’ve had match winners and we have had players who want to be heroes.

"The players want to achieve. It’s not about ‘well done’ for what the group has achieved - we want more.

"It’s another opportunity for us to prove ourselves and the players are prepared to do it."

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Talks the good talk like all managers.

People here say he got it wrong picking Pack, but in hindsight whilst it turned out sour, it should have been a justified selection so long as we scored the first goal which we should have.

On paper though it’s not over but in reality it is - sadly