BREAKING NEIL HARRIS:

“ TODAY NEIL HARRIS UPDATES CARDIFF CITY FANS “


Thursday 14th January 2021




Kieffer Moore, Morrison, Osei-Tutu, Cunningham, any available?




NEIL HARRIS:

Jordi played 40 minutes for the 23s and didn’t quite get to the half-time we aimed for. We have got to see how he goes, an initial precaution on the back of that hamstring injury, in the next 48 hours.
Kieffer is back on the training pitch which is good news. We are hopeful he will be available for some part of the game.

Greg Cunningham has been back in the training ground, but maybe not in the group at the moment.

Sean Morrison, getting closer at the time, and we have been really lucky with him, but Saturday is probably too soon for him.

Harris






NEIL HARRIS:


How would you describe this week at Cardiff City?

My toughest in football, certainly as a manager. Purely because of the mental side of things, physical aspect, making sure players and Sol are OK.

But he is a great guy and I spoke honestly yesterday about his personality and his presence.

It hit everyone hard on Monday and that ripples away from the training ground as well.

Sol has been great and it has enabled us to focus on Norwich today.













“ READ BELOW ALL NEIL HARRIS UPDATES “






NEIL HARRIS

More on Norwich

Yeah. It’s not a must-win game, we are not anywhere near that position.

We have come away from being very close to it to where we are now.

To get back there we have to put a consistent run of results together. Whether that’s fit players or new signings, that’s vitally important.

But then, we have still got a group of players who are good enough to compete at the top of this division.

We are a side capable of putting a run together. We showed that last season and this season as well.

This weekend is going to be tough but it’s a game we can win. Then we have a run of games where we can build performances and results.

Harris

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NEIL HARRIS:


How has the squad reacted to the news?

Shock. Questions. Sol himself, his family, released a statement on Monday, so there were questions the players needed to know about Sol.

I took a lot of questions from the group but they responded in the manner fitting the group we have got.

Some upsetting scenes on Monday, some boys were hit hard by it.

But they know Sol is dealing with it, fighting it, but he wants our support.

He wants to be in the changing room and on the pitch but he can’t. He wants to see the players there for him.

The players have responded brilliantly.

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NEIL HARRIS:

Teams are going to go on winning runs then teams are going to lose four in a row.

You need to get 72 points to get in the play-offs. Those tallies don’t change. That’s what it ends up as every year.






Sat Jan 16 NORWICH CITY H


7pm Wed Jan 20 QUEENS PARK RANGERS H


7pm Wed Cardiff City's trip to Oakwell will now take place on Wednesday, January 27th, 2021 - 7pm KO.


Sat Jan 30 MILLWALL H

Sat Feb 06 Bristol City A

Tue Feb 9. Rotherham v Cardiff City

Sat Feb 13 COVENTRY CITY H

Tue Feb 16 Luton Town A 7pm


Sat Feb 20 PRESTON NORTH END H

Wed Feb 24 AFC Bournemouth A

Sat Feb 27 Middlesbrough A

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NEIL HARRIS:


Do they take this on the pitch now?

Yeah, it has to be that mentality for everyone connected with the football club.

If Sol can be at the game then he will be, depending on how he is feeling.

He has been given nothing in his career, he has fought for everything and that’s what he wants to see.

It’s not about team performance, it’s about individual characteristics at times.

You do it for yourself, the club you represent, but you do it for your team-mantes and friends and Sol is a friend to everyone.

Harris

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NEIL HARRIS:


Brought back raw emotions for you. How can you help him?

Experience. Knowledge of being in this position. Life skills that I learned with dealing through treatment of cancer.

Just being there to be leant on if needs be. That’s off the pitch, as a bloke, first and foremost.

Football-wise, that’s all Sol has ever known in football. I will include Sol in everything I can, training ideas, when he can do it.

Sol is going to be a good manager one day. He is doing his badges and is thinking about the next step.

It’s not about rushing Sol down a pathway, it’s about keeping him focused. During lockdown, everyone needs something to do and Sol, thinking about the next phase of his career, then it’s a good avenue now when he has got time.

Harris

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NEIL HARRIS:



Kieffer Moore, Morrison, Osei-Tutu, Cunningham, any available?

Jordi played 40 minutes for the 23s and didn’t quite get to the half-time we aimed for. We have got to see how he goes, an initial precaution on the back of that hamstring injury, in the next 48 hours.
Kieffer is back on the training pitch which is good news. We are hopeful he will be available for some part of the game.

Greg Cunningham has been back in the training ground, but maybe not in the group at the moment.

Sean Morrison, getting closer at the time, and we have been really lucky with him, but Saturday is probably too soon for him.

Harris

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NEIL HARRIS:

Happy with Bennett and Bagan?

Yeah, they were largely untested. We only had to defend the box once and it went in the back of the net, and that wasn’t Bennett or Bagan’s fault.

Joel Bagan I thought was excellent, very assured, very calm, untroubled. It’s a big game at the weekend if Joel is needed to play, but I wouldn’t be fazed.

Harris

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NEIL HARRIS:


How good are Norwich?

Best team in the league. Without losing anyone in the summer it made them pre-season favourites to go back up and they have stuck to that tag.

We got undone by two super finishes (last time), but we shot ourselves in the foot in the middle of the park.

We have got to be better than we were at Norwich.

We turned the ball over too easily and caused ourselves problems and we have got to be better than that.

Harris

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NEIL HARRIS:

Any incomings imminent, concerned about no one in yet?

I am hoping we will have someone in by Saturday evening.

We have been very close to another player, a defensive player, but it fell through at the last minute in the FA Cup, he played well and will probably stay in the team.

Good for them, gutting for us.

But we need bodies in, nothing has changed for me.

Harris

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NEIL HARRIS:


Guilbert at Villa?

Someone has put it somewhere. It’s a position we need.

I have looked at about 85 right-backs over the last two weeks, Frederic Guilbert might be on that list.

Harris

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NEIL HARRIS:

Any incomings imminent, concerned about no one in yet?

I am hoping we will have someone in by Saturday evening.

We have been very close to another player, a defensive player, but it fell through at the last minute in the FA Cup, he played well and will probably stay in the team.

Good for them, gutting for us.

But we need bodies in, nothing has changed for me.

Harris

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NEIL HARRIS:

Clubs aren’t being punished for Dubai trips, now you’ve got this celebration thing…?




I’m quite strong in my opinion, but everyone is being careful.

Some parts of it are really hard to contain. Goal celebrations in that moment are difficult.

It’s hard to stop players shaking hands in the changing room.

I’ve shook hands with managers, you go for first bumps, but then you shake hands out of habit.

The point is try to follow protocols as much as we can. Something new is getting chucked at us every day.

It is hard on the pitch to stop people from man marking on corners, you’re going to find people spitting on the floor during games.

It’s really difficult. I just really struggle with making teams like Aston Villa and Derby play, but they are just making football more important than the rest of society.

Harris

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NEIL HARRIS

More on Norwich

Yeah. It’s not a must-win game, we are not anywhere near that position.

We have come away from being very close to it to where we are now.

To get back there we have to put a consistent run of results together. Whether that’s fit players or new signings, that’s vitally important.

But then, we have still got a group of players who are good enough to compete at the top of this division.

We are a side capable of putting a run together. We showed that last season and this season as well.

This weekend is going to be tough but it’s a game we can win. Then we have a run of games where we can build performances and results.

Harris

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NEIL HARRIS:


Compact at the top, what does it tell you?






It’s the same every year. This year there is an array of better teams, which completely goes against what everyone thought at the start of the year.

Teams are going to go on winning runs then teams are going to lose four in a row.

You need to get 72 points to get in the play-offs. Those tallies don’t change. That’s what it ends up as every year.

You have to get a certain amount of points.

Harris

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Outgoings possible?




Neil Harris:

I said I certainly didn't want anyone to leave the club unless we were bringing someone in.

There's every chance that someone might be leaving within the next 24 hours on a loan move because we're getting somebody in and I certainly wouldn't want to lose somebody without bringing somebody in.

We're waiting to see at the moment. I won't say too much more on that because I don't want to talk unfairly about other people's players.

Harris

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NEIL HARRIS:

Looking for a centre-back?

Priority is to get a right-back in. That hasn't changed over a period of time. Even if Jordi's fit at the weekend, it's not going to change.

Centre-back? Yes. Sean is very, very close, Aden Flint is very, very close, but has been out for a period.

If possible I'd like to add to that [centre-backs] if I can, but I have to look at priority positions in terms of balancing the books.

Right back is a priority and probably something at the top end of the pitch, that we might see in the next 48 hours.

Harris

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The three players who will feel like new signings set to play a big part for Cardiff City

The Bluebirds have had a slow start to the January transfer window, with no new signings so far, however there are positives from within the squad which could give fans encouragement




The stockpiled fixture schedule was always going to catch up with teams this season, but Cardiff appear to have felt the pinch more than most, due to the squad being made a lot smaller.




' LEE TOMLIN '



The Bluebirds decided to bite the bullet back in November, during the international break, and it was decided that Tomlin would undergo surgery in a bid to rid him of his chronic issue.

We are led to believe that Tomlin is recovering well with a view to him returning to the first-team fray by mid February.


If Tomlin, who turned 32 this week, can stay fit at the back end of the season and strike up a partnership with the likes of Wilson and Moore, never say never when it comes to reaching a play-off spot.

He has the ability to do that on his own, as we saw last term.





' JORDI OSEI-TUTU '



His hamstring injury has arguably been the biggest blow to the team so far this season as it has forced Leandro Bacuna into the right-back berth on a temporary basis and, in doing so, has weakened the midfield.

Cardiff's search for a permanent right-back this month highlights their lack of depth in that position in the City squad and places a greater emphasis on the importance of Osei-Tutu.

He was progressing well in his recovery from his hamstring injury, so much so that he was selected to play for the under-23s away at Charlton on Monday.

He was brought off after 39 minutes, though, which doesn't suggest all is well and pours doubt over his availability for this weekend's clash with Norwich City.

He will certainly feel like a brand new signing.





' ADEN FLINT '

This entry will, of course, divide opinion.

Flint's Cardiff City tenure started brightly, but around 12 months ago it all turned a little sour and supporters started to get on his back.

Flint will likely be fit in the middle of February and if no centre-back has been brought in by the club this month, he could be poised for a more prominent role in the final few months of the campaign.

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NEIL HARRIS:


"Aden Flint will hopefully be back sometime in February."

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NEIL HARRIS:


How would you describe this week at Cardiff City?

My toughest in football, certainly as a manager. Purely because of the mental side of things, physical aspect, making sure players and Sol are OK.

But he is a great guy and I spoke honestly yesterday about his personality and his presence.

It hit everyone hard on Monday and that ripples away from the training ground as well.

Sol has been great and it has enabled us to focus on Norwich today.

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NEIL HARRIS:

Has Sol taken you back to when you announced your cancer to the world?





I didn’t have the chance to break it to the world, it was broken in the press before I got a chance.

It is something Sol won’t forget and everyone is proud of him.

It broke back raw emotions for me. I am proud I fought cancer, beat it and went on to play and manage.

Sol has the character, too, he is a winner. If I can pass on any knowledge I will do.

Harris



You were only 23…

It was a long time ago now. But it’s about Sol getting the support he needs. He is at an age where he has more life skill, understanding and knowledge.

Sometimes it isn’t a good thing but in this instance it is.

We just want him right as quickly as we can.

Harris

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Curtailing celebrations for socially distanced reasons, are you going to tell players to calm it down?



NEIL HARRIS:

I can tell my players to adhere to the law, being sensible around the training ground. We can follow protocol every day and on matchday as well. But the raw emotion of scoring a goal in the heat of the moment, you can’t control that.

If they are that worried about it, stop playing. That’s my honest opinion on it, stop the game.

They are obviously not that worried about it because they let a bunch of kids play in the FA Cup. It’s a joke.

Harris

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Do you want to see football stopped?



NEIL HARRIS:

Personally, no. I love it. It’s giving me something to do, I don’t want to be sitting at home.

A lot of my friends are doing that, I don’t want to be homeschooling my children. I want to be doing the job I love.

What are the boundaries of being safe?

What is a goal celebration compared to man marking when you have 14 people in the six-yard box. There has to be a realism to it.

Harris

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CONFIRMED 2ND CITY PLAYER GOES OUT
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