BRENTFORD: INJURED PLAYERS TO RETURN PLUS...
Mon Mar 12, 2018 4:17 pm
Injured Cardiff City stars return for Brentford clash as Bluebirds face the team Vincent Tan admires
By Dominic Booth
The Cardiff City manager also spoke about his team's preparation for the trip to Griffin Park to play Brentford
The rigorous nature of the Championship means Cardiff City's incredible run of six straight victories is bound to end at some point, but Neil Warnock believes "there is light at the end of the tunnel".
The Bluebirds will go light on their preparations for Tuesday night's visit to Brentford, with Warnock hoping a number of players can return to the fold and those battered bodies can recover in double quick time.
Because beating Barnsley and Birmingham amid another mini injury crisis was achievement enough for the veteran Yorkshireman. He is still calling his team underdogs despite enjoying an unbeaten streak that now stretches to 10 league games.
And while Warnock might have a point — Fulham have certainly won plaudits for their 15-game unbeaten run and Villa are coming good — he admitted he is calculating a new target for his troops, having seen them surpass the 73 points initially set to secure a play-off place.
"I didn't think we would get to my points target as quick as this, so we'll have to reassess that now," he admitted in the build-up to Brentford.
"But you look at all the pundits in our division and they're still talking about Fulham and Villa, they've got bigger squads than us so we've just got to keep going.
"Our lads are punching above their weight, they're a great bunch and we will try our socks off to get the results we need to keep up there. We've got so many injured lads but there's light at the end of the tunnel now.
"We'll train Tuesday morning and have a look at the players' fitness, who is available and who might come back into it and then pick a team."
Those available are likely to include Sean Morrison and Gary Madine, both who were on the bench against Birmingham.
The return of Morrison in particular is so crucial for Cardiff, who lost four games over the Christmas period without their captain and most consistent centre-back.
Meanwhile Madine will provide competition for the in-form-again Kenneth Zohore up front.
Yet it may be Brentford who create more goal-mouth action on Tuesday night, having had more efforts at goal than any other side in the Championship this season. The Bees, still with a chance of the play-offs themselves, have taken 630 shots this term (17.5 per game) yet have scored three goals fewer than the Bluebirds and sit in 11th - 20 points behind Warnock's team.
And it was actually Cardiff owner Vincent Tan who informed Warnock of that statistic.
"Brentford have had more shots than anybody, even Vincent tells me that because he looks at stats," laughed the Cardiff boss.
"Smithy (Dean Smith) has done a great job there, I like him and think they're a good club.
"They don't change, whoever they're playing against. They attack you, they've got good inter-movement, a good crowd down there and a good atmosphere.
"I've had a good few humdingers at Brentford, going back to play-off semi-finals with Huddersfield. I like the club, the only thing I don't like is smelling the hot dogs as I walk through to the changing rooms — it always turns my stomach!"
The only thing that could turn Warnock's stomach this week is the sight of that unbeaten run coming to an end.
Cardiff might be satisfied with a point, but with both Wolves and Villa in action, the veteran boss — despite talk of being underdogs — won't countenance a defeat.
On how long the winning streak might continue, he added: "I don't know all the stats but I know it's hard working to keep winning and to get lads up for it.
"Long may it continue."
By Dominic Booth
The Cardiff City manager also spoke about his team's preparation for the trip to Griffin Park to play Brentford
The rigorous nature of the Championship means Cardiff City's incredible run of six straight victories is bound to end at some point, but Neil Warnock believes "there is light at the end of the tunnel".
The Bluebirds will go light on their preparations for Tuesday night's visit to Brentford, with Warnock hoping a number of players can return to the fold and those battered bodies can recover in double quick time.
Because beating Barnsley and Birmingham amid another mini injury crisis was achievement enough for the veteran Yorkshireman. He is still calling his team underdogs despite enjoying an unbeaten streak that now stretches to 10 league games.
And while Warnock might have a point — Fulham have certainly won plaudits for their 15-game unbeaten run and Villa are coming good — he admitted he is calculating a new target for his troops, having seen them surpass the 73 points initially set to secure a play-off place.
"I didn't think we would get to my points target as quick as this, so we'll have to reassess that now," he admitted in the build-up to Brentford.
"But you look at all the pundits in our division and they're still talking about Fulham and Villa, they've got bigger squads than us so we've just got to keep going.
"Our lads are punching above their weight, they're a great bunch and we will try our socks off to get the results we need to keep up there. We've got so many injured lads but there's light at the end of the tunnel now.
"We'll train Tuesday morning and have a look at the players' fitness, who is available and who might come back into it and then pick a team."
Those available are likely to include Sean Morrison and Gary Madine, both who were on the bench against Birmingham.
The return of Morrison in particular is so crucial for Cardiff, who lost four games over the Christmas period without their captain and most consistent centre-back.
Meanwhile Madine will provide competition for the in-form-again Kenneth Zohore up front.
Yet it may be Brentford who create more goal-mouth action on Tuesday night, having had more efforts at goal than any other side in the Championship this season. The Bees, still with a chance of the play-offs themselves, have taken 630 shots this term (17.5 per game) yet have scored three goals fewer than the Bluebirds and sit in 11th - 20 points behind Warnock's team.
And it was actually Cardiff owner Vincent Tan who informed Warnock of that statistic.
"Brentford have had more shots than anybody, even Vincent tells me that because he looks at stats," laughed the Cardiff boss.
"Smithy (Dean Smith) has done a great job there, I like him and think they're a good club.
"They don't change, whoever they're playing against. They attack you, they've got good inter-movement, a good crowd down there and a good atmosphere.
"I've had a good few humdingers at Brentford, going back to play-off semi-finals with Huddersfield. I like the club, the only thing I don't like is smelling the hot dogs as I walk through to the changing rooms — it always turns my stomach!"
The only thing that could turn Warnock's stomach this week is the sight of that unbeaten run coming to an end.
Cardiff might be satisfied with a point, but with both Wolves and Villa in action, the veteran boss — despite talk of being underdogs — won't countenance a defeat.
On how long the winning streak might continue, he added: "I don't know all the stats but I know it's hard working to keep winning and to get lads up for it.
"Long may it continue."
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Re: BRENTFORD: INJURED PLAYERS TO RETURN PLUS...
Mon Mar 12, 2018 4:20 pm
The smell of the hot dogs make him feel sick 
What a funny man our Neil is.
What a funny man our Neil is.
Re: BRENTFORD: INJURED PLAYERS TO RETURN PLUS...
Mon Mar 12, 2018 4:21 pm
It's going to be fascinating to see how Chris Mepham fares against Zohore from a Welsh point of view. There's a slim chance they could be facing each other in the Nations League in September.