Under Mick: 'It was horrible, it wasn’t a nice place to be'

'It was horrible, it wasn’t a nice place to be' — Cardiff City star's candid admission over lost confidence as he sees brighter horizon

Perry Ng spoke about how low he got at points this season but hopes the appointment of Steve Morison will spark a turnaround this term



Wednesday 17th November 2021



Perry Ng has admitted he lost all confidence and that Cardiff City "wasn't a nice place to be" during the Bluebirds' woeful run of form at the start of the season.

Ng was one of the standout players for Cardiff under Mick McCarthy towards the back end of last season, but he, like the rest of the squad, suffered after the numbers were slashed and teams quickly began to work them out.

McCarthy's reign ended in October after Cardiff's eighth successive defeat, with City hovering just above the relegation zone.

Now, the Bluebirds defender has shed some light on just what it was like being a Cardiff City player at that time.


NG:

"It’s been a frustrating season so far," he said. "I was low on confidence and not putting in the best performances, I know that myself.

"It was horrible. It wasn’t a nice place to be. Everyone was low on confidence and no one knew which way to go or how to play. We were all in a middle ground and it wasn't a nice place to be involved in.

"Now we are over that and we have got a win under our belts and it’s time to kick on.

"With [Steve Morison] coming it, it's a breath of fresh air and I'm just excited about the future now."

McCarthy and Terry Connor worked wonders when they came in back in January, going 11 games unbeaten after joining the club.

And while Ng acknowledges the excellent run, he believes Cardiff should have evolved over the summer, rather than staying stagnant.

"Mick and Terry did a great job getting us all together and believing in each other, but after that there was no real change or way of playing or identity to us," the 25-year-old added.

"That was a bit of a problem. Moro has seen that and has tried to change that, which is working so far. Hopefully a new dawn and we can get back to winning ways."

Will Vaulks spoke about how Cardiff players wanted to prove they were more multi-dimensional, having been branded as direct and limited under the former manager.

And Ng concurs that, at times, the style of football was tough to implement. He, and the rest of the team, believe there is now a system in place which best allows them to show just what they are capable of.


NG:

"I used to try and do things that they wanted me to do which I, in my head, didn't think was the right thing to do," Ng said.

"Now we can be a bit more confident and hopefully people can see we are good players.

"It was a frustrating team to play in for a bit, I wasn’t getting much of the ball.

"That can work at times. We have just got to mix it up and be braver on the ball, especially when we are up there, not just giving it away all the time.

"Going forward, we have got to be braver, which Moro is insisting of us, and it’ll help us score more goals.

"With a mix of what we did have and a bit more modern football, that could be a really good blend and will help us going forward. Who knows what could happen?"

It takes a brave person to admit they are suffering with a shortage of confidence in the goldfish bowl that football in this country has become.

But Ng hopes that, with the introduction of this new coaching staff, those concerns are behind him and he can now break free from the shackles which he believes were holding him back.

"When I came in, I was loving it," he said. "But I think it was after the injury, after we beat Swansea, it just turned and I lost my confidence very quickly.

"It was difficult to get that back.

"But when Moro, Ramas, even Mark now, it's been a different style of training and it's been much better.

"They believe in us. Even if we make mistakes it's not the end of the world and I think that's been a big help for me."

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That's a pretty damning indictment of Mick McCarthy and his effect on both team and morale...

That's a pretty damning indictment of Mick McCarthy and his effect on both team and morale...

Def:


Perry Ng on the previous regime?

Mick and Terry did a great job getting us all together, but after that there was no real change or identity or way of playing.

Moro has tried to change that and hopefully we can continue winning ways.

Perry Ng

That's a pretty damning indictment of Mick McCarthy and his effect on both team and morale...

That's how I'm looking at it.

We were going nowhere but down under MM this season. He did nothing to change it and his sacking was justified. For the sake of this season we need to move on and forget about MM.

I hoped for a more progressive manager after Harris but was happy with Mick as I liked him and he did have a superb start but now we finally have that progressive manager and I hope the club can rebuild around its youth and go for the Premier League again in a few years.

Ng on Mick:

‘It was horrible. It wasn’t a nice place to be. I wasn’t getting much of the ball. Everyone was low on confidence and no one knew how to play. Mick and Terry did a great job getting us all together, but after that there was no real change, identity or way of playing.’

I hoped for a more progressive manager after Harris but was happy with Mick as I liked him and he did have a superb start but now we finally have that progressive manager and I hope the club can rebuild around its youth and go for the Premier League again in a few years.

I totally agree, but what us fickle fans must bear in mind and know, Rome was not built in a day.

Steve has until the end of the season and there will be lows, he's trying to introduce a different way of playing. We need to be patient, take the bad with the good and see where we are in May.

Listened to the whole interview and its politely scathing about McCarthy. The clubs worst run of results speak for themselves but his interview underlines how unhappy the players were too. I was angry with Harris when he left but have since mellowed because he was trying to evolve the team and had a number of injuries when he was sacked. McCarthy however had absolutely no plan B and his arrogance was staggering. Never apologised for his utter failure and listening to Ng makes me so angry that the club now have to line his pockets. My only crumb of comfort is we will hopefully be his last job in football.

That's a pretty damning indictment of Mick McCarthy and his effect on both team and morale...

Spot on Chris. Seems brutally honest to me and said what alot of us have been thinking for a while.

Mick was taking us down fast and I'm just glad the club reacted when they did before the rot really set in.

That's a pretty damning indictment of Mick McCarthy and his effect on both team and morale...

Spot on Chris. Seems brutally honest to me and said what alot of us have been thinking for a while.

Mick was taking us down fast and I'm just glad the club reacted when they did before the rot really set in.

Absolutely, mate

Will take time to fully recover but I'm confident we will...