Cardiff City head coach Brian Barry-Murphy has labelled Blackburn Rovers boss Tony Mowbray a 'master coach' ahead of Saturday's Championship clash at Ewood Park. Barry-Murphy's side, 21st in the standings with just seven points from eight games, are aiming to build on their first league win of the season. The team's recent form shows just one win in their last five, leaving them with a clear need to start converting performances into points.
"They've got a master coach in Tony Mowbray, he's done it all and seen it all," Barry-Murphy said. He acknowledged the scale of the task, adding that Blackburn's recent form has been strong. "Blackburn's recent form has been really good, they beat Millwall 3-1 in their last home fixture." The Rovers, currently 16th, have collected 10 points from their opening eight matches, a tally Barry-Murphy will be keen to close in on with a positive result this weekend.
Injury updates ahead of trip
The international break has provided a mixed bag on the fitness front. Striker Yousef Salech, who scored and assisted in the 3-1 win over Charlton on 19 September, has returned to individual training but is yet to take part in full contact sessions. Defender Calum Chambers is not back in training and is seeing a specialist, with the club awaiting further news. Midfielder Alex Robertson, who missed Australia duty with shin and Achilles issues, is not expected to train today but could be ready tomorrow. Forward Isaak Davies, however, is back in full training after extensive work during the break.
Barry-Murphy is hopeful Dylan Lawlor will be fit to travel and highlighted the progress of Lawlor and Will Fish during the extended window. The head coach stated the main objective was to improve players' understanding and physical condition, work he believes will benefit the squad in the long run.
Turning performances into points
With Cardiff having recorded just one win, one draw, and three losses in their last five matches, Barry-Murphy stressed the need to convert improved displays into results. "We need to do better and are in a position in the table we don't want to be," he said. "Our motivation and ambition is to improve our position quickly." He wants his team to play their own game aggressively at Ewood Park to try and secure a vital victory. He emphasised that the team's goal minutes have been too spread out and they need to be more clinical in key moments.
Cardiff travel to face 16th-placed Blackburn Rovers on Saturday aiming to secure back-to-back wins for the first time this season. Following this fixture, the team's next challenge will be a home match, details of which are on the fixtures list.
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