Pre match press conferences - Cardiff City (A)

[Cappy]

Wilder's due tomorrow, presumably in the morning as they'll travel in the arvo...

Omer Riza press conference video below. Looks and sounds like he's just got off the building site...

Riza pre-Sheffield United | We're looking forward to it | Cardiff

"It will be a really tough game, but one that we’re relishing and one we feel we can do well in."

www.cardiffcityfc.co.uk

The Bluebirds are set to host the Blades for City’s final home match of 2024, with a tough challenge ahead against a side arriving in South Wales at the top of the league table.

“We’re really looking forward to it,” began Omer. “For me they’re the best team in the league at the moment, it’ll be a tough game against a side that’s hard to beat, and a great opportunity for us on Saturday.

“We’re making sure that we’re able to rotate. We made five changes against Stoke City away from home and the boys performed well. There’s no hesitation now in rotating the squad; the first part of my tenure was to see if the boys could handle it at a good level with the team, and they’ve proved that.

“Now we just need to marry that to selecting the right team to go up against the right opposition.”

Beginning a busy run-in of fixtures that will take City into the New Year, Riza anticipates the opportunity for getting more points on the table in the weeks ahead.

“It’s a tough, gruelling schedule," said Omer. "It’s the same for every other team, everyone is playing when we’re playing.

"We’re in a positive place. Although we’ve not picked up as many points, I think the teams below us haven’t really picked up points either, but we’ve got to look at ourselves and look to try and get as many points and wins as we can.

“Going into Saturday, it will be a really tough game, but one that we’re relishing and one we feel we can do well in. We’ll take that forward throughout the whole festive period and look to pick up as many points as we can.”

Concluding, Omer provided an injury update on the squad:

“We’ve got a few injuries in the squad,” said Riza. “Michael Reindorf has hurt his ankle. Isaak [Davies] has started doing some running now on the pitch, so we’re looking to incorporate him with some more football in training over the next week or so, which is good.

“Kion [Etete] is looking to get some more minutes with the U21 side, which is good for his progression. Perry [Ng] is not quite there yet, and Ollie Tanner the same.

“We’re a little bit thin at the moment, but all of the boys that are fit are working hard to make sure that we’re ready to go into the game with confidence and fighting spirit.”

 

[Cappy]

Wilder live from ~9am. You’ll need to be logged in

Sheffield United FC

The place to get all your Sheffield United news on the first team, academy and Sheffield United Women. Download the app via the App Store and Google Play Store

www.sufc.co.uk

The Omer Riza presser linked above will also be on YT at 9. Not sure why it has a “premiere” release time when it’s available on their club site for free without logging in

 

[Cappy]

I'm a bit distracted right now to do proper notes for Wilder's live presser, as I can't listen to every bit - phone keeps ringing - but will do them when they video is released later...

Spoilers:

• No Tyrese this weekend
• Brooks not impressing enough (work rate/attitude) in training to get ahead of other players to start/get on the pitch

Meanwhile, Cardiff CB, Jeper Daland press conference video:

Daland pre-Sheffield United | The games I want to play in | Cardiff

"You can see the level in training, the size of the squad and there’s so many [players], it’s good competition for the spots, which is great."

www.cardiffcityfc.co.uk

The centre-back joined the Bluebirds this summer from Cercle Brugge K.S.V. and began by reflecting on his time in the Welsh capital so far.

“It’s been good. It took some time for me to settle in, but I’m really settled now. The people are really nice, really friendly, not just people in the Club, but people I meet around the city. I’m liking it a lot so far.

“It’s a very nice city. I think when you have nice people around you when you’re moving or coming to a new place, it always makes it a lot easier. People within the Club, the staff, players, everyone has been brilliant with me in terms of helping me.

“I think the first time was in January, I heard there was some interest. I finished the season in Belgium, came back in pre-season and talks started going. I had good conversations with the Club, everything went pretty smoothly. It was something that I really found exciting and thought would really suit me. I’m happy that it happened in the end.

“Since I was a kid, I always dreamed of playing in the UK. Football here is so big. I love the atmosphere, the way people speak about football, the style of football that is played here, it’s something I’ve always wanted. When I got the chance, I was really happy.”

City head into this Saturday on the back of a 2-2 draw against Stoke City this past weekend, in which the Bluebirds produced an encouraging away performance.

Jesper continued: “There are a lot of new faces in the squad, me included, and sometimes it can take time. I’m in every day and can see the quality we have in the squad, I really do. I know the ambitions of the squad, so I’m pretty calm about everything.

“When we’re at a level we know we can be at, we’re really good. We’re pushing really hard in training and hopefully we can be a bit more consistent than we have been. We want to be better, we want the results to be better, but we’re working hard and in the end we will look back and it will be a good season.

"You can see the level in training, the size of the squad and there’s so many [players], it’s good competition for the spots, which is great. I think we need to push each other, help each other, so there are many players that have impressed me since I arrived here."

Saturday's opponents have impressed so far this campaign, currently sitting at the top of the Sky Bet Championship table, having recorded a 2-0 win over Plymouth Argyle last time out.

"They are amongst the top teams, they have been doing really well," Jesper added. "It will be a tough challenge for us, but also a good challenge. I think I can just speak for myself that those are the games you want to play, the toughest games, the toughest opponents.

"I think it’s a great game, I think everyone in the locker room is looking forward to Saturday. It’s a good chance for us to show what we can do. We know it’s a tough challenge, but if we take stuff with us from the weekend, I think we can make problems for them.

"In Belgium, we had a break, but for me coming here, I remember when I was younger watching on Boxing Day, it's a tradition here, so I'm looking forward to it. Obviously, it's a busy period and a lot of games, but at the same time, that's exactly what you want."

 

[ChipButtyBlade]

 

[Cappy]

You'll need to log in for the below full presser on club website. Some notes to follow:

Sheffield United FC

The place to get all your Sheffield United news on the first team, academy and Sheffield United Women. Download the app via the App Store and Google Play Store

www.sufc.co.uk

 

[Cappy]

Firstly, I mentioned in an earlier post and on ShoutBox that he'd said Brooks wasn't training hard enough. I think I mis-interpreted this earlier when watching it live. It didn't have my full attention and I thought he was hinting that Brooks wasn't demonstrating some good attributes. Instead he was just complimenting other players. My bad, apologies.

Not comprehensive notes today. I'm supposed to be off work, but something has gone tits up, so I'm handling that as well as a full day of family stuff

To the presser....interviewer said, "Last time we spoke, it was positive for Souza and Anel, but what about Tyrese?", which is frustrating because it means Wilder then didn't provide an update on Souza or Anel. However, on Tyrese, "he won't be available for the weekend", "we'll deal with it". "Hopefully he will be back for the Burnley, West Brom, Sunderland trilogy".

He was then asked, other than everyone mentioned there, and Seriki, is everyone else OK. Wilder said "Yeah"

So we have no update on Anel, Souza or Seriki as nothing was asked about them!

Andre Brooks, him being kept out by JRS, and his own development, "His development will take care of itself. I'm here to win games of football. I need players to push. He's the reason Jesrun's performance has been pretty good, because Andre is right behind pushing him." He then went on to say "I'd like to get these players on to the pitch" and listed a few players who aren't getting much game time, but called out how hard they are training, "like an absolute machine. Top-drawer professional" about RND and Robbo.

To Cardiff, he mentioned their "quality throughout the team, very attacked-minded, possession-orientated and attacking. Their metrics at the top of the pitch are really good. We'll have to deal with their front players and pose them problems when we're in possession"

Regarding the takeover, "it's getting pretty close. Concentration is on the [games], the things we can influence and control"

On to the January Transfer Window, "We need to strengthen, not massively, conservatively, a bit of experience and hopefully we'll have the ability to effect that". Asked whether all his ducks in order ready to pull the trigger on JTW signing "Oh yeah, all ready". "The squad needs to be a touch stronger in my opinion"

Going back to the Plymouth game, Wilder said "it wasn't a poor performance. It just lacked a bit of energy, but we won a game of football. We look like a team that knows how to win"

"We are still 6 months into the build. Players are learning about me, I'm learning about them". "We have a great base to go from, we have that ability to win and we want to win, and that over everything is key". He went on to say that "during a 46-game season, we'll have 8 to 10 really top class performances, 15 to 20 decent performances that allows you to win games, and we'll have some performances that you'll have to really grind it out and dig in. It's not a group that's been together 3 or 4 years. We're learning together to turn tight results into draws and tight draws into wins"

Regarding Tyrese and the transfer speculation to Bournemouth. Laughing, he said, "I'm glad, but we don't want to lose anyone in January, we can't afford to. Nobody is knocking on my door because they don't want to be here", then saying he's delighted with Tyrese and "Tyrese has found a home" here.

Talking about Wilder's contract and the fact it only has 6 months left, "I'm here to serve the football club" and said he was happy with how things had gone, and he feels everyone is happy. He's only "6 months into the build" so would be delighted to extend.

Regarding JTW again and positions required, he was specifically asked about strikers and, whilst happy, he "would have liked [the summer transfer window] to be a bit better". He talked about how he is happy with Ryan Oné, but isn't comfortable with success being dependant upon an 18-year old lad. "There are a couple of positions we need to strengthen"

Talking about 12:30 kick offs and the impact it has, "I quite like the 12:30's", then laughing, and "if you get a positive result, it's a good place to be sat with a beer in your hand at quarter past three". He did point out that 3 games in 6 days with traveling is a challenge and "there could be a little bit more thought into it really", but he wasn't having a strong whinge. He said that after speaking to them, the feedback from the EFL was that people want to watch the high performing teams. He did talk about the impact on fans "that follow us all over the country, supporting us and paying their hard-earned cash, it affects them", but admitted, "there's no perfect scenario with it all".

Returning again to the JTW, he emphasised he is looking for experienced additions. He also talked about how the Academy's values are aligned with the first team, unlike in 2016 when he first arrived, and that's why we are producing players through to the first team, and then talking about Ryan Oné, that his ideal pathway was to go out on loan for 6 months, but he didn't and he's had a "fantastic start".

Generally talking about signings, he talked positively about the process of assessing payers as a club, but admitted "we don't always get it right" but his body language was really positive about how they all get on the same page to make a decision.

Finally he pointed to his comments last week where he said the take over is "nothing to do with" the players, and corrected it slightly, saying the players will want to see we are a "progressive club", and "top players want to play with top players", so a club that is able to bring good players in and "show ambition" is of course interesting to existing players.

 

[Roygbiv]

Firstly, I mentioned in an earlier post and on ShoutBox that he'd said Brooks wasn't training hard enough. I think I mis-interpreted this earlier when watching it live. It didn't have my full attention and I thought he was hinting that Brooks wasn't demonstrating some good attributes. Instead he was just complimenting other players. My bad, apologies.

Not comprehensive notes today. I'm supposed to be off work, but something has gone tits up, so I'm handling that as well as a full day of family stuff

To the presser....interviewer said, "Last time we spoke, it was positive for Souza and Anel, but what about Tyrese?", which is frustrating because it means Wilder then didn't provide an update on Souza or Anel. However, on Tyrese, "he won't be available for the weekend", "we'll deal with it". "Hopefully he will be back for the Burnley, West Brom, Sunderland trilogy".

He was then asked, other than everyone mentioned there, and Seriki, is everyone else OK. Wilder said "Yeah"

So we have no update on Anel, Souza or Seriki as nothing was asked about them!

Andre Brooks, him being kept out by JRS, and his own development, "His development will take care of itself. I'm here to win games of football. I need players to push. He's the reason Jesrun's performance has been pretty good, because Andre is right behind pushing him." He then went on to say "I'd like to get these players on to the pitch" and listed a few players who aren't getting much game time, but called out how hard they are training, "like an absolute machine. Top-drawer professional" about RND and Robbo.

To Cardiff, he mentioned their "quality throughout the team, very attacked-minded, possession-orientated and attacking. Their metrics at the top of the pitch are really good. We'll have to deal with their front players and pose them problems when we're in possession"

Regarding the takeover, "it's getting pretty close. Concentration is on the [games], the things we can influence and control"

On to the January Transfer Window, "We need to strengthen, not massively, conservatively, a bit of experience and hopefully we'll have the ability to effect that". Asked whether all his ducks in order ready to pull the trigger on JTW signing "Oh yeah, all ready". "The squad needs to be a touch stronger in my opinion"

Going back to the Plymouth game, Wilder said "it wasn't a poor performance. It just lacked a bit of energy, but we won a game of football. We look like a team that knows how to win"

"We are still 6 months into the build. Players are learning about me, I'm learning about them". "We have a great base to go from, we have that ability to win and we want to win, and that over everything is key". He went on to say that "during a 46-game season, we'll have 8 to 10 really top class performances, 15 to 20 decent performances that allows you to win games, and we'll have some performances that you'll have to really grind it out and dig in. It's not a group that's been together 3 or 4 years. We're learning together to turn tight results into draws and tight draws into wins"

Regarding Tyrese and the transfer speculation to Bournemouth. Laughing, he said, "I'm glad, but we don't want to lose anyone in January, we can't afford to. Nobody is knocking on my door because they don't want to be here", then saying he's delighted with Tyrese and "Tyrese has found a home" here.

Talking about Wilder's contract and the fact it only has 6 months left, "I'm here to serve the football club" and said he was happy with how things had gone, and he feels everyone is happy. He's only "6 months into the build" so would be delighted to extend.

Regarding JTW again and positions required, he was specifically asked about strikers and, whilst happy, he "would have liked [the summer transfer window] to be a bit better". He talked about how he is happy with Ryan Oné, but isn't comfortable with success being dependant upon an 18-year old lad. "There are a couple of positions we need to strengthen"

Talking about 12:30 kick offs and the impact it has, "I quite like the 12:30's", then laughing, and "if you get a positive result, it's a good place to be sat with a beer in your hand at quarter past three". He did point out that 3 games in 6 days with traveling is a challenge and "there could be a little bit more thought into it really", but he wasn't having a strong whinge. He said that after speaking to them, the feedback from the EFL was that people want to watch the high performing teams. He did talk about the impact on fans "that follow us all over the country, supporting us and paying their hard-earned cash, it affects them", but admitted, "there's no perfect scenario with it all".

Returning again to the JTW, he emphasised he is looking for experienced additions. He also talked about how the Academy's values are aligned with the first team, unlike in 2016 when he first arrived, and that's why we are producing players through to the first team, and then talking about Ryan Oné, that his ideal pathway was to go out on loan for 6 months, but he didn't and he's had a "fantastic start".

Generally talking about signings, he talked positively about the process of assessing payers as a club, but admitted "we don't always get it right" but his body language was really positive about how they all get on the same page to make a decision.

Finally he pointed to his comments last week where he said the take over is "nothing to do with" the players, and corrected it slightly, saying the players will want to see we are a "progressive club", and "top players want to play with top players", so a club that is able to bring good players in and "show ambition" is of course interesting to existing players.

Brilliant work as always Cappy

 

[Cappy]

Audio-only version of the press conference, but just with the Q's from BBC Radio Sheff, which is about 50% of the full thing

Football Heaven - 'We've got the opportunity to get to 53 points at the halfway stage' - BBC Sounds

Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder on racking up the points.

www.bbc.co.uk