Garry Monk has urged Cardiff City to give Paul Trollope time to dig the Bluebirds out of the Championship trenches.
Former Swansea manager Monk watched his Leeds United team win 2-0 at the Cardiff City Stadium to leave Trollope at the foot of the Championship table.
Both managers had gone into the game on the back of poor starts to the season, but the reviving breeze of a midweek victory for Leeds put enough wind in Monk’s sails for back-to-back victories.
For Trollope, though, this was a fourth straight defeat and another shut out for his own players who have failed to score at home yet this season.
A penalty on the hour from Chris Wood and a quality strike from former Swan Pablo Hernandez has tightened the pressure on Trollope, who took over in the summer.
But Monk insisted: “As a manager, you are only one step from heavy criticism or from being the best in the world. The manager bares the brunt of it.
“But you can only control what you can control, I’ve learnt that in my short time as a manager. We talked about having momentum from back to back wins and now we have got that.
“Paul is a good manager and a good guy and I’m sure if he is given the time he will turn things around and get Cardiff going up the table.”
Cardiff were the more threatening side before the break. But having twice hit the post, the energy and belief drained from them in the second-half.
They conceded a penalty when Matt Connolly wrestled with Pontus Jansson on the hour and then stood off Hernandez who curled in a superb second.
Trollope admitted: “To come away with another defeat is hugely frustrating and our league position is nowhere near acceptable, or what we want.
“I understand people’s frustrations. At whatever level you are in, you have to win football matches, but I have had great support from the owner and the chief executive and I thought our fans today were terrific.”
“They know what we’re trying to build and create. Of course there’s a need for short term results, we don’t want to be in the league position we’re in because it hurts.
“Patience is key, especially in the modern game, because everyone wants short-term results, I certainly do. It hurts me that we’re not getting them.
“The results are not acceptable, that’s my responsibility, I know that. It’s my responsibility to shape it and mould it and get the best out of people. I’m totally aware of that, but I also believe in how we work, that this will turn.”