Neil Warnock insists Cardiff City are still no more than underdogs for promotion to the Premier League.
The Bluebirds may be only two points from second place – and seven clear of seventh spot, just beneath the play-offs – but their manager is still trying hard to lessen expectations on his squad.
Four defeats in a row cast doubts on the Cardiff’s staying power, but the convincing 4-0 victory over Sunderland last week has not altered Warnock’s belief that his third-placed team will do well to finish sixth.
“Make no mistake about it, we are outsiders to get promotion,” Warnock has told Sky Sports ahead of his team’s visit to Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday evening.
“I’d say we’re probably fifth or sixth in line with three or four others to get into that bottom fifth or sixth place, but we’re going to enjoy it while we’re here. We’ve got ability, we’re bringing in some more ability and we’ve got a great fan base, so let’s have a go.
“We lost four on the trot but we could have won three of those games if we hadn’t made some elementary defensive errors,” he said. Your confidence gets hit and you have to get out if it, and we’ve done really well.
“A dip is inevitable because you’re just as capable of losing four or five on the trot as you are winning four or five on the trot in this league. The important thing is you don’t get too excited when you’re flying or too low when you can’t get a win. But we’re above where we thought we’d be at the start of the season, although we’re still disappointed to have had the blip.”
Warnock believes spending power at rival clubs eclipses anything Cardiff can currently throw at their promotion bid.
But he has promised that team spirit and collective character can still provide enough for his team to finish inside the top six.
“You’ve got teams like Derby, who probably have the best squad, and then Aston Villa coming up with the players they have and the money they’ve spent,” he said. “Then there are big clubs like Middlesbrough and Leeds who can really sign who they want.
“Then there are the teams like ourselves, Bristol City and Sheffield United all punching above our weight, and that’s what makes the Championship such a great league. We spent £1.5million net in the summer on 10 players, which is incredible when you compare it to some of the money being spent in this division. I made my record offer for a player last week of £3m, but he wasn’t keen to come!”
That’s not to say that Warnock is ruling out promotion this season. Even at his 15th different club, he can recognise a special atmosphere amongst a squad.
“Your dressing room is the most important thing,” he said. “I look back at my promotions and go back as far as Scarborough, Huddersfield and Plymouth Argyle, not just Sheffield United and QPR. They all had dressing rooms which were unbelievable and still get together after all these years and have reunions and things like that.
“I go to the reunions and they’re still the same lads with the same humour, determination and comradeship, and it’s like they’ve never been apart. That’s the special part for me and I see that in this group here.”
Wednesday, the club who sacked Swansea manager Carlos Carvalhal in December – are currently well outside the promotion race, back in 17th position.
But that will not lessen the barrage of abuse Warnock is expecting when the 69-year-old goes back as a former manager of rivals Sheffield United, as well as a boyhood fan.
“I always get what some would call a rousing welcome! When I get off the bus it’s quite special and I do enjoy it, I like them to wait and get that venom bubbling up inside them, then I get off.
“They’re good people there. Yes, they give me stick like nothing on earth but it’s all friendly and I do like walking in there and seeing some of the young lads and their dads wearing blue and white scarves.
“I always have a chat with one or two and that’s how football should be. It’s gone so far the other way that people get off the bus with their headphones and go straight into the dressing room, never talking to the supporters or having a laugh. There’s nothing wrong with a bit of humour and that’s why I’m still in the game because I enjoy those times.”