‘Portsmouth relegation rivals destined to fail’ amid ‘clueless’ admission
Portsmouth are just four games away from Championship survival and have been handed a huge boost in their efforts.
Pompey secured a point last time out against Derby County to help move four points clear of the bottom three in the second tier.
This hasn’t necessarily eased any pressure on John Mousinho’s men, with a clash against Norwich City coming up next on Friday (18 April).
With that being said, the South Coast club are likely to be delighted after what has gone down at a main relegation rival ahead of the weekend’s fixtures.
Portsmouth in Championship survival boost
After being promoted from League One last campaign, there have been plenty of positive moments this campaign to sum up everything positive about the PO4 side.
The likes of Nicolas Schmid and Josh Murphy have shown their class and are certainly deserving of remaining in the second tier beyond this season.
This may now be more likely as the wheels appear to be falling off at 22nd-placed Cardiff City, who are facing challenges of their own.
Manager Omer Riza is coming under continuous pressure in the Welsh capital and is clearly letting that impact his attitude towards supporters.
Speaking ahead of the Bluebirds’ clash against Sheffield United on 18 April, the 45-year-old has hit out at supporters in a bizarre admission.
He said: “I do read comments, I read all the comments from fans, and unfortunately, a lot of them are clueless.”
This has not gone down well with Cardiff fans, who have been left fuming by their own manager, something which could negatively impact their players’ performance on the pitch.
Portsmouth to benefit from Cardiff City issues
It will certainly be interesting to see how these comments impact the Welsh side ahead of their trip to face promotion hopefuls Sheffield United.
There is no doubt that a clash at Bramall Lane will be difficult, regardless of a bad atmosphere surrounding the club, but Riza won’t have helped himself.
This could see the hierarchy at Cardiff make a swift move to replace the 45-year-old with Neil Warnock before the season ends.
Although this may prove to be positive, it would be a bold move to sack the Englishman with so little time remaining in the season, so any decision could work in favour of Pompey.