Cardiff City manager Erol Bulut slammed his players’ mindset in the second half of their defeat to Millwall and lashed out at the continual harsh comments directed at him.
The Bluebirds looked terrific for 45 minutes at The Den, but two bad defensive moments left them down 2-1 at halftime. However, they struggled in the second half and lost 3-1 against the Lions.
Bulut delivered a passionate speech during his post-match press conference, noting a growing displeasure with some of the remarks he had read in recent weeks. Here’s the whole transcript…
How did you judge Millwall’s performance?
Erol Bulut: “Like day and night, the first and second halves.” Cardiff clearly had the advantage in the first half. We could have scored more in the first half, but we conceded two goals. The second one, especially, was unacceptable. We lost the ball rather easy, three against one, and conceded it to the opponent.
“If you make these minor mistakes in your game and lose the ball during a counter-attack, it will be impossible to recover. Millwall at home is a good team that is fighting.
I was satisfied with the first half; no words for the second.
Nobody can tell me; we had a game two days ago and are fatigued, and the opponent had a game two days prior.
The most important thing is your mentality, how you approach the game, if you want to win. What do you expect of yourself, individually? I can only speak with my players. However, the mentality on the pitch needs to change, especially in the second half.
This is the biggest issue this season. We’d talk about various topics now, but I couldn’t change everything with these players. I may ask for information, but changing everything is difficult.
“Some of the fans and the media may say… but I am the manager, and I know what I want. I know exactly what I want from my players. But they must also know what they desire.
I’m reading some news and press, and I’m getting messages from pals… I’ve never discussed this before. It’s normal for fans and the media to criticise me; it’s part of my profession. I’m not perfect. I need to learn a lot of things.
However, you cannot conclude that our 59 points this season are a result of chance. I’ve been in this industry long enough; I played football for 20 years.
I’ve been reading these things in the press, and someone wants to show that all of our work this season is awful. This I cannot accept. I know what my teammates did this season. This is what we did all season. Nobody can say negatively about our job.
That’s enough. For the past few weeks, I’ve been reading these things and receiving messages. I had never discussed these topics before. But that is plenty.
They can criticise me, and I have no problem with that. But I believe they do it on purpose with these messaging. Of course, we’re reading it, and the players are reading it, so it impacts us too. It affects the players. When you talk about players, the coach, our game, and things like that, it impacts the players.
Did you address the players in the changing room about their poor mentality in the second half today?
I said it to my team right now. That is not something I can accept. I’ve said it several times. Okay, we have 59 points. For me, it’s insufficient. The season is not over. I want the guys to perform at their best till the conclusion.
Of course. Of course. It is due of this. It should not be like way. We have to obtain the most we can. You can lose games, I don’t care, but not in the second half; we can’t display that to the fans, ourselves, or anyone else. This I cannot accept.
My character and thinking are such that I refuse to accept this. I was like this as a player, and I still am as a manager. I want my athletes to perform to their full potential.
Fans come here and pay money to see us play a good game; we must deliver.
Then it’s normal for fans to yell at me; okay, I can take that, I have to accept that, it’s fine. Because they want to see better football, which I have to ask of my players. This requires a shift in mindset.
“I told them that there are three games remaining in the season, but you need also consider next season, whether I am here or not. The club needs to grow and continue. What is the goal for next season? We also need to ask the players about this. So, the goal is to plan a small portion of current season for next season. You cannot say, ‘Ah, we want to stay in the league’ the following season. This will not be possible.
This season, it was all about maintaining a strong league place and being safe. We’ve never been in jeopardy with relegation. We now need to plan for something else. We need to talk about this. Today marks the first time I’ve spoken freely about this. I’ve never talked about it. That’s why plans need to be distinct.
Some players have been positively affected, while others have been negatively impacted. If they don’t like how I talk about them, that’s just the reality of football.
I never criticise my players in the media. If I criticise, I use the phrase ‘we’, which includes myself. I manage this team. But I am aware of my character and thinking. I attempt to impart that to the players. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. As we can see from the first and second halves, I am not happy about this.
If there is an issue on the pitch, I am the chef, thus it is my responsibility. If something is excellent, it is good; if it is terrible, it is bad.
