Cardiff City: Neil Harris returns with Bluebirds in flux once more

Neil Harris returns to Cardiff City for the first time since being sacked as Bluebirds boss when Millwall visit the Welsh capital on Tuesday.

Harris led Cardiff to the Championship play-offs in 2019-20 but was shown the door in January 2021 with the club 15th in the second tier.

Mick McCarthy, Harrisâ€TM replacement, only lasted until October 2021 and the next man in the hotseat, Steve Morison, was dismissed in September 2022.

Mark Hudson came next - and went after only 18 games in charge. Sabri Lamouchiâ€TMs reign was equally brief, with Erol Bulut lasting just over a season before he was axed earlier this month.

There were some who felt Harris was sacked prematurely, but managers have not tended to last long at Cardiff in recent years.

Interim boss Omer Riza will take the reins for the second time as Harrisâ€TM 15th-placed Lions come in search of their first away league win of the season.

Cardiff, of course, are yet to win anywhere in the Championship in 2024-25.

Riza acknowledged in the wake of Saturdayâ€TMs 4-1 defeat at Hull City that the Bluebirds must halt their dreadful start to the season as quickly as possible.

"I canâ€TMt question the playersâ€TM application and character â€" they have been superb," he said.

"Now we have to look forward to Millwall, a real tough game at home.

"We have to kick on, we have to improve. We have not had much time to work on things, but there was a dramatic improvement in some of the things we did [at Hull] - but we have got to stop letting in goals and we have got to score more."

There have been 17 goals conceded in Cardiffâ€TMs seven league games to date, while Callum Robinsonâ€TMs strike at Hull was just their second in this campaign.

Cardiff's tally of one point from a possible 21 makes this one of the worst starts by any club since the second tier was rebranded as the Championship in 2004.

Surely, things have to improve soon, donâ€TMt they?