FORMER CARDIFF CITY, Celtic and Wales midfielder Joe Ledley spoke exclusively to Gambling.com ahead of the Scottish Masters 2024 tournament in Aberdeen on November 14th, where he will play for Celtic.
Is there anyone you would like to see become Cardiff City manager?
“Neil Lennon. I think he would be brilliant there [at Cardiff City]. With his man management skills, and the way he wants his players to fight for the club and fight for the jersey. I haven’t seen that there for a long, long time at Cardiff. I know Lenny and the way he can play will be exactly the same as other managers.
“I’d just like to see that fight from the players and that togetherness. I haven’t seen it since probably when (Neil) Warnock was at Cardiff. So I’m going to say Neil Lennon, whether he wants it, I don’t know.
“I think at the moment it’s right for the club to give Omer Riza a bit more time, maybe a few more games. It’s the international break, so the club can have a little bit more time to think about it.”
Do Cardiff City need to sign a striker to help them avoid relegation?
“It’s got to be a striker [where Cardiff City should strengthen their squad in January]. We’ve been crying out for a striker for the last five to 10 years really. We haven’t had a striker who scores 15 to 20 goals a season.
“I know they’re very difficult to come by, but even if you can get someone in there getting double figures. Last season, Perry Ng was top goalscorer and he’s a defender.
“All the fans, the management and the chairman will all know that realistically Cardiff need a goalscoring striker. So hopefully in January we can go out there and find one.”
On Cardiff City’s performances so far this season
“I’ve been down there [Cardiff City Stadium] quite a lot this season, especially at the beginning. When [Erol] Bulut was there, it just wasn’t happening at all. The performances weren’t good enough, they weren’t creating enough chances. You get found out in the Championship like that and rightly so.
“Then once the manager goes five or six games without a win, you’re always going to be under pressure. Vincent Tan knows that and he won’t let that go under the carpet, so they made the right decision for me.
“Now it’s all up in the air with who’s going to be the next manager. At the moment there’s a few names flying around, but I think it’s down to the chairman to come out and decide whether they’re going to stick with Omer Riza, or if they’re going to go and invest some money in another manager. It’s a bit frustrating for the fans at the moment.
“To their credit the last four or five games have been a lot better, there’s been a lot more improvement in the team and they’re creating more chances. So time will tell. It’s a difficult league, but they need to get back to winning ways to stay away from that relegation zone.”
Has Vincent Tan won the Cardiff City fans over?
“There’s still mixed emotions towards him [Vincent Tan]. You’ve got to give him credit, he’s putting his money into the team and into the city as well. Without a shadow of doubt he has put his hand in his pocket.
“You’ve got the likes of Aaron Ramsey and (David) Turnbull here – big, big players that have signed. So the fans will respect him for that. You don’t really see him much at games, he’s still in Malaysia.
“There’s mixed emotions from the fans, but from my perspective, he’s been great with recruiting players this season and putting his hand in his pocket, so you can’t argue with that.”
On leaving his hometown club Cardiff City to join Celtic
“It was a big decision [to leave his boyhood club] as I was born and raised in Cardiff. It was my team that I supported. I just needed a different opportunity and a different challenge in my career at that time. I thought I had taken Cardiff as far as I could, and I was obviously disappointed that we lost the playoff final.
“Then when my contract was coming to the end, I spoke to Neil Lennon and he sold Celtic to me massively. The minute I walked through the doors of Celtic Park and saw the pitch and the stadium, I just fell in love with it straight away. And I knew that’s where I wanted to be playing my football for as long as possible. It’s a fantastic club.”
