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Glen Williams

Cardiff City headlines as 'only one player would get in Swansea City team' and Steve Morison up for award

Here are your Cardiff City headlines for Thursday, April 7.

Pundit claims only one Bluebird would get into Swans side

Only Alex Smithies would get into Swansea City's starting XI, according to former Wales and Norwich City striker Iwan Roberts.

Following the Bluebirds' humiliating 4-0 defeat by their bitter rivals last weekend, fans of Wales' capital city club have been teeming with disappointment. Given the nature of the defeat, it's easy to see why.

READ MORE: The truth about Cardiff City takeover talk, how much it would cost and what happens next

Despite Cardiff's positive form heading into the match, Swansea made the victory at Cardiff City Stadium look easy, strolling home at a canter as the Bluebirds looked helpless and unable to cope. But Roberts believes that, no matter what the league positions of the both sides say, Swansea are a clear better side and possibly only one Cardiff player would get into Russell Martin's team.

"Swansea are capable of that type of performance, that's the difference," Roberts told the BBC's EJFOF podcast. For me it's quite simple, Swansea are the better side, they've got better players individually and collectively than Cardiff City.

"I look at that Cardiff City starting XI and I don't think one of them gets into the Swansea team. The only one that I would maybe think about is the goalkeeper, Alex Smithies. Apart from him - because I'm not convinced with Andy Fisher - no one else."

Gabbidon: Swans are Cardiff's worst nightmare and players looked lost

Former Bluebirds defender Danny Gabbidon swatted aside the notion that the players didn't "get" the derby, instead he insisted that Cardiff have historically and continually failed to cope with teams like Swansea and were outwitted and outclassed.

Cardiff have won only one of the last seven South Wales derbies. Since both teams returned to the Championship, the aggregate scored across the last six fixtures has been 10-1 in Swansea's favour - a rather damning statistic.

It has led some Bluebirds fans to believe that Swansea's players are simply up for the derby clash more than their Cardiff counterparts. Gabbidon, however, disagrees, believing that it is purely down to footballing reasons why they keep losing to Swansea time and time again in recent years.

On the matter of Bluebirds players not realising the enormity of the fixture, Gabbidon also told EJFOF: "I don't fully buy into that, I really don't. I don't care if you're a foreign player or a local lad, players understand the magnitude of the game. They understand what it means to themselves, the club, the fans. It's quite simple, they have just been tactically inept.

"It's simple, Swansea are Cardiff City's worst nightmare with the way they play. The way Cardiff play, the managers they've had over the past few seasons, they can't play against teams like that, it's always been an issue. When they come up against teams like that, who retain the ball and have fluidity, they are just not able to deal with it.

"When you get embarrassed that much, Swansea are keeping the ball, and you feel like, as a player, you can't get near anyone. It was like Swansea had 13 or 14 players on the pitch at times. It can look like you're not trying or there's no effort - but I don't think that was the case at the weekend with Cardiff players.

"It was just the fact they were totally outclassed tactically and that made them look like they weren't up for it. But it was just the players didn't understand what they needed to do in that game. Swansea have played that way for a long time but they still haven't found any answers for playing against that type of team. They can get away with it against others and most teams don't play that way.

"But when it comes to Swansea, it's not about lack of fight or not trying, I think the players were trying, but what they were trying wasn't working. The closing down, they were getting there a second late. Players looking around wondering who they should be picking up.

"As a manager, you have to set your team up in the best possible way to win the game and I don't think we have seen that in recent games, you have seen players who look lost. It was more that for me than a lack of fight or understanding the magnitude of the game."

Morison up for Manager of the Month

In the aftermath of the derby, it's easy to forget how positive a run the club had been on in the month leading up to it. However, Steve Morison's nomination for the Championship's Manager of the Month award serves as a much-needed reminder that maybe it all isn't as bad as it seems at the minute.

While emotions ran high after last weekend's drubbing, Cardiff had been on a steady upwards curve in the month or two leading up to that point and Morison can take credit for that.

The Bluebirds boss is up alongside Steve Cooper of Nottingham Forest, Neil Critchley of Blackpool and Steve Bruce of West Brom. Alongside Morison's nomination, the EFL wrote: "So impressive has been Morison’s approach to both the playing style and giving youth its chance at Cardiff, it is easy to forget it is his first managerial post. Ten points from four unbeaten games continued the Bluebirds’ resurgence."

The winner of the award will be announced on Friday morning.

Youngsters selected for Wales

Cardiff City will have six representatives in the Wales under-16s squad for this month's UEFA Development Tournament, it has been announced.

The competition, which takes place in north Wales between April 9 and April 14, will see the young Welshmen face Brazil, Turkey and Spain. Charlie Crew, Dylan Lawlor, Luey Giles, Gabriele Bianchieri, Ronan Kpakio and Troy Perrett are the six Bluebirds players who have been selected for the tournament.

Cardiff's academy head, David Hughes, said : "Experiencing international development football adds a different and unique perspective to player development. It may be understanding different cultures, preparing and recovering with little time between games, and considering how to influence new team mates and coaches; all of which provide an invaluable learning environment.

"This weekend we will have six schoolboys in the Wales U16 squad to face Brazil, before games against Turkey and Spain. The opportunity to play against Brazil at any age is something to be rightly excited by. A huge well done and good luck to Charlie, Dylan, Luey, Gabriele, Ronan and Troy, along with all of the the Football Association of Wales staff this week."

This tournament comes after a recent international break which saw a number of young Bluebirds represent their country at youth level. Hughes added: "James Crole scored his first goal for Wales U18 v Finland U18 recently, and is one of many such examples. Ollie Denham, Isaak Davies, George Ratcliffe, and Eli King had a valuable experience with Wales U21s, with Morgan Wigley, Joel Colwill, Japhet Mpadi, Cole Zavier and Charlie Crew being others who were afforded the platform at U18 level during the last international break.

“Having individuals travel away consistently across the international age groups is something we are really proud of, with an appreciation of the positive impact these opportunities can have on learning and development.”

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