Cardiff City are still on the lookout for a permanent manager after the sacking of Erol Bulut in September.
Interim boss Omer Riza has done a fine job in the meantime, lifting the Bluebirds off the foot of the EFL Championship table.
Big improvement in the Welsh capital
Despite suffering back-to-back defeats to Luton Town and Blackburn Rovers, Riza has certainly brought the feel-good factor back to the blue side of South Wales. Since the Londoner took temporary charge of the club, Cardiff have collected an impressive 14 points from a possible 27.
Under Bulut, the Welsh side were rooted to the bottom of the table, losing six and drawing one of their opening seven league matches. The city lost the last two to slip back into the drop zone, but there has been a stark improvement in performance and results since Riza took over.
Riza was a rank outsider for the permanent job when Cardiff lost 4-1 at Hull City in his first game in charge, but wins over Millwall, Plymouth Argyle, Portsmouth, and Norwich City have put the former Arsenal youth player in pole position to land the job on a permanent basis.
According to the latest odds, Riza is the overwhelming favourite at 1/20. Despite the losses to Luton and Blackburn, the bookies firmly believe owner Vincent Tan will give Riza the job.
The likes of Tony Mowbray, Ruben Selles, and Slaven Bilic have been linked with the vacant role at the Cardiff City Stadium, but Riza looks nailed on to win the race.
Bluebirds easy on the eye
Cardiff have played some attractive football since Riza took the wheel in the Welsh capital, scoring a hatful of goals to boot.
The Bluebirds have also shored up the defence, shipping just six in the last eight. However, half of those came against Blackburn last time out.
Riza was initially appointed to take over until the Cardiff board found Bulut’s replacement, but the 45-year-old has done more than enough to land the job full-time.
Freelance writer from the United Kingdom with a passion for sports and video games. Gareth has worked for various media publications, writing for Cardiff City Football Club and the Hong Kong Jockey Club.
