Cardiff boss Harris ready to ditch players after thrashing at QPR

Cardiff manager Neil Harris pledged to bring in new players during this month’s transfer window following a 6-1 mauling at QPR.

Harris, who took over in November following the sacking of Neil Warnock, pulled no punches in his assessment of his team’s display.

He said: “Neil lost his job because of the performances of the players. Well, I don’t owe the group anything.

“I support them and if they work for me then great. Obviously January is a busy transfer window.

“Today is a reality check that the team that got promoted a couple of years ago isn’t the team of today. The players aren’t the same. The players are older. The group’s different.

“Ultimately the characteristic of the group – personality-wise and the attributes to do it mentally and physically – is it there?

“January is a notoriously tough window. We were looking to try to get some players out to free up opportunities to get some in. That doesn’t change for me.

“The players have highlighted today that some of them can’t reach the standards that I demand.

“I’ve come into a group where they have a great reputation as individuals and at times as a group. Well, at times I don’t see it.

“The players need to look at themselves individually and collectively – there are some big names – and say do they do enough? Do they want it enough? Do they do enough for the football club?”

Harris also insisted that a similar debacle would not occur again while he is Bluebirds boss.

“We have to make sure it doesn’t happen again. I can promise the fans that it won’t happen again under me,” he said.

“My teams don’t defend like that. They don’t get opened up like that. We weren’t good enough.

“I need to apologise on behalf of the group – not the players, on behalf of the group, which I’m the leader of – to our fans who have travelled at an expensive time.”