Cardiff must plan for Premier League aim - Earnshaw

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Robert Earnshaw says Cardiff City must start planning on how to become a Premier League club as opposed to regularly changing managers amid relegation battles in the Championship.

Erol Bulut was sacked by the Bluebirds in September after overseeing the club's worst start to a season in 94 years.

Interim boss Omer Riza has put himself in the frame to be named as Bulut's successor having guided his side to two wins, a draw and just one defeat in his four matches in charge to date.

And ex-Cardiff striker Earnshaw believes the club's hierarchy must start to take a long-term view with managerial appointments as the Bluebirds seek to recruit a 12th permanent boss in the 14 years that Vincent Tan has owned the club.

"The bigger question for Cardiff City is, you can't continue to have 12 to 15 to 20 games of a manager and then on to the next one, and the next one. You've got to start fundamentally looking at what the club wants to be in the next two to three years and who is the right man," Earnshaw told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast.

"You've got to have results, but also, if you look at the last two or three years from Cardiff City, it's been below what the performances should be.

"Now it's about, can Cardiff City not be looking at relegation like the start of this season. Can we be looking to build a club that starts thinking about the Premier League?"

Cardiff go into tonight's Championship fixture with Portsmouth (19:45 BST) on the back of a 5-0 thrashing of Plymouth Argyle - their biggest league win since 2017.

But Earnshaw warned the Bluebirds of complacency against a Pompey side that secured their first Championship triumph of the campaign at Queens Park Rangers last time out.

"I don't think anybody saw what happened on Saturday with that 5-0 win happening," added Earnshaw.

"It's going to be a very tricky game tonight because you win 5-0, sometimes it's like 'oh yeah, we've arrived' so I think that's the worry for Cardiff City."

Despite urging caution, Earnshaw added: "They've been very good in the last four games, picking up points, a couple of wins and a draw in there."