Former Cardiff City striker Nathan Blake has given his take on the boos ringing out around The Cardiff City Stadium on Tuesday night when Josh Murphy was substituted.

The winger didn't have his best game and was hooked by Neil Harris with 19 minutes left to go as Danny Ward came on in his place.

Cardiff ended up losing the game 1-0 to Nottingham Forest when Tiago Silva drilled into the net from inside the area after Lewis Grabban had found him with a low cross.

Writing in his WalesOnline column, Blake said: "Some might think that Cardiff City fans jeering Josh Murphy is unfair, I don't subscribe to that view.

"It's not nice, I admit that, but you have to understand frustration, because that's all it is.

"It's not because fans don't like him and they are all hating on him, not at all.

"Right, you look at the Josh Murphy who played against Nottingham Forest on Tuesday night and you contrast that with the Josh Murphy who played for Cardiff City when he first joined.

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"In those pre-season games he was electrifying, looked an intelligent footballer who wanted to be the man to make the difference in games.

"Unfortunately, he is a shadow of his former self right at this moment in time."

The 24-year-old winger joined the club in the summer of 2018 for an undisclosed fee as he left boyhood side Norwich City. The former MK Dons loanee has scored nine goals in 56 appearances for the Bluebirds so far.

Blake joined his hometown team in the summer of 1990 after being released by Chelsea and went on to score 40 goals in 164 appearances before leaving for Sheffield United in February 1994.

The Verdict

The boos from Bluebirds fans could have been justified on the night but he has scored five goals in his last six games as Murphy has become more of a goal threat than usual.

The reaction to Murphy being substituted off could affect him in the short-term as he struggles to overcome the booing mentally.

Harris now has the difficult decision to make on whether he starts Murphy in the next game or whether he chooses to keep him on the bench for a while and take the 24-year-old out of the limelight.