Mick McCarthy insists he has not lost the dressing room despite another defeat for Cardiff City on Saturday.

McCarthy is under real pressure at the moment, with the Bluebirds falling to five successive defeats in the league.

Yesterday, they lost their fifth game in a row, losing 1-0 at home to Reading following Junior Hoilett's strike.

This was the second home defeat in the space of four days, too, after they lost 4-0 to West Brom in midweek.

Naturally, Cardiff fans have lost patience with McCarthy and many are calling for his head after another defeat.

When asked about whether the players are still playing for him, McCarthy told the BBC that has not lost the dressing room.

He said: "Everybody starts asking about whether I've lost the dressing room, well that performance shows I certainly haven't.

"I think that performance shows that we do get a response, and we can play as well as we did.

"That decision is not up to me - I just keep coming in and keep trying to get the best out of my players and get the best out of myself.

"Me and TC will continue to do that."

Cardiff sit 21st in the Championship table having picked up 11 points from their first 11 games - they take on local rivals Swansea City next weekend.

The Verdict

I'm surprised Cardiff haven't wielded the axe already to be honest - Cardiff's results and performances have been terrible of late.

Falling to two home defeats in four days is a big blow, especially when you fail to score and you concede five goals in total.

If they lose to Swansea next weekend, then that will surely be the end of McCarthy's tenure given the nature of the game and what it means to the fans.

They will be even more furious if they lose that one.