Cardiff City take on Stoke City later today in the first game since the sacking of Mick McCarthy. 

Former Millwall and Leeds forward Steve Morison has taken over as Caretaker Manager and will be determined to avoid Cardiff's ninth defeat in a row.

They face a tough test in a Stoke side pushing for the playoffs, but that hasn't stopped Cardiff captain Sean Morrison talking about the positivity since Steve Morison took temporary charge.

When asked about how things have been under Morison so far, the 30 year old defender told the official Cardiff City website: "It's been really good, I know Steve has been here for a fair while now, so he knows the boys really well and watches us every week.

"We've had a good week in training. It's going to take a bit of time for us to adapt to the way that Steve and Rammers want us to go about our business, but we've worked hard this week, we've listened, we're learning and hopefully we can go out there and do it."

With the current form and dip in performances, Morrison acknowledged the difficulty in going to Stoke and getting a result, but is determined to give the fans something positive to come home with: "We need to really show not only how much we care, and how much we want to turn this around – we need to give the fans a performance in the game, and for the next three games, to give them something to cheer about, because they've had a tough time.

"We're doing everything we can to try and turn that around."

The Verdict

Cardiff's form this season has surprised many. They were tipped for a playoff challenge but currently find themselves hovering over the bottom three.

The Bluebirds certainly have the ability in the squad to be competing much higher and a performance here will showcase that talent. With Steve Morison in temporary charge, there's a chance to go and play with a bit more freedom than perhaps the side was used to under McCarthy.

It will certainly help reaffirm everyone's beliefs that this should be much higher in the league and a win at Stoke could do wonders for confidence in the side, while also providing a welcome lift for the club's supporters after a disappointing period.