Cardiff City caretaker manager Steve Morison believes the Bluebirds are in a relegation battle this season following their dramatic collapse in form.

The ex-Leeds United and Millwall striker has taken over as the temporary boss at the Cardiff City Stadium following the dismissal of Mick McCarthy this past weekend.

It was a run of eight straight Championship defeats that cost McCarthy his job - and that came after losing just one of their first six matches.

Cardiff dropped from eighth in the table on September 12 to where they currently sit now in 21st position, and they would be in the relegation zone if Derby County had not gone into administration.

The hunt is on for McCarthy's replacement but there's no indication that there will be a quick solution and Morison will potentially get his chance to impress in the dugout.

And he's under no illusions of the challenge he faces going forward for as long as he is managing the club and he fully believes that he's in a relegation battle as of right now despite being early in the season.

"Try and pick up some results. We are in a battle, a relegation battle at the minute and we need to get out of it," Morison said when asked what is expected of him as caretaker boss, per Wales Online.

"That’s as far as that conversation has gone.

"I came in Monday, took the under-23s and prepared them for their game on Tuesday. They were sent off with the same messages we have been giving all season and got a very good result yesterday.

"But my remit is Stoke (on Saturday) and preparing for Stoke."

The Verdict

It's not nice to hear your own manager say it how it is as a Cardiff fan but they are one of the strugglers right now and some don't see it getting much better.

There were cut-backs over the summer from the playing squad and it's clear to see that it's having an effect on the pitch now with those eight crushing defeats in a row.

If Morison can somehow string a few wins together before the international break then there's a small possibility that he could be the man to lead the Bluebirds forward full-time.

But he clearly knows fully that it's going to be a struggle as he's already conceded that a relegation battle awaits and it's something they're currently embroiled in, and that may not go down well with the hierarchy.