THE SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS

Cardiff star Josh: December will be a massive month for us.. we may not play like Barca but we will go into games FEARLESS

JOSH MURPHY has become used to Cardiff being written off this season.

Certainties to go down, the worst team in the Premier League and lacking the quality needed to stay up.

Cardiff are already proving a few of the pundits wrong as they are not in the relegation zone. Murphy, 23, said: “The one thing we can guarantee is that we’ll keep fighting through everything. In the last few weeks, even the pundits who were writing us off have seen that Cardiff are up for it.

“We fully believe we will stay up. We are not expected to do well, so it takes the pressure off. Even if we lose we know there’s going to be another game to put things right.

“We are not expected to go into games and play Barcelona’s style of football, maybe not even the football associated with the Premier League, but we know if we stick to our game plan then we can ruffle feathers and give most teams a good run for their money.

“We’ll go into games fearless and we know what we can do when we’re playing well, so it’s about keeping that level of consistency and togetherness.”

Murphy, an £11million summer signing, has already scored three goals, looks every inch a Premier League player and has adapted nicely to his new surroundings since arriving from Norwich.

He is eloquent and thoughtful but fits into the dressing room, which is Cardiff ’s greatest strength, and provides the spirit and defiance which Neil Warnock has brought to the club.

No one gave them a chance of going up, let alone staying up and yet they make every game a battle which will be vital as they face fellow strugglers Southampton today. “This is a massive month for us. We’re on a good run, we’ve had some wins in our last few games, we need to keep building on that.

“There’s a lot of personalities in the dressing room, there’s a lot of people who play for Cardiff who will say how good the spirit is with the different characters.

“You’ve got Sol Bamba, Pato (Callum Paterson), Mozza (Sean Morrison), he’s the captain but he’s a different character to Sol and Patto and they have got their own qualities and that’s why we get on so well as a unit.

“People can write us off but, on a personal level, it doesn’t faze me. I want to play my football and if I’m at it then everything else will take care of itself.”

Murphy has already played twin brother, Newcastle winger Jacob – and the goalless draw probably did its best to maintain family harmony. But perhaps a less likely bond is between Murphy and Warnock, who turned 70 last weekend and is renowned for being a tough no-nonsense manager. But he was also a winger in a much-travelled playing career through the lower divisions.

As soon as Murphy met Warnock last summer, there was a bond established. He added: “There’s two sides of Neil Warnock.

“The one you see on the touchline and the one behind-thescenes. It’s good to see both, but he was a winger so he can sympathise and see the pros and cons that go with being a winger. He is always there to support me.

“We’ve found the correct balance for us as a team.

“We are nullifying the mistakes from the games when we were losing by four or five and now if we’re going to lose it’ll be just by the odd goal and we’ll stay in the game.

“Playing for England will always be one of my biggest dreams. There’s no better chance than now under Gareth Southgate because he’s bringing young players through quite early.

“If you can be in a good run of form then there’s no reason why you can’t get that England call-up.

“If I’m doing well at Cardiff then people will take notice.”