Ralls pre-LUFC | Turning the tide
Joe Ralls spoke to the press ahead of our Sky Bet Championship fixture against Leeds United on Saturday.
“We’re focused on trying to turn our season around," Joe began. "We haven’t had the start that we wanted, so it’s been a week of getting our heads down, training hard and working on things that we can improve. It’s a fantastic game, Leeds at home and it’s one that we’re looking forward to. There’s no better time to turn things around than Saturday.
“We have to stick together, first and foremost. We’ve got to take responsibility and that’s everyone, because performances haven’t been good enough this season, but also, it’s only us that can turn it around. We’ve got a great game coming up on the weekend, we know we’re going to have a great atmosphere at the stadium, so it’s one we can really go for.
"It’s a massive game. We know they travel well and we know we’ll have a great turnout here from our fans. With the added thing of remembering Sol as well, I think it’s going to be a really good atmosphere prior to kick-off and we’ve got to take that into the game, we’ve got to use that and really go out there and show what we’re about, show that we’re fighting and battling for the Club, show more than what we’ve shown so far.
"We’re not a million miles away, but it’s not been good enough, so it’s important that we sort that out quickly and like I said, there’s no better time than on Saturday."
Cardiff City and Leeds United come together this weekend to honour one of the very best, Sol Bamba.
We ask all supporters to take their seats at CCS by 2:45pm, fifteen minutes before kick-off. This will allow fans from both clubs, staff and players to pay their respects to Sol. A special tribute to Sol will take place in the lead up to the match.
Joe concluded: “You have to go out there and give absolutely everything that you’ve got with that shirt on your chest, just like Sol did every time he stepped on the pitch for this Club. That’ll be the message to the boys and we want to go out there and give a performance, one that I’m sure he’d be proud of. It’s important we do that.
“Sol was brilliant. We had some tough times with Sol and he was always there. I think you’ve just got to stick together as a team, as a group of players. I had many times like that with Sol over the years and it’s no different now. The boys have got to stick as one. We worked together in pre-season and obviously, it hasn’t gone as we planned so far, so we’re fully focused on trying to turn that around.
“It’s horrible circumstances, it’s incredibly sad, but Sol was one of the most positive guys I’ve ever met in my life, so it’s important attack the game, attack the day, in that nature, in his nature. I think everyone - fans, players, everyone coming to the ground on Saturday, should have that same intention."
