Steve Morison is pleased with the positive talks he held with striker Max Watters following the player's early substitution during the win over Coventry City.
Watters was taken off for Jordan Hugill after 37 minutes following a laboured start to the match on Tuesday night, which preceded the young forward remaining in his seat in the stands at half-time rather than head down the tunnel with his team-mates.
Morison was candid in his post-match assessment, stating that Watters' performance "just wasn't good enough", which prompted a reaction from pundits and fans alike.
However, Morison was confident that, given the chance to sit down with the 22-year-old, he would be able to highlight what went wrong and better the player for it.
Watters, unfortunately, fell on his ankle in training on Thursday after challenging for a header with young defender Oliver Denham. He left training on crutches and in a boot, but Morison hopes it is only precautionary.
He won't be involved this weekend, which has irked Morison because he was happy that he had coaxed a positive reaction from the striker following their clear-the-air talks.
"It was absolutely brilliant! That’s what is frustrating about it, because it went really well," Morison said of the talks and subsequent injury.
"We went in as a staff. I had my sports performance coach, who I've brought in, come in on it as well to come in at a different angle.
"We spoke about how he was feeling about the situation.
"I respect everyone’s opinion. My eyes were my opinion on Tuesday. Then you go back through it, look at everything and deal with facts and that’s what it all boils down to. Then there’s no grey areas, it’s black and white.
"Once we started off the conversation, we ended the conversation in a completely different way. It was brilliant. He would have been involved this weekend.
"Unless I get told something different when I go into training a bit later then he won’t be available."
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Morison has worked hard to create a better, winning environment at Cardiff City since he came in.
He cited his directive to improve media output and bring fans back closer to the team after the lull we saw with Covid-19. He wanted to mend the disconnect that way but also looked internally.
When he was appointed as first-team manager, one of the first things he asked for was to be able to bring in sports performance coach Steve Sallis.
Morison knows Sallis from his Millwall days, but the performance coach is probably best known for his work in helping out former Bluebird Jonny Williams in Netflix's Sunderland 'Till I Die documentary series.
Morison believes that now, there is a better culture and environment within the club than there was before he took the reins.
"As soon as I came, there was one thing I wanted which was a performance coach or psychologist to come in to work with the mindset, to spark conversations I can't have, to get to know people, to challenge the staff on our meetings and how we do things. That’s all about the culture. You need to have a more open culture," he added.
"I’d like to get to a culture one day where I can just name a squad and not have to speak to individuals unless you really need to. We are just trying got pick the best XI and the best subs to win the game.
"Tactics aside, you look at Jurgen Klopp, the subs he has and how he keeps that whole group winning.
"It’s all about the group and the way they live and handle themselves. It’s a better place than it was."
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