Steve Morison was in lively mood when he faced the media ahead of the trip to Reading on Saturday.
The South Wales derby defeat to Swansea City predictably brought plenty of noise last week, and the Bluebirds boss clearly felt that some of the criticism aimed at his team was unfair. But whatever his opinion on some of the dissections from last week's defeat, the win over the Royals was a welcome first step towards healing some wounds.
It was also, perhaps, a chance to catch a glimpse into what we might be able to expect from City next season. With so many players out of contract and facing uncertain futures, it's going to be very difficult not to read into the line-ups Morison names over the coming weeks.
READ MORE: Steve Morison left speechless and drained after emotional win and reveals delight for 'unhappy' Cardiff City sta r
He himself would probably prefer to focus on the nature of his team's rousing second-half performance in Berkshire; one that will have gone some way to answering a few critics this week. Indeed, for all the doom and gloom around the club over the last few days, at times it's been difficult to remember that the defeat to the Swans is their only defeat in six outings.
But the importance of laying down some foundations for next season certainly isn't lost on him ahead of what is a hugely important summer that is likely to bring plenty of upheaval. Morison insisted both after and before the victory that he always had a team selection in mind for this contest, admitting afterwards: "I'd planned to play this team, planned to play this way, leading into this game because I knew what Reading were going to play. They were going to play 4-2-3-1, so I knew we'd be matching up shapes.
"We'd actually spoken about it before the Swansea game. It's a personnel drive shape. You can't just do it with any player because it could go wrong at any time."
Just how integral Dillon Phillips was to that shape wasn't really made clear. The goalkeeper produced a solid showing on what was his first start since September, but few will realistically believe that his inclusion was anything to do with a change of shape or system.
Alex Smithies has for so long has been Cardiff's number-one choice, and has done very little wrong during his reign between the sticks. But with his contract up in the summer, and with him being one of the club's higher earners, his position in this squad is suddenly looking uncertain.
Nottingham Forest are understood to be one of the teams to be monitoring the situation. The fact they could soon be a Premier League club is perhaps a testament to the height of the player's stock in the Championship.
But like so many other clubs in this division, Cardiff are facing up to a harsh financial reality and, after securing their status in the second tier for another season, it perhaps make sense to prepare for life without certain players. Morison said in the week that any changes would likely have a point to them.
This, he pointed out, was not a time for throwing in players 'for the sake of it'. He clearly believes that the next few weeks could prove valuable in preparing his team for next term and it's understandable for him to turn his assessments to players he knows will still be in the building next year.
Perhaps Smithies' absence from Saturday's matchday squad was due to a knock that Morison decided to keep under his hat. But the sight of young Rohan Luthra on the bench certainly felt like a significant acknowledgement that the Cardiff boss has at least considered the possibility that, for all his excellent service, Smithies might well be on his way this summer.
He almost certainly wouldn't be the only one to depart, either. Leandro Bacuna and Marlon Pack were left out again, and are also surely edging towards the exit. Even goalscorer Will Vaulks, who came in for praise from Morison at the weekend, doesn't seem assured of a new deal, although clearly he's done himself no harm.
Aden Flint, previously one of the first names on the teamsheet, was kept on the bench on Saturday and is also one of those that could move on. Sean Morrison, who for all his years of service one would think is nailed on for an extension, is facing similar uncertainty.
Out of all the players out of contract, Joe Ralls was the only one to start. Rightly or wrongly, many will find it impossible not to read between the lines there.
