"I find it strange" - Pundit backs Ryan Lowe to become new Cardiff City manager | OneFootball

The former Preston North End manager has been out of work since the start of the season, but could be the ideal choice for the Bluebirds.

EFL pundit Carlton Palmer has backed Ryan Lowe to be a good appointment for Cardiff City, with the Championship club's new manager search ongoing.

The Bluebirds sacked their now former manager, Erol Bulut, following a 2-0 defeat to Leeds United at the end of September. Omar Riza, one of his coaches, has been in temporary charge of the team ever since, with supporters expecting a new boss to be hired during the Championship's week stoppage.

However, with just days to go before Cardiff's next home game against Plymouth Argyle, owner Vincent Tan looks to be no closer to bringing a new manager to South Wales.

While there have been improvements in results in the last couple of weeks, Riza's side are still bottom of the Championship, three points away from safety after nine matches.

Clashes against potential relegation rivals in October could dictate whether Cardiff are truly a candidate for relegation to League One and getting somebody in the technical area quickly must be seen as a priority.

Ryan Lowe could be the perfect candidate

While there will be multiple out-of-work managers looking at the situation at Cardiff, Ryan Lowe could be seen as one of the most well-equipped for the job.

Having started the season at Preston North End, the 46-year-old parted ways with the Lilywhites after just one game. Sheffield United ran out 2-0 winners at Deepdale back in August, leading Lowe to quit by mutual consent.

Nevertheless, with his knowledge of the league, and his success with Plymouth in the past, Palmer believes that he could be the ideal person to take over at Cardiff.

Speaking exclusively to Football League World, he said: "I find it strange that we’re nearly at the end of the international break and Cardiff haven’t appointed a new manager. I know you want to take your time, and you want to get the right person, but you've got two very important games coming after the international break with Cardiff sitting bottom of the table after nine games.

"They face crucial matches against Portsmouth and Plymouth, so I would have thought they would have wanted to get a manager in place.

"I mean Gary Rowett has been linked with the job, but the name that seems to be quite prominent is former Plymouth Argyle and Preston North End manager Ryan Lowe.

"I'm a big fan of Ryan Lowe, he did a fantastic job at Preston North End, and I don't think he was quite given the backing that he believed he deserved to take the club to the next step. He's a very ambitious guy, and it was disappointing that he left by mutual consent."

Palmer continued: "I think the results hadn't gone well for Preston at the back end of the season and at the start of the season they lost their first game, and the fans started to give him stick.

"So, I think from Ryan's point of view he looked at it and thought that after all the work and effort he put in, that it was probably time for him to move on. But I've been very impressed with what he's done. He achieved great success with Plymouth, earning them promotion to League One, before taking the job at Preston North End, where, obviously, funds weren't plentiful.

"He enjoyed a positive spell at Preston, and I think it's [Cardiff] a very attractive proposition and if somebody like Ryan who's out of work but wants to get back into it at the right job, it could be good for both parties."

Ryan Lowe seems open to the Cardiff job

While there is still plenty of speculation around the opening at Cardiff, Lowe himself has commented on the link between himself and the job.

Speaking on Sky Sports' Soccer Saturday show, he said: "I can’t tell you anything that you don’t already know.

"They have a great fanbase and are probably in a false position because they have got some quality players, and they have got a fantastic youth system as well.

"So it’s an attractive job for not just myself but any other manager that’s out of work."

The Liverpool-born manager spent two-and-a-half years at Preston, finishing 13th, 12th, and 10th in the second tier, and therefore, does have the credentials to take a club into the top half of the division.

However, the longer Cardiff take to offer the job to someone like Lowe, the more difficult the task of keeping them in the Championship becomes as the Bluebirds look to avoid playing in the third tier for the first time since 2003.