Barry-Murphy takes Robinson to task over 'dressing-room standards'

Cardiff City manager Brian Barry-Murphy. Pic: Richard Sellers/PA.

Cardiff City manager Brian Barry-Murphy has admitted that his fellow Irishman Callum Robinson was axed for “failing to meet internal squad standards.” 

Barry-Murphy’s Bluebirds sit 19th in the Championship after their Corkman guided them out of League One in his first season at the helm.

Although Robinson, capped 37 times by Ireland up to 2023, scored in the 5-1 win over Watford, he was missing from the 2-2 to Middlesbrough.

"We have certain standards that all the players have to adhere to before they are considered for selection," Barry-Murphy said.

"Callum missed out on some of those before last Saturday so he wasn't available.

"But he is back with us this week."

Barry-Murphy declined to elaborate on the nature of Robinson’s blemish.

"The standards that we expect for the dressing room are internal," he said about the 31-year-old who has only started sparingly under his 16-month reign.

"We're always judged in public so that's fine, but for the dressing room and how we work, day by day, it's private for us."

"I think it'd be wrong to presume (what the breach was).

"The supporters want to see certain qualities in their team week to week.

"And we have to make sure that they remain the case day to day and then they have to be private.

"They have to be ours, for ourselves."

This isn’t the first time that the former Aston Villa, West Bromwich Albion and Preston North End attacker has fallen foul of managerial expectations in Wales.

"I said at the start of the season that discipline and respect is the most important thing for me," then Cardiff boss Erol Bulut said in 2024 about an "internal matter" causing his exclusion.

"They were a little bit away from that. For Robbo, we will have a discussion.” 

It wasn’t their first conversation about the topic.

“He (Robinson) scored in the cup game against Blackburn,” the manager said six months earlier.

“But football is not only about scoring and playing offensive football.

"Some players like to play with the ball, I appreciate, but without this they have to work for the team. I have problems with some of my players so they have to change it.

“It’s not enough or what I am expecting from them to be in the starting XI. I cannot play with 10 players. I need 11.”