Cardiff have made a great start to the new campaign and are joint leaders of the Championship. Givemefootball's Lawrie Madden caught up with Republic of Ireland striker Alan Lee to talk about the side's aims for this season.
Q:Undefeated so far and a great goal by you on the opening day against Crewe, not a bad start…
A:I was happy with my goal. I don't get too many from outside the area but it bounced nicely for me, so I decided to have a smack and it went into the top corner.
Q:Are you surprised at the way you've started, because pre-season wasn't the best was it?
A:Well, we didn't win a game all pre-season but, having said that, our last two matches were against Racing Santander and Lazio. We drew against Lazio and should have won because we played well. We felt pretty good and to be honest we feel that we should have six points because we were a little unlucky not to have beaten Crewe.
Q:Last season you started off well and then faded near the end. What are the aims for this season?
A:We want to get to the play-offs. That is a minimum. Having said that it is probably harder to do this season and there are probably ten or 12 clubs in with a chance.
Q:What makes you so optimistic that you can do better this season?
A:We have brought in experienced players who are at their peaks in Lee Bullock, Robert Page and Tony Warner. I don't think any other club at this level has so many internationals. Last season we missed out near the end of the season with injuries and suspensions. We lost people at crucial times and that proved costly for us. But we have a team of good players and when we go forward we are very slick at times.
Q:Who else do you fancy to do well?
A:I don't really think about other teams, but there are some good sides that have come down. This is a tough division and I think it is easier to pick up points early on. But it is a long hard season and Crystal Palace showed last year what can be achieved if you get on a run at the right time.
Q:Do you have enough to sustain a challenge this season?
A:We have more than enough in our locker. We do have odd moments when we switch off and that has been a problem. But we are working on that and we can get better.
Q:And this is a big season for you on the international front as well…
A:Yes, it is World Cup qualifiers. We've got Bulgaria next week and, having played during the summer for Ireland and doing pretty well, I am hoping to get a place in the team.
