Cardiff City star Ollie Tanner was pulled from squad amid dressing room concerns
The winger was omitted from the squad for the Stoke City game and played for the under-21s instead this week
Erol Bulut says Ollie Tanner needed taking out of the Cardiff City squad because he wanted to ensure the dressing room was populated with the right characters.
Tanner was an unexpected star in the early portion of the season. Many expected him to be sent out on loan but after enjoying a stellar pre-season, manager Bulut wanted to include him in his squad for the Championship season
Tanner would repay the boss’s faith by scoring the opening goal in the South Wales derby against Swansea before winning the penalty, which Aaron Ramsey slotted to make it 2-0.
Since then, the winger’s form has gradually declined and he has found himself on the periphery. Indeed, last week he was omitted from the squad and he played for the under-21s this week.
And Bulut said he needed to hold talks with the 21-year-old over his demeanour during training and within the dressing room, but admitted the player is making strides and could be back in contention soon.
“I have spoken with him many times. The last two weeks he is doing better in the training sessions. If he continues to train like that, mentally and physically, he will be with us,” Bulut said of Tanner.
“I will remind you of one Premier League coach, Ange Postecoglou, saying about having the wrong person in the dressing room can destroy a lot of things. This, we don’t want. This, we try and manage here in our team. We want the correct characters and players in the dressing room. Everyone must help each other.
“Young players can have one or two great games and afterwards, they are flying a little bit. So, to bring them back, it takes time. Ollie had a bit of something like that, I spoke with him many times and the last two weeks he is doing well. Whether it’s Ollie Tanner, someone else, it doesn’t matter, I want the best performance and they have to give the best performance.
“If the body language in the training or dressing room is wrong then we have to separate him.”
Tanner’s stock rose incredibly sharply after his derby heroics. Going from non-league to the talk of Cardiff in a matter of months, particularly at such a young age, must be a unique experience.
