Cardiff City sack Omer Riza and place Bluebirds midfielder Aaron Ramsey in caretaker charge | OneFootball

Cardiff City have sacked manager Omer Riza and placed midfielder Aaron Ramsey in charge until the end of the season.

Cardiff City have parted company with manager Omer Riza with just three games of the Championship season remaining, with midfielder Aaron Ramsey taking interim charge until the end of the campaign.

Riza initially took over on a temporary basis after the sacking of Erol Bulut in September following a dismal start to the season that saw Cardiff pick up just one point from their first six league games.

The 45-year-old made an impressive impact in the early stages of his caretaker tenure, but despite the fact that results were starting to decline, he was surprisingly handed the permanent job in December.

It looked as though the decision to end the managerial uncertainty was a good one as Riza led the Bluebirds to a seven-game unbeaten run in December and January, but wins have been few and far between in recent months, and the club have fallen back into relegation danger.

After a 2-0 defeat against Sheffield United at Bramall Lane on Good Friday left the club sitting 23rd in the table, one point from safety, the Cardiff board have now taken action to relieve Riza of his duties, and Ramsey will lead the team for the final three crucial games, as per an announcement via the club's official website on 19 April.

Cardiff City replace Omer Riza with Aaron Ramsey

Since Riza was appointed permanently in December, Cardiff have won just five of their last 25 league games, and no team in the Championship has picked up fewer victories in the same time period.

Riza came under serious pressure from Bluebirds supporters this week after he hit back at some of the criticism he has received during his pre-match press conference ahead of the trip to Sheffield United, telling the BBC: "I do read comments, I read all the comments from fans and unfortunately a lot of them are clueless."

He later apologised for those comments, but after the 2-0 defeat at Bramall Lane extended his side's winless run to five games, some sections of the away end called for him to be sacked.

Riza admitted that hearing the chants was "tough" and "disappointing", but he said that he had to "take what they want to sing and what they want to say on the chin and move forwards", while he also insisted that "if I didn't think I was the right man for the job, I wouldn't be standing here".

However, Riza will not be given the opportunity to keep Cardiff in the Championship after being dismissed with just three games of the season remaining, and while there had been speculation this week that former manager Neil Warnock could make a sensational return to the club, fan favourite Ramsey will take charge instead.

Ramsey will be assisted by Chris Gunter, Joe Ralls, Tom Hutton and Matthew Bloxham, and he will oversee home games against Oxford United and West Bromwich Albion, as well as a final day trip to Norwich City.

Bold Omer Riza call may be too late to save Cardiff City from relegation

It has been a hugely disappointing few months for Cardiff, so there is no doubt that parting company with Riza is the right decision, but many will be questioning why owner Vincent Tan took so long to make a change.

Riza deserves plenty of credit for breathing life into the Bluebirds' season after their nightmare start under Bulut, but results in recent weeks have plunged the club into serious relegation danger, and some of his comments in the media have certainly not helped the situation.

It is a big gamble to sack a manager so late in the season, and placing Ramsey in charge is a risk given his lack of coaching experience, but his presence in the dugout will at least help to bring the feel-good factor back to the Cardiff City Stadium ahead of a crucial game against Oxford on Easter Monday.