Brian Barry-Murphy insists Cardiff should not be too downbeat about their unfavourable league position after a winless start to the Championship campaign.
The Bluebirds begin the week in the relegation places following a 2-0 defeat to Portsmouth on Saturday which leaves them on three points after five games.
Stoke will arrive at the Cardiff City Stadium for Tuesday evening’s game (19:45 BST) buoyed by their 4-0 thrashing of Charlton over the weekend.
But head coach Barry-Murphy has urged supporters and players to remain calm, and reiterated that there is still a long way to go this season.
“It’s a tough schedule. We knew these games were very close together in this opening period. With the squad the size of ours, that has its challenges,” said the Irishman.
“I wouldn’t get too carried away by where we are. As I say, it’s still very early in the season. We have to remain calm.”
Barry-Murphy – who won promotion from League One in his first season in charge of the Welsh club – added: “We have worked together for a period with a lot of these players. We know how we work, and we’ve got to improve. That will remain the case.
“We said it all last season; it’s a very young team, and we need to help them and show them consistency in how we play. That is the route forward.”
Many Cardiff supporters have voiced their displeasure after being left short on squad numbers, with only four players added in the summer transfer window.
Barry-Murphy is no closer, either, to welcoming any of his injured players back to the side, and appears to have lost forward Isaak Davies too.
The 48-year-old coach admitted there is no clear timescale for the return of club captain Calum Chambers, who is yet to feature this season.
“Isaak Davies felt his hamstring in training on Friday. I imagine he won’t be available on Tuesday,” he explained.
Calum Chambers played 90 minutes against AS Roma in pre-season [Huw Evans Picture Agency]
“The rest of the guys are back around the international break, I think, so I don’t imagine anything will change between now and Tuesday.
“Calum Chambers is in the same bracket as Dylan [Lawlor] and Will Fish. He won’t be available for Tuesday, and his timescale is slightly more complicated because of his injury.”
Asked whether he feels Cardiff have enough to go again at short notice, Barry-Murphy said: “We have no choice.
“The players who are here will have our full support to help them try to produce a performance to win.
“We are very confident we can win games at this level, and I’m sure we will. The fans always [give us energy].
“We don’t take that for granted. We understand that our job is to produce a performance on Tuesday that gives us a chance to win.”
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