Cardiff manager Dave Jones says he was amazed at the reaction to their derby defeat to Swansea in midweek

Jones was speaking ahead of another Cardiff defeat - they lost 2-1 to promotion favourites Birmingham yesterday - and admits that he did not prepare himself for the reaction which happened after they lost 1-0 at the Liberty on Tuesday night.

He told the South Wales Echo “It was a massive match and we knew how much it meant to the fans.

“But I have never known such a reaction after one match. It was as if the world had caved in.

“I would hate to think what would happen if we were further down the table.

“That was our first defeat in 18 matches this season – and over the last 50-odd games played we have lost nine including the FA Cup final. That’s not a bad record.

“People have said my players lacked passion against Swansea, but we had seven bookings. Some of those could have been prevented, but it’s difficult to control those emotions in an atmosphere like that.

“Stephen McPhail was bitterly disappointed to be sent off and his second tackle did not warrant a yellow card because he took the ball cleanly. But maybe it was the result of an accumulation effect from other challenges and we have no complaints.

“Yes, we want to win every match. That’s the aim, but it doesn’t work like that. The players are disappointed by the defeat, and disappointed by the reaction.

“Losing to our main rivals is a massive blow. We understand that. But it’s not the end of the world."

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