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Craig Bellamy is already preparing for his second full campaign as Cardiff City's player development manager having been handed the role shortly after Neil Warnock's arrival at the club.

The 39-year-old has endured a hectic year having narrowly missed out on the Wales job while also turning down the managerial role at Oxford United.

He's set to continue to develop Cardiff's young stars of the future as the Bluebirds prepare for their Premier League return while also keeping a close eye on the progress of the national side under Ryan Giggs.

And the ex-Wales star has opened up in a compelling interview to discuss all things Cardiff City and Wales ahead of the 2018-19 campaign.

Here's the full Q&A.

2018 has probably been your busiest year since you retired from playing. How has it all been?

CB: It's been a busy one. I was involved with Cardiff from around two years ago. I was always involved after retiring, even part-time. I was just working at my own leisure and it was good to have that flexibility around that period of transition which I needed.

I stepped it up a little bit, I got asked to come in more which was great and then I thought 'what am I going to do?' because I'm still a young man.

But I've always enjoyed the coaching side, working with young players, trying to improve them and to make them not only see football different, but to see life differently.

It's about being the best human being you can be, no matter what happens in football.

Then I wanted to take my own team. The gaffer (Neil Warnock) told me he wanted me to do more and he asked me what level I wanted to work in, so I said I'd always been interested in the youth set-up.

I said the under-18s is for me, I've worked with these boys for three or four years and he told me to go for it and learn.

It's a different world, and I'm grateful for it. Being with Sky as well, it's led hand in hand which has allowed me to be a better coach, and my coaching has helped me to be better with my TV work because I'm constantly doing it day in day out.

I've seen a big progress in myself coaching wise but also on TV this year.

How much have you learnt about Cardiff's youngsters as a group and what type of style you want to implement as a coach?

CB: You learn loads. I spend a lot more of my time on the mentality of young players. Work rate and trying to be the best you can be and how you do that.

I can understand failure, I've failed loads of times in my life, it's not a problem. I've never feared it because it's a part of life. I can understand a bad pass or something like that, I don't get irate.

But the one thing I can never accept is a lack of work rate. You have to be able to give everything you have. Do you live the type of life that allows you to go into every day at 100% to give it everything you have. That has to happen.

Getting young players who have never had that mentality and being able to go easy, to then come into me, it's been a hard transition for them. Their first couple of months they won't like it.

But I'm not always like that. At the end of the day, and I tell the boys this, I don't want the best for you as a footballer, I want the best for you as a man.

If you make it in football, brilliant. I'll do everything I can to help you get there. But it's more important to me in 20 or 30 years time, you ring me up and say 'thank you very much, I'm this, that or the other and you helped me become that'. If that happens then I've been successful.

What influence has Neil Warnock had on your time as a coach with Cardiff so far?

CB: I've had a good relationship with him. I knew him as a player, he tried to sign me once or twice. I've found him insane, and I've found him to be a really good guy. And that's what he can be. But his heart is very much in the right place.

For me as someone young, he's been very good. But I don't look at him for too much advice, and he doesn't look to give me too much because he knows I'm my own person and my experiences of playing.

I've found out more about him when I went for the Oxford job. He gave me a good insight as to what I could expect. There's no coincidence he's been a manager for almost 40 years.

He gave me a couple of good tips that were actually priceless and ended up making my decision not to go for the job.

He doesn't just manage the team, he manages above as well, and that's why he's been successful.

What's the key thing you think Neil Warnock has changed at the club to help make it successful?

CB: He's brought the fans back with the team. There wasn't that connection last time. The Premier League hurt us. It hurt me mentally and it must have hurt the fans.

We'd waited so long to get there and it imploded in such a big way. We could all face relegation, that wasn't a fear. And the fans were OK with that. You didn't want it to happen of course but you could understand it.

I think it was the taste it left in our mouths and the changes at the club. I think the Premier League were in the mindset of 'get rid of them'. And every other fan was like 'don't think you can be involved in our league and come here and cause a storm'.

(Image: Huw Evans Picture Agency)

That's what hurt for us because we're not that type of club. We're a hard-working club and I know loads of other clubs will say the same. It's our history, it's what we are, it's what we do.

We don't always have flair, we're not going to be able to wow you in certain aspects, but we'll work you, because that's what we believe in. And it sort of got taken away from us, and that hurt the most.

Do you think those mistakes have been rectified ahead of Cardiff's return to the Premier League?

CB: We talk about identity. If you're in football, can you have an identity when you're under pressure? Can you still play the way you say you play when you're really up against it?

If you're a boxer can you stick to your game plan once you've been dazed in the first round?

So those moments, like the Premier League now, because we're not going to win as many games as we did last year, that's the nature of the Premier League, but can we then keep our counsel and our relationship and what we've built to get us there? That will be the test.

There's been a lot of planning for the future with new deals and signings. Do you think that even if they go down they'll be in better shape for the future?

CB: That's what we missed last time. It was here and now and we ended up with nothing. By the time we got relegated we had no plan B.

It added to all that bitterness. Players came in and were paid off to go, and it broke too many peoples' hearts.

This time, if it doesn't work out, these players will stay with us and be good players because that's what the manager has brought them in to do. It's sensible, and I think they've been really good in the market.

The manager, chief executive Ken Choo and the owner Vincent Tan deserve a lot of credit. I just hope it stays this way because at the moment, everything they're doing is the right way. So far so good, a lot of credit to them.

Will Cardiff stay up next season?

CB: It's so, so difficult. The players with Premier League experience are very few. It's a new experience, but that can be great. You don't fear anyone, go out there and whatever happens, happens.

But at the same time, maybe that experience can be good where someone can say 'don't worry' when you lose a few games. But the next game you can win when you don't expect to, like we did against Man City last time, and it becomes a massive bonus.

But those games in and around you, you have to win. With the staff we have, and the players, I see enough for us to be above that group.

The way we play will shake up a lot of teams.

That's all we have to finish above. Even if we lose two or three in a row, we can't panic. I'll tell you now, it's going to happen. But don't worry about it. If we finish fourth from bottom, brilliant. If we finish higher, it'd be like qualifying for Europe.

We've got to get that second year in the Premier League because then you have a chance to push on again. At the moment we're still in limbo.

We don't want to put all of our eggs in one basket because if you don't stay up you're left in a bad state, so keep building gradually and you'll have a better chance.

On the Wales front, how do you think they are looking ahead of the Nations League and Euro 2020 qualifying?

CB: I like the format, I expect us to qualify for the Euros through the regular format. But the Nations League is a way of enhancing that as well. But with the players we have, we have to qualify.

That's not me putting pressure on Ryan at all.

Even in my interview, I said 'I'll walk if we don't qualify'. I see this as a given.

We have to work hard to do it and make sure everything is in place, but with the group we have and one or two of the players coming through that add to it, we've got to qualify.

How key are the new youngsters when it comes to the crunch with Wales?

CB: They're there on their own right. Ethan Ampadu, for his age, he's one of the best young players out there in his position.

I'm always wary of how much you can promote a young player, but the difference I see with him, I see a great mentality, and I see a man.

He played men's football with Exeter from a young age which is what you need, and if you look at the under-23 system at Chelsea, he's a first-year apprentice, and he captains that team straight away.

He's the one from all of those youngsters they've had over the years who goes straight into the first team. Antonio Conte has said he gives information, he talks and he stands out by a mile.

He's a really good player and has the potential to be a top player. His attitude and mentality, I don't want to jinx the kid, but I don't see it going any other way. I see a man, a strong person who has got every tool needed to be a top player.

Harry Wilson had to go on a little bit of a different route, and for Ben Woodburn, this year is going to be key.

He's an extremely talented footballer, but he needs game-time. Last year was fine, he didn't need it as much because he was still learning the trade.

But now he needs men's football. He might get it at Liverpool because I know how highly they think of him there but if he doesn't he's got to go somewhere else and get it.

He just needs to play the game against men week in week out, because bad habits will go then.

Under-23's football doesn't give you that. They get away with bad habits. He needs those ironed out then he'll be the player we all think he's going to be.

David Brooks earned himself a move to the Premier League with Bournemouth. How big will that be for his personal development and for Wales?

CB:David Brooks, every time I see him I like him. He breaks lines, runs beyond and I like him a lot. I don't know him personally too well but he's a player I've seen and I'd like to work with.

They're all good players, but we just need more. We've got to start qualifying with the younger age groups. We're got to start building something because at the moment we're nowhere near it.

We are at senior level, but we've got to get something coming through and get that mentality right. So don't write books unless you're willing to see it all through.

It starts from these moments at grassroots level all the way up. What do we stand for? What is our identity? And do we stick by it?

We've had a chance after the Euros to build that. We're two years on and we still need to build that.

Craig Bellamy was speaking at the McDonald's & FAW Community Football Day in Cardiff. These football days are taking place across the UK this summer, giving thousands of children the chance to enjoy the beautiful game.