Is everyone back safe and well from their international duties?
Everybody is back. I'm happy, it's good to see everybody back in the camp again. One and two only had their first training sessions yesterday. David Marshall and Bruno Manga. Aron Gunnarsson came back Wednesday, but had a light session on his own before joining the main group. It's a bit disjoined, but they are back. We will have a 20-man squad for the Huddersfield game which is nice and strong.
Did the international break come at the wrong time for you?
It's like a re-start game for us again. You want to get off to a good start again after the small break. Huddersfield is a very important game for us. I put it right up there as a big, big game for us. We need to get going again. It's good to be back together again and regain our focus. We've only played two games at home and I want our home form to be strong. We need another resolute performance. We look hard to break down and potentially there are goals in us to go and win a football match.
Some of your players will be on a high like Aron Gunnarsson, who qualified for Euro 2016 with Iceland?
It's good because the home nations are all doing pretty well and obviously Aron has qualified which is fantastic as he is the skipper of Iceland as well. The only one not so happy is David Marshall. Scotland had a really tough game, they acquitted themselves OK and were unfortunate. Only the Scottish results went the wrong way.
The transfer window closed and David Marshall is here. Are there any doubts in his mind after the move to West Brom did not come off?
There is nothing wrong with ambition, is there? I think every single one of my players should and ought to have the ambition to play in the Premier League. David is no different from that. However, he is very professional, he's happy at Cardiff and he will do everything he can to be the No.1 goalkeeper certainly in this league this season. There are no issues at all.
You brought in a few players are they likely to feature soon?
Gabriel Tamas is still a little bit behind. He's played one or two games, he played recently and he will play again in the next week or so. He will be in the 20-man squad for Huddersfield. Idriss Saadi is still one-on-one with the medical team and the fitness coach. We are following our protocol which is more stringent than the French protocol. When you get the type of injury, he has had and the surgery that has gone on, you need that. But he is making really good progress and we expect him out on the grass in the next couple of weeks.
Are you happy with your movements in the transfer window? Is this squad capable of getting in the top six?
It was not just about bringing in players, it was about retaining the players that you have. There was interest in several of our players and rightly so, we've got off to a good start so that would have backed there own personal CVs up as well. I'm happy, I think the wonderful thing about our group right now is that everyone knows their job and they know everyone else's job too. They are in a good place.
Are you interested in taking James Wilson on loan from Manchester United?
Obviously he's a player of strong ability.
He's somebody that Manchester United think very highly about. It would be wrong if people turned their heads away when James Wilson was available. So that's not a no from me. But there are 14 Championship clubs interested in Wilson, but there are 12 Premier League teams too mind.
Did you make a bid for Regan Poole at Newport County before he went to Manchester United?
No, not a bid.
Are you talking to Kenwyne Jones about a new contract?
He's only just got back so there's no talks been taking place recently. I would think those talks though are not too far off. He's made a really good impression in the last couple of games. We are very pleased with where he is at the minute.
You must be pleased with the way Joe Mason is playing?
I wanted a No.10 and the only No.10 this club had was Joe Mason out on loan at Bolton. So one of my first decisions was to bring him back. Unfortunately when he came back he had a hamstring injury which delayed his return to the team. He played at the back end of last season, but it was always in my mind that, after a good pre-season, he would play a prominent part. I gave him the shirt to match what I felt. He's responded magnificently to that.
Have you set him a target for goals?
Strikers do have that little dream target of goals they want to score in a season perhaps. It's not just about the goals with Joe, although he will score goals, he's a strong finisher who can score all sorts of goals. It's about what he brings to the team as well. He's a very good link-up player, got good technical ability and he gets in good pockets of space. He's a great asset for the club. He's so keen on having a good season. He's nailed down his place in the side for now and he wants to move forward. That would be fantastic for him and the team.
Eoin Doyle has gone on loan to Preston, does he still have a future at Cardiff?
Of course. There were two others who went out on loan at the back end of last season and are now very much in the XI at this moment in time. It's an opportunity to give Eoin some regular games and then we will assess it in January because we have the option to recall him there.
Mark Hudson is returning tomorrow, how will that be?
Our information is that he will not be playing. In the last game he limped off at half-time. We believe he will be out.
What do you make of Huddersfield? They've not won yet?
Of course and that is why they will be dangerous. They've not score many, but they've not conceded many. We think it will be tight, but it's one we want to be winning. We know it will be tough.
Has the start the side has had answered your personal critics?
It's out of context really. My point is people are entitled to their opinion. However, we have only played five games. I've not looked at the league table yet. I've said 12 games will be an indication of what our start has been. People talk about the start now, but I won't talk about the start until we have had 12 games that will be more than 25% of the season gone. That's a good time to assess and to look at what you need to do to improve again.
Some people thought you might be gone by now.
You were quick to tell me what people were thinking. I'm being honest, you were quick to tell me that people were thinking that or you were having little things saying: 'Should Slade stay or go?' You were quite quick to say it was not a healthy situation for me.
Do you feel you have answered those critics?
No, not yet no. The word I use is that we are in a period of transition, but maybe fans don't want to know about that. We've achieved a bit of stability and now we need to keep making progress. We did that at the end of the last season even if people did not want to see it. That form was solid and strong. Now I think it's a little bit more progress now from the end of last season.
Does a fully fit Bruno Manga go straight back in the side?
He's done a lot of travelling and he was very tired. He's trained. But I don't think anybody is an absolute automatic choice. They have to earn the shirt that might be old and traditional, but that's the way I think it should be, If you are performing in the moment to a high standard then you deserve the shirt. Look at my bench, there are players who will have to work hard, be patient and wait for their opportunity to get in the side.
Are Morrison and Connolly doing well enough to keep Manga out?
Over the last couple of games I would say that would only be fair.
http://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/russell-slade-cardiff-city-qa-10037257?