Jason Perry says Cardiff City cannot keep putting off a decision on their managerial situation amid “worrying times” for his former club.
Cardiff are just a point clear of the Championship relegation places after they were beaten at home by fellow strugglers Queens Park Rangers on Wednesday.
Interim boss Omer Riza likened the club to “a pressure cooker ready to explode” after defeat by a Rangers side who had won only one game all season before their trip to Wales.
Riza has been in charge since Cardiff sacked Erol Bulut in September – but said after the QPR loss that he did not know whether he would still be at the helm for Saturday’s trip to Coventry City.
Former Bluebirds skipper Perry says that while Riza and his squad must face scrutiny, the key issue at Cardiff is in the boardroom.
“There’s a reason why Cardiff are in this position… the biggest problem is above the manager,” Perry told BBC Radio Wales.
“If that’s not resolved, it will always be a boom-and-bust club.
“We have seen that [before], but the bust could be bigger this year than we have seen for a quite a while.”
Perry felt Cardiff failed to cope with QPR’s “basic way of playing” after Marti Cifuentes’ side triumphed thanks to two Zan Celar goals.
“It’s a 4-5-1 and Cardiff have not realised what they need to do to get around them,” he added.
“QPR have stuck to a basic plan that was too good for Cardiff. I am looking at the body language of the staff and they look defeated.
“If you are going to wait until January for somebody [to be appointed manager], there are a lot of points to be won between now and January. You can’t wait.”
Perry, who spent a decade as a Cardiff player, says the current side have “regressed” after an upturn in form following Bulut’s exit.
“Everybody said it was a good squad. It isn’t,” he added.
“We have seen it played out in front of us again – they miss certain players in certain areas.
“You look at the bench. Individually they have their strengths and they would get into other sides, but it’s hard to get a tune out of this group and they are losing games. These are worrying times.”
