Dave Jones has brushed aside claims that Cardiff City "play down" derby matches with South Wales rivals Swansea City.
The teams meet on Saturday in a sell-out clash at Cardiff City Stadium with play-off points at stake. Cardiff, who have won four and drawn one of their last five matches, are fourth in the Championship, three points ahead of the fifth-placed Swans.
The Bluebirds will be out to avenge their 3-2 defeat at the Liberty Stadium last November, and Dave said: "It doesn't matter what I say, everybody thinks I play down the derby matches. We have players sent off, so if I play it down and we have players sent off, I haven't played it down enough!
"I do understand what a derby means. I've played in a small one myself on Merseyside. It's important that it's not just about the bragging rights, it's about getting the points, and we'll be trying to do that. We're at home, we're trying to keep the run going, everyone here is very buoyant at the moment and we'll take it from there.
"We know how important the game is and we know how important it is to the fans. Nobody ever plays it down. I understand the importance of it more than some people think I do. But at the end of the day, it's about keeping your head, going out there and trying to get the points.
"They took the points off us at the start of the season, and we'll be trying to get them back. More important, it's on TV and we have to show the outside world that it's not just about brawn and fighting, because two good football teams are going to put on a show.
"We're both trying to get out of this division and it adds a little bit more spice to the game because of where we are; we're both in the play-off spots.
"There's always a bigger picture - the season is not just about two games. I'm sure if you said to any fan at the beginning of the season: 'You are going to lose your two derby games but finish where you want to finish', anybody who doesn't take that is absolutely crazy. But there's a little bit more to it than that. There's a lot of pride at stake, a lot of bragging rights but the most important thing is there are points at stake. You don't win matches by having players sent off or by not playing well, you've got to throw all the ingredients into the pot and make sure you come out with the right result.
"Of course I would look forward to playing the Swans in the play-offs - it would mean that we are both there! That would be absolutely fantastic for everybody, whether it be in the semi-finals of the final, it would be absolutely awesome for this part of the world. If it were the final, you would know that at least one Welsh team would break into the Premier League, which would be a fantastic achievement.
"I have a lot of respect for Paulo and his staff and I bet he has a lot of respect for us lot here. But we do battle on Saturday for 90 minutes plus whatever is added on. The one thing I can tell fans from both camps is we both want to win the match. Paulo had a big job on his hands this season because Roberto Martinez had done a good job there. Everybody thinks there's no life after a manager leaves. It just shows you there's a lot of life left there. There's an old saying - the king is dead, long live the king - Paulo is a super guy.
"In my opinion, Swansea have done a fantastic job this season. The last time we met, Swansea won the match and they deserved to win. But it's not because my players didn't show desire or passion - Swansea were the better team."
