Bluebirds see red as Malaysian owners pledge change

So here we are, at the end of what was almost a spectacular season (sound familiar?).  The curtains have officially been drawn on the 2011-12 campaign, and what a season to remember for bluebirds the world over.  There's been penalty shoot-outs galore on a long, winding road to Wembley and play off semi-final heartache once again for the legion of Cardiff City fans the world over.  However, ironically the biggest drama of all this season for the South Wales club, came less than 24 hours after the second-leg defeat to West Ham at the Boleyn Ground.

Cardiff City Football Club's origins are to be found in the murky world of Riverside cricket team believe it or not, where the team was formed to keep their players fit during the Winter months.  The club name was officially made Cardiff City in 1908 and it's been that way ever since through two world wars and numerous takeovers.  The colour of the club strip has been blue since that time and they are affectionately known as "The Bluebirds" literally the world over, until now.  "The times they are a changing" was once penned by the great Bob Dylan and my word isn't that the case at the South Wales club now; where if rumours are to believed the club will henceforth be playing home games in a new red home kit with the traditional bluebird crest being replaced by a dragon and the motto "Fire and Passion will seize the day".  As expected this has prompted an outcry of almost biblical proportions by fans from Wales to America.

                                 The current club crest for Cardiff City FC

Malaysian investors Vincent Tan and Tien Ghee are major stakeholders in the club and have decided that to take the club from the Championship into the hallowed Premier League, will require a substantial increase in finances, which the majority of weary bluebirds would be delighted to see.  However, at what cost does this investment come  to the capitols club?

Here are the main points that have been gleamed by the supporters trust and others from a meeting held at Cardiff City Stadium and from an official statement made by the club late on the 09/05/12 :

1) The Malaysian owners are looking to "substantially increase" the investment in Cardiff City Football Club.
2) This will mean an increase in stadium capacity of the Cardiff City Stadium from its current 26,828 to 35,000 which will be done in time for the 2013-14 season.
3) There will also be a state of the art new training facility built in Cardiff, two sites have already been looked at by the club.
4) Manager Malky Mackay is to be given a very large transfer kitty in order to strengthen the squad sufficiently to make a serious push for promotion from the NPower Championship to the Barclays Premier League.
5) Historical debts such as the Langston debt, a long time mill around the clubs neck are to be settled.
6) The home strip will be changed from the traditional blue to red and the club crest to be changed to a dragon.

It is the final point that has seen such intense debate take place between fans and pundits alike quite literally the world over, with even famous faces such as Gary Lineker tweeting

"Despite the cash injection, I don't think any of us would like to see our clubs change their colours. #ridiculous" @GaryLineker.  

So just what is it that's causing so much angst and outright rage from many of the Cardiff faithful during these last few dramatic days?  Well it has to boil down to this:

Is the history of Cardiff City Football Club and the very thing that marks it out from the rest being compromised by the new proposals?

                               The historical FA Cup winning side of 1927 (in blue)

If you're looking for my opinion here then you're going to be disappointed because i am still withholding judgement until I've seen the full facts and figures of this move by the clubs owners.  I can confirm that like so many other bluebirds I am not at all comfortable with the change in home colours and badge and this stems mainly from a failure to understand just why it is necessary.  

The main reasons for the change in colour of the home strip and the badge as i understand so far as purely financial, in an attempt to woo the Asian market that is proving so lucrative for the likes of "super clubs" Manchester United and Liverpool.  In Asia the colour red is seen to be lucky and the dragon symbol is highly significant in the Malaysian culture, and it also happens to be the national flag of which Cardiff is it's capitol.  But are these reasons satisfying enough for a fan that has grown up supporting the bluebirds, singing the blues and uniting under a blue flag?  Not nearly enough.  In fact it leaves a bad taste in the mouth of those who just see this as a crude ploy to turn Cardiff City into a cash cow.

The fact of the matter is that the club may not survive in it's current state if left alone due to ongoing debts and lack of on-the-pitch success.  In fact when asked immediately following the fans' meeting with club officials, one fan was adamant that the verdict was accept the changes or the club could "under in two weeks".  Now whether this is conjecture or pure scaremongering remains to be seen but having lived through near administration on more than occasion most Bluebirds would accept this could well be the case.

So where next for the club?  Well these controversial proposals are yet to be signed into effect despite the statements otherwise and won't be done so until next week at the earliest.  As for me, i hope the Malaysians simply change the plans for a red kit to the away kit and keep the bluebird badge, a symbol of joy and hope to tens of thousands of fans both past and present. What is important is that heads are kept cool, all judgement is withheld until the full picture is revealed and above all, the club continues to thrive.  For while there's still a club, I'll Be There.

                                                  We'll be there

A curse broken in style....

"Cardiff City Football Club suffer yet more misery in the month of November" was an all too familiar title under the management of Dave Jones. Now I'm not, and never have been one to criticise unnecessarily, and you won't find me starting now; but in this case the facts speak for themselves.

Under the guise of Dave Jones, Cardiff City won less than a quarter of their games in November which some may say ultimately cost them dearly, given that one season resulted in missing out on the Playoffs on goal difference; and last seasons failure to gain automatic promotion went down to the last but one game. "If only...."the fans would say, and in some ways this would be justified given that if the club had won just a few of those November games, then Premiership football may well be a reality right now.

This is all conjecture of course, and in many ways utterly pointless, given that Cardiff didn't gain promotion and are still playing Championship football. So now, one year on from another fruitless November, how has the club that couldn't buy a win this time last year, gone on a ten match unbeaten run resulting in the Manager of the Month award going to Malky Mackay? Just what's changed to bring about such a turnaround in fortunes allowing every Cardiff City fan the chance to smile in November for the first time in 7 years?

I believe it comes down to a simple theory. Mackay seems to have birthed a new culture at Cardiff City Football Club. A culture that runs from the media team to the tea ladies, and this culture is based on a foundation of pride. No longer will Cardiff City have players on the pitch that don't believe in the cause, no longer will there be players that are just collecting their appearance fees, no longer will the fans be left literally pulling their hair out with frustration at a slow, lethargic start and most importantly no longer will Cardiff fans be left wondering just what the manager is thinking when he is standing statue-like on the touchline seemingly immune to the emotion of the occasion.

Mackay's new culture has brought about not just a breath of fresh air, it's more like a lungful. The whole club, from top to bottom seems to be running on a new wavelength and it's absolutely delightful to see. The football isn't always pretty but let's be honest, who cares? Not one fan that I know of would be prepared to sacrifice a ten game unbeaten streak to watch "tidy football". This is an era of pride in the club, pride in the shirt and pride in the cause.

The club has a squad of players that are all pulling in the same direction, all fighting tooth and nail until the final whistle, all fighting tooth and nail to keep their place. It's so hard to get into the starting line-up at the moment that even Robert Earnshaw the hometown favourite, can't get a game. It's been a pleasurable surprise to see just how hard the players are working for the shirt now.

So long live King Malkay, the curse is dead and one thing's for sure, i don't miss it.