" PLEASE BE HONEST HERE.. ? "

Was having a chat at half time last night with 2 pals at our game about the teams in contention for promotion & who would be equipped & not so equipped to step up to the Premier league on & off the pitch & a pal made a comment that got me thinking.

Basically what he said was that if Cardiff City went up he felt the club would become massive, he likened you to a sleeping giant, with your new stadium, season ticket holders & vast catchment area which I tend to agree with BUT on the flip side if you were to lose out on promotion this year after assembling such a good squad of players where would that leave Cardiff City?

I know you have very wealthy owners who seem to have backed your manager this season but would they hang around for another long slog in the Championship?

Would it affect season ticket sales after another season of failure?

Would certain players hang around. Chops, Jay, Hudson, Bellamy etc

Would you be looking for another manager?

This is not meant as a doom & gloom thread at all as I feel you have enough in the locker to secure promotion but it just brought it home to me the very very fine line between success & failure.

And lastly we are in a much similar situation as yourselves with regards to what I've mentioned.

if we wernt to go up this year we will see who the real supporters of this club are and i agree with you if we go up we have the potential to be a massive club

if feels like its make or break this season. Jones will def be out if we dont go up.

but i agree, we are a sleeping giant, we have the potential to become huge. (as in say 35 + fans avg not man united huge)

it would not affect season ticket sales as they are now being brought now.
we would loose all the loans and uncontracted players.
and yes mr jones would have to fall on his sword

tbh if we dont go up i can see us lossing players like the ones you have mentoned then we will have to completely redo the squad and this is the make or break seaon for us we wont have many more better chances

If we didn't go up this season i'd say it's pretty much nailed on that DJ would go (rightly so),all our loan players would return to their clubs and i also couldn't see our out of contract players like jay,burkey matthews etc stayin either (not sure about whitts,chops etc) i would imagine our attendance would drop,we would pretty much be startin from scratch...doesn't bare thinkin about

We do have a huge catchment area, and if we do go up, i feel we could compete in the Premiership. If we dont go up, there will be serious problems, for a start we have the best squad wev,e had for over 40 years, so if we dont go up this year we never will, also if i,m honest I cant see our Owners staying around for another season in the Championship. I think Q.P.R will go up. How do you think they will do in the Premiership ?

My Honest Opinion If Cardiff City were in the Premiership and we held 40,000, We would average about 37-38,000 by the end of the Season and thats only because the away teams would not sell out each week.

Thanx guys some very honest & frank responses so far.

Blue nile- if were to go up I honestly feel our board would back Warnock to the hilt. I'm not saying £20m players obviously but I know for a fact how much they rate Warnock & more importantly trust his judgement so I think we would have a big job on our hands to survive but I think we would do it for the first season then after that who knows. As it stands we probably only have 3 Premiership quality players, Taarabt, Routledge (who's not ours yet) & Paddy Kenny.

With regards to yourselves, do you think the board would try again next year after failing this year with an amazing squad or would they cut & run?

Stan thats the big question about the board, are they here for a long haul, or have they set up for promotion to the Premiership after one season, only time will tell

Promotion or bust this season i think ... they've chucked a hell of a lot of money at us already

We had the same questions after the Blackpool playoff final defeat but to be far this is actually the final season now for Jones.

If we don't go up I can see players like Bothroyd, Whittingham and Burke going but I think we'll keep Chopra and the others. The board will stay but they'll replace Jones and give it another go under a new manager.

If we go up though, the potential is massive. Shit or bust? Not quite but not far off. Getting promoted would save a lot of hassle!

Well Stan it really is make or brake for us this season. If Jones does not gain promotion with the best squad we have ever had and lets not beat around the bush here in my opinion is the best squad in the Championship. But hey how can our squad soar like Eagles when they are led by a Turkey ?. Dave Jones in my opinion will go down as the worst manager in our history if he fecks it up with this Squad.
But stan you are led by a true Leader and if i could swap him for Jones we would defo go up. But as it stands QPR will go up as Champions and who gets second ? well that's to close to call.
How well would you or us do in the Prem ? To be honest God knows. But you would be restricted with your Stadium size, is that right you can't expand Loftus road at all ? Would you feel that would truly hinder you ? or would there be a new stadium in the pipeline and would you or your mates want that

Interesting Stan young fella me lad.

The sleeping giant tag has been around longer than I care to remember, at 30 years that I know!! However, thats where we would have the advantage over QPR for example as there is no other "big club" anywhere near us, the nearest are in the Midlands, 100 miles plus whereas you have Chelsea, Fulham, etc within spitting distance and not too far timewise from Arsenal or any other London club. Should Cardiff become an established Premier club then we have over a million people within a short distance mileage wise although timewise its a different story, the travel "system" here is a joke so much potential for the future. Something that the likes of QPR don't have due to location. Look at Wigan as a prime example, now an established Premier club but too close to Manchester and Liverpool, each having two well established and relatively speaking successful clubs, thats without Blackburn, Blackpool, etc literally on the doorstep.

Having lived in Tooting for over 25 years, still have the house there, I know what I'm talking about LOL! Our former great leader saw this and woke up south wales to the potential of Cardiff unfortunately for him he pissed off the small minded lefty sheeple who eventually sniffed a few bucks for themselves so ran him out of town, mention a certain Lebonese gents name on CCMB and they'll be out in their droves I knew more Tooting and Mitcham United supporters than wimbledon freaks.

I think this is shit or bust year for us this season as it this is probably the weakest the Championship has been for a few years as the teams that came down had been raped financially. It is good for football in general to see the likes of Forest and Norwich in the mix, decent clubs with decent owners that haven't spent big and are living within their means. (This will prove to be an excellent strategy within the next few years )

As to players, well they will go to the clubs that pay the money, not rocket science. If you had the talent to make it that level and were playing say Centre Forward, if another employer come in and offered you double the money to do the same job what would you do? Take into consideration that your present employer would bring somone else in if they could afford it and sell you like some common Welsh Assmebly Government scrote, then I can fully appreciate the players point of view.

Anyway I hope that cheered you up, I lve in Copenhagen now, still have a season ticket and have renewed for next season although I fear this will be the last. I am totally disillusioned with it to be honest, the fun has gone, being in the ground is crap as the atmosphere has gone, going away is akin to a special forces operation and trying to get back to Cardiff from Copenhagen is a joke. Cardiff Airport is an embarressment, I have to fly via Amsterdam into a so called National Airport just because some egg chasing tw*t is worried about birds, the feathered fuckers not tidy looking women like, still I suppose it could be worse.

I dont think the club will go into meltdown, I honestly believe if we dont go up we will remain competitive next season and be like possibly Watford on our day capable of beating anyone but will prob will be around mid-league. The most pleasing aspect is over the last few seasons we have tapped into a lost generation of fans and I think now the youngsters will stick with Cardiff , catching the train back home last night 4 carriages rammed with young fans all kitted out and I think that s the most important thing to have happened to the club is the fanbase

Some excellent posts here lads so I will try to answer what you asked in one message.

With regards to us first yes Loftus Rd is an issue, I love it because its home & its all I've ever known since I first went as a four year old in 1980 but the stadium is crap, its cramped, the toilets & refreshment areas are ridiculous & if you go for a burger at half time don't expect to see the first 10 mins of the second half as getting back to your seat is like Piccadilly Circus on Xmas eve its terrible. We are not a big club and as mentioned we are 2.5 miles away from Brentford but more importantly Fulham & Chelsea who are established Premier league clubs who get approx 60,000 through the gates on a match day. Not to mention a mere 20 mins on our wonderful tube system & you are up against Arsenal, Spurs & West Ham. We are very small in comparison.

Kids locally don't want to see Scunthorpe, Preston or Doncaster they want to see your Man Utd's, Liverpool's etc in the Bush so attracting fans with all that up against you is very very hard. With regards to Loftus Rd its so close to houses their is no chance of expanding. Bernie Ecclestone apparently owns a massive plot of land that the BBC sits on at the top of South Africa Rd & its been mooted that plans are being submitted for a 35,000 stadium imminently. Of course going up you will attract the kids to fill the seats.

The owners are no fools they knew our averages & revenue streams before they committed so I don't feel we are under pressure they knew the score.

Willy its sad to hear your story of next season possibly being your last. Obviously living in Copenhagen is a massive ask even getting to games so being a ST holder I fully commend you mate that's proper support. With regards to you saying the atmosphere is shit do you not think that's mainly down to people shitting themselves about blowing the chance to go up? Reason I ask is that our place is much the same we've been top all season & most weeks the atmosphere is rubbish but I get the impression people are just waiting for the bubble to burst. Bad excuse really as it should be more of a reason to get behind our teams but as I say its hard supporting a club 'nearly there'.

Was having a chat at half time last night with 2 pals at our game about the teams in contention for promotion & who would be equipped & not so equipped to step up to the Premier league on & off the pitch & a pal made a comment that got me thinking.

Basically what he said was that if Cardiff City went up he felt the club would become massive, he likened you to a sleeping giant, with your new stadium, season ticket holders & vast catchment area which I tend to agree with BUT on the flip side if you were to lose out on promotion this year after assembling such a good squad of players where would that leave Cardiff City?

I know you have very wealthy owners who seem to have backed your manager this season but would they hang around for another long slog in the Championship?

Would it affect season ticket sales after another season of failure?



Would certain players hang around. Chops, Jay, Hudson, Bellamy etc

Would you be looking for another manager?

This is not meant as a doom & gloom thread at all as I feel you have enough in the locker to secure promotion but it just brought it home to me the very very fine line between success & failure.

And lastly we are in a much similar situation as yourselves with regards to what I've mentioned.

I think the crowds would average 15-16k until the climax of the season (if we play well) and big rival matches. The Malaysians have been great and TG especially has shown a lot of affection toward the club, but IMO they are businessmen and are here because they believe we are on the verge of a multi million windfall for them, therefore making it an SUPERB investment for them...if we don't I convinced they may start having doubts.

Dave Jones would 99.9% leave if we stayed down.

We would lose the vast majority of our loanee's who we'd probably try and get a contract drawn up for if we went up. Bellamy would go....but who knows, he may be reluctant to leave his family again. That just depends on wages and so on if thats the case and he wants to stay. Jay would go, Chopra I believe is here for good, also Hudson would stay.



What you've said about being equipped and sleeping giants is something we all know, hence the high demands and pressure put on the players....we want it so bad because it would literally explode down here. I want a generation of kids growing up watching Cardiff making history in the top flight, this will give us a larger core following (non fickles) like your Leeds etc further down the line. Too many people staying at home to watch their beloved Man Utd on a Cardiff midweek match is TOO familiar. I know we aren't Swansea with a joke of a following but I want us to reach our potential. Look at Newcastle, 1 club city, MASSIVE following...Cardiff have a massive geographical area of potential fans as big if not bigger!

Went off track a bit there, I do get carried away as I type.

Base I'm the same mate I start to wander as I type

Yes I totally agree with what you & many others have said you would 'explode' as you said its all set up to be a gargantuan club!

This last 13 games is going to be nerve wracking to say the least & a lot depends on it for both clubs. It seems as if your board have a soft spot for your club but of course £ talks.

Quick question though, surely your Malaysian owners didn't expect instant success did they? Or is it a case of we're nearly there so no excuses if you didn't make it?

Thanx guys some very honest & frank responses so far.

Blue nile- if were to go up I honestly feel our board would back Warnock to the hilt. I'm not saying £20m players obviously but I know for a fact how much they rate Warnock & more importantly trust his judgement so I think we would have a big job on our hands to survive but I think we would do it for the first season then after that who knows. As it stands we probably only have 3 Premiership quality players, Taarabt, Routledge (who's not ours yet) & Paddy Kenny.

With regards to yourselves, do you think the board would try again next year after failing this year with an amazing squad or would they cut & run?

The sheer volume of high waged players and quality players we've taken on board shows that they want success NOW, as Ive said they are businessmen, not fans. They cant pump money into an business with an uncertain return forever. It is a risk they are willing to take at the moment because the reward could be outstanding. I think after next season, they'd do one if we failed.

With that also, if we dont go up and we lost the majority of our players and management, I believe it would take more than a couple of years to get a team together again with those all important key players. Therefore I also believe that the Malaysian will go in that scenario.


ITS ALL ABOUT THIS SEASON.

Base I'm the same mate I start to wander as I type

Yes I totally agree with what you & many others have said you would 'explode' as you said its all set up to be a gargantuan club!

This last 13 games is going to be nerve wracking to say the least & a lot depends on it for both clubs. It seems as if your board have a soft spot for your club but of course £ talks.

Quick question though, surely your Malaysian owners didn't expect instant success did they? Or is it a case of we're nearly there so no excuses if you didn't make it?

We just don't know the answer to that question. The vibe they are giving off is positive and genuine, but this is now and not a few months down the line. All we can do is stay positive and support the lads, but you asked these questions and I amongst many others are thinking the same things as what iv'e written...WHAT IF!??!!

From a personal point of view, I love the championship, and do not really want to go up!!! the last couple of years has been brilliant from my point of view (am I being selfish) despite loosing to Portsmouth and Blackpool. In the championship we are competitive, playing attractive football (yes , thanks to Dave Jones), we are winning more games than we are loosing, would/could that happen in the premiership?

If we do not go up Dave Jones will leave ( but I hope not), if VT and TG decides that they have had enough Sam could be back which initially could destabilize the club, depending on early results, and players who stay , goes or Bring in ,with the strength of feeling between the pro and anti Sam Hamman camps.

If we go up from a personal point of view playing Saturday midday, Sunday lunch time, Sunday evenings , Monday evenings, is not for me with the shifts that I work, I seriously cannot remember the last home game that we have played in any competition, that I have missed, that may change for me in the premiership, the media will put our club and fans under the microscope, and asking questions of us ,I am sure the Olympic football debate FOR 2012, would hot up, whether we should join the English FA, and leave the Welsh FA, as an aside it will be interesting what FAW will do after Reading has been fined

I would not like us to go up with the current stadium crowd capacity, and player budget just to struggle against teams such as Fulham, Blackburn ,etc , where they will come to CCS and play a couple of holding midfield players looking for a nil nil or a 1-0 away win boring boring football

If we go up, we must extend the stadium to 35,000-40,000 then we will become a massive club, i think I am right in saying that Sky sports has more subscribers, in South Wales than any other area in the UK per capita. The people of South Wales are desperate for top class football , a number of years ago Sam said we could be bigger than Barcelona.

Wow Jammsy that is such an interesting point you made right there regarding going up & possibly getting pumped every week & football schedules gone nuts.

Can't say I'd be happy with that myself but I think my mindset is let's go up & see how it goes. I understand you loving the Championship for the reasons you mentioned but surely for your club to grow, progress & become that giant you HAVE to go up this year?

With QPR it would take us many years to get back what we've got now with regards to owners, players & management with you guys it would be much the same I'd say.

Stan now be honest here if you could Choose which two teams to go up automatically and who would go up via the play offs, who would you want them to be ?

From a personal point of view, I love the championship, and do not really want to go up!!! the last couple of years has been brilliant from my point of view (am I being selfish) despite loosing to Portsmouth and Blackpool. In the championship we are competitive, playing attractive football (yes , thanks to Dave Jones), we are winning more games than we are loosing, would/could that happen in the premiership?

If we do not go up Dave Jones will leave ( but I hope not), if VT and TG decides that they have had enough Sam could be back which initially could destabilize the club, depending on early results, and players who stay , goes or Bring in ,with the strength of feeling between the pro and anti Sam Hamman camps.

If we go up from a personal point of view playing Saturday midday, Sunday lunch time, Sunday evenings , Monday evenings, is not for me with the shifts that I work, I seriously cannot remember the last home game that we have played in any competition, that I have missed, that may change for me in the premiership, the media will put our club and fans under the microscope, and asking questions of us ,I am sure the Olympic football debate FOR 2012, would hot up, whether we should join the English FA, and leave the Welsh FA, as an aside it will be interesting what FAW will do after Reading has been fined

I would not like us to go up with the current stadium crowd capacity, and player budget just to struggle against teams such as Fulham, Blackburn ,etc , where they will come to CCS and play a couple of holding midfield players looking for a nil nil or a 1-0 away win boring boring football

If we go up, we must extend the stadium to 35,000-40,000 then we will become a massive club, i think I am right in saying that Sky sports has more subscribers, in South Wales than any other area in the UK per capita. The people of South Wales are desperate for top class football , a number of years ago Sam said we could be bigger than Barcelona.

Speaking of Barcelona, maybe if the Malaysians leave we adopt the 'people club' structure. Each fan has a share and renews it each season, everything in the club is decided by vote and so on....then again with that you need a gigantic fanbase in order to financially compete. I don't know if I should admit it but im a club ambassador for FC United of Manchester, mainly because they have adopted the 'peoples club' way and I am passionate, excited and supportive by what they are trying to do.


Once again im going off on one. lol.

i did mention that I was being selfish,

Wow Jammsy that is such an interesting point you made right there regarding going up & possibly getting pumped every week & football schedules gone nuts.

Can't say I'd be happy with that myself but I think my mindset is let's go up & see how it goes. I understand you loving the Championship for the reasons you mentioned but surely for your club to grow, progress & become that giant you HAVE to go up this year?

With QPR it would take us many years to get back what we've got now with regards to owners, players & management with you guys it would be much the same I'd say.

Some good points made, & i agree, lets get there first & then see how it goes. When i look at Blackpool at the moment all i think is,,,,,,that could [should] have been us. Such is life!

Stan now be honest here if you could Choose which two teams to go up automatically and who would go up via the play offs, who would you want them to be ?

Hand on heart mate I would of said 6 months ago to go up us & Leicester as I admire the fact the owners are really going for it & want Premiership football more than most it seems. But after being on your site for quite a while now as the resident pain in the arse I can honestly say you guys are so passionate about your club & very clued up about the game I think the Prem needs a team like Cardiff to make some waves.

So on that I'd say auto

QPR & Cardiff

Play off's Leicester City.


Edit; RICK I feel your pain bruv.

Last edited by Stan-QPR on Wed Feb 23, 2011 9:27 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Wow Jammsy that is such an interesting point you made right there regarding going up & possibly getting pumped every week & football schedules gone nuts.

Can't say I'd be happy with that myself but I think my mindset is let's go up & see how it goes. I understand you loving the Championship for the reasons you mentioned but surely for your club to grow, progress & become that giant you HAVE to go up this year?

With QPR it would take us many years to get back what we've got now with regards to owners, players & management with you guys it would be much the same I'd say.

Some good points made, & i agree, lets get there first & then see how it goes. When i look at Blackpool at the moment all i think is,,,,,,that could [should] have been us. Such is life!

I hear you

Stan now be honest here if you could Choose which two teams to go up automatically and who would go up via the play offs, who would you want them to be ?

Hand on heart mate I would of said 6 months ago to go up us & Leicester as I admire the fact the owners are really going for it & want Premiership football more than most it seems. But after being on your site for quite a while now as the resident pain in the arse I can honestly say you guys are so passionate about your club & very clued up about the game I think the Prem needs a team like Cardiff to make some waves.

So on that I'd say auto

QPR & Cardiff

Play off's Leicester City.


Edit; RICK I feel your pain bruv.

Feel the Love Chief feel the love

Stan knows all about it at its worst, or best day of my life imo. Campbell 2nd half extra time lob?? Ouch.