' Cardiff City, the unfolding Shambles '

Steve Tucker: Why Cardiff City fans deserve so much better than this unfolding shambles
16th Oct 2013


After yet another twist in an extraordinary Cardiff City furore with the release of a club statement following Monday’s five-hour board meeting, Steve Tucker looks at the disregard shown towards supporters


It was former Cardiff City chairman Peter Ridsdale, the man who first brought Vincent Tan to the club, who was fond of using the word ‘transparency.’

Whether the man dubbed ‘The Riddler’ was the greatest exponent of his own philosophy is debatable, but one thing for sure is that years later, under the new regime, transparency remains a dim and distant dream at the capital club.

The latest missive from the Cardiff City bunker, after five hours of intense and troubling debate on Monday, is as dry as the Sahara, big on the biggest movement of deck-chairs since the Titanic went down, but under-nourished when it comes to whys, wherefores and what fears or delights the future might hold. Indeed the words ‘Moody,’ ‘Apsalyamov,’ and ‘over-spend’ are conspicuous by their absence.

It seems the hand of manager Malky Mackay has been strengthened as a result of Monday’s manoeuvrings, but is it enough to indicate a long-term future for the Scot at the club?

Who knows. But of course, no one is saying.

Mackay will have the ‘final say’ on all transfers we learn, but, within reason, didn’t he always? And how can that work with Tan holding the purse strings?


Tan himself has graciously decided to write off some of the seven per cent interest he has been charging on his loans to the club.

But, hang on, wasn’t the businessmen supposed to be writing off all of those anyway when he turned his debt into equity upon the completion of a deal with Langston?

You cannot help but read yesterday’s statement and be struck by the fact that it is once more the Bluebirds fan who comes out of things with the worst deal.

Bluebirds supporters may have become hardened to bad news down the years, indeed often they have had no other option than to shrug their shoulders and get on with things.

But recent events have left even the most battle-weary Bluebird in a state of vexation.

They say not knowing is the worst thing and that is most certainly the case here with the club inflicting pain, doubt and ridicule once more on its very own flesh and blood.

It seemed inevitable in a way that a wonderful promotion season and the thrill of a good start to life in the Premier League had to be derailed in some way.

But wow, this time around the fiasco has been spectacular even by Bluebirds standards.

The removal of head of recruitment Iain Moody and his replacement with a 23-year-old novice apparently without any football experience was inexplicable and strange, but what was worse was the knock-on effect it was bound to have on Mackay position as manager.

The Scot remains perhaps the brightest young manager in the country, wildly popular with fans and an asset at any club so why would majority shareholder Tan seemingly be trying to get rid of him?

As usual the immediate response was nothing, static buzzing in the air, as supporters struggled to get their heads around the situation.

A few days into the madness a facile few paragraphs from the club appeared conforming Moody’s mysterious departure and containing some brief words from Tan about how he will support Mackay for years to come.

What is it they say about judging a man by his actions not his words?

Then came those showdown talks on Monday between Mackay and the Cardiff board. People sweated, supporters could not concentrate on their work for wondering what was going on. So what was going on?


Who knows, again the club singularly failed to share even the merest detail with the people they make such a song and dance about praising all the time.

‘Our supporters are wonderful.’ ‘The atmosphere was electric.’ They are our 12th man.’ ‘The greatest.’ They keep saying it, yet they do not even have the courtesy to inform fans if the manager they respect, at the club they adore, is even still in the job at all.

No one is expecting the Cardiff hierarchy to give away trade secrets.

Supporters do not expect every piece of information, they understand that would be impossible – but they do want just a little bit of respect.

But one cannot just blame Tan and the club itself. Ahead of Monday’s meeting, Malky Mackay’s agent, Raymond Sparkes, went on the record and stated that his client believed fans had been kept in the dark too long.

He said Mackay would insist the club explained what was going on, provide the truth at last and if it didn’t he would do so himself.

We are two days on now, another bland press release down and not one world has been uttered by Mackay or his representative.

What makes this situation worse is that it is so weird, so mad, so strange, call it what you like.

‘Bloke running business seemingly does all he can to upset employee upon which much of the recent success off said business has been built'.

Is there no explanation forthcoming because the reasons behind it all are simply so absurd that those involved would be ashamed were the great unwashed to actually find out what they were?

Are indeed the powers that be at the club so secretive because they live in fear of how supporters might react were they ever to get an inkling of the truth? More questions than answers again.

But what is without doubt is that Cardiff fans have suffered long and hard, they have had to swallow a morale-sapping re-brand on an apparent whim of Tan’s and surely now the time is coming when even the most reasonable is going to say, ‘Enough, is enough!’

We know football supporters and their loyalty have always been taken for granted by their clubs, but recent events at Cardiff have taken that disregard to a whole new level.

Don't read anything in echo or western mail reporters are wank

Steve Tucker from the echo who has been called all sorts by people on this forum, now just to stir it all a bit more this goes up, not surprised

I don't see what the big deal is. Moodly blew his budget and got sacked, they have had a re-shuffle, wiped off a load of debt and given final say on transfers to malky - it's only good news I don't get why everyone thinks there is some kind of kidden motive?!

he's right though...

"Is there no explanation forthcoming because the reasons behind it all are simply so absurd that those involved would be ashamed were the great unwashed to actually find out what they were?"

the silence is deafening.....im sure a few more fans have thought enough is enough this week, still plenty more willing new customers waiting in the wings so who gives a sh*t eh? not vincent.

I don't see what the big deal is. Moodly blew his budget and got sacked, they have had a re-shuffle, wiped off a load of debt and given final say on transfers to malky - it's only good news I don't get why everyone thinks there is some kind of kidden motive?!

Its not that simple. If Moody did blow his budget like you claim then Tan would have had grounds to sack him for incompetence. Tan actually offered him a package to go which would indicate that it was Tans own personal dislike for Moody rather than any wrong doing. I don't think that Tan is the type of man to openly give away money as the players bonus fiasco will show. Is there a hidden motive? well Malky thinks that the fans should know the truth so again this would indicate that the truth is being witheld which is still the case after the sanitised club statement.

if im honest....im a bit disappointed in malky, after his agents statement. lets see what comes out in the pre-Chelsea interview.

The man is right 100 % its a shambles we need to no at least part of what the hell is happening as any manager would say the buck stops at him if results dont go are way.

Well Tan is running the club and if something dont go right the buck stops with him .

He has done good and bad but the bad outway the good in my eyes sorry.We have a massive huge chance to stay in the prem and build from there season after season but Tan seems to just ruin things I think he has and is pissing a lot of people off both fans and staff .

The problem is he doesnt no one thing about football and he doesnt want to learn off anybody Tan will be his own downfall which by the sound of it isnt far away.

When he gets his majority share of 98% what can we expect then i think its only going to get worse.

For me i dont trust him 1 % running are football club he is a liability and i would be more than happy to see him go .IF malky goes that would be the final straw for many fans so mr invinsible needs to be very carefull he is a power freak who needs knocking down a few pegs.

We should of stood together for this club as fans a long time ago just hope we stand together now .

Very worried what he will do next be glad when tan has gone to be honest not enjoyed being part of his vision for my club.

An excellent article that certainly raises a few interesting points, especially about the sacking being absurd. Do people really think the club would have kept quiet and let the national media rip the piss into them if there was a genuine reason behind Moody's sacking?

People need to get their heads out of the sand and realise that Tan doesn't have a f*cking clue what he's doing

Steve Tucker: Why Cardiff City fans deserve so much better than this unfolding shambles
16th Oct 2013


After yet another twist in an extraordinary Cardiff City furore with the release of a club statement following Monday’s five-hour board meeting, Steve Tucker looks at the disregard shown towards supporters


It was former Cardiff City chairman Peter Ridsdale, the man who first brought Vincent Tan to the club, who was fond of using the word ‘transparency.’

Whether the man dubbed ‘The Riddler’ was the greatest exponent of his own philosophy is debatable, but one thing for sure is that years later, under the new regime, transparency remains a dim and distant dream at the capital club.

The latest missive from the Cardiff City bunker, after five hours of intense and troubling debate on Monday, is as dry as the Sahara, big on the biggest movement of deck-chairs since the Titanic went down, but under-nourished when it comes to whys, wherefores and what fears or delights the future might hold. Indeed the words ‘Moody,’ ‘Apsalyamov,’ and ‘over-spend’ are conspicuous by their absence.

It seems the hand of manager Malky Mackay has been strengthened as a result of Monday’s manoeuvrings, but is it enough to indicate a long-term future for the Scot at the club?

Who knows. But of course, no one is saying.

Mackay will have the ‘final say’ on all transfers we learn, but, within reason, didn’t he always? And how can that work with Tan holding the purse strings?


Tan himself has graciously decided to write off some of the seven per cent interest he has been charging on his loans to the club.

But, hang on, wasn’t the businessmen supposed to be writing off all of those anyway when he turned his debt into equity upon the completion of a deal with Langston?

You cannot help but read yesterday’s statement and be struck by the fact that it is once more the Bluebirds fan who comes out of things with the worst deal.

Bluebirds supporters may have become hardened to bad news down the years, indeed often they have had no other option than to shrug their shoulders and get on with things.

But recent events have left even the most battle-weary Bluebird in a state of vexation.

They say not knowing is the worst thing and that is most certainly the case here with the club inflicting pain, doubt and ridicule once more on its very own flesh and blood.

It seemed inevitable in a way that a wonderful promotion season and the thrill of a good start to life in the Premier League had to be derailed in some way.

But wow, this time around the fiasco has been spectacular even by Bluebirds standards.

The removal of head of recruitment Iain Moody and his replacement with a 23-year-old novice apparently without any football experience was inexplicable and strange, but what was worse was the knock-on effect it was bound to have on Mackay position as manager.

The Scot remains perhaps the brightest young manager in the country, wildly popular with fans and an asset at any club so why would majority shareholder Tan seemingly be trying to get rid of him?

As usual the immediate response was nothing, static buzzing in the air, as supporters struggled to get their heads around the situation.

A few days into the madness a facile few paragraphs from the club appeared conforming Moody’s mysterious departure and containing some brief words from Tan about how he will support Mackay for years to come.

What is it they say about judging a man by his actions not his words?

Then came those showdown talks on Monday between Mackay and the Cardiff board. People sweated, supporters could not concentrate on their work for wondering what was going on. So what was going on?


Who knows, again the club singularly failed to share even the merest detail with the people they make such a song and dance about praising all the time.

‘Our supporters are wonderful.’ ‘The atmosphere was electric.’ They are our 12th man.’ ‘The greatest.’ They keep saying it, yet they do not even have the courtesy to inform fans if the manager they respect, at the club they adore, is even still in the job at all.

No one is expecting the Cardiff hierarchy to give away trade secrets.

Supporters do not expect every piece of information, they understand that would be impossible – but they do want just a little bit of respect.

But one cannot just blame Tan and the club itself. Ahead of Monday’s meeting, Malky Mackay’s agent, Raymond Sparkes, went on the record and stated that his client believed fans had been kept in the dark too long.

He said Mackay would insist the club explained what was going on, provide the truth at last and if it didn’t he would do so himself.

We are two days on now, another bland press release down and not one world has been uttered by Mackay or his representative.

What makes this situation worse is that it is so weird, so mad, so strange, call it what you like.

‘Bloke running business seemingly does all he can to upset employee upon which much of the recent success off said business has been built'.

Is there no explanation forthcoming because the reasons behind it all are simply so absurd that those involved would be ashamed were the great unwashed to actually find out what they were?

Are indeed the powers that be at the club so secretive because they live in fear of how supporters might react were they ever to get an inkling of the truth? More questions than answers again.

But what is without doubt is that Cardiff fans have suffered long and hard, they have had to swallow a morale-sapping re-brand on an apparent whim of Tan’s and surely now the time is coming when even the most reasonable is going to say, ‘Enough, is enough!’

We know football supporters and their loyalty have always been taken for granted by their clubs, but recent events at Cardiff have taken that disregard to a whole new level.

getting borring now how about tucker talks about our up and coming game against one of the best teams in the world

The usual 'sensationalism' from Tucker. Not saying some of it isn't right but any respect I (never) had for his journalism skills were lost many self-indulgent articles ago

We do not need to know any of this stuff. If there hadnt been a break in the Premier League for the international break it would have been forgotten a week ago. Newspapers making a mountain out of a molehill.

As long as the team performs, the rest of this rubbish is irrelevant.

I don't see what the big deal is. Moodly blew his budget and got sacked, they have had a re-shuffle, wiped off a load of debt and given final say on transfers to malky - it's only good news I don't get why everyone thinks there is some kind of kidden motive?!

If you are sacked then you are not paid off, The person who should have been controlling the budget was Simon Lim who is supposed to be responsible for the day to day running of the club

Moody's job was to find players

Yeah...confirmed that NO OVERSPEND on players but MISUNDERSTANDING on some accounting issues....
interesting.

Maybe Tan was thinking if we stay in the premiership, next year it wont be so hard to attract players to the club and Malky and Dalman can sort it out. They are then saving on another wage being paid out, would't think the new painter is on a huge wage

Excellent article.

Not often I agree with him, but Tucker is spot on here.

I have always considered Newcastle fans a horrible bunch because they always think they can run the club better n cause a bit of shit with it.WE are just as bad as them.Very few of us can run a small business alone a football club but we all got the answers.I liked it better when I went to watch Cardiff city and not politics which goes on.Try to enjoy the season in this league boys n girls!!!

Sensational journalism .........Yes
Accuracy............................100%

Why is Steve tucker dragging this up again? Does it really sell any more papers when we knew all this on Monday.
Really don't agree with those criticising malky though, just cause his agent made some misleading state.ent about malky 'telling the truth' doesn't mean malky committed to that.
just forget this shit and lets hope this galvanizes the fans,players and manager to inspire a great performance on the weekend

Why is Steve tucker dragging this up again? Does it really sell any more papers when we knew all this on Monday.
Really don't agree with those criticising malky though, just cause his agent made some misleading state.ent about malky 'telling the truth' doesn't mean malky committed to that.
just forget this shit and lets hope this galvanizes the fans,players and manager to inspire a great performance on the weekend

This guy has been Malkys agent forever and a day....theres no way he would have made that statement about (shall i tell the fans or are you going to VT) without Malkys knowledge.

I like Steve Tucker as a person having listened to his questions in press conferences and watched him a few times on the boot room.

When it comes to journalism however I feel he is caught between a rock and a hard place. A straight story to his Editor that Cardiff had a great victory or a crushing defeat, or anything in between, will not sell newspapers and will be eyed with disdain.

On the other hand, a story about unrest, upheaval, discontent, fan's revolution and the like are now the minimum of what is expected.

The word "journalism" should actually be replaced with the word "sensationalism", because anybody with a modicum of intelligence can see that this is now the way of the media world.

Reporting is no longer good enough, putting a spin and embelishing are now common practice and the norm, not just for Steve but for any media "reporter".

It is quite obvious that Steve's article is essentially based on trawling through social media, whether it be message boards, FB or any other. What people fail to see is that this is probably a very small percentage of the Cardiff City fanbase and as such holds no real credence whatsover.

In my opinion it is another storm in a teacup. Owners come and go, management and their staff come and go, players come and go and even fans come and go!!........but Cardiff City Football Club remain.

Cardiff City Football Club are the only constant and it would be folly to lose sight of this.

Do we have a right to KNOW everything that goes on behind the scenes, in my opinion no.

Let's concentrate on getting a result against Chelsea this weekend and move forward.

A very good article from Steve Tucker, bangs the nail firmly on the head, correct in all he has said

Sensational journalism .........Yes
Accuracy............................100%

Spot on, on both accounts.