' VINCENT TANS REIGN ' Controversy, Triumph and Turmoil '

A Cardiff fans shouts to Tan,We’ll always be blue’ as he leaves the ground, Tan responds with the quip ‘Always be red!’.

Well Tan, Cardiff fans will Rise and We will never stop till We are " BLUE " again






Thanks to Media Wales
17th Dec 2013

Vincent Tan's Cardiff City reign: ' A timeline of controversy, triumph and turmoil '

May 27, 2010: Tan joins the Cardiff City board, with Dato Chan Tien Ghee becoming chairman as the Peter Ridsdale era came to an end. At this stage, Tan’s presence was very much a background one, with TG the friendly face of the new Malaysian investors.


June 17, 2011: Malky Mackay appointed as Cardiff City manager following the departure of Dave Jones


May 7, 2012: Just minutes after Cardiff City’s play-off defeat against West Ham, an anonymous post on an internet messageboard claims the club are to be rebranded from blue to red at the insistence of Tan. Over the following hours it emerges the claims are true, with the club’s crest also set to be changed from a bluebird to a dragon in a bid to help conquer the Asian market. In return, Tan says he will invest £100m into to club.

May 10, 2012: In a shock statement, the club rip up plans for the rebranding following a torrent of criticism from fans but raise huge question marks over the club’s financial future as Tan ‘reassesses’ his plan to invest £100m. “It is clear to all concerned that the club simply cannot continue to function and exist in its current state,” the Malaysians warn


June 6, 2012: After initially scrapping the rebranding plans following the public outcry, the club’s board announce they would be going ahead with Tan’s desire for a change from blue to red, with the owner now prepared to put his huge investment package back on the table.


September 30, 2012: Tan brings in his own man as chief executive, with Simon Lim replacing Cardiff stalwart Alan Whiteley

February 28, 2013: Tan sparks panic among Bluebirds supporters after appearing to suggest he would not rule out the possibility of changing the club’s name in the future during an interview with the BBC at his mock-French chateau in Malaysia.

March 1, 2013: It emerges that TG, a popular figure among Cardiff City fans, has resigned from his role, creating more uncertainty at the very top of the club.


April 16, 2013: Happier times as Cardiff City are promoted to the Premier League. Manager Mackay thanks Tan for all he has done for the club

June 14, 2013: Tan confirms reports he could be ready to sell shares in Cardiff City on the Malaysian stock exchange. The billionaire said the move could come by the end of the year.

July 18, 2013: As Tan receives a doctorate from the University of South Wales, his comments on football matters once again steal the headlines as he hits out at ‘ungrateful and disruptive’ fans who continue to criticise his influence on the club. "If too many of them show we are not welcome, maybe you will have a new owner,” he says.

July 22, 2013: Cardiff City announce a £15m deal with former owner Sam Hammam to settle the club's historic Langston debt. This is good news for the club, but the return of Hammam as the club’s life president unsettles some supporters, with Tan admitting he will turn to the former Bluebirds chief for advice


August 15, 2013: Tan holds a press conference to announce he is to donate £1m to local charities. He then proceeds to raise concerns over a possible future name change once again, praising controversial Hull City owner Assem Allam and saying: “Who does not know Cardiff is a city? Or Hull is a city? Why must they call themselves city?”


August 15, 2013: It is at this press conference that Tan’s expectations of Malky Mackay are made starkly clear following a £35m summer investment in players. “What would you do with your manager if you spent £35m? Tell me? We expect him and his squad to do the best and keep us there. We all need to deliver results,” he adds.


September 23, 2013: Tan reveals he will make big investments in Bosnian football after finalising a co-operation agreement between Cardiff City and FK Sarajevo. "We want to give players of Sarajevo the opportunity to play in Cardiff City and in the Premier League," he says

October 5, 2013: The beginning of a month of turmoil at the club as reports claim manager Mackay was forced to step in and resolve a dispute between Tan, Lim and the players over bonuses.


October 8, 2013: The day the bombshell came as WalesOnline exclusively reveals recruitment chief Iain Moody has been suspended from his position and replaced by unknown Kazakh rookie Alisher Apsalyamov - a friend of the Tan faimly who had spent the summer on work experience at the club. Apsalyamove is later forced to step aside following visa issues


October 9, 2013: Tan speaks out over the bonus row, insisting players are paid fairly and accusing someone of ‘mischief making’. Somewhat ironically, he says: “I don’t want there to be any perceptions of unrest behind the scenes, as we all know the job of Premier League survival is hard enough for a newly promoted club without added distractions and off-field issues."


October 9, 2013: Tan also reveals he has begun the process of buying out other shareholders – including long-time City board member Steve Borley. When the deals are completed, he will own approximately 98% of the club.


October 14, 2013: A five-hour board meeting is held at Cardiff City Stadium, with Mackay remaining in charge despite the breakdown of his relationship with Tan following the departure of his close friend and ally Moody. Chairman Mehmet Dalman emerges as a key figure going forward as he sets about trying to build bridges between the pair.


October 18, 2013: Mackay speaks out for the first time since the furore erupted, denying Tan or Lim asked him to resign but insisting there was no overspend during the summer transfer dealings



November 3, 2013: During an interview following the South Wales derby win, Tan fails to give his backing to Mackay. Banners saying ‘Tan Out’ are unfurled at the match and, when a small section of supporters shout ‘We’ll always be blue’ as he leaves the ground, Tan responds with the quip ‘Always be red!’.December 16, 2013: Just two days after a vital win over West Brom, Simon Lim issues a statement on behalf of Tan, slamming Mackay for publicly stating he was targeting three players and insisting ‘not a single penny’ will be made available after a ‘summer overspend of £15m’. The damage to the Mackay-Tan relationship now appears terminal

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July 22, 2013: Cardiff City announce a £15m deal with former owner Sam Hammam to settle the club's historic Langston debt. This is good news for the club, but the return of Hammam as the club’s life president unsettles some supporters, with Tan admitting he will turn to the former Bluebirds chief for advice

Feck knows what advice SH has been giving him, Tan is getting worse

It's crazy how fast all of this has happened. Doesn't seem that long ago where we were all having a laugh at West Ham away in the Play Offs whilst getting hammered 5-0, with none of us having any idea of what was about to happen to the club.

July 22, 2013: Cardiff City announce a £15m deal with former owner Sam Hammam to settle the club's historic Langston debt. This is good news for the club, but the return of Hammam as the club’s life president unsettles some supporters, with Tan admitting he will turn to the former Bluebirds chief for advice

Feck knows what advice SH has been giving him, Tan is getting worse

It's crazy how fast all of this has happened. Doesn't seem that long ago where we were all having a laugh at West Ham away in the Play Offs whilst getting hammered 5-0, with none of us having any idea of what was about to happen to the club.

Its gone fast Jon, now lets get our identity back even faster

It's crazy how fast all of this has happened. Doesn't seem that long ago where we were all having a laugh at West Ham away in the Play Offs whilst getting hammered 5-0, with none of us having any idea of what was about to happen to the club.

Its gone fast Jon, now lets get our identity back even faster

Tan has made us a laughing stock, For us who are against the rebrand etc its plain to see but surely EVERYONE can see what a circus the club is becoming!
Look at the OP, not a month has gone by without something happening!

Its about times we stand up as fans and show this clown! He's ruined our club in what should have been our most enjoyable season. f*cking clown

I support him 100%. Well, 90% anyway (would prefer blue)

He is moving the club to the franchised world of the 21st century.

If you want to go back to the bad old days, then get together and form " FC Cardiff Bluebirds" or whatever you want to call it.

If Mr Tan sells up, the only people who will be prepared to buy it will be other very rich businessmen who have the same ideas of modern football. Its not a popular idea on this forum, but it is the FUTURE. Change or die. And if you think the club has already died then vote with your feet and leave. There is a new generation of football fan out there who will happily take your place.

I support him 100%. Well, 90% anyway (would prefer blue)

He is moving the club to the franchised world of the 21st century.

If you want to go back to the bad old days, then get together and form " FC Cardiff Bluebirds" or whatever you want to call it.

If Mr Tan sells up, the only people who will be prepared to buy it will be other very rich businessmen who have the same ideas of modern football. Its not a popular idea on this forum, but it is the FUTURE. Change or die. And if you think the club has already died then vote with your feet and leave. There is a new generation of football fan out there who will happily take your place.

Who the hell are you to tell people what to do?!

There are many people who quite rightly are appalled by Tan's rebrand & have every right to air their displeasure of it through peaceful means.

I support him 100%. Well, 90% anyway (would prefer blue)

He is moving the club to the franchised world of the 21st century.

If you want to go back to the bad old days, then get together and form " FC Cardiff Bluebirds" or whatever you want to call it.

If Mr Tan sells up, the only people who will be prepared to buy it will be other very rich businessmen who have the same ideas of modern football. Its not a popular idea on this forum, but it is the FUTURE. Change or die. And if you think the club has already died then vote with your feet and leave. There is a new generation of football fan out there who will happily take your place.

You hit the nail on the head there and I said similar some time ago - viewtopic.php?p=1235789#p1235789

I support him 100%. Well, 90% anyway (would prefer blue)

He is moving the club to the franchised world of the 21st century.

If you want to go back to the bad old days, then get together and form " FC Cardiff Bluebirds" or whatever you want to call it.

If Mr Tan sells up, the only people who will be prepared to buy it will be other very rich businessmen who have the same ideas of modern football. Its not a popular idea on this forum, but it is the FUTURE. Change or die. And if you think the club has already died then vote with your feet and leave. There is a new generation of football fan out there who will happily take your place.

You hit the nail on the head there and I said similar some time ago - viewtopic.php?p=1235789#p1235789

What a defeatist attitude.

I support him 100%. Well, 90% anyway (would prefer blue)

He is moving the club to the franchised world of the 21st century.

If you want to go back to the bad old days, then get together and form " FC Cardiff Bluebirds" or whatever you want to call it.

If Mr Tan sells up, the only people who will be prepared to buy it will be other very rich businessmen who have the same ideas of modern football. Its not a popular idea on this forum, but it is the FUTURE. Change or die. And if you think the club has already died then vote with your feet and leave. There is a new generation of football fan out there who will happily take your place.

You hit the nail on the head there and I said similar some time ago - viewtopic.php?p=1235789#p1235789

What a defeatist attitude.

I WANT to move forward. I have fond memories of the old days, but they are gone forever. I'm not telling anybody what to do. It's your right to fight Mr Tan, just as it's my right to support him.

I support him 100%. Well, 90% anyway (would prefer blue)

He is moving the club to the franchised world of the 21st century.

If you want to go back to the bad old days, then get together and form " FC Cardiff Bluebirds" or whatever you want to call it.

If Mr Tan sells up, the only people who will be prepared to buy it will be other very rich businessmen who have the same ideas of modern football. Its not a popular idea on this forum, but it is the FUTURE. Change or die. And if you think the club has already died then vote with your feet and leave. There is a new generation of football fan out there who will happily take your place.

You hit the nail on the head there and I said similar some time ago - viewtopic.php?p=1235789#p1235789

What a defeatist attitude.

I WANT to move forward. I have fond memories of the old days, but they are gone forever. I'm not telling anybody what to do. It's your right to fight Mr Tan, just as it's my right to support him.

Out of interest and I presume you are a " new fan " and don't make the claims of been going for years because 80 percent of those who claim that are bullshitters because the average gate before the glory climb was only 4,000 ----- what and why is it you support a person like a Tan ?

I don't support Tan at all. I don't like the way he has gone about things but he's a businessman and a very successful one. He could have done with a football man as an adviser before he plunged his money in but he's up to his neck in it now - too late. On the other hand there doesn't appear to be any super rich billionaires in the wings about to buy him out. So it seems we are stuck with him and he is stuck with us. As we all know his big mistake as far as the fans are concerned is the rebrand. Had we still been in our blue kit the fans would have put up with the Moody, Malky, Lim, Tan, apprentice painter and decorator saga. However this on top of the rebrand has been a bit much and unless its sorted quickly (either back Malky or sack him) it will get out of hand and our season will be destroyed. This was meant to be a great time in our history, it doesn't feel like it. All it does is pit Cardiff City fan against Cardiff City fan. So so sad.

I support him 100%. Well, 90% anyway (would prefer blue)

He is moving the club to the franchised world of the 21st century.

If you want to go back to the bad old days, then get together and form " FC Cardiff Bluebirds" or whatever you want to call it.

If Mr Tan sells up, the only people who will be prepared to buy it will be other very rich businessmen who have the same ideas of modern football. Its not a popular idea on this forum, but it is the FUTURE. Change or die. And if you think the club has already died then vote with your feet and leave. There is a new generation of football fan out there who will happily take your place.

You hit the nail on the head there and I said similar some time ago - http://www.cardiffcityforum.co.uk/viewt ... 9#p1235789

What a defeatist attitude.

I WANT to move forward. I have fond memories of the old days, but they are gone forever. I'm not telling anybody what to do. It's your right to fight Mr Tan, just as it's my right to support him.

Out of interest and I presume you are a " new fan " and don't make the claims of been going for years because 80 percent of those who claim that are bullshitters because the average gate before the glory climb was only 4,000 ----- what and why is it you support a person like a Tan ?

As it happens, I have been going since 1967 and am now 55 years old. There was a gap when I only attended the occasional game between 1980 and 1995 when I was doing missionary work in England!

Like it or not, the football world is changing. There is so much money involved now that teams can't afford to get relegated, and it is only a matter of time before the businessmen owners get together and hammer out a deal to that effect. At least Vincent Tan has got the financial clout to keep us in the right position to take advantage of that fact. You don't get to be a billionaire without being a ruthless b*stard, and Vincent Tan is just doing that. For many years we have been moaning that football hasn't been run properly as a business. Well, now it is, so we can't complain when the owners do the best they can to protect their interests.

He rides roughshod over "genuine" supporters because he is not interested in them. He wants the "Sky" generation to go to games, and he is not the only Football club owner to want this. I feel sorry for those so called "genuine" supporters who can't change with the times, as I fear they only have a choice of going with the flow, or stopping going completely.

I actually prefer to sit at a game, under cover, talking with a few friends and family. As you say above, there were only 4,000 in the bad old days. how many of those still go? And even if they were all still going that would make up well under 20% of the current attendance.

To a lesser extent, I compare Vincent Tan to Margaret Thatcher. Although I hated her with a passion, at least you knew where you stood, and she had the courage of her convictions. She destroyed many communities for what she believed was the good of all (and I never voted for her or approved of her methods, before you ask!). On a less important scale (football is only a game, after all!) Vincent Tan is prepared to sacrifice the old supporters for the new middle class SKY generations.

As I have stated on this board before, I will support the team no matter what colours they wear and no matter what they are called, as long as they continue to represent Cardiff, the city of my birth.

Deafeatist? No. Realist -Yes!