' Mike hall minutes away from admin '

Cardiff City were 'minutes' from administration, says Mike Hall

Ex-board member Mike Hall has revealed that Cardiff City were "minutes" from going into administration in 2006.
By the end of the 2004-5 season Cardiff were losing £9m a year and had debts of £30m, with players being paid late and key squad members being sold.

Sam Hammam was replaced as chairman by Peter Ridsdale in October 2006 in a move Hall says helped save the club.
"We had to take control away from him, which was a sad moment for him, but ultimately saved the club," Hall said.
"I think a lot of fans are black and white with Sam... he was trying to do the right thing, I think he did the right thing for a number of years there, he brought a lot of success to Cardiff.
"But ultimately he was undone by... trying to do too much, spending too much money and he couldn't accept that, and then he took out some huge loans against the club that almost buckled us."
Former Wales and British and Irish Lions rugby union international Hall, 49, is a director of PMG Developments which became a minority shareholder at Cardiff City.
Sam Hammam (left) became life president at Cardiff City as part of the deal with current owner Vincent Tan to pay off debts
Sam Hammam (left) became life president at Cardiff City as part of the deal with current owner Vincent Tan to pay off debts
Hall, who had two spells on the Bluebirds board, told BBC Wales Sport that had the Welsh club gone into administration in 2006 it would also probably have seen Cardiff relegated, because of the points deduction levied on clubs for such financial strife.
"We had a showdown with him [Hammam] in the old boardroom at Ninian Park where he basically got up and stormed out," Hall said.
"I remember I went to the gym thinking 'that's it, we're going into administration' - we were in the middle of the Championship at the time as well so that would have meant almost certain relegation.
"Administration would have almost certainly meant the end of the [Cardiff City] Stadium project as well.
"He rang up at the noon deadline - typical Sam style - and he signed it and faxed it through at 11:55 and Peter Ridsdale was installed as chairman and the funds flowed into the club to keep us alive for a while."

The boardroom changes relieved the immediate pressure on Cardiff, but the club continued to be haunted by its financial state and it survived three winding-up orders in the 2009-10 season over unpaid taxes.
There was also an outstanding debt of £24m to main creditors Langstone - whose spokesman is Hammam - that was only settled in July 2013 after current owner Vincent Tan took control of Cardiff.
"It was an extraordinary time... Sam Hammam, Peter Ridsdale and lately Vincent Tan, all huge personalities in their own way," said Hall.
He continued: "It is sometimes like a theatre show and the money that is involved in the game now is extraordinary, and with money you get all the 'sharks', the agents and everyone else swimming around.
"It made for a very interesting time."

Under Tan, Cardiff were promoted to the Premier League for the 2013-14 season but were relegated after one season in the top flight.


Cardiff are currently 12th in the Championship under new boss Russell Slade, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Malky Mackay both having departed as manager within the last year.

A bit Tame really, nothing we didnt already know.

A bit Tame really, nothing we didnt already know.

More to come I think

A bit Tame really, nothing we didnt already know.

More to come I think

Hope so

and we are worried about the colour of a shirt frightening really

and we are worried about the colour of a shirt frightening really

Still saddened by the colour change, but it certainly puts it all in to some sort of perspective!

and we are worried about the colour of a shirt frightening really

Still saddened by the colour change, but it certainly puts it all in to some sort of perspective!

3 winding up orders after that as well???? wonder why we didnt go to the wall?

Cant help wondering where we'd be now if we had of gone bust.
Southampton, Swansea style bounce or Leeds, Portsmouth slump.

To be honest looking back maybe that was the time we should have gone into admin.

By the time the Riddler had finished we were about to go into liquidation until Tan came in. The club has certainly wasted a lot of money with a lot of very average managers (Except DJ)

To be honest looking back maybe that was the time we should have gone into admin.

By the time the Riddler had finished we were about to go into liquidation until Tan came in. The club has certainly wasted a lot of money with a lot of very average managers (Except DJ)

Nothing different to now really except instead of having a owner/chairman with nothing to give we have an owner with everything to lose.

Where did these funds come from after Ridsdale took over?

To be honest looking back maybe that was the time we should have gone into admin.

By the time the Riddler had finished we were about to go into liquidation until Tan came in. The club has certainly wasted a lot of money with a lot of very average managers (Except DJ)

Nothing different to now really except instead of having a owner/chairman with nothing to give we have an owner with everything to lose.

Where did these funds come from after Ridsdale took over?

that would have been from the parasites and steve borley

To be honest looking back maybe that was the time we should have gone into admin.

By the time the Riddler had finished we were about to go into liquidation until Tan came in. The club has certainly wasted a lot of money with a lot of very average managers (Except DJ)

Nothing different to now really except instead of having a owner/chairman with nothing to give we have an owner with everything to lose.

Where did these funds come from after Ridsdale took over?

that would have been from the parasites and steve borley

Obviously didn't want Sam around then.

To be honest looking back maybe that was the time we should have gone into admin.

By the time the Riddler had finished we were about to go into liquidation until Tan came in. The club has certainly wasted a lot of money with a lot of very average managers (Except DJ)

Nothing different to now really except instead of having a owner/chairman with nothing to give we have an owner with everything to lose.

Where did these funds come from after Ridsdale took over?

that would have been from the parasites and steve borley

Obviously didn't want Sam around then.

sam had run out of money and had no more to give and by the time that black friday came pmg had already been propping the club up for months.
looking back administration would have been the right option as we could have got rid of a lot of the debt and never had to employ the biggest parasite the club ever had in uncle pete. stiil we cant be far from the wheel going full circle soon

It's pretty clear that all the Parasites including Borley would have done anything to keep the golden goose alive, which was the building of the new stadium, which meant keeping Cardiff City functioning in some form, racking up debts and ripping off the supporters in order to make themselves money. Then selling on to the first Billonaire nutter, to do what ever they wanted with the club. In hindsight, administration would have been by far the best result for the supporters Not Hammam, PMG or Borley but definitely the support

Administration more like liquidation

Administration more like liquidation

no that was coming later!!