Why a great big red elephant hangs over Cardiff City’s payda

Benjamin James for Metro.co.uk

Tuesday 9 Dec 2014

We were booed, but it’s difficult because how the fans are feeling is more than just about the 11 blokes they are watching.’

After a woeful 0-0 draw with Rotherham, you wouldn’t expect a footballer to express empathy for the fans who have just booed them off. But Ben Turner seems to have spoken up for the dejected and those who are disillusioned with the football club. Cardiff City is in a state of perpetual (going through the) motions. Fans attending games because they feel like they have to; players not really trying because they seem to be lacking in motivation.

The performances are becoming more abject by the week. Whilst so many fans were happy to concentrate on what was happening on the pitch, it’s clear the last three years have taken their toll. The club feels like it’s slowly drowning. The fans don’t feel an affinity with the players in red and the beer mat badge and the club refuses to build bridges with the fans.

Vincent Tan has sold us a payday loan; for a while, we felt financially prosperous. We splashed borrowed cash on high-priced players and finance deals. And now, without promise of further cash, the club faces financial ruin without promotion. The red shirt that promised the world has quickly been washed away. Tan, who has clearly had his fill of Cardiff City, is nowhere to be seen.

And now the players are facing his legacy week in, week out. The debate about a drab atmosphere masks so many problems. How can the players and Slade get the fans excited when they aren’t proud of their club? We feel no affinity for a red shirt and a beer mat badge.

Turner scored the last great goal in blue; his last minute equaliser at Wembley was seismic. The club and it’s fans felt like an army that day; united to a person. But now, the club feels split in every which way. It all feels so different.

Turner’s comments are the first real acknowledgement that the club has a problem beyond what happens on the pitch. It’s clear they tried to bring in some blue this season; but their half-hearted attempts at a few billboards and posters have fallen flat.

Indeed, the new red stand looms large over the fans, a symbol of just how apathetic fans are. It sits, half empty, with banners covering the empty seats. A red elephant, a perfect metaphor for Tan.

The players know the score, especially the ones who were here before the 're-brand'. One way or another, this era will pass.

I was out with Russell Slade and Scott Young last night and they were under no illusions to the tough task ahead and stated quite clearly, that there is not a platform to work off with the players we have and it is going to be a long hard road of stabilisation in the first period and building on what we have got. Russell said tho that the division is wide open and he feels that a top 6 place was achieveable, of which I disagreed and he welcomed that. I put it to him that perhaps, if it were to happen and we did get to the prem this year, would that be a good thing if, as he says, we do not have the platform to work off yet, to which he just smiled I wont go into much detail on some key issues, but he did say the club was in a mess when he took over and he would not stand for nothing less than 100% effort from the players week in week out!
I really believe Russell can steer this ship to better things, but we have to be patient and perhaps, as I put to him that it would not be a good idea to get promoted this season, obviously if it did he would have to cope with it, but build a foundation to set us up in the near future i.e the season after, to have a more sustainable attempt at staying there - again he smiled
I tried to get some answers on the behind the scenes issues, but there were some of Tan's people there so did not get the answers, but one thing is for sure, he fully understands our history and what the bluebird and the colour blue means to city fans
I left after a few beers, more satisfied with his knowledge and understanding than I did leaving the ground on Saturday

I was out with Russell Slade and Scott Young last night and they were under no illusions to the tough task ahead and stated quite clearly, that there is not a platform to work off with the players we have and it is going to be a long hard road of stabilisation in the first period and building on what we have got. Russell said tho that the division is wide open and he feels that a top 6 place was achieveable, of which I disagreed and he welcomed that. I put it to him that perhaps, if it were to happen and we did get to the prem this year, would that be a good thing if, as he says, we do not have the platform to work off yet, to which he just smiled I wont go into much detail on some key issues, but he did say the club was in a mess when he took over and he would not stand for nothing less than 100% effort from the players week in week out!
I really believe Russell can steer this ship to better things, but we have to be patient and perhaps, as I put to him that it would not be a good idea to get promoted this season, obviously if it did he would have to cope with it, but build a foundation to set us up in the near future i.e the season after, to have a more sustainable attempt at staying there - again he smiled
I tried to get some answers on the behind the scenes issues, but there were some of Tan's people there so did not get the answers, but one thing is for sure, he fully understands our history and what the bluebird and the colour blue means to city fans
I left after a few beers, more satisfied with his knowledge and understanding than I did leaving the ground on Saturday

Tell him next time you see him. Not all of us hate him, and some of us even think he's doing a decent job