its no longer your Cardiff City.

Cardiff City and controversy are rarely apart but this week the actions of the clubs Malaysian owners have sparked debate across the football world by confirming every real fans fear that the modern game has no place for the traditional principles and values that it was built upon. Through a Wednesday morning press release, the club confirmed that from next season Cardiff City will be represented by a dragon on a red shirt at the expense of the clubs familiar bluebird and blue. Ditched despite seeds of unrest planted when the motion was first mentioned a couple of weeks before, the tribal association of Cardiff City and the bluebird on their famous blue shirts now exist only in club history and fan memory, but the effects of the change offers a stark warning to fans of other clubs across the football world.

Foreign owners are a modern-day sign of the changing face of football. Although different in their general approach to the day-to-day running of their respective clubs, controversy has become the unfortunate consistent, but money talks and these often elusive figures have plenty of both money and talk. The Malaysian investors of Cardiff City have taken radical action in an attempt to stem the clubs unbalanced cash-flow with their re-branding project but few appear convinced of the realistic rewards it can bring. Tan Sri Vincent Tan and Dato Chan Tien Ghee have backed their decision in order to safeguard the short and long-term future of the club through the development of a brand that they believe will prove attractive in Asia. The projected return is significant, but the cold and calculated facts fail to add up.

The Malaysians bought into Cardiff City and inherited its traditions, its values and its fans. They did not buy a name, or a brand, they bought a proud football club that is seen as a sporting institution in the Welsh capital. Generations of fans from South Wales and beyond have supported the club over the last century, through the good times and more often the bad, and with a blinkered belief of a better future but only a future as the Cardiff City they know and love. Chairman, players and managers have come and gone and moving from Ninian Park to the new Cardiff City Stadium was an accepted sign of progress. What remained throughout was the bluebird, the badge, the colour blue. After a century of rivalry with Swansea City, the colour has been the powerful sign of allegiance, but a car-full of money-men from form the other side of the world have now decided otherwise with the click of a mouse.

Football has become a powerful business vehicle in modern times, but the Malaysians have now taken the wheel at Cardiff City, and reprogrammed the sat-nav in a completely different direction. Tian Ghee and his associates must be credited with steadying what had become increasingly sinking ship when they arrived in South Wales, but what they inherited was not a bespoke franchise that could be manipulated to their own taste, they bought into Cardiff City and that is they should work with. The colour red and the symbol of a dragon may well prove popular in Asia, it does generally prove popular in Wales (Cardiff being the current exception to the rule), but red shirts and a dragon crest do not signify Cardiff City. Football is a simple game, but as the actual 90-minute spectacle becomes increasingly irrelevant to those running it, the significance of the red shirt and dragon offer a timely reminder to how two other Welsh football institutions in similar guise currently operate

The Malaysian's have tested the faith of Cardiff City fans by removing tradition in order to market the club in Asia


Wrexham play in red and their famous crest is emblazoned with two dragons. Despite this, the club have not cornered the Asian market, in fact they have struggled to corner much of the North Wales market. Like Cardiff City however, the club have suffered their fair share of irresponsible owners and custodians. This time last year the only question on the lips of Wrexham fans was if the club would actually start the new season. Currently outside of the Football League but regularly pushing for a return at the top of the non-league pyramid, the club resolved their apparently insurmountable debts in a far more traditional way than Cardiff City. The fans rallied and raised funds to keep the club in business, the steps forward were small but sure, and twelve months later the club are preparing for another campaign in the Blue Square Premier with a much-stronger footing. There is still work to do, but the fans and the club are working as one to make the next progressive step, without alienation.

Cardiff City fans would not wish to swap Championship football for the non-league game, but after the events of this week there is a degree of jealousy of Wrexham's apparent togetherness. Wrexham have retained their tradition, and with the unequivocal backing of their fans, they have retained their club. Their identity is their brand, it will not change to fit into an emerging project on the other side of the world, it will not sell its soul for the sake of security. Over the past year Wrexham have become a modern-day football romance story as the fans passion and belief made the impossible possible and only failure to achieve promotion prevented the fairytale coming true. Cardiff City will believe that promotion to the Premier League is possible should Malky Mackay continue to fine-tune his squad, but any promotion party is already tinged, and the confetti and ribbons on provisional order are only red, not blue.

The modern-day game brings with it contrasting emotions. The excitement of the best players in the world competing against each other in magnificent stadiums is countered by the astronomical salaries paid to individuals on a weekly-basis that would prevent clubs at the other end of the pyramid from entering administration. The values of a by-gone age are lost among the elite and at the same time have been sacrificed in desperation by the unfortunate many. Money is the root of all evil, but there is a significant part of the modern game that is not ruled by finance, and it is where our next red shirt and dragon combination compete. The international stage is at the world football forefront this month as the European Championships take place, and while international football brings its own controversies, they are not caused by wages, agents or transfer fees.

The Football Association of Wales recently introduced a re-brand of their own as the traditional badge was replaced with a modern design. The dragon remained unsurprisingly prominent, but while their was resentment to the change at first, a string of victories under the late Gary Speed brought the feel-good factor back to the success-starved nation and the new badge quickly became associated with a talented and golden generation of player expected to achieve so much. International football is often criticised in comparison to the quality of the club game, but the values of players playing for their country and not for cash, for pride and not pounds, for success and not a signing-on fee, makes the international game unique in the bigger football picture.

Red shirts and the prominence of the dragon represent all that is right about Wrexham and Wales, but now, also all that is wrong about Cardiff City. The Malaysians have made the most heart-felt of changes in order to promote themselves to the markets in Asia, but the markets of Splott have turned against them. The Cantonese may seek to invest millions in the new dragon symbol, but the people of Canton who were there before, and will be there after the Malaysians, will refuse to invest in the club shop or even the turnstiles. Wrexham's strength came from their community but Cardiff City have now alienated theirs in the name of progress. There are no guarantees that the re-branding initiative will work, as many other clubs across Europe have tried with limited success to crack the mythically lucrative Asian market, but they have stayed true to their traditions while doing so.

There are many however who support the Malaysians and believe that they should be backed in return for their investment in the club, in the modern-day game, this is a fair and justified approach. But for the sake of football, such drastic action must be stopped, or at the very least curbed. The changes are purely cosmetic and are yet to be realised, but very soon, the new badge will adorn Cardiff City Stadium and the red paint, maybe even the new red seats, will cover the past as quickly as the red mist to the proposals has covered the various message boards and social networking sites. For those who do support the change, take a moment to imagine the opening day of the season when Cardiff City run out at home in a red kit and a badge with no association the club you used to know. It is still Cardiff City, but sadly, its no longer your Cardiff City.- AND DON'T TRY TELLING ME OR OTHER BLUEBIRDS THAT THIS (GREAT FOOTBALL CLUB )STILL FEELS LIKE ( CCFC) you REDS killed YOUR CLUB. ----------- lads its been FUN on here for ME last season taking the piss ect,ect- but i'am out of here for good cheers boys. goodnight to you all.

good post mate I feel the same I hope they all enjoy there new club the lot of them and thats up to them.

The true ccfc has gone and ruined by foreign investors and I cant believe so many people just said yea ok I agree dont they understand the true identity of cardiff city fc I guess not mate and that is so disappointing.


I would like to ask all the die hard fans you no all those 10,000 that are always there no matter what league we are in if they agree or disagree with these changes.

Alot of fans have jumped on the ccfc bandwagon as the club has become more successful are these fans accepting it as all they what is suscess

Cardiff City and controversy are rarely apart but this week the actions of the clubs Malaysian owners have sparked debate across the football world by confirming every real fans fear that the modern game has no place for the traditional principles and values that it was built upon. Through a Wednesday morning press release, the club confirmed that from next season Cardiff City will be represented by a dragon on a red shirt at the expense of the clubs familiar bluebird and blue. Ditched despite seeds of unrest planted when the motion was first mentioned a couple of weeks before, the tribal association of Cardiff City and the bluebird on their famous blue shirts now exist only in club history and fan memory, but the effects of the change offers a stark warning to fans of other clubs across the football world.

Foreign owners are a modern-day sign of the changing face of football. Although different in their general approach to the day-to-day running of their respective clubs, controversy has become the unfortunate consistent, but money talks and these often elusive figures have plenty of both money and talk. The Malaysian investors of Cardiff City have taken radical action in an attempt to stem the clubs unbalanced cash-flow with their re-branding project but few appear convinced of the realistic rewards it can bring. Tan Sri Vincent Tan and Dato Chan Tien Ghee have backed their decision in order to safeguard the short and long-term future of the club through the development of a brand that they believe will prove attractive in Asia. The projected return is significant, but the cold and calculated facts fail to add up.

The Malaysians bought into Cardiff City and inherited its traditions, its values and its fans. They did not buy a name, or a brand, they bought a proud football club that is seen as a sporting institution in the Welsh capital. Generations of fans from South Wales and beyond have supported the club over the last century, through the good times and more often the bad, and with a blinkered belief of a better future but only a future as the Cardiff City they know and love. Chairman, players and managers have come and gone and moving from Ninian Park to the new Cardiff City Stadium was an accepted sign of progress. What remained throughout was the bluebird, the badge, the colour blue. After a century of rivalry with Swansea City, the colour has been the powerful sign of allegiance, but a car-full of money-men from form the other side of the world have now decided otherwise with the click of a mouse.

Football has become a powerful business vehicle in modern times, but the Malaysians have now taken the wheel at Cardiff City, and reprogrammed the sat-nav in a completely different direction. Tian Ghee and his associates must be credited with steadying what had become increasingly sinking ship when they arrived in South Wales, but what they inherited was not a bespoke franchise that could be manipulated to their own taste, they bought into Cardiff City and that is they should work with. The colour red and the symbol of a dragon may well prove popular in Asia, it does generally prove popular in Wales (Cardiff being the current exception to the rule), but red shirts and a dragon crest do not signify Cardiff City. Football is a simple game, but as the actual 90-minute spectacle becomes increasingly irrelevant to those running it, the significance of the red shirt and dragon offer a timely reminder to how two other Welsh football institutions in similar guise currently operate

The Malaysian's have tested the faith of Cardiff City fans by removing tradition in order to market the club in Asia


Wrexham play in red and their famous crest is emblazoned with two dragons. Despite this, the club have not cornered the Asian market, in fact they have struggled to corner much of the North Wales market. Like Cardiff City however, the club have suffered their fair share of irresponsible owners and custodians. This time last year the only question on the lips of Wrexham fans was if the club would actually start the new season. Currently outside of the Football League but regularly pushing for a return at the top of the non-league pyramid, the club resolved their apparently insurmountable debts in a far more traditional way than Cardiff City. The fans rallied and raised funds to keep the club in business, the steps forward were small but sure, and twelve months later the club are preparing for another campaign in the Blue Square Premier with a much-stronger footing. There is still work to do, but the fans and the club are working as one to make the next progressive step, without alienation.

Cardiff City fans would not wish to swap Championship football for the non-league game, but after the events of this week there is a degree of jealousy of Wrexham's apparent togetherness. Wrexham have retained their tradition, and with the unequivocal backing of their fans, they have retained their club. Their identity is their brand, it will not change to fit into an emerging project on the other side of the world, it will not sell its soul for the sake of security. Over the past year Wrexham have become a modern-day football romance story as the fans passion and belief made the impossible possible and only failure to achieve promotion prevented the fairytale coming true. Cardiff City will believe that promotion to the Premier League is possible should Malky Mackay continue to fine-tune his squad, but any promotion party is already tinged, and the confetti and ribbons on provisional order are only red, not blue.

The modern-day game brings with it contrasting emotions. The excitement of the best players in the world competing against each other in magnificent stadiums is countered by the astronomical salaries paid to individuals on a weekly-basis that would prevent clubs at the other end of the pyramid from entering administration. The values of a by-gone age are lost among the elite and at the same time have been sacrificed in desperation by the unfortunate many. Money is the root of all evil, but there is a significant part of the modern game that is not ruled by finance, and it is where our next red shirt and dragon combination compete. The international stage is at the world football forefront this month as the European Championships take place, and while international football brings its own controversies, they are not caused by wages, agents or transfer fees.

The Football Association of Wales recently introduced a re-brand of their own as the traditional badge was replaced with a modern design. The dragon remained unsurprisingly prominent, but while their was resentment to the change at first, a string of victories under the late Gary Speed brought the feel-good factor back to the success-starved nation and the new badge quickly became associated with a talented and golden generation of player expected to achieve so much. International football is often criticised in comparison to the quality of the club game, but the values of players playing for their country and not for cash, for pride and not pounds, for success and not a signing-on fee, makes the international game unique in the bigger football picture.

Red shirts and the prominence of the dragon represent all that is right about Wrexham and Wales, but now, also all that is wrong about Cardiff City. The Malaysians have made the most heart-felt of changes in order to promote themselves to the markets in Asia, but the markets of Splott have turned against them. The Cantonese may seek to invest millions in the new dragon symbol, but the people of Canton who were there before, and will be there after the Malaysians, will refuse to invest in the club shop or even the turnstiles. Wrexham's strength came from their community but Cardiff City have now alienated theirs in the name of progress. There are no guarantees that the re-branding initiative will work, as many other clubs across Europe have tried with limited success to crack the mythically lucrative Asian market, but they have stayed true to their traditions while doing so.

There are many however who support the Malaysians and believe that they should be backed in return for their investment in the club, in the modern-day game, this is a fair and justified approach. But for the sake of football, such drastic action must be stopped, or at the very least curbed. The changes are purely cosmetic and are yet to be realised, but very soon, the new badge will adorn Cardiff City Stadium and the red paint, maybe even the new red seats, will cover the past as quickly as the red mist to the proposals has covered the various message boards and social networking sites. For those who do support the change, take a moment to imagine the opening day of the season when Cardiff City run out at home in a red kit and a badge with no association the club you used to know. It is still Cardiff City, but sadly, its no longer your Cardiff City.- AND DON'T TRY TELLING ME OR OTHER BLUEBIRDS THAT THIS (GREAT FOOTBALL CLUB )STILL FEELS LIKE ( CCFC) you REDS killed YOUR CLUB. ----------- lads its been FUN on here for ME last season taking the piss ect,ect- but i'am out of here for good cheers boys. goodnight to you all.

The best post I have ever seen on this forum!

Another good bluebird bites the dust. Sad.

spot on taffy...

http://blogs.walesonline.co.uk/sport/20 ... rning.html


I will enjoy the "new" CCFC. Its not even that. Just changed slightly


You think for a second we wouldn't want to play in blue and have the benefits? But we cant have it both ways. Adapt and move on

I'll see you all at the CCS in August

You'll be there. Whether you are with a pick and shovel or a wok and chopstick. You'll be there.

Absolute brilliant post Taffy

BUMP -------------- CCFC

Why now? Why not last season? Dont like the red but its still my club after 23 years.

The Bluebird is still on the badge, is it not?

but the people of Canton who were there before, and will be there after the Malaysians, will refuse to invest in the club shop or even the turnstiles.

Sadly this has not happened.

I felt there was 2 options we could follow as a protest vote when the rebrand came out:

1. A total walkout of the club.
2. A refusal to buy red merchandise and to have each stand a flow with blue for all home game.

Both options had there good and bad points but I always felt neither were going to happen. I was right for once.

The Bluebird is still on the badge, is it not?

and on and on it goes....... all this has been said so many times.

It's still Cardiff City, I don't like whats happened, but I still have my pick and shovel.

AGAIN?

You do know you are either preaching to the converted or ignored?

We now need to get the message in the papers, on the radio, etc we now need to appeal to the 80 odd percent that don't do message boards.

Any reason for the bump now? It was a great post back last June, but since then a lot has happened and more fans have converted due to the success.

Good to see you never followed through on leaving the board though. "lads its been FUN on here for ME last season taking the piss ect,ect- but i'am out of here for good cheers boys."

Yawn

Great, another full retirement of a city fan.

Couldn't you have done this at the start of the season?

On and on and on...................................

Been a fantastic season for me and the most ever wins I can ever recall, all my mates still go and even mates who never went are now going...it really does feel like Cardiff City to me and I am enjoying it as much as I ever did, probably more after all the shit we have watched over the years..

Cardiff City and controversy are rarely apart but this week the actions of the clubs Malaysian owners have sparked debate across the football world by confirming every real fans fear that the modern game has no place for the traditional principles and values that it was built upon. Through a Wednesday morning press release, the club confirmed that from next season Cardiff City will be represented by a dragon on a red shirt at the expense of the clubs familiar bluebird and blue. Ditched despite seeds of unrest planted when the motion was first mentioned a couple of weeks before, the tribal association of Cardiff City and the bluebird on their famous blue shirts now exist only in club history and fan memory, but the effects of the change offers a stark warning to fans of other clubs across the football world.

Foreign owners are a modern-day sign of the changing face of football. Although different in their general approach to the day-to-day running of their respective clubs, controversy has become the unfortunate consistent, but money talks and these often elusive figures have plenty of both money and talk. The Malaysian investors of Cardiff City have taken radical action in an attempt to stem the clubs unbalanced cash-flow with their re-branding project but few appear convinced of the realistic rewards it can bring. Tan Sri Vincent Tan and Dato Chan Tien Ghee have backed their decision in order to safeguard the short and long-term future of the club through the development of a brand that they believe will prove attractive in Asia. The projected return is significant, but the cold and calculated facts fail to add up.

The Malaysians bought into Cardiff City and inherited its traditions, its values and its fans. They did not buy a name, or a brand, they bought a proud football club that is seen as a sporting institution in the Welsh capital. Generations of fans from South Wales and beyond have supported the club over the last century, through the good times and more often the bad, and with a blinkered belief of a better future but only a future as the Cardiff City they know and love. Chairman, players and managers have come and gone and moving from Ninian Park to the new Cardiff City Stadium was an accepted sign of progress. What remained throughout was the bluebird, the badge, the colour blue. After a century of rivalry with Swansea City, the colour has been the powerful sign of allegiance, but a car-full of money-men from form the other side of the world have now decided otherwise with the click of a mouse.

Football has become a powerful business vehicle in modern times, but the Malaysians have now taken the wheel at Cardiff City, and reprogrammed the sat-nav in a completely different direction. Tian Ghee and his associates must be credited with steadying what had become increasingly sinking ship when they arrived in South Wales, but what they inherited was not a bespoke franchise that could be manipulated to their own taste, they bought into Cardiff City and that is they should work with. The colour red and the symbol of a dragon may well prove popular in Asia, it does generally prove popular in Wales (Cardiff being the current exception to the rule), but red shirts and a dragon crest do not signify Cardiff City. Football is a simple game, but as the actual 90-minute spectacle becomes increasingly irrelevant to those running it, the significance of the red shirt and dragon offer a timely reminder to how two other Welsh football institutions in similar guise currently operate

The Malaysian's have tested the faith of Cardiff City fans by removing tradition in order to market the club in Asia


Wrexham play in red and their famous crest is emblazoned with two dragons. Despite this, the club have not cornered the Asian market, in fact they have struggled to corner much of the North Wales market. Like Cardiff City however, the club have suffered their fair share of irresponsible owners and custodians. This time last year the only question on the lips of Wrexham fans was if the club would actually start the new season. Currently outside of the Football League but regularly pushing for a return at the top of the non-league pyramid, the club resolved their apparently insurmountable debts in a far more traditional way than Cardiff City. The fans rallied and raised funds to keep the club in business, the steps forward were small but sure, and twelve months later the club are preparing for another campaign in the Blue Square Premier with a much-stronger footing. There is still work to do, but the fans and the club are working as one to make the next progressive step, without alienation.

Cardiff City fans would not wish to swap Championship football for the non-league game, but after the events of this week there is a degree of jealousy of Wrexham's apparent togetherness. Wrexham have retained their tradition, and with the unequivocal backing of their fans, they have retained their club. Their identity is their brand, it will not change to fit into an emerging project on the other side of the world, it will not sell its soul for the sake of security. Over the past year Wrexham have become a modern-day football romance story as the fans passion and belief made the impossible possible and only failure to achieve promotion prevented the fairytale coming true. Cardiff City will believe that promotion to the Premier League is possible should Malky Mackay continue to fine-tune his squad, but any promotion party is already tinged, and the confetti and ribbons on provisional order are only red, not blue.

The modern-day game brings with it contrasting emotions. The excitement of the best players in the world competing against each other in magnificent stadiums is countered by the astronomical salaries paid to individuals on a weekly-basis that would prevent clubs at the other end of the pyramid from entering administration. The values of a by-gone age are lost among the elite and at the same time have been sacrificed in desperation by the unfortunate many. Money is the root of all evil, but there is a significant part of the modern game that is not ruled by finance, and it is where our next red shirt and dragon combination compete. The international stage is at the world football forefront this month as the European Championships take place, and while international football brings its own controversies, they are not caused by wages, agents or transfer fees.

The Football Association of Wales recently introduced a re-brand of their own as the traditional badge was replaced with a modern design. The dragon remained unsurprisingly prominent, but while their was resentment to the change at first, a string of victories under the late Gary Speed brought the feel-good factor back to the success-starved nation and the new badge quickly became associated with a talented and golden generation of player expected to achieve so much. International football is often criticised in comparison to the quality of the club game, but the values of players playing for their country and not for cash, for pride and not pounds, for success and not a signing-on fee, makes the international game unique in the bigger football picture.

Red shirts and the prominence of the dragon represent all that is right about Wrexham and Wales, but now, also all that is wrong about Cardiff City. The Malaysians have made the most heart-felt of changes in order to promote themselves to the markets in Asia, but the markets of Splott have turned against them. The Cantonese may seek to invest millions in the new dragon symbol, but the people of Canton who were there before, and will be there after the Malaysians, will refuse to invest in the club shop or even the turnstiles. Wrexham's strength came from their community but Cardiff City have now alienated theirs in the name of progress. There are no guarantees that the re-branding initiative will work, as many other clubs across Europe have tried with limited success to crack the mythically lucrative Asian market, but they have stayed true to their traditions while doing so.

There are many however who support the Malaysians and believe that they should be backed in return for their investment in the club, in the modern-day game, this is a fair and justified approach. But for the sake of football, such drastic action must be stopped, or at the very least curbed. The changes are purely cosmetic and are yet to be realised, but very soon, the new badge will adorn Cardiff City Stadium and the red paint, maybe even the new red seats, will cover the past as quickly as the red mist to the proposals has covered the various message boards and social networking sites. For those who do support the change, take a moment to imagine the opening day of the season when Cardiff City run out at home in a red kit and a badge with no association the club you used to know. It is still Cardiff City, but sadly, its no longer your Cardiff City.- AND DON'T TRY TELLING ME OR OTHER BLUEBIRDS THAT THIS (GREAT FOOTBALL CLUB )STILL FEELS LIKE ( CCFC) you REDS killed YOUR CLUB. ----------- lads its been FUN on here for ME last season taking the piss ect,ect- but i'am out of here for good cheers boys. goodnight to you all.

It's doesn't add up. All these fans not going anymore. Yet every time I go I see the same old faces and increased crowds! Are these retiring fans so insignifaicant that their non attendance goes unnoticed? Or do they still go but post otherwise? Do they then stop posting under their nick name and create another? Maybe it should be I've stopped going, I'll stop posting so I'll stop attention seeking too. Goodbye.

ive seen all the regulars still going and enjoying supporting their local side this sweason to be honest
posts like this although well written ultimately reek of attention seeking

ive seen all the regulars still going and enjoying supporting their local side this sweason to be honest
posts like this although well written ultimately reek of attention seeking

You do realise its been copy and pasted from somewhere.

Anyone bothered to check the date?!

It's actually written nearly a year ago.

Anyone bothered to check the date?!

It's actually written nearly a year ago.

Copied and pasted.

Always check the date

Anyone bothered to check the date?!

It's actually written nearly a year ago.

Copied and pasted.

Which means it was still written a long time ago.

Anyone bothered to check the date?!

It's actually written nearly a year ago.

Copied and pasted.

Which means it was still written a long time ago.

Cardiff City and controversy are rarely apart but this week the actions of the clubs Malaysian owners have sparked debate across the football world by confirming every real fans fear that the modern game has no place for the traditional principles and values that it was built upon. Through a Wednesday morning press release, the club confirmed that from next season Cardiff City will be represented by a dragon on a red shirt at the expense of the clubs familiar bluebird and blue. Ditched despite seeds of unrest planted when the motion was first mentioned a couple of weeks before, the tribal association of Cardiff City and the bluebird on their famous blue shirts now exist only in club history and fan memory, but the effects of the change offers a stark warning to fans of other clubs across the football world.

Foreign owners are a modern-day sign of the changing face of football. Although different in their general approach to the day-to-day running of their respective clubs, controversy has become the unfortunate consistent, but money talks and these often elusive figures have plenty of both money and talk. The Malaysian investors of Cardiff City have taken radical action in an attempt to stem the clubs unbalanced cash-flow with their re-branding project but few appear convinced of the realistic rewards it can bring. Tan Sri Vincent Tan and Dato Chan Tien Ghee have backed their decision in order to safeguard the short and long-term future of the club through the development of a brand that they believe will prove attractive in Asia. The projected return is significant, but the cold and calculated facts fail to add up.

The Malaysians bought into Cardiff City and inherited its traditions, its values and its fans. They did not buy a name, or a brand, they bought a proud football club that is seen as a sporting institution in the Welsh capital. Generations of fans from South Wales and beyond have supported the club over the last century, through the good times and more often the bad, and with a blinkered belief of a better future but only a future as the Cardiff City they know and love. Chairman, players and managers have come and gone and moving from Ninian Park to the new Cardiff City Stadium was an accepted sign of progress. What remained throughout was the bluebird, the badge, the colour blue. After a century of rivalry with Swansea City, the colour has been the powerful sign of allegiance, but a car-full of money-men from form the other side of the world have now decided otherwise with the click of a mouse.

Football has become a powerful business vehicle in modern times, but the Malaysians have now taken the wheel at Cardiff City, and reprogrammed the sat-nav in a completely different direction. Tian Ghee and his associates must be credited with steadying what had become increasingly sinking ship when they arrived in South Wales, but what they inherited was not a bespoke franchise that could be manipulated to their own taste, they bought into Cardiff City and that is they should work with. The colour red and the symbol of a dragon may well prove popular in Asia, it does generally prove popular in Wales (Cardiff being the current exception to the rule), but red shirts and a dragon crest do not signify Cardiff City. Football is a simple game, but as the actual 90-minute spectacle becomes increasingly irrelevant to those running it, the significance of the red shirt and dragon offer a timely reminder to how two other Welsh football institutions in similar guise currently operate

The Malaysian's have tested the faith of Cardiff City fans by removing tradition in order to market the club in Asia


Wrexham play in red and their famous crest is emblazoned with two dragons. Despite this, the club have not cornered the Asian market, in fact they have struggled to corner much of the North Wales market. Like Cardiff City however, the club have suffered their fair share of irresponsible owners and custodians. This time last year the only question on the lips of Wrexham fans was if the club would actually start the new season. Currently outside of the Football League but regularly pushing for a return at the top of the non-league pyramid, the club resolved their apparently insurmountable debts in a far more traditional way than Cardiff City. The fans rallied and raised funds to keep the club in business, the steps forward were small but sure, and twelve months later the club are preparing for another campaign in the Blue Square Premier with a much-stronger footing. There is still work to do, but the fans and the club are working as one to make the next progressive step, without alienation.

Cardiff City fans would not wish to swap Championship football for the non-league game, but after the events of this week there is a degree of jealousy of Wrexham's apparent togetherness. Wrexham have retained their tradition, and with the unequivocal backing of their fans, they have retained their club. Their identity is their brand, it will not change to fit into an emerging project on the other side of the world, it will not sell its soul for the sake of security. Over the past year Wrexham have become a modern-day football romance story as the fans passion and belief made the impossible possible and only failure to achieve promotion prevented the fairytale coming true. Cardiff City will believe that promotion to the Premier League is possible should Malky Mackay continue to fine-tune his squad, but any promotion party is already tinged, and the confetti and ribbons on provisional order are only red, not blue.

The modern-day game brings with it contrasting emotions. The excitement of the best players in the world competing against each other in magnificent stadiums is countered by the astronomical salaries paid to individuals on a weekly-basis that would prevent clubs at the other end of the pyramid from entering administration. The values of a by-gone age are lost among the elite and at the same time have been sacrificed in desperation by the unfortunate many. Money is the root of all evil, but there is a significant part of the modern game that is not ruled by finance, and it is where our next red shirt and dragon combination compete. The international stage is at the world football forefront this month as the European Championships take place, and while international football brings its own controversies, they are not caused by wages, agents or transfer fees.

The Football Association of Wales recently introduced a re-brand of their own as the traditional badge was replaced with a modern design. The dragon remained unsurprisingly prominent, but while their was resentment to the change at first, a string of victories under the late Gary Speed brought the feel-good factor back to the success-starved nation and the new badge quickly became associated with a talented and golden generation of player expected to achieve so much. International football is often criticised in comparison to the quality of the club game, but the values of players playing for their country and not for cash, for pride and not pounds, for success and not a signing-on fee, makes the international game unique in the bigger football picture.

Red shirts and the prominence of the dragon represent all that is right about Wrexham and Wales, but now, also all that is wrong about Cardiff City. The Malaysians have made the most heart-felt of changes in order to promote themselves to the markets in Asia, but the markets of Splott have turned against them. The Cantonese may seek to invest millions in the new dragon symbol, but the people of Canton who were there before, and will be there after the Malaysians, will refuse to invest in the club shop or even the turnstiles. Wrexham's strength came from their community but Cardiff City have now alienated theirs in the name of progress. There are no guarantees that the re-branding initiative will work, as many other clubs across Europe have tried with limited success to crack the mythically lucrative Asian market, but they have stayed true to their traditions while doing so.

There are many however who support the Malaysians and believe that they should be backed in return for their investment in the club, in the modern-day game, this is a fair and justified approach. But for the sake of football, such drastic action must be stopped, or at the very least curbed. The changes are purely cosmetic and are yet to be realised, but very soon, the new badge will adorn Cardiff City Stadium and the red paint, maybe even the new red seats, will cover the past as quickly as the red mist to the proposals has covered the various message boards and social networking sites. For those who do support the change, take a moment to imagine the opening day of the season when Cardiff City run out at home in a red kit and a badge with no association the club you used to know. It is still Cardiff City, but sadly, its no longer your Cardiff City.- AND DON'T TRY TELLING ME OR OTHER BLUEBIRDS THAT THIS (GREAT FOOTBALL CLUB )STILL FEELS LIKE ( CCFC) you REDS killed YOUR CLUB. ----------- lads its been FUN on here for ME last season taking the piss ect,ect- but i'am out of here for good cheers boys. goodnight to you all.

It's all a matter of opinion...perspective...and realism

Sorry to see you go, Taffy123, as you were one of the better posters on this site but you have the courage of your convictions. I respect that and I wish you well

It's all a matter of opinion...perspective...and realism

Sorry to see you go, Taffy123, as you were one of the better posters on this site but you have the courage of your convictions. I respect that and I wish you well

Taffy thought against it and never left. He posted this back in June 2012 and bumped it today. He remained posting right the way thru.

It's all a matter of opinion...perspective...and realism

Sorry to see you go, Taffy123, as you were one of the better posters on this site but you have the courage of your convictions. I respect that and I wish you well

Taffy thought against it and never left. He posted this back in June 2012 and bumped it today. He remained posting right the way thru.

So it did

I still like(d) Tafffy123 and his posts and always one to make a great point (even if I didn't always agree)