cardiffcity.no

My comments on the statement 08/06/2012

So the Malaysian owners went through with it after all… Unbelievable, and the big question is WHY? I’ve already made it clear what I think of the rebranding in my earlier posts “Seeing red” and “No red dawn, but dark clouds on the blue sky”. In this post I’ll focus on the statement from the club as the rebranding with change to red and a dragon badge became official.

Here is the full statement from the club (in red) with my comments (in blue):

CARDIFF CITY FC STATEMENT
Posted on: Wed 06 Jun 2012

On behalf of the board of directors and after constructive and positive discussions with our principal investors, Cardiff City Football Club are delighted to announce that Tan Sri Vincent Tan and Dato Chan Tien Ghee (“our Investors”) have pledged their continuing commitment to enable the club to plan for the future.

Following a comprehensive review of wider supporter feedback via email, letters, media coverage and polls run via the official Supporters Club and Media Wales and as a consequence of the above commitment, Cardiff City Football Club will also reactivate rebranding proposals with a view to exploiting and maximising its brand and commercial revenues in international markets, which it is hoped in turn will bring success to the club locally, whilst also attracting new partners and investors.

*I take it that the pro-rebranding fans must have been far more active in sending e-mails and letters to the club showing their support than anti-rebranding fans showing their disgust.

That the club have the nerve to use the polls from the supporters club and Media Wales to back their descision to go ahead with the scrapped rebranding plans is astonishing.

Only 732 fans voted in the poll run by the supporters club (just 26% of the members), and under half of those (48%) were “fully supportive of investment and rebranding”. 45% voted to “reluctantly accept proposals to rebrand to ensure financial security”, while 7% voted to be “not willing to accept investment under these proposals”.

Of the couple of thousand who voted through Wales Online 90% might have been Swansea supporters taking the mickey for all we know!

The gibberish last part of the above paragraph I guess is trying to say that the rebranding is necessary in order to increase revenue outside of Cardiff and Wales and that with red as colour and a dragon badge more investors will come than if the colour was blue and the badge wasn’t changed. Do “our investors” really believe in this themselves? Smokescreen or lack of judgement I say.

As part of this commitment, funds have been earmarked to finally resolve the historical Langston debt issue which for so long has cast a dark cloud over the club and its future. Negotiations have been continuing and a final offer has been made to those representing Langston and Sam Hammam which we believe is both fair and reasonable.

Whilst not yet concluded, we hope that both Langston and Sam will react positively and favourably to allow this long running and distracting saga to be finally closed which will be to everyone’s benefit. We know that Sam has always expressed his passion for this club and has said that he will always be a lifelong friend of Cardiff City. We hope that this sentiment will shine through accordingly and look forward to welcoming him at our ground as a guest of honour in the near future.

*Sam Hammam as “guest of honour”?? Are you taking the piss? Sure Sam Hammam, the man who wanted to implement rebranding with a dragon himself, will be pleased to finally see a dragon introduced, but he probably won’t fall for this attempt by the club to publicly suck up to him in order to give the club a good deal in upcoming Langston negotiations. It would be smashing if Hammam agreed to the club’s proposal on the condition that the colour is changed back to blue and that the badge is changed back to the old one!

Subject to resolution of the Langston issue, work will also continue in earnest to improve the balance sheet by driving new revenue streams, attracting new investment and converting existing debt to equity. At the same time, plans will proceed in respect of the proposed new training ground and facilities, whilst feasibility studies will continue in respect of the expansion of the stadium at the appropriate juncture. Our Investors have also fully reaffirmed their support to enable Malky Mackay to strengthen his squad for the season ahead in line with the viable and prudent budgets agreed with him.

*All  very well, but there’s surely no need to change the club colours and badge for this to be done?

Of the news, Cardiff City Chief Executive Alan Whiteley said, “This is a major and significant financial commitment and we are grateful to our investors for their continued confidence in this football club. In recent years the support and commitment from our Malaysian investors has given the club a much needed stability that has allowed us to move forward and away from the brink of administration, whilst allowing the club to challenge at the highest levels of the Championship.

*I can’t believe how Alan Whitley is dancing to the Malaysian’s tune. Yes, the Malaysian’s rescued the club and have put a lot of money into the club, and for that we’re all very grateful. That still doesn’t give them the right to do a horrendous thing like changing our club colour at their own will and change our badge like they’ve done! The only decent thing Alan Whitley could have done was to walk away saying he would have no part in this incomprehensible wreckage of the Bluebirds and that his position had become untenable.

It is proposed that the future investment will take place principally in the form of shares and should give us every chance of delivering what we believe is the common and collective objective of the board and all Cardiff City fans. Our goal, put simply, is to work towards concluding all previous financial issues to place us on a long term financially stable platform, along with introducing structured investment in the team, stadium and infrastructure of Cardiff City Football Club to enable the club to achieve and sustain Premier League football.

*No need to go red and “dragonish” for this either…

Concerning the commitment to developing the crest and to switch our primary colour to red, as directors – and as fans in our own right – we recognise that there is a history and commitment that goes with supporting Cardiff City and we are conscious and proud of the loyalty, bond and passion so many share for this club.

*Let me rephrase what Mr.Whitley is saying here: “We understand that you don’t want the heart and soul of this club to be ripped apart…”.

At the same time, we also have to be prepared to be realistic and progressive. Sometimes in difficult economic times and challenging market conditions, in order to attract investment to survive and progress, brave, bold and compelling decisions and sacrifices need to be taken and made. By securing this investment we can safeguard the immediate and long term future of this club.

* “…but we do it anyway! The thing is we’ve got some wealthy Malaysians who want to and they say we won’t get any money if they don’t get to change to their favourite lucky colour of red and a dragon to go with it. Blinded by their money we are happy to oblige whilst trying to make it sound like we don’t have a choice”.

The changes to the home kit and badge introduced as a consequence of the investment package are designed to help the club to develop its brand and to allow it to expand its appeal to as wide an audience as possible, with a view to delivering local success via an international and diverse market. As a board, we believe these changes, in the light of the benefits that will be demonstrably delivered, have been or will be accepted by the vast majority of supporters as judged in the light of the numerous emails and letters of support, backed by recent poll results from the Supporters Club and Media Wales.

*”A consequence of the investment package” – you’re having a laugh! More like “the unbelievable conditions laid down by the Malaysians for making the investment”. I bet Alan Whitley thought long and hard about how to formulate this. Who is to say “local success via an international and diverse market” can’t be delivered with blue shirts and as the Bluebirds with our former badge? Whitley even has the nerve to say that “the vast majority of supporters” accept the change. Bullocks! And again backing the claim with the polls is scandalous!

We are only too aware that the change of colour is a radical and some would say revolutionary move which will be met with unease and apprehension by a number of supporters, along with being seen as controversial by many. To those I would like to say that this was not a decision that has been taken lightly or without a great deal of thought and debate. There is no getting away from the fact that history and traditions are the lifeblood of any club and as such should be jealously guarded and preserved. Both the board and our investors fully understand and respect this and will do their utmost to uphold, protect and promote the values and virtues which the club stands for.

*Obviously not aware enough! Unease and apprehension is an understatement! “There is no getting away from the fact that history and traditions are the lifeblood of any club and as such should be jealously guarded and preserved. Both the board and our investors fully understand and respect this and will do their utmost to uphold, protect and promote the values and virtues which the club stands for.” How can he look at himself in the mirror saying this after  having agreed to the change of colour and change of badge? It doesn’t make sense.

However, the changes are believed to be vital to enable the club to progress to the next stage in its development and very much in the club’s best long term interests.

Judged in the context of the overall commitment and financial support, we believe it is the right decision for this club and where it currently stands. We hope that all supporters will appreciate these sentiments and will embrace the changes in that spirit and continue to support the club in the same loyal and passionate manner as before but hopefully with some greater feeling of security.

*I read between the lines that Whitley admits that the Malaysians have used their position to force this this through when he says: “Judged in the context of the overall commitment and financial support, we believe it is the right decision for this club”.

“Our investors” I agree must be thinking long term, because short term the only thing they’ve accomplished is to divide and decrease the existing fan base without any good reasons or need to do so. Had the club colour still been blue and the old badge been kept not a single fan would have had anything to complain about and everything would be rosy, so damn “our investors” for imposing these changes!

Speaking of the proposals, Cardiff City Chairman Dato’ Chan Tien Ghee said, “I am delighted we have been able to finalise this further investment which subject to final resolution of the thorny Langston issue, should promise exciting times ahead for Cardiff City. I am very grateful in particular to Tan Sri Vincent Tan for making this possible and for his continued commitment and support.

I know and understand that there have been reservations in certain quarters over the changes accompanying the investment, but sincerely hope that all of our loyal fans will come to accept the changes in the spirit in which they are made and continue with their passionate and fantastic support.

*No, TG. I will not accept the changes! Never! I cannot be passionate as long as you impose meaningless and horrendous changes like a red home kit and a dragon badge – ridiculously incorporating a Bluebird I might add, put there as an afterthought in a desperate attempt to make the “certain quarters” happy. Putting the beautiful Bluebird in the new badge makes it look even more crap than without it, and “our investors” should have had the balls to go 100% percent through with the rebranding once they left sense behind and went against their own word that Cardiff would be playing in blue next season and with the old badge. With that I mean they could just as well have nicknamed us “the Dragons” (shudder).

This club will always be Cardiff City Football Club and its name and heart will never change nor are any of the changes meant to destroy any part of its history or culture.

*In spite of the disastrous changes the heart of the club will never change, I’ll agree with that, but the changes DO destroy the current and near future culture.

The adoption of the new badge incorporating the proud symbol of the Welsh dragon, which was the symbol on the club’s badge on the only occasion the FA cup left England with the iconic bluebird and the new red home strip very proudly places Cardiff as the capital city of Wales, whilst also recognising its history and creates a symbolic fusion with Asia which will allow us to fly the Welsh flag on behalf of Cardiff wherever we go.”

*The club’s badge in the 1927 FA Cup final was the City of Cardiff’s crest, and if TG hasn’t noticed there was already a red Welsh dragon in our existing badge which even looked in place there.  Symbolic fusion with Asia should not take precedence over Cardiff City’s proud BLUE tradition and history! A red away shirt should suffice.

On hearing of the finalisation of the investment plans, manager Malky Mackay commented,” It’s great news that Tan Sri Vincent Tan and our chairman Dato Chan Tien Ghee have reaffirmed their commitment and investment which will allow us to take forward the exciting plans for the future of this football club which we have all been working towards. It is a testament to their vision for what this club can become and achieve.

*Hardly, is my reply to this….

“Since coming to Cardiff, I have been hugely impressed with the commitment and passion of the fans here. The securing of this package of investment and the breadth of vision which it encompasses should enable us to build on the progress already made in my first year and puts us in a position to take Cardiff City forward in the way which the fans deserve.”

*How can anyone concur to the club through “our investors” deliberately hitting such a nerve and stir up such fury and frustration among the fans by changing the colour and the badge (and  making us an embarrassment to the rest of the footballing world in the process) if the commitment and passion of the fans is so impressive?

As a club, we feel that this is a historic moment in our history and whilst some of the plans are radical, this course of action will give us the security and long term backing to enable us to look forward to the future with confidence and excitement. We will all work together to implement this strategy to deliver the ultimate goal of seeing our team compete as a long term fixture in the Premier League.

*Historic indeed, and history will condemn everyone of you for the rebranding! I see no reason why Cardiff City could not have competed “as a long term fixture in the Premier League” playing in blue and with the Bluebird badge.

The prospect of Cardiff City Football Club eventually operating on a debt free basis and with further investment to improve all aspects of our club is a turning point in its history and a moment we have all been waiting for. As a result of the investment to be made, all associated with Cardiff City Football Club can look to the future with renewed vigour and be proud to represent the capital city of Wales.

*I just can’t see why this “turning point” couldn’t have come without us playing in red and with a dragon replacing the Bluebird… I for one am not looking to the future “with renewed vigour”, that’s for sure!