' You Don't have to be a Big Club '

' You Don't have to be a Big Club '

To make it to the Premier League and Survive it

I was just looking at the weekends crowds in the Premier League.

Arsenal v Chelsea Over 60,000

Liverpool v Hull Over 53,000

Manchester United v Leicester Over 75,000

West Ham v Southampton Over 56,000

Sunderland v Crystal Palace Nearly 40,000

Bournemouth v Everton Over 11,000

THEN YOU HAVE LITTLE BOURNEMOUTH AT HOME TO FOOTBALL GIANTS EVERTON & THE CROWD IS JUST OVER 11,000, BUT THEY SURVIVED LAST SEASON IN THE PREMIER LEAGUE & JUST GAVE EVERTON THEIR FIRST DEFEAT OF THE SEASON IN THE PREMIER LEAGUE.
Its so long ago Bournemouth nearly went bankrupt and were saved by their own fans

Even the Jacks with crowds of barely 20,000 year after year survive in the Premier League.

I also remember Wimbledon staying in the top flight for 10 plus years and winning the FACUP with crowds of 5,000-12,000.

The Dream can still be achieved by the Smaller clubs.


Many times I think what the hell went wrong for our club Cardiff City?

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Thinking about our bumbling visit to the Premiership just makes you RED with anger and embarrassment!

Thinking about our bumbling visit to the Premiership just makes you RED with anger and embarrassment!

For me personally it was a nightmare and my 40 years of dreaming of the Premier League,turned to hurt and upset.

From Facebook

Ian John Ball
what you mean like WIMBLEDON did for Many Many YEARS/



Steve Perry <><
"You don't have to be a big club," but you need to have a good manager!

I know it's not a popular view (because I never see anyone else ever refer to it) but I believe the root of our decline started in 2010 when we lost to Blackpool in the play-off final.

Had we made it to the PL then Tan would have got a PL team for an amazing £6m! That would have left £194m unspent from the future investments and there would have been no need for any rebrand.

I have full confidence we would have become established in the PL and would have beaten the Jacks to it by 12 months

I know it's not a popular view (because I never see anyone else ever refer to it) but I believe the root of our decline started in 2010 when we lost to Blackpool in the play-off final.

Had we made it to the PL then Tan would have got a PL team for an amazing £6m! That would have left £194m unspent from the future investments and there would have been no need for any rebrand.

I have full confidence we would have become established in the PL and would have beaten the Jacks to it by 12 months

Tony, Blackpool were the under dogs that day,we had all the big names etc.
Very small club Blackpool, but they had a manager like Ian Holloway,who really wanted it and he got his team really for it. I believe if we had scored another goal, Blackpool would of scored another.

We had arrogant DJ in charge with players who had quality,but not the desire that Blackpool players had.

Yes, you might be right Tony, if we had gone up then, Tan had only put a small investment in then,had No control and we would of gone up in BLUE and Our fans were very passionate then and united/together

I know it's not a popular view (because I never see anyone else ever refer to it) but I believe the root of our decline started in 2010 when we lost to Blackpool in the play-off final.

Had we made it to the PL then Tan would have got a PL team for an amazing £6m! That would have left £194m unspent from the future investments and there would have been no need for any rebrand.

I have full confidence we would have become established in the PL and would have beaten the Jacks to it by 12 months

Tony, Blackpool were the under dogs that day,we had all the big names etc.
Very small club Blackpool, but they had a manager like Ian Holloway,who really wanted it and he got his team really for it. I believe if we had scored another goal, Blackpool would of scored another.

We had arrogant DJ in charge with players who had quality,but not the desire that Blackpool players had.

Yes, you might be right Tony, if we had gone up then, Tan had only put a small investment in then,had No control and we would of gone up in BLUE and Our fans were very passionate then and united/together

Fully agree Annis Blackpool wanted it more than us on that day. Of course we all remember Kelvin Etuhu coming on for Jay Bothroyd and you sort of knew at that moment the game was up. Fully agree with you on DJ BTW.

I know it's not a popular view (because I never see anyone else ever refer to it) but I believe the root of our decline started in 2010 when we lost to Blackpool in the play-off final.

Had we made it to the PL then Tan would have got a PL team for an amazing £6m! That would have left £194m unspent from the future investments and there would have been no need for any rebrand.

I have full confidence we would have become established in the PL and would have beaten the Jacks to it by 12 months

Tony, Blackpool were the under dogs that day,we had all the big names etc.
Very small club Blackpool, but they had a manager like Ian Holloway,who really wanted it and he got his team really for it. I believe if we had scored another goal, Blackpool would of scored another.

We had arrogant DJ in charge with players who had quality,but not the desire that Blackpool players had.

Yes, you might be right Tony, if we had gone up then, Tan had only put a small investment in then,had No control and we would of gone up in BLUE and Our fans were very passionate then and united/together

Fully agree Annis Blackpool wanted it more than us on that day. Of course we all remember Kelvin Etuhu coming on for Jay Bothroyd and you sort of knew at that moment the game was up. Fully agree with you on DJ BTW.

Tony,I felt the same way the minute Jay Bothroyd went off, being beaten that day by Blackpool really hurt, as it was the manner of the defeat.

You could see the players lose all confidence when Bothroyd went off in that game.

I still think we would have won had he been fit. He was so important to that team

Agree that had we went up that season we would have become an established team in the prem

Ninian Park just needed a refurbishment. i've been to Dean Court and it will never come close to the magnificent NP

Ninian Park just needed a refurbishment. i've been to Dean Court and it will never come close to the magnificent NP

Thomas, I spoke to the Riddler, we could of made Ninian Park 30,000 all seater Capacity,but City never had the money to do it.

You could see the players lose all confidence when Bothroyd went off in that game.

I still think we would have won had he been fit. He was so important to that team

Agree that had we went up that season we would have become an established team in the prem

Bothroyd going off was a major loss, but I still believe Ian Holloway as a manager out did DJ that day.

Milky Mackay made some very bad decisions that season and bought badly, with the exception of Gary Medel. Unfortunately, the owners of the club were unable to bring in the right replacement and that was it.

I don't give a toss about the red business, it was the manager(s) who messed it up, not the colour of our shirts.

Milky Mackay made some very bad decisions that season and bought badly, with the exception of Gary Medel. Unfortunately, the owners of the club were unable to bring in the right replacement and that was it.

I don't give a toss about the red business, it was the manager(s) who messed it up, not the colour of our shirts.

We could go and on about who Malky brought in,good and bad, Alex Ferguson made mistakes.
But Malky can hold his head up high as City were never in the bottom three of the Premier League under him, the slide only started when Tan started on his back 24/7 in dressing rooms etc.

Remember since Malky Tan has brought in Ole,Slade and Trollope,How well have they done?

Ole was given big money failed end off.

Vincent Tan in 7 years, 5 Managers/6 CEOS, Only one achieved anything Malky Mackay a Fact and under the horrible Rebrand/Fans Divided.

Malky was asked to do a job,given the money delivered end off

Malkys record on the pitch which is facts speak for themselves as Cardiff manager and that for me is good enough :thumb right:


Malky, Play-offs,Carling Cup Runners up,Championship Winners,first time in top flight for Cardiff City in 51 years and Never in bottom three of Premier League, Facts don't lie.
Spent big money,but brought in big money through Success

Ninian Park just needed a refurbishment. i've been to Dean Court and it will never come close to the magnificent NP

Thomas, I spoke to the Riddler, we could of made Ninian Park 30,000 all seater Capacity,but City never had the money to do it.

I think most will come to a logical/realistic reason why clubs only too willing to depart

This club should never thought above it's standing in the game without achieving, we are a second tier club that the City and surrounding area would be more comfortable in a stadium 25k max imo.

Ninian Park just needed a refurbishment. i've been to Dean Court and it will never come close to the magnificent NP

Thomas, I spoke to the Riddler, we could of made Ninian Park 30,000 all seater Capacity,but City never had the money to do it.

I think most will come to a logical/realistic reason why clubs only too willing to depart

This club should never thought above it's standing in the game without achieving, we are a second tier club that the City and surrounding area would be more comfortable in a stadium 25k max imo.

To be honest Thomas, growing up,I honestly thought We were a massive club, sadly I was proved wrong.

Ninian Park just needed a refurbishment. i've been to Dean Court and it will never come close to the magnificent NP

Thomas, I spoke to the Riddler, we could of made Ninian Park 30,000 all seater Capacity,but City never had the money to do it.

I remember writing to the club and suggesting that NP should be renovated to a 30k all seat stadium as an alternative to CCS. The council had gifted the land to CCFC and it could have been sold and converted into a retail park with the money from the sale being used to rebuild NP. With that plan there would also have been no need for a new athletics stadium and the old one could have also had an upgrade. That would have been much cheaper and the club would have had money left over to settle Langston and buy a couple of players.

I didn't get a reply.....

Ninian Park just needed a refurbishment. i've been to Dean Court and it will never come close to the magnificent NP

Thomas, I spoke to the Riddler, we could of made Ninian Park 30,000 all seater Capacity,but City never had the money to do it.

I remember writing to the club and suggesting that NP should be renovated to a 30k all seat stadium as an alternative to CCS. The council had gifted the land to CCFC and it could have been sold and converted into a retail park with the money from the sale being used to rebuild NP. With that plan there would also have been no need for a new athletics stadium and the old one could have also had an upgrade. That would have been much cheaper and the club would have had money left over to settle Langston and buy a couple of players.

I didn't get a reply.....

Tony, I bet they never.

Everyone said new stadiums the way forward etc
Well in my opinion,we are going backwards big time.

Ninian Park just needed a refurbishment. i've been to Dean Court and it will never come close to the magnificent NP

Thomas, I spoke to the Riddler, we could of made Ninian Park 30,000 all seater Capacity,but City never had the money to do it.

I think most will come to a logical/realistic reason why clubs only too willing to depart

This club should never thought above it's standing in the game without achieving, we are a second tier club that the City and surrounding area would be more comfortable in a stadium 25k max imo.

To be honest Thomas, growing up,I honestly thought We were a massive club, sadly I was proved wrong.

I freely admit I fell for 'we could be as big as Barcelona.' back in the day, proper cringey looking back

Ninian Park just needed a refurbishment. i've been to Dean Court and it will never come close to the magnificent NP

Thomas, I spoke to the Riddler, we could of made Ninian Park 30,000 all seater Capacity,but City never had the money to do it.

I think most will come to a logical/realistic reason why clubs only too willing to depart

This club should never thought above it's standing in the game without achieving, we are a second tier club that the City and surrounding area would be more comfortable in a stadium 25k max imo.

To be honest Thomas, growing up,I honestly thought We were a massive club, sadly I was proved wrong.

I freely admit I fell for 'we could be as big as Barcelona.' back in the day, proper cringey looking back

Thomas, I told Sam Hammam we were a massive club, I honestly believed it

Attendances are almost irrelevant these days in the Premier League.

40,000 (mostly ST) a week equates to about £15m per season after tax.

20,000 equates to just under £8m after tax.

So a £7m difference spread over the season is the difference between a big crowd and a relatively small one. To put that into perspective in today's PL market - thats what Norwich paid for Robbie Brady from Hull not including wages and signing on fee.

Attendances are almost irrelevant these days in the Premier League.

40,000 (mostly ST) a week equates to about £15m per season after tax.

20,000 equates to just under £8m after tax.

So a £7m difference spread over the season is the difference between a big crowd and a relatively small one. To put that into perspective in today's PL market - thats what Hull paid for Robbie Brady from Norwich not including wages and signing on fee.

I agree, crowds are not what clubs survive on,but as you know I study crowds have done for 40 odd years and love talking about them.

As clubs don't survive on crowds in the Premier and even some in the Championship, tickets can continue to be reduced

There are some good schemes in the PL now with max price £20 for away fans etc.

But due to financial fair play rules and limited revenue streams outside of the PL, I can envisage the Championship ultimately becoming as expensive, if not more so, than the premier league. It's quite sad the difference in funding between the two leagues.

There are some good schemes in the PL now with max price £20 for away fans etc.

But due to financial fair play rules and limited revenue streams outside of the PL, I can envisage the Championship ultimately becoming as expensive, if not more so, than the premier league. It's quite sad the difference in funding between the two leagues.

Very, Sheff Wed and Leeds £40 a ticket

Malky would of kept us up.


(Where has the MM lemon gone? That dopey that Norwegian one is still there?)

Ninian Park just needed a refurbishment. i've been to Dean Court and it will never come close to the magnificent NP

Thomas, I spoke to the Riddler, we could of made Ninian Park 30,000 all seater Capacity,but City never had the money to do it.

Why did Sam not want to stay at Ninian and sort it out?

Milky Mackay made some very bad decisions that season and bought badly, with the exception of Gary Medel. Unfortunately, the owners of the club were unable to bring in the right replacement and that was it.

I don't give a toss about the red business, it was the manager(s) who messed it up, not the colour of our shirts.

We could go and on about who Malky brought in,good and bad, Alex Ferguson made mistakes.
But Malky can hold his head up high as City were never in the bottom three of the Premier League under him, the slide only started when Tan started on his back 24/7 in dressing rooms etc.

Remember since Malky Tan has brought in Ole,Slade and Trollope,How well have they done?

Ole was given big money failed end off.

Vincent Tan in 7 years, 5 Managers/6 CEOS, Only one achieved anything Malky Mackay a Fact and under the horrible Rebrand/Fans Divided.

Malky was asked to do a job,given the money delivered end off

Malkys record on the pitch which is facts speak for themselves as Cardiff manager and that for me is good enough :thumb right:


Malky, Play-offs,Carling Cup Runners up,Championship Winners,first time in top flight for Cardiff City in 51 years and Never in bottom three of Premier League, Facts don't lie.
Spent big money,but brought in big money through Success

He was very successful but in my opinion the only reason they were never in the bottom 3 with him was he was sacked before they got there.

I wonder why he isn't in football anymore,being such a good manager?

Ninian Park just needed a refurbishment. i've been to Dean Court and it will never come close to the magnificent NP

Thomas, I spoke to the Riddler, we could of made Ninian Park 30,000 all seater Capacity,but City never had the money to do it.

Why did Sam not want to stay at Ninian and sort it out?

Jinx, another one who did not have the money, to build a team and build a stadium.

Milky Mackay made some very bad decisions that season and bought badly, with the exception of Gary Medel. Unfortunately, the owners of the club were unable to bring in the right replacement and that was it.

I don't give a toss about the red business, it was the manager(s) who messed it up, not the colour of our shirts.

We could go and on about who Malky brought in,good and bad, Alex Ferguson made mistakes.
But Malky can hold his head up high as City were never in the bottom three of the Premier League under him, the slide only started when Tan started on his back 24/7 in dressing rooms etc.

Remember since Malky Tan has brought in Ole,Slade and Trollope,How well have they done?

Ole was given big money failed end off.

Vincent Tan in 7 years, 5 Managers/6 CEOS, Only one achieved anything Malky Mackay a Fact and under the horrible Rebrand/Fans Divided.

Malky was asked to do a job,given the money delivered end off

Malkys record on the pitch which is facts speak for themselves as Cardiff manager and that for me is good enough :thumb right:


Malky, Play-offs,Carling Cup Runners up,Championship Winners,first time in top flight for Cardiff City in 51 years and Never in bottom three of Premier League, Facts don't lie.
Spent big money,but brought in big money through Success

He was very successful but in my opinion the only reason they were never in the bottom 3 with him was he was sacked before they got there.

I wonder why he isn't in football anymore,being such a good manager?

First answer, we will never know now thanks to Tan.

Second answer if your honest, you know Tan has virtually hounded Malky out of football.