This is why TG invested in Cardiff ......

The £6m that Chan, but mostly Tan, paid to become the largest shareholders in the club seem like a pittance. By the stratospheric standards of Premiership debt, it still is.

Compared to Manchester United, who are burdened by a millstone of £750m, Liverpool’s near paralysis with less than half of that, and Portsmouth getting dragged down and into administration owing £138m to name but a few, Cardiff had precious little excess baggage.

They have been to the High Court three times to face winding up orders and face another today. But that is more because of who they owe, not what they owe – the tax man being a notoriously trigger-happy creditor. However, the amounts have been small and each time the club has lived to fight another day.

Last time it was Tan to the rescue and it is no exaggeration to say the Malaysian pair are regarded as saviours after another Peter "live the dream" Ridsdale misadventure. (The man who wrecked Leeds claims vindication for his chairmanship with the new stadium and eventual rescue.) And the scene is in stark contrast to Manchester and Liverpool where anger felt by many fans at getting ripped off by what they feel are cowboy owners has resulted in demonstrations.

The welcome that a group of Malaysian journalists and government officials received on the eve of the playoff final could not have been warmer. Malaysian flags were widely visible at the spanking new Cardiff City Stadium and the guests from KL were given royal treatment. And the gratitude does not stop there.

The personable Chan, who is affectionately known as ‘TG’ by everyone in Cardiff, is given a rousing reception by the fans at home games and has to sign autographs – just like the players.

He said: "One fan told me he has booked his holidays in Malaysia this year as a thank-you for saving the club." A fellow director quipped: "If TG stood for mayor he’d get elected."

One man whose vote he would surely get is Leicester City’s Yann Kermogant. The Frenchman’s horror penalty miss was a big reason Cardiff won the playoff semifinal and has become a YouTube hit. Chan sent him a sympathy note. Following this drama back home in Malaysia, meanwhile, was Tan who admits to "nearly having a heart attack."

The romance – Chan says it’s like a marriage – began when his son Nicolas, a 19-year-old former KLFA striker, joined Cardiff’s academy last year and mum and dad went over to see him.

"I was immediately struck by how impressive the set-up was – the training ground, academy and stadium – and realised there was enormous potential, Chan recalled. "Set against all that, the actual amounts the club owed were not big at all."

With local businessmen reluctant to get involved – perhaps because of the Ridsdale factor – British-educated Chan soon joined the board and then embarked upon the slickest piece of salesmanship since the first fridge was sold to Eskimos.

Tan, who admitted that last Saturday’s game was the first football match he’d ever seen, said his reaction, when Chan mooted the idea, was to say: "You must be crazy. In fact, I told him he needed therapy.

"All I knew about football was that clubs had massive debts, players were on ridiculous wages and I didn’t want to go near one. But after three sessions, he convinced me.

"Cardiff’’s debt was very little – about £15m – they have a new stadium that is worth £50m and is paid for, great training facilities, an academy and a big fan base. Then I began to look at it objectively."

Even though he has dipped into his personal fortune rather than using a Berjaya company as a vehicle for investment, Tan stressed that he was "no Roman Abramovich."

"We will not be signing Wayne Rooney or Cristiano Ronaldo, will not be paying big money in transfers or big wages, but we will grow the club with financial discipline. We hope to develop academy players and have done that already."

Unlike other foreign-owned British clubs, Cardiff intend to milk the link with the owners’ mother country for all it’s worth – setting up a supporters’ club in Malaysia, developing merchandising and are putting the final touches to a visit to KL in July that will be their pre-season training.

In short, they hope to tap into fans who don’t just jump on the Big Boy bandwagon and hope to create a kind of Malaysian club identity.

That will be harder now that Cardiff will not be shown on television every week, but although disappointed, neither Tan nor Chan are daunted by the prospect.

"The fundamentals are here," explained Chan. The stadium capacity, which is 27,000, can be increased if necessary and everything is in place."

Not having been in the top flight since 1962, it may be stretching it to say Cardiff is a slumbering giant, but it is a capital city and the club could expect to get much of Wales behind it if it were in the Premiership – bitter rivals Swansea excepted.

"The stadium would have been packed for most games if we’d reached the Premiership," said one official.

But it was not to be and the Bluebirds are ending a momentous week trying not to think of the what ifs and concentrating on holding on to their assets – manager Dave Jones and star players Michael Chopra and Joe Ledley for whom offers have already been received.

"Will Dave Jones be staying?" asked Chan. "Of course, he will be." Less certain, though, is the future of Saturday’s goalscorers. As if heartbreak was not enough, a break-up of the team would be too much for fans to take.

Malaysia’s delegation asked permission to walk around Wembley before the game last week and stopped at each corner to sprinkle rice for good luck.

That ran out in despairing fashion as Blackpool won 3-2, but fans will now be hoping the cash they have promised will turn out otherwise – and is more than just a sprinkle.

very good read, thanks joff

Excellent read Joff

Enjoyed that read Joff

Where is that from Joff or is it your own piece?

Great read anyway, the only downer being that there is no one local or UK based that saw the potential that the Malaysians do, but hey ho , who cares now

great read fair play

top read.

Nice one Joff

well done
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