An open letter to Peter Ridsdale

Peter,

I have not written to you before, but have been supporting Cardiff City for over 30 years, the last 14 of which (since moving to the Midlands) by travelling for 4 hours and over 250 miles every other week just to get to the 'home' games. I am a Platinum Ambassador in the Ninian Stand and have already paid in full for the 2010/11 seasons ticket.

In this posting I am not going to fall into an emotional trap and hurl insults around, and thus lose the facts amongst the emotion (I did enough ranting last night to my wife and fellow loyal supporters).
So, I will merely concentrate on the key unarguable facts here. Hopefully, Peter, you will read this post and find you must concur on every point, even those that relate to you....

So, here are the five topics on which I'd like to share my honest views and opinions:

- GOALS AGAINST AFTER 80MINS AND IN ADDED TIME IN EITHER HALF.
The stats here are frankly frightening, but speak volumes...........
We have let in 10 goals so far this season (37% of our total goals against)
We have given away these late and added time goals in 39% of games thus far.
We have dropped 9 points as a result (We would now be in 2nd & just 5 points behind Newcastle with a game in hand)
What are we actually doing at the club to stop this appalling set of stats continuing?

- OUR MANAGER, MR DAVE JONES.
An honest personal view is that he has 'issues' in at least three key areas.
ATTITUDE - For me, my No.1 biggest gripe with him. I have had the misfortune of enduring the last 4 seasons worth of press conferences (via paid for CCW), where DJ tends to show his true colours. He is nothing other than arrogant, obnoxious and downright rude to the press if they dare to ask (what us supporters would see as) valid questions. His spite and venom towards Steve Tucker in particular is quite telling - DJ derides him and his questions as being motivated by him 'just asking as a supporter' !! This therefore leads me to recognise just how the rest of us 'supporters' must also be viewed by Mr Jones.
TACTICS & THE ELUSIVE PLAN B -
Take yesterday at Peterborough and our Preston away 'horror show' last season as two prime examples (of Cartoon like proportions) to illustrate how with the blatantly obvious happening in front of him, DJ chooses to do nothing. Jason Perry apparently summed it up in BBC commentary yesterday, when he remarked that he was personally "angry and fuming, that even though Peterborough put 3 in centre midfield at the start of the second half, Dave Jones arrogantly decided not to change his 4-4-2 formation to combat it, as he obviously felt they would win the game anyway" Need I say more..........
IT'S NEVER HIS FAULT -
The above two examples (P'Boro, Preston) plus another key capitulation - the last 4 games of 08/09, showed us that Dave Jones is never responsible or accountable for anything that goes wrong on the pitch. I suppose that if DJ couldn't shake the players up over 4 games at the end of last season, why would we expect him to have had an impact over 45 minutes yesterday?
He continually states that this player or that player (or 3 or 4 of them) are not doing what they've been told - Well Dave WHY IS THAT?? YOU ARE THE MANAGER, THEY ARE EMPLOYED TO DO AS YOU TELL THEM. If they don't, it is your managerial inability to get them to do 'as you ask' and should not continually be trotted out as your post match excuse.

- GUTS AND HEART OF THE PLAYERS
The 37% goals against after 80mins shows that our 'team' have a big problem with playing for the full 90. They appear incapable of holding on, or as importantly applying pressure when the shoe is on the other foot. Our record of results when we let in the first goal also says it all about the fight, or lack of it that we have within the team. They are priviliged to play for my club and pick up the lottery wages for doing so, as do you. If they showed a tenth of the fight that the likes of Jason Perry and Andy Legg, to name but a few (who were paid peanuts in comparison by the way) showed in a City shirt, then they would just not allow themselves to fall apart on such a regular basis.

- PLAYERS RESPECT FOR THE SUPPORTERS
Where do I start on this one. To have to have the Chairman telling them to acknowledge the supporters at the end of every game says it all for me....especially when most of them still don't bother, and if they do, they walk 3 extra paces towards each end before getting back to their designer clothes and Astons/Porsches/Range Rovers etc (paid for by us).
I'm sorry, I just don' get it - They are paid a fortune by us, train and play in state of the art facilities, stay in 5 star luxury for away games (again at our expense), but they don't feel the need to spend one or two minutes at the end of each game clapping our fantastic support. This should of course also include being able to take it on the chin from us, like real grown up men, if they have let us down on the field - remember yesterday?
I honestly think the dis-respect shown to us is an utter disgrace, but I think they actually follow our manager's lead...
DJ shows absolutely no emotional interest in OUR club other than reminding us that he is an employee and 'not a supporter' at every given opportunity.
So, how difficult is it for Mr Jones to merely say "Listen, everyone, you WILL go penalty box to penalty box and applaud the supporters before you come off, and to be clear, I mean every one of you ME INCLUDED, and I mean every game" Simple isn't it? The fact they don't speaks volumes.

- RESPECT FOR THE TRUTH
Peter, you really need to come clean with us for once and for all. The spin has now got to stop and we deserve to know the truth on the following subjects in order to build or re-build our faith in you and what you are trying to do as Chairman.

- The Malaysian investment and your rumoured personal 'demands'
- The Langston payment plan detail. How can we afford it without money coming in?
- Our other creditors. When are they going to be paid?
- Season Ticket sales and what will actually be invested in the transfer window
- The Peterborough post mortem and exactly where you see the blame sits (even our 'untouchable' manager might not be totally blameless this time maybe?)
- The Attitude at the club - You said after the capitulation last year that you had demanded a change from everyone. It still appears that it's all dead easy going down there for players and manager alike, why?
- Steve Borley. Why is the one real supporter on the Board so quiet at the moment? Have you had a falling out? Does he not like what is going on behind the scenes?

FINALLY, PETER, PLEASE REMEMBER THIS, AND PLEASE EDUCATE THE MANAGER AND PLAYERS......

THIS IS MY CLUB AND NOT JUST A MONEY MAKING MACHINE FOR A CHOSEN FEW - I WILL ACCEPT YOU ALL MAKING A FORTUNE FROM THE CLUB. HOWEVER, WHAT I WON'T ACCEPT IS FOR ALL THAT MONEY TO BE MADE WITHOUT EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU PUTTING IN AN HONEST 100% AND LOYAL SHIFT FOR THOSE WHO PAY THE WAGES FOR YOU ALL.

What are your views?

Regards,
Peter.

Well said Worcester Blue. Please email it to him. You'll prob get the usually politcal spin from him but that sums up my anger towards my club.

HE'LL COME BACK WITH SOME BULLSHIT! lol

very good honest post of which 90%of supporters will agree, the other 10% are jones and ridsdale fans

I endorse every word that you say in this open letter and I feel it would be fitting if it could be signed by all disgruntled Cardiff City Supporters and publicly handed to our chairman in front of the press so that they understand the depth of feeling of our fans. The time for talking has ended. What is now needed is action.

great letter that the only trouble is he wont comeback with an ounce of truth so it was wasting your time mate writing in the first place but it was a good read anyway

Worcester Blue, I really enjoy your posts Mate, Let me know PR's Response .

Bit long winded.

Couldn't you have shortened it to :-

Yo pete,

Sack the c***.

Yeah let us know the reply!

Excellent post ......... couldn't agree more

Congratulations Worcester Blue, The majority of us fans agree 100% with your post, & I for one would gladly add my name to it.
jaydee

Email it to PR and put a link to this thread at the bottom so that he can see that others agree completely.

Totally and wholeheartly agree with your letter Worcesterblue.

Peter,

I have not written to you before, but have been supporting Cardiff City for over 30 years, the last 14 of which (since moving to the Midlands) by travelling for 4 hours and over 250 miles every other week just to get to the 'home' games. I am a Platinum Ambassador in the Ninian Stand and have already paid in full for the 2010/11 seasons ticket.

In this posting I am not going to fall into an emotional trap and hurl insults around, and thus lose the facts amongst the emotion (I did enough ranting last night to my wife and fellow loyal supporters).
So, I will merely concentrate on the key unarguable facts here. Hopefully, Peter, you will read this post and find you must concur on every point, even those that relate to you....

So, here are the five topics on which I'd like to share my honest views and opinions:

- GOALS AGAINST AFTER 80MINS AND IN ADDED TIME IN EITHER HALF.
The stats here are frankly frightening, but speak volumes...........
We have let in 10 goals so far this season (37% of our total goals against)
We have given away these late and added time goals in 39% of games thus far.
We have dropped 9 points as a result (We would now be in 2nd & just 5 points behind Newcastle with a game in hand)
What are we actually doing at the club to stop this appalling set of stats continuing?

- OUR MANAGER, MR DAVE JONES.
An honest personal view is that he has 'issues' in at least three key areas.
ATTITUDE - For me, my No.1 biggest gripe with him. I have had the misfortune of enduring the last 4 seasons worth of press conferences (via paid for CCW), where DJ tends to show his true colours. He is nothing other than arrogant, obnoxious and downright rude to the press if they dare to ask (what us supporters would see as) valid questions. His spite and venom towards Steve Tucker in particular is quite telling - DJ derides him and his questions as being motivated by him 'just asking as a supporter' !! This therefore leads me to recognise just how the rest of us 'supporters' must also be viewed by Mr Jones.
TACTICS & THE ELUSIVE PLAN B -
Take yesterday at Peterborough and our Preston away 'horror show' last season as two prime examples (of Cartoon like proportions) to illustrate how with the blatantly obvious happening in front of him, DJ chooses to do nothing. Jason Perry apparently summed it up in BBC commentary yesterday, when he remarked that he was personally "angry and fuming, that even though Peterborough put 3 in centre midfield at the start of the second half, Dave Jones arrogantly decided not to change his 4-4-2 formation to combat it, as he obviously felt they would win the game anyway" Need I say more..........
IT'S NEVER HIS FAULT -
The above two examples (P'Boro, Preston) plus another key capitulation - the last 4 games of 08/09, showed us that Dave Jones is never responsible or accountable for anything that goes wrong on the pitch. I suppose that if DJ couldn't shake the players up over 4 games at the end of last season, why would we expect him to have had an impact over 45 minutes yesterday?
He continually states that this player or that player (or 3 or 4 of them) are not doing what they've been told - Well Dave WHY IS THAT?? YOU ARE THE MANAGER, THEY ARE EMPLOYED TO DO AS YOU TELL THEM. If they don't, it is your managerial inability to get them to do 'as you ask' and should not continually be trotted out as your post match excuse.

- GUTS AND HEART OF THE PLAYERS
The 37% goals against after 80mins shows that our 'team' have a big problem with playing for the full 90. They appear incapable of holding on, or as importantly applying pressure when the shoe is on the other foot. Our record of results when we let in the first goal also says it all about the fight, or lack of it that we have within the team. They are priviliged to play for my club and pick up the lottery wages for doing so, as do you. If they showed a tenth of the fight that the likes of Jason Perry and Andy Legg, to name but a few (who were paid peanuts in comparison by the way) showed in a City shirt, then they would just not allow themselves to fall apart on such a regular basis.

- PLAYERS RESPECT FOR THE SUPPORTERS
Where do I start on this one. To have to have the Chairman telling them to acknowledge the supporters at the end of every game says it all for me....especially when most of them still don't bother, and if they do, they walk 3 extra paces towards each end before getting back to their designer clothes and Astons/Porsches/Range Rovers etc (paid for by us).
I'm sorry, I just don' get it - They are paid a fortune by us, train and play in state of the art facilities, stay in 5 star luxury for away games (again at our expense), but they don't feel the need to spend one or two minutes at the end of each game clapping our fantastic support. This should of course also include being able to take it on the chin from us, like real grown up men, if they have let us down on the field - remember yesterday?
I honestly think the dis-respect shown to us is an utter disgrace, but I think they actually follow our manager's lead...
DJ shows absolutely no emotional interest in OUR club other than reminding us that he is an employee and 'not a supporter' at every given opportunity.
So, how difficult is it for Mr Jones to merely say "Listen, everyone, you WILL go penalty box to penalty box and applaud the supporters before you come off, and to be clear, I mean every one of you ME INCLUDED, and I mean every game" Simple isn't it? The fact they don't speaks volumes.

- RESPECT FOR THE TRUTH
Peter, you really need to come clean with us for once and for all. The spin has now got to stop and we deserve to know the truth on the following subjects in order to build or re-build our faith in you and what you are trying to do as Chairman.

- The Malaysian investment and your rumoured personal 'demands'
- The Langston payment plan detail. How can we afford it without money coming in?
- Our other creditors. When are they going to be paid?
- Season Ticket sales and what will actually be invested in the transfer window
- The Peterborough post mortem and exactly where you see the blame sits (even our 'untouchable' manager might not be totally blameless this time maybe?)
- The Attitude at the club - You said after the capitulation last year that you had demanded a change from everyone. It still appears that it's all dead easy going down there for players and manager alike, why?
- Steve Borley. Why is the one real supporter on the Board so quiet at the moment? Have you had a falling out? Does he not like what is going on behind the scenes?

FINALLY, PETER, PLEASE REMEMBER THIS, AND PLEASE EDUCATE THE MANAGER AND PLAYERS......

THIS IS MY CLUB AND NOT JUST A MONEY MAKING MACHINE FOR A CHOSEN FEW - I WILL ACCEPT YOU ALL MAKING A FORTUNE FROM THE CLUB. HOWEVER, WHAT I WON'T ACCEPT IS FOR ALL THAT MONEY TO BE MADE WITHOUT EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU PUTTING IN AN HONEST 100% AND LOYAL SHIFT FOR THOSE WHO PAY THE WAGES FOR YOU ALL.

What are your views?

Regards,
Peter.

Normally i dont agree 100% with everything that is said on message boards but i cant fault that at all...

sums up just how im feeling now!!!!!!

ive been on the fence for the last few months with d.j, been willing to give him chance after chance....after chance!!

but honestly can not and after yesterday will not be giving him another!!!

WE WANT OUR CLUB BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!