|
The meeting started at 6pm, earlier than usual with Sam, supporters were offered a buffet of sheeps testicles and chips or sandwiches. Many who went for the sheep knackers thought it was chicken, I settled for a sarnie and a pint, far more sensible!
It was just as well that we started early as it was almost 10pm by the time Sam finished talking, nearly 4 hours later. He was on top form, a serious tone much of the evening but there were plenty of light-hearted moments too. The bulk of his presentation was devoted to the new stadium but plenty of other issues were discussed, Sam was keen for us to filter information to others so I will summarise the key points.
|
Sam was in bullish mood explaining that key stages had been completed in painstaking detail and confident that many of the hurdles had been passed successfully.
No expense has been spared in nsuring that Cardiff City and Wales have a stadium to be proud of. As Sam rightly says, it is the right of the people to have a stadium and Premier Division football and that nobody should stand belligerently stand in the way of it.
All the stadium designs, in its different phases, were shown and discussed. The heads of terms agreement has been signed last October. Sam and City have demonstrated how they can deal with environmental issues, traffic issues and how retail development will be to the betterment, not detriment, of local communities and should not be seen as a threat.
The logistics and money involved were mind-blowing. The project will be at least £100M but if City progress to the Premier Division and fulfil the ultimate dream of a 60,000 seater stadium with players to match, the funding could exceed quarter of a billion pounds! The amount of income and jobs that would be created, for Cardiff City and the area, were incredible too. The detail involved as immense with benefits taking place before a brick has been put in place for he new stadium. There would, for example, be major development work on the Leckwith Link Road with new slips roads for home and away fans.
Away coaches and fans would have their own slip road and car park compound taking them straight to their section of the ground and kept away from home fans which dramatically reduces the likelihood of troubles.
Leckwith Avenue would be widened to 4 lanes in places, 6 in others with police inside the new stadium able to control traffic lights. The number of lanes open for traffic coming to the ground before kick-off and away at final whistle can be increased too.
Phase 1 of the stadium, the 30,000 seater portion, would be similar to Pride Park, Derby's Stadium. One key differences however is that the back of the stadium will be solid, rather than the preference of cheaper materials and/or open sides that you see at, say, Huddersfield and Stoke. Sam wants to ensure that he noise we create stays inside the ground.
The later phases, ultimately leading to 60,000 attendance, were staggering too. Building would take place building behind and over Phase 1 so there would be no disruption to the ground while it took place. It would also ensure the view will never change compared to Millennium Stadium where fans halfway back on the bottom tier have restricted views due to the overhead developments. The best views will be the middle tier which Sam wants to be for fans only, the corporate areas etc would be built in Phase 1 and would stay there.
Whilst Sam is "as certain as certain can be" that the stadium will happen, he has always said he will could on the fans for help. Now is that time.
Over the next 3 or 4 months, we all need to send letters of support to the media, councillors, M.P.'s, A.M.'s and more. For those with objections, we need to provide responses. If you care about Cardiff City and want to see it succeed and live our dreams, which you all do, it is vital that no matter how busy our lives, we all must dedicate some time to physically show that we are behind it.
A working group will be set up and we will be contacting you shortly asking for your help. We need you to send letters and write to people with your feelings why we (as fans, as a City, as a country) for this development. Don't worry if you can't express things well, help can be provided, standard letters and suggested wordings (which you are free to adapt) will become available. Some are already avilable at supporters clubs shops, why not call in tomorrow?
Don't worry if you don't yet know or understand all the arguments for and against the stadium. They will be provided so that you have all the information and answers that you need. Wherever you are in Wales (and even the world), writing to MP's and AM's will increase their awareness, this is a vital process, don't under-estimate it.
Sam has worked tirelessly to make the vision possible. Before he arrived less than 3 years ago, City were relegated to Division Three and going nowhere fast. With Steve Borley doing his best in almost impoosible circumstances and Samesh Kumar not playing ball, many of us openly wondered and worried if we were going to have any future at all. It was that bleak.
Sam still remembers when he came to this club that all many wanted to discuss was our rivalry and, in some cases, hatred towards Swansea City. He told us they weren't our competition or enemy and we will stay a small club if we limit our aims to being better than them.
Good Luck to them staying in the Nationwide league but our competition has now moved significantly on from them. We are looking forward to having Wolves, Derby, Nottingham Forest for rivals soon and, with luck and skill, Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal beyond that. Would you ever have dared that 3 years ago?
We now owe it to Sam and our club to do our bit to ensure our future and something that will be a monument to this club for generations to come.
A big stadium means Cardiff City think bigger. The best players will want to come to Cardiff. The best Welsh talent will want join us too, why would they even want to go to places like Norwich anymore when there's better on offer on their doorstep and in their own country? That will undoubtedly benefit Welsh football. The perception of Cardiff City will literally change overnight in football, in Wales and throughout the UK and beyond. Places like Manchester United, Newcastle, Liverpool are known to most people becuase of their stadium and football teams more than any other single
reason.
None of us probably believed it 3 years ago. It's now there for all of us to see and tantalising close to reality too.
You can make a start today by signing the on-line petition on the homepage of www.cardiffcity.com
As Sam says, the moment Cardiff City have this new stadium, we become a Premier club overnight. The success, progress and future of the club we all love and adore depends on it.
Our star players - Danny Gabbidon, Rhys Weston and Robert Earnshaw - have pledged long-term futures to Cardiff City and been told by Sam that they will not be allowed to leave as Cardiff City move forward. A Premier club chairman made an enquiry for one of our players and was declined but then asked by Sam if they would like to become a nursery club for City!
As for the rest of the evening ... ...
NEW BADGE
The club will have a new badge from next season. Almost half of those who responded to newspaper, internet and media votes with 10 different designs. The response was low (so if you didn't vote and it's not what you want, no point in moaning about it). 25% voted for no change and tradition, a couple at the meeting still expressed it with good reasoning.
The current badge, as much as we love it, does have some faults. The dragon and daffodil are squeezed in at the top and almost unrecognisable. The footballs are very old-fashioned with a lace-up design, hardly a modern symbol for a progressive club.
When Sam took over this club, he wanted to get rid of the Bluebird but now accepts that it was a terrible mistake on his behalf, he now appreciates the identity of this symbol. We still are the only club in British football who forever chant our club nickname as far as I'm aware. So not only will the new badge have a Bluebird as its key overlay, BLUEBIRDS, will also be featured across the top of the shield design.
The design has been patented making imitations much more difficult although, I'm sure, ultimately not impossible but that was not the point.
Cardiff City have had numerous badge designs in its history. The badge as we now know it was changed in the late 80's before making a return, I don't recall major unhappiness at that time. Some will not like it, in the same way that some of us had initial unhappiness leaving Ninian Park but progress is progress. After 30 years of near continuous decline, the bigger picture is surely more important.
NEW SEASON, NEW SHIRTS
Time and poor quality of print version of samples received meant that we did not look at designs or discuss anything about kit for next season.
However the reason the club want to discuss it now is that they are determined to have them in stock from around June so that they can be worn through the summer and on our holidays. We all want that but we seem to get this promise every year and it must be a decade or more since the club even had new shirts in stock by the start of a season, let alone before it - here's hoping!
FOOTBALL
Most reassuring for me is that Sam said he will not walk away if we fail to achieve promotion this season ... as lonjg as we get the stadium. He hoped, but did not dare to dream, that we were on the verge of becoming a Division One club within 3 years of his arrival (and we nearly did it in two years).
Sam said failing to reach Division One this season will obviously be a blow and sickener to us all but, in the grand scheme, it is dwarfed by the new stadium. Without that happening, we cannot possibly hope to thrive at a higher level anyway.
He is happy with the team. He says there have been two defining games this season. The defeat at Barnsley becuase it was crazy with terrible copy goals conceded but, more than that, the loss of Gabbidon and Whalley. City's recent dip coincides almost exactly with that happening. As much as it hurt, believes that the defeat at Huddersfield may be a defining moment, the aftermath of that day convinced Lennie and everybody that change and new players were needed.
In a humourous moment, Sam said he is in love with Alan Mahon, now calls him
The King and said he is a relative of his too as one of his sons recently married someone called Mahon. Sam has told Lennie, tongue in cheek, that if Mahon wants a personal masseur, time off training on cold days, then Lennie must allow it. He says Mahon, as well as his on-pitch influence is a fantastic and strong character within the squad so has been a breath of fresh air and remains confident that Alan Mahon will become a permanent signing although I am sure promotion will be a crucial factor.
As regards others signings, City are concentrating on experienced,
battle-hardened players which is why we have been linked to the likes of Andy Melville and John Robinson. He knows the closing weeks and games of a season are test character as well as ability so would not want to risk promising young Premier players in that situation. He also only wants to bring in players who are better than personnel City already have.
Luke Chadwick is an exception but he is a talent which is why City would love to have him but the likelihood appears to be diminishing. He has only started 11 games for Manchester United and only had sub appearances this season so may need a game or two to settle in. It is known that his wife is due shortly and wants to be based near her hometown of Cambridge so while it is not dead, Sam did not seem as confident of getting him as all may have appeared earlier in the week. Chadwick seems happy in the comfort zone and his mind, for obvious reasons, does not seem to be totally focussed on first team football that could benefit him playing in a promotion chasing team so is that what City require at the moment anyway. Time will tell, come on Luke!
Sam also is unsure when Danny Gabbidon will appear next for City, there was
certainly no great confidence it will be soon and, although not said, we were left with the impression that it may not even be this season. There is also a possibility that David Hughes may have to retire too, let's hope he can overcame his injuries.
Lennie and Sam seem to be actively looking for extra defensive players, Sam
said signing Steve Jenkins is a huge boost. He's not just cover for Rhys but as Huddersfield's captain, he is a strong personality and character to have at Ninian Park too. City will no longer need to shuffle the pack by, for example, bringing Croft over if Weston should be absent which caused us recent problems.
He believes the only position we do not have real cover for is Peter Thorne. Gavin Gordon is young, relatively inexperienced and been very unlucky with injuries and chances. Sam repeated that we now need to get fully behind Lennie and the fans and said that we were too critical. He accepts that's what life with Cardiff City, our passion is our greatest strength but it can also be our weakness too, players and managers need to undertsand that but it doesn't make it right to do anything. He knows when times are good and the team do well, nobody praises and celebrates more than us. He also knows when times are not so good, nobody gets down and more critical than us, some can go too
far.
He did confirm that some players have been affected by recent criticism. David Temme confirmed that The Echo publishing recent text messages, many containing personal destructive criticism towards players, had hurt them but also gave them unity too. Some fans said they had sent positive messages to redress the balance but theirs hadn't been used. Criticism is partof the game but whether media, internet or text we should all be responsible enough to be constructive, not destructive and perosnal.
There was a lot of talk about our treatment at away games, Sam asked us to keep doing what we're doing but fully accepts the unacceptable problems we get at some places and the club will work to do what they can to help. It is vital we do not create the wrong headlines at a critical time for the club.
SAM
There was a feeling that Sam needs to be more visible to supporters, he has
been publicly quiet this season.
It is partly deliberate after Sam was pilloried in national and local media last season. Sam speaks openly, sometimes he gets badly misinterpreted, more often than not, comments are blown out of all context or only "controversial remarks (in response to controversial questions) get published.
He has also dedicated his time to the new stadium development, his focus has been on that. Everyone, Sam included, accepts it is perhaps time to be more open. There are hopes that he will appear on GTFM's Cardiff City phone-in sometime in the near future. The new big screen at Ninain and official website facilities may also be used.
In true Sam style, the evening finished with him making peace with one of the fans who abused him after last Friday's Oldham game (there were too apparently, one inside the ground and another outside) after another supporter at the meeting gave Sam his name and phone number. He called him immediately.
At the end of the night, quite a few sarnies were left but those sheeps' balls had all gone!