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DAVE JONES has vowed to steer Cardiff City away from their current troubles and take them all the way to the Premiership.
The former Southampton boss made the pledge last night after Bluebirds owner Sam Hammam officially unveiled him as City's new manager at a Ninian Park press conference.
Jones, who has been handed a three-year contract, was introduced to the media alongside former Leeds United chairman Peter Ridsdale, who takes over day-to-day running of the Championship club.
Hammam insisted Jones, who'd been out of work since being sacked as Wolverhampton Wanderers boss in November 2004, was the right man to succeed Lennie Lawrence in the Ninian Park hotseat and take the Bluebirds forward.
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Judge me on my City record, says Ridsdale
PETER RIDSDALE launched a staunch defence of his record as Leeds United chairman last night - and pleaded with Bluebirds fans, "Don't judge me on what's happened in the past."
Eyebrows were raised among many City supporters when it emerged the former Elland Road chief was to become involved in the day-to-day running of the Ninian Park club.
Not least because much of the blame for Leeds' dramatic fall from the top of the Premiership and semi-finals of the European Cup to the Coca-Cola Championship was laid at Ridsdale's door.
But, as he was officially unveiled as Cardiff's new executive deputy chairman yesterday, Ridsdale said much of the criticism he received for the crippling debt which helped bring about Leeds' downfall was unjustified.
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Hammam: Our debt's are not that bad
CARDIFF CITY chief Sam Hammam has come out fighting by declaring the debt-ridden club are back on track, on the up and up and ready to push for the Premiership again.
Hammam launched a forceful defence of his financial handling of the Bluebirds by insisting things were not as bad as had been portrayed.
And he declared he had a new 'dream team' in place in the shape of manager Dave Jones and chief executive Peter Ridsdale to wipe out the recent Ninian Park misery.
Hammam spoke out in typically no-nonsense fashion as he unveiled Jones and Ridsdale to the Welsh media and outlined where Cardiff had gone wrong and how they were to put it right.
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Sam's the man for upbeat Bluebirds
There they were, sitting together in the John Charles Suite next to the boardroom at Ninian Park.
Hammam in the middle, with Peter Ridsdale to his left and new Cardiff City manager Dave Jones to his right.
Two football chairman who have taken leading clubs to a combined total of £110m in debt.
And a manager who lost his job with Southampton because of well-publicised reasons and who was sacked by Wolves earlier this season when they were rooted with the Bluebirds in a relegation dogfight.
And this is what Hammam calls the Cardiff Dream Team!
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City boss' Premiership dream
DAVE Jones has focused on achieving the promised land of Premiership football.
Yesterday, the former Wolverhampton Wanderers and Southampton manager took up the challenge of trying to rekindle the part of a shattered dream that was left in tatters last season.
And Jones is keen to rebuild his career and City's ambitions of playing in the top-flight of English football.
"Sam and Peter sold me their dream and I decided to be part of that," said Jones.
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Ridsdale's mission to restore Bluebirds
PETER Ridsdale is bidding to see his reputation reborn at Cardiff City by helping to transform them into the Premiership club of Sam Hammam's dreams.
Ridsdale was officially announced as Executive Deputy Chairman at the same press conference where Dave Jones was unveiled as manager.
When Ridsdale arrived at the club as a consultant two months back, the talk among fans was that his track record at Leeds United was the last thing City needed.
But Ridsdale takes serious issue with that perception of him, although admits he cannot afford to make the same mistakes again.
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Hammam: Club in need of a total change
CARDIFF City owner Sam Hammam took centre stage again yesterday at Ninian Park.
Even though Dave Jones was being unveiled as the fourth manager under Hammam's leadership, the Bluebirds owner took the opportunity to state that everything is fine at the club.
Listening to Hammam at the press conference to unveil Jones you would have thought the last nine months of under-achieving on the field and financial instability never happened.
But Hammam would have a go at selling ice to the Eskimos and insisted the arrival of Jones at Ninian Park would see a new Bluebirds dawn at Ninian Park.
"I look upon this as a second coming," said Hammam.
"I feel like I have just arrived to the club and I'm going to start it all over again from today.
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