City's win over Burnley had taken them three points clear at the top of the table and they would have an opportunity to double that lead before their rivals were in action again because their next match, at home to struggling QPR, had been brought forward to Friday night because it was going to be televised. However, having got through the first three months of the season largely unscathed as far as suspensions and, injuries went, the depth and quality of City's squad was now facing it's biggest test so far as the free from suspension Kerrea Gilbert joined Steve Thompson on the injured list after suffering a dislocated shoulder in training - while there was a chance Thompson could be back for the QPR game, Gilbert's serious injury threatened to keep him out for months rather than weeks.
City's cause wasn't helped either by James Chambers, who had done a good, solid job for the team, being recalled to Watford at the end of his month's loan - City had wanted to keep him on for another month or two, but Adie Boothroyd denied the request and pitched Chambers straight into his relegation struggling side. As well as losing Chambers, City also learned that, despite Sir Alec Ferguson's advice that he go to City for a month, Alan Smith snubbed our interest, as well as that of struggling Leeds who had been alerted by our move for the player, and opted instead to fight for his place at Old Trafford.
As it turned out, Thompson returned to the starting line up as City tried to strengthen their grip at the top on a wet night in front of a very disappointing crowd of 13,250. City's problems at full back also meant that there was a league debut for 17 year old Chris Gunter from
With the transfer window for loan signings about to close soon, much of the week before City were next in action was taken up with speculation as to who the club would be bringing in to help to see them through the rest of the year. Whilst most of the newspaper talk centred on which striker we would bring in, it turned out that the only new arrival for the visit to Sheffield Wednesday was vastly experienced Sheffield United left back Alan Wright who slotted straight into the team for Gunter, while there was also a call up for Roger Johnson after Glenn Loovens cried off with a groin injury. City had really missed Loovens when he had been unavailable up until now, but at Hillsborough Johnson came in and did a good job in a defence which kept out the home team with relatively few alarms. The trouble for City though was that they also struggled to impose themselves on the game - they did have the better chances with Chopra missing badly after a blunder by home keeper Mark Crossley, Parry having an effort cleared off the line and Crossley's magnificent stop foiling Ledley's header.
Whether City's 0-0 draw turned out to be a good or bad result depended on how they did at Stoke three days later. Stoke had used the loan system to put together a side that contained a lot of experienced Premiership players and had won their last four matches without conceding a single goal so it certainly wouldn't be easy for City at a ground on which they had won each of their previous four visits. The game turned out to be a strange one with City looking very comfortable defensively for an hour, but, with Chopra out of form and missing the few chances they created, they were unable to capitalise against a nervous looking home side. However, everything changed in a madcap five minute spell which saw Stoke score three times through Fuller, Lawrence and Sidibe and there was no way back for City after that.
A thoroughly miserable night which saw City lose their hold on top spot in the Championship (which they were never to regain) got worse with yet another red card - whilst Lee Hendrie certainly seemed to make more of Steven McPhail's flailing arm in his direction than was necessary, there was no denying that the City player did make contact with him and so, having got away with no suspension from his sending off at Colchester, City's playmaker now had to sit out the next three matches.
Defeat at Stoke brought to an end a thoroughly miserable November for City with only four points to show from their five matches and there was no mystery as to why they were encountering what was being described as a blip. With just two goals from those five games, City had lost the goalscoring knack - incredibly, there were just ten on target efforts from the side all month which emphasised that, with Chopra going through a lean spell as he missed chance after chance, the other players that City needed to come to the fore in the scoring stakes were nowhere to be seen.
The team started December with their second fixture against
City catered for the loss of McPhail by switching Ledley into central midfield, Parry to the left and bringing in Malvin Kamara for only his second starting appearance for the club while it was testimony to how well Roger Johnson had played in recent matches that a fit again Glenn Loovens could only get a place on the bench - Kevin Cooper, just back from a loan spell at Yeovil, was also a substitute. The game turned out to be a drab affair which brought home how far City's level of performance had gone back in the past month or so. City did most of the attacking, but it was unconvincing stuff and apart from a Scimeca shot turned over by keeper Gerken and a Johnson header cleared off the line by a defender, they never really threatened while up the other end, having kept Colchester very quiet for seventy five minutes, the visitors, and Cureton in particular, almost scored a late winner on two or three occasions.
When City were beating sides at or close to the top in October, supporters looked at our fixtures for November and December, saw the list of upcoming games against teams in the mid to lower positions in the Championships and imagined how we could be well clear at the top by New Years Day 2007. The reality was completely different though as, play off hopefuls
Next up at
It had been 427 minutes since Ricky Scimeca had scored his match winner against Burnley, but City's goal drought was to last only a further three minutes as they got the best possible start when Darren Purse diverted McNuaghton's cross in after a short corner routine. However, the visitors, who I thought moved the ball around in midfield as well as any side seen at Ninian Park up until then, soon began to get on top and City were fortunate to get to half time still a goal ahead. There was another early goal after the break when Macken equalised from close range, but referee Hall then gave City a helping hand after sixty six minutes by awarding them a very controversial penalty for an alleged foul by DeVos on sub Thompson. Purse sent Lewis Price the wrong way from the spot to regain our lead, only for the ref to level things up seven minutes later when Roberts went down in the area under challenge from Gunter and Hall pointed to the spot. It looked an obvious penalty to me from my place on the Grange End a hundred yards away, but television pictures showed that Gunter had not made contact with the player who we would try to sign a month later and he duly beat Alexander to make the final score 2-2.
From November onwards there were plenty of candidates for the "honour" of City's worst performance of the season, but my choice would be the one they gave at the KC Stadium on 16 December. With Malvin Kamara having been very disappointing in the past two matches, he made way for the fit again Willo Flood who slotted into central midfield while Ledley moved back to the left and McNaughton switched to left back to replace Alan Wright whose performances had been a long way short of what we had seen from our full backs in the first few months of the campaign - the unlucky Roger Johnson also made way for Glenn Loovens.
You would have thought that a visit to a Hull City team that had spent much of the season at the bottom of the league and had lost four out of their last five matches would have represented an ideal chance for City to get back on the winning trail, but, instead, they simply caved in - goals by Delaney and Marney in the first nine minutes meant that the game was virtually all over straight away and when City's offside trap broke down on 36 minutes, the pacey Craig Fagan broke from around the halfway line to make it 3-0. The second half was a bit better as at least Michael Chopra ended his six match scoring drought when he scored from a Ledley pass, but City conceded a soft fourth goal to substitute Bridges and Hull could even afford to miss a penalty, which McPhee chipped against the crossbar, before they were finally put out of their misery with the score at 4-1.
In around six weeks, the team had gone from playing the best football seen by a
City's season had reached it's lowest ebb so far, but where the next win was coming from was reduced to almost an afterthought in an extraordinary week during which the whole future of the club seemed to be at stake if you believed what you read in the papers!
I suppose supporters should have had a clue as to what was coming when 15 December, the reported deadline by which the restructuring deal involving these "London based hedge funds" we kept hearing about should have been signed off, passed without any confirmation that this had, indeed, happened, but I don't think anyone could have predicted the drama that was to come.
I gave some thought beforehand as to how I should present the events of this extraordinary week - I could have just posted all of the stories that appeared in the icwales papers for the week because that would have put over what a emotional roller coaster (to use a very Cardiff City term!) ordinary Cardiff City supporters who aren't attention seekers or "in the know" had to ride for seven days. However, that would have meant reading amounts that make this review look like a Janet and John book, so I have decided to present what happened in a diary format with some links to stories thrown in to help get a feeling as to how things developed.
Sunday 17 December
City supporters needing a lift after the mauling by the Tigers at the KC Stadium may have received it as this story appeared in Wales on Sunday
http://tinyurl.com/3dssc8
to be honest though, you would have to be pretty naïve to have believed this stuff - the complete absence of quotes was a clue that this was an exercise in kite flying (although, on reflection, I suppose the hack was right when he said "Dave Jones will be handed a war chest of up to £6m to re-ignite Cardiff City's bid to reach the Premiership."!).
On the other hand though, a story appearing in the national press suggesting that Sam Hammam could still return because the takeover had hit difficulties did not pass unnoticed as the club released the following official statement;-
"Contrary to rumours that appear to be circulating regarding the proposed restructuring of Cardiff City Football Club (Holdings) Limited, the following statement is issued.
The raising of extra funds to put into Cardiff City Holdings as a share dilution, thereby raising funds for Cardiff City FC, remains on course.
The issuing of the EGM notice to confirm the share subscription will take place this coming week.
Everyone at the football club is committed to this deal being completed by the end of the second full week in January 2007.
Suggestions Mr Hammam would be returning to the club can be put to bed for good.
The stadium project go-ahead from the council is subject to this restructuring being completed.
Paul Guy, from PMG Estates, has also confirmed that their continued commitment to work with the club, and indeed provide substantial funds for the new stadium project, is also subject to this restructuring being voted for at the forthcoming EGM."
Monday 18 December
A quiet day with no news, but plenty of rumours appearing on here to suggest that the club's statement had not put the matter to bed as they hoped it would.
Tuesday 19 December
The day when it became clear that this thing just would not go away began with this story in the Western Mail containing quotes from Sam Hammam and Paul Guy
http://tinyurl.com/2wqw2u
whilst optimistic supporters would have seized on comments by our former owner that suggested he had moved on and the whole thing was now out of his hands, others would have noticed the tone of Paul Guy's comments - notice also that Steve Tucker makes mention of those "hedge funds"!
If Paul Guy's earlier comments had passed unnoticed, then it was impossible to ignore what he had to say in the Echo that evening - in a story that said City would face "financial Armageddon" if the restructuring deal was not accepted, Guy placed the blame for such an event firmly at Sam Hammam's door (it's also worth noting the bit that says "The Echo Understands that Hamman is still negotiating a financial settlement package."!).
http://tinyurl.com/ymlfcd
Just in case there was anybody who was still not getting the message, another story appeared in the same paper in which it was claimed we were facing a "meltdown" as well as the aforesaid "Armageddon" (and there was me looking forward to Christmas in a few days time!). In this story Council leader Rodney Berman set out why the Council were not prepared to sign off the new ground scheme under the financial conditions that currently existed at the club when he said;-
"We could not enter into a deal with the club because we did not know who the club owed money to through the loan notes. The restructuring took that problem away and if that problem is back we could (I think he actually said couldn't!) enter into a deal with
Wednesday 20 December
A relatively quiet day with only speculation that Dave Jones would have no money made available for new players in the January transfer window if the restructuring deal was not signed off by the end of the week representing anything like a new development.
Thursday 21 December
While supporters wondered whether they would have a team to support on Saturday, the main players in the drama kept their cards close to their chests with Peter Ridsdale saying "I will not make any further comment on the situation above those that are already in the public domain," and Sam Hammam stating "It would not be right for me to comment, but when the time is right to say something I will, I'm not a man known for keeping quiet, but at this moment in time, on this matter I must.".
Whilst Mr Hammam was saying little in public, this didn't stop speculation appearing in that morning's Western Mail suggesting that he had found new investors and was putting together a counter bid for the club - this news brought another denial from Milan Mandaric as to his involvement.
What was not speculation though was the afternoon meeting that took place between Sam Hammam, other members of the club board, the council and the developers which tried to thrash out a solution to the problem - early news of it posted on here suggested that it broken up acrimoniously and it was really beginning to look as if there could be terrible news the following day.
Friday 22 December
On Friday 4 March 2005 I had spent an awful day in work half expecting to hear at any moment that my
club had gone bust. Like every other City fan I had hoped that was a one off, but, now less than two years later, we were having to go through the same thing again.
The Western Mail carried a story which seemed to me to be a pretty fair portrayal of how things stood
http://tinyurl.com/3atj7o
Interestingly, this story still makes references to hedge funds and also, Paul Abbandonato states that, as a journalist, you usually get a good idea of precisely how the land lies in matters like this and yet here it seems pretty clear that he didn't have a clue how things would end up!
Early editions of the Echo made for depressing reading as well as the headline "Angry Sam's parting shot: 'This club had no history when I came here and it won't if I leave...' screamed out at supporters! The story went on to say;-
"The Bluebirds are on the brink of taking a step closer to receivership today after talks between board members and major shareholder Sam Hammam broke down at Ninian Park yesterday.
The Echo understands that Hammam stormed out of the meeting shouting: 'This club had no history when I first came here and it won't if I leave,' before driving back to his
If Hammam does not give reassurances about the state of play today to the council - that he agrees with the new board's proposals - then the Bluebirds will go into receivership.
We also understand in a new development that the key players have offered Hammam a multi-million pound package to sign the agreement, with the council in a last-ditch bid to push on with the new stadium."
The first three paragraphs here are good knockabout stuff, but, with the benefit of hindsight, isn't the fourth paragraph more likely to represent a large part of what this affair was all about?
However, just as the Echo's doom laden story was hitting the streets, news began to emerge from more modern means of communication that disaster had been averted and that Sam Hammam had agreed to sign up on the new deal that meant that the new ground scheme could go ahead. This was confirmed at around 11.45 am on this board when club director Steve Borley posted a message on here to that effect - this was the first official confirmation that the crisis was over and, when you think of it, what a tribute that is to Michael Morris and the others who help run the site who helped make this board such an important part of so many City supporters' lives!
Saturday 23 December
Crisis averted it was now time for reflection and anticipation as to what the rest of the season held with this piece capturing the mood at the time
http://tinyurl.com/2c3duw
Sunday 24 December
The week had started with Wales On Sunday claiming that we would be spending a fortune on players in January but it ended with Mike Hall putting the boot into Sam Hammam and the revelation that, after all we had heard about the hedge funds that were supposed to be our salvation, it was a bunch of local businessmen who were behind the takeover!
http://tinyurl.com/2kql9e
As to what we should make of the whole affair, well, speaking for myself, I don't believe any of the main players come out of it with much credit. In the case of Peter Ridsdale, he has to accept that the settlement that was agreed to on 22 December was nothing like the one he portrayed when news of Sam Hammam's departure first broke in October - the deal did not happen with the parties involved and the timings given a couple of months earlier. When you also factor in things like the "Vine bid" is it really any wonder that he is having trouble convincing many supporters that he is here to serve the best interests of the club they support?
As for Sam Hammam, I sympathise with him to the extent that it is hard to avoid the suspicion that he was, not to put too fine a point on it, shafted! The way that it was announced after the deal was concluded that there were no hedge funds involved after all begs a lot of questions - were there ever any hedge funds in the first place? If there were, when did they drop out and when was Sam Hammam made aware of any changes to the original package? Replacing hedge funds investment at a late stage with a consortium of local businessmen represents a very significant change from what was first talked about, is it fair to believe that Sam Hammam would meekly agree to these changes without wanting clarification as to how this would affect things? Having said that though, it certainly looks as if, when push came to shove, Sam Hammam's first thought was towards his own pocket rather than towards the "family" that he referred to so often during his six years in charge.
What is significant to me is that it took until after the whole business was concluded for any of the parties involved to say anything meaningful about what the squabbling of the previous week had meant to the fans. Peter Ridsdale said;-
'Firstly I would like to apologise to every one of our supporters for the uncertainty that has surrounded the future of the club and its stadium project over the last few days.'
but until then there had only been lip service paid on all sides to the turmoil the fans had been put through during the past week.
I make no apologies for again posting an analogy that I put on here at the time - all of the parties were greedy men who resembled a pack of dogs fighting over the bone that was the new retail development and it was hard to avoid the suspicion that to Messrs Ridsdale, Hammam and Guy, the football club was merely an afterthought at this time.
Now, some would say in reply that these are just business men looking to maximise their investment and you shouldn't expect anything different - that's fair enough, I accept that. However, I don't like the way they then try to make out that they share some sort of common bond with the people who have spent their lives supporting the club through thick and thin (to be fair to him, I don't think Paul Guy has ever made such claims). It seems to me that those in charge of the club have taken us supporters for mugs for as long as I can remember, sadly, the first few months of the current regime's tenure just suggests that we are getting more of the same!