Cardiff City fan groups send scathing letter to Bluebirds’ hierarchy
David Owens
Cardiff City supporters groups have joined forces to send an extraordinary letter to the Chairman and CEO of the Bluebirds laying out the serious concerns fans have with the way the club is currently being run.
The open letter to (Chairman) Mehmet Dalman and (CEO) Ken Choo has been signed and agreed upon by Cardiff City Supporters Club, Cardiff City Trust, Cardiff City Disabled Supporters Association and Cardiff City Fan Advisory Board.
The letter, written as the Bluebirds currently hover perilously above the Championship relegation zone with interim manager Omer Riza still in charge of the side after more than two months, raises major issues that fans feel are not being addressed by the club hierarchy.
These include:
– Any clear short or long term plans for the club
– Battling relegation with no full-time manager or sign of one being appointed
– No clarity on the hiring process with Omer Riza having been interim boss since September
– A sizeable shift in supporter apathy that could result in irreversible toxicity irrespective of results on the pitch
– Frustration with the lack of communication from club owner Vincent Tan either directly or via his directors
The letter from supporters’ groups reads:
Dear Mehmet and Ken,
As we head towards the midpoint of the season, we write this open letter, on behalf of Cardiff City supporters to you. This letter has been agreed upon by all Cardiff City Supporter organisations (The Cardiff City Supporters club, The Cardiff City Trust, The Cardiff City Disabled supporters association and the Fan Advisory Board). We are seeking constructive conversation and want to raise the serious concerns surrounding the current situation at the Club Particularly the lack of any clear short term and long-term plans for the football club.
Once again, the club regrettably finds itself in a precarious position at the bottom end of the table, with no full-time manager, no clarity on hiring process and no clear plan or strategy evidenced. Supporters continue to voice frustration with the lack of communication from the owner Sri Vincent Tan either directly or via his directors. Leaving an interim Manager in the impossible position of fielding questions which should be answered by an executive function.
The Fan Advisory Board believes that we are close to, if not already experiencing, a significant shift in supporter opinion that could result in irreversible toxicity and apathy almost irrespective of results on the pitch.
We feel that the club remain stuck in a cycle of perpetual failure, there’s a loss of confidence by fans in the club’s ability to make the right decisions, having been in this erratic pattern for several years. The lessons of the past have not been learnt, reflected in seven managers in just four years.
You have had over 70 days to find and appoint a first-team manager and it is indicative of the lack of leadership, overall strategy, and footballing knowledge at the Club.
We do not doubt that everyone is working hard, but the Club is in dire need of a clear plan and better communication from the boardroom to Cardiff City Supporters.
At a recent fans parliament you committed to better communication, this has not been forthcoming. Therefore, we call for:
– Urgent communication to the fans on the current managerial situation and the process involved in hiring.
– A clear, coherent, and credible plan for the immediate season and a long-term plan which outlines how the club plan to break the cycle of failure and progress on and off the pitch.
– A commitment to complete transparency and honesty through more frequent communication to supporters. Working hand in hand with supporter organisations.
We look forward to hearing from you,
Regards.
Cardiff City currently sit 20th in the Championship table two points outside the relegation zone.
The Bluebirds next play Watford at the Cardiff City Stadium this Saturday, December 7th.
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I’m not part of the above group but I share the frustration of not knowing who our head coach / manager will be going forward. I’d be tapping up Steve Cooper if he would be willing to drop down a level.