Cardiff City boss Malky Mackay has revealed he failed in a late bid to bring Craig Bellamy back to the club. "But our chairman [Dato Chan Tien Ghee] really showed ambition yesterday [Wednesday] and we'd made tentative calls, but by that point it was so far down the road with Liverpool." Why would this have been a late bid? Is this MM covering him own arse from criticism?? The concept of a late bid makes no sense to me. In fact, I really can't see how it would have worked like that.
I honestly don't see where criticism can come from? (although you can guarantee there will be some) Until the situation with ManC was clarified, we were never in a realistic position to make a bid...and when/if we ever were, it was only ''tentative" enquiries by which time, as you pointed out "it was so far down the road with Liverpool" a la Kenny Miller and Rangers. Time to put this one behind us and move on I think. In spite of what happened, we were lucky (imo) to have him here last season. I'm looking forward to seeing how whatever money was set aside will be used over the next few weeks.
"Really until Manchester City decided what they were going to do, I think there was nothing I could have done." "Certainly we looked at something and put a proposition when we found out it was an opportunity that he'd be leaving." "But at the end of the day you're talking about Liverpool, which is a huge club." We don't know the finer details about the finance, it was reported earlier that Man City wanted a £4mill transfer fee, then he could get a free transfer and it was reported that Craig still wanted the same deal he had in Man City, this would have put Cardiff out of the picture. If at the last minute Man City then were willing to pay some of Craig’s wages this could have put Cardiff back in the hunt. At the end of the day, Liverpool is a better option for Craig and probable for Cardiff too, as long as the money that Dato Chan Tien Ghee was willing to use for Bellamy can be used to get 1 or 2 high profile loans.
I think we all knew what was going to happen a couple of weeks ago. It seemed pretty obvious. I also agree that Craig probably would have chosen Liverpool anyway. But I just can't get my head around "late bid" when surely we had spoken to ManC about this before Wednesday? I am not trying to blame anyone for Craig not coming here, I juts found the story strange if this is how it panned out.
Bellers plays for Liverpool now. I appreciate the fact he gave us one season but the best welsh player and home grown lad in the world now is a certain Rob Earnshaw. After all he is a Bluebird so he has to be LOL. Best of luck Bellers thank you and goodbye.
Put it behind us and move on, whether we made a bid or not. We can't change the situation. No hard feelings towards Bellers. Hope to see him in the stands cheering us on when he's got a day off.
i think I'm right in saying Bellars has never won a major hounour in all his time in the game. At 31 this deal with Liverpool could be his last chance so good luck to him. Last year, all the stars and planets aligned and we had our minor miracle, this year it looks as though a big Red planet got in the way and we missed out. never mind, we still have a good, hungry squad and with a few more loand we will be up there challenging again. Quite a few others are in transition now and not finding the going as easy as perhaps they thought they would (Leeds, Forest, Ipswich etc). 6th is most definately up for grabs and maybe higher!!
As stated, we need to move on but I will just say that I believe last season Man City wouldn't let him move to another Premier club
It is not strange, it is to let fans know that we did try to make a deal but until Man City decided to make a compensation deal he was not going anywhere. Now that compensation may have meant he would require say £50/60,000 a week well out of our range but not Liverpools. Realistically Craig could not have expected Liverpool to come in for him so he had to make the decision on transfer day. Given we could not match what was required it meant he could sign for Liverpool at the last minute knowing he could not come to Cardiff. If anyone would like to work for less than half of what they earn now please send the excess to me.
I agree with all of that. I am saying it is strange that Cardiff would say we didn't do anything about Craig until Wednesday. That is what seems either wrong or why? As I said, I am not trying to blame anyone, and I know why Craig went to Liverpool, I just found the comment strange. Anyway...
Just a couple of things about the last bit of your comment and only being a bit of a devils advocate. If I was working away from my home, family and not enjoying my work. I for one if especially if my family were the most important thing to me would jump at the chance to work close to home. Whilst I have not lost half my wages I have in the past taken a pay cut for that very similar reason. It’s not all about the money and at least Bellers has chosen a decent team that he has connections with. That said if he really wanted to play for us REALLY money would not have come into it even if a few adjustments had to be made personally. Best of luck bellers!!
It's been a breath of fresh air hearing the good wishes given to Bellamy on this board, compare that to the moaning and grumblings on certain other boards. Now there may well be certain people who would walk away from £4 million to be at home with the family, but untill someone actually does that its a nonsense to say you would. I stated in a post a couple of weeks ago that, only if a big club came for him would he not be at Cardiff, a big club came in and he is now playing for them. Really a no brainer, he followed them as a boy, and they have the money to allow it all to happen. I suppose with regards to our"tentative bid" it does seem to be a little late, but without all the inside knowledge it is difficult to assess if it is just a gesture or a real attempt to get Bellamy back. No way could we have offered anything like Liverpool could, and there would be the stumbling block, a deal was never really on unless no other club was in the running, that is, no other club of stature. I have seen him called a liar on certain other boards, and that was one of the nicer things said. But I doubt that there is one of us who didn't make a promise and for unforseen reasons just couldn't keep it, it happens to a greater or lesser extant to us all. Unfortunately this was one of the "greater" and it sent some fans overboard. Life is tough and football gives us all hard lessons. Perhaps not saying anything would have been better, but i believe he meant what he said at the time, and circumstances, and not Bellamy being a liar, was the problem that prevented him from returning. I think he will do a season at Liverpool and return then, just my thought on it.
