Swings and roundabouts really. Will be delighted if we get Wanyama. Equally I will be quite envious if Cardiff sign Tom Ince.
I wouldn't even call Cornelius a steal to be honest. He may be good at Danish level, but we will see whether he can do it in the PL. It's a big big step up. 34 senior games at club level?
I look forward to watching him again. I really thought he was someone who would have suited us and I missed the fact he had gone to Cardiff. Good luck
You say that, but if we are serious about Damiao we are going to have to pay him fairly serious money.
I don't see the need to insult Cardiff? We were where they were last year. Rodriguez was a gamble, quite a few people thought we were mad. We spent a lot on Ramirez and went after someone no one thought we would get. We were pretty aggressive in the silly season last year, maybe not in the areas some people wanted but we made a decent splash nonetheless. Cardiff seems to be taking a similar approach as we did. The way I see it, there was only so much money clubs would shell out for Wanyama. Celtic naturally wanted as much as they could get and for the price they paid, their finances, and Wanyama still under contract giving them another go at selling no one was going to walk away with a huge bargain. Difference between us and Cardiff was we were willing to pay Celtic, but not Wanyama/agent. Cardiff were willing to pay Wanyama/agent but because of that, probably didn't then want to pay Celtic as much. All three stances seem reasonable. If Wanyama/agent were willing to take less, it's entirely possible Cardiff and Saints would have bid the same amount and Celtic would have accepted both. Personally, I like the fact that all three clubs held their ground. I would have done the same thing in any of their shoes. When it looked like Wanyama wasn't coming here but was amenable to Celtic we were all like "Well they can have him, best of luck" too! There are other players for both us and Cardiff, and Celtic probably doesn't mind keeping him for another year.
I actually think Cardiff are in possibly a better position than we were. We came through two divisions quickly with some players bought for lesser things; they came to the play-offs three years in a row and then went up in the 4th year. There's an argument to suggest they have a better prepared squad than the one we had leaving the championship.
Interesting thoughts FLT. Maybe more of a WBA than us? I still think I'm dreaming when I consider that players we bought to get us out of Division One ended up playing for us in the Prem. There are always players who can step up and those that can't. Obviously for us Morgan is a great example of the former, while there are others who had previous in the Prem who didn't quite make it. I shan't name and shame! No matter how hardened the Cardiff players may have been by their play off experiences, the step up to playing against Premiership opposition will be a major test.
Yes, Channon it will be a big test for them. The flip of what I said, of course, is that their players just weren't as good and hence they didn't go up until the fourth year!
We did okay in the end though. I think Cardiff may be this season's surprise package. Can't see Palace or Hull hanging around in all honesty.
I think Cardiff have the best chance, but don't want to disrespect Palace or Hull. We didn't like it when people said we would go straight back down...especially when it was Swansea fans (who had only just gone up!). Definitely don't want all 3 to go down...the PL needs a bit of stirring up every now and again.
No, agreed, but looking at the reinforcements that Palace and Hull have brought in, they feel a bit more like Reading's approach and as such I think it's going to be a hard season for them. Holloway, despite his clear ability to irritate opposing fans, may be able to motivate his squad to make a fist of it, but they're certainly going to need some luck (as we did ultimately) to keep above the drop. It's also a case of looking at the other possible/probably candidates, and they're all strengthening considerably. West Brom could do with a striker, and Newcastle seem to be in a bit of turmoil, but if you look at the likes of Swansea and ourselves (eventually!) we're looking to pull clear. I guess Norwich/Fulham could get dragged in to it?
Don't forget Sunderland. They could be in for another dodgy season. I also think we were better than the league suggested. Always only a few points above the drop, but we were really good enough to have finished about 10th. Have a clean slate this season to prove it. Newcastle were also in a bit of a false position...think they will be safely above drop this season.
Very good discussion fellas - nice to see all the comments coming in. I think the difference between the three teams that came up this year is that we have an owner who will move mountains to ensure we stay up. Not being disparaging of Hull and Palace, but Vince Tan will go for it, and not like Fernandes who just threw money about with little or no masterplan behind it. In Malky Mackay and his excellent management team behind the scenes organising this club for the past two seasons, VT will commit the resources appropriate. He is a wealthy man and has already sunk a huge amount into the club as equity, not just loans. His vision of the potential marketing for his club's succes around the Pacific Rim countries is quite clear. Some might see it as just a way to make money, but they'd be wrong - he doesn't need it. Success on the pitch is not just about money for him. It's about status and "success" in business. Those are big driving forces South East Asia and Vince will do everything he needs to ensure that now we're there, it doesn't just slip away. Good luck guys - I hope Wayanama comes off for you if you get him - we'll have to look elswhere for now.
Why do some Cardiff fans describe him as a billionaire? I haven't seen any evidence he is a billionaire in pound sterling. http://www.forbes.com/profile/vincent-tan/
That's quite a common misinterpretation of what he said and intends. He was talking about floating the club on the KL stock exchange to sell some equity and raise capital from the substantial cash base that exists in that region. Nothing to do with selling the club. He would retain a controlling interest at around the level he does now. He does not own the club 100% but has complete control. Floating some equity would dilute the other existing shareholders holdings, but if the IPO was successful, those holdings would actually increase in value. It's a win win situation - let's hope we can do it on the pitch as well.
Good luck to Cardiff I say. So long as they have the money, and it's legit, then splash it. Give themselves a fighting chance of survival, whilst displaying ambition at the same time. Sounds a bit like us 12 months ago. The more newly promoted clubs there are who want more than just PL survival, the better. Over time, it will only improve the PL. Clubs who are happy to finish 9th - 15th every season aren't exactly top of my Xmas list.
