Another load of rebrand diatribe. This time from me.

I'm pissed off with the farce that is next year's kit; the shirt design is hideous, then we selected black shorts. We are already rebrand traditionalists. But I'm more pissed off by the hyped up brave hearts (have you been on AAMB recently) who have found a new inner strength and are campaigning like crazy for a return to blue. Reluctant reds are suddenly aghast at the audacity of VT and questioning his worth to the club. Fair enough each to their own.

I would have far more respect for the outcry if last year (generally) we weren't all falling over ourselves grabbing every last gift of a red scarf, and not being arsed to do anything meaningful, (the occasional Bluebirds chant etc. Wow!) for fear of unsettling the team and scuppering our promotion. The vast majority were complicit with the rebrand. Finally we were on a sound financial footing (well we hope so), a great new manager that we rightly trusted to get us to the prem, so the rebrand was worth it. Wasn't it? Isn't it still?

Surely we realised that despite the lack of logic for the change, the rebrand wasn't just for Christmas. Red is here medium to long term, why change for the short term? The only reason I can see for the current escalation in bad feeling towards VT is that people now feel they have the upper hand on him. Shortsgate simply added passion to the anti-rebrand fire. Does this new found bravery result from an assumption that VT has invested so much (£100m or so) he would not be able to pull out without losing even for him, a fortune. Seemingly, many are gambling that VT is for turning, rather than walking, or that as we are now premier league, another buyer will just seamlessly take over, pay VT off, put us back in blue and sink the same funds into us that VT has done, plus some, to keep us in the EPL and take us into Europe.... I hope the gamble pays off. Not very brave though. Brave was to front up last season.

Sad times, that seriously put a dent into what should be a momentous period for everyone involved in the club. As for me, I think VT has been and continues to be a fantastic asset for the club, he does seem a tad eccentric. Hounding him out would be crazy in my opinion. Nowt wrong with peaceful concerted protesting and show VT that we fans are also strong willed but let's be careful we don't also play into the hands of the diehards who would prefer us to be back in blue in Div (insert your own guess as to where we would end up).

I agree with you and the dust has certainly been kicked up on this again after the somewhat badly handled kit thingymabob.

At the end of the day, it's just a colour and football is just a sport to enjoy watching

My excuse is I have man flu and of course I popped in to AAMB for some merriment and mirth. Double wammy.

Malaise Yeah! wrote:My excuse is I have man flu and of course I popped in to AAMB for some merriment and mirth. Double wammy.

I've already shared my opinion, but ill summarise in here for the sake of argument -

The colour of the shorts, as odd as it may sound, deep down was irrelevant. My own and I know many others exact problem was how it was done. We had influential figures like Steve Borley and Barrie seeming to point out on twitter that not only did they dislike it as well, but also that they had no idea. Barrie in particular is head of media, giving him control over the photoshoot and all publications around the strip. If he wasnt consulted, was anyone?

Even if we decide I'm wrong, you'd like to think anyone at the club would hopefully offer the idea that maybe a short colour change to red would upset fans rather unnessecerily (or at least you'd hope). If that happened, Tan simply ignored it.

Which brings it down to two options - Tan cared so little about what other people think he didn't bother asking anyone's opinion, or he asked people but paid no interest to what fans might think. I'm not really sure what is worse, but both(to use my word of the month) are an insult. Haven't we already been insulted enough by Tan over the last year and been forced to sit and take it? Why is he determined to keep testing our loyalty?

I don't think he is testing anyone's loyalty. He is running a business in a way that he knows best and is comfortable with, i.e. living and dying by his own decisions. He's done well by it over the years and I am sure he will also with Cardiff, provided he is allowed to get on with it.

If he is aware of the fans disquiet, I seriously doubt it will deflect him from his chosen path, until such time as the club is fit for selling and Tan can walk away with a profit, if he so chooses.

The shambles with the shorts is just another episode in the club's amateur PR/marketing operation.

The club does so much unheralded work for the community in areas that bring no tangible commercial return (e.g. financing futsal/ladies/disability teams), but this is overlooked as people concentrate on Tan's supposed 'evil empire'.

So frustrating.

TDA wrote:I don't think he is testing anyone's loyalty. He is running a business in a way that he knows best and is comfortable with, i.e. living and dying by his own decisions. He's done well by it over the years and I am sure he will also with Cardiff, provided he is allowed to get on with it.

If he is aware of the fans disquiet, I seriously doubt it will deflect him from his chosen path, until such time as the club is fit for selling and Tan can walk away with a profit, if he so chooses.

He has tested people's loyalty, or did you miss the 400 names that signed the petition?

I also have to point out how alarmed I am by how easily you dismiss the club as 'just a business'. He's in it for the money, of course he is as is every other football clubs owner. But if the club devolves into purely a money making venture with zero interest in the fans, then I truly fear for us. Afterall, what happens if the club gets relegated again and any chance of a profit drys up? We get thrown out to the dogs?

Red614 wrote:

TDA wrote:I don't think he is testing anyone's loyalty. He is running a business in a way that he knows best and is comfortable with, i.e. living and dying by his own decisions. He's done well by it over the years and I am sure he will also with Cardiff, provided he is allowed to get on with it.

If he is aware of the fans disquiet, I seriously doubt it will deflect him from his chosen path, until such time as the club is fit for selling and Tan can walk away with a profit, if he so chooses.

He has tested people's loyalty, or did you miss the 400 names that signed the petition?

I also have to point out how alarmed I am by how easily you dismiss the club as 'just a business'. He's in it for the money, of course he is as is every other football clubs owner. But if the club devolves into purely a money making venture with zero interest in the fans, then I truly fear for us. Afterall, what happens if the club gets relegated again and any chance of a profit drys up? We get thrown out to the dogs?

I think he meant it's not his intention to test anyone's loyalty.

Why would the fans get 'thrown out to the dogs' if we get relegated? Some will continue to follow the club, others won't, that's always been the case. If the club fails as a business, then none of us will be able to follow it.

Red614 wrote:

TDA wrote:I don't think he is testing anyone's loyalty. He is running a business in a way that he knows best and is comfortable with, i.e. living and dying by his own decisions. He's done well by it over the years and I am sure he will also with Cardiff, provided he is allowed to get on with it.

If he is aware of the fans disquiet, I seriously doubt it will deflect him from his chosen path, until such time as the club is fit for selling and Tan can walk away with a profit, if he so chooses.

He has tested people's loyalty, or did you miss the 400 names that signed the petition?

I also have to point out how alarmed I am by how easily you dismiss the club as 'just a business'. He's in it for the money, of course he is as is every other football clubs owner. But if the club devolves into purely a money making venture with zero interest in the fans, then I truly fear for us. Afterall, what happens if the club gets relegated again and any chance of a profit drys up? We get thrown out to the dogs?

400 names represents 2% of season ticket holders. I presume that the other 98% are okay with the way the club is being run, as I am.

Others have already pointed out the extra-curricular activites he has brought to the club, but you can't please all of the people all of the time, can you?

2% of the season ticket holders in less than 24 hours is a pretty high margin. It was also growing exponentially when the petition became redundant and the club backed down. We're not talking 22,000 a la Everton, but it would easily get into double figures percentage wise.

But if that's your opinion then fair play, you're entitled to it. I'm not joining KCB, I'm not screaming for Tan to leave, I just wish he would show the fans that have stuck with him some respect.

I see Bluebirds Unite are holding an open meeting next Tuesday. Interesting to see if anything sensible and constructive emerges from it (although I can't say I'm optimistic).