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Thread | Public Statement from the Board of Cardiff City Supporters` Trust ...
at 17:37 28 Apr 2025
"We are dedicated fans of Cardiff City FC, some of us have supported the club through thick and thin for more than 60 years. However, we could not let the dreadful relegation to League One after more than 20 years in higher divisions go without comment. Relegation in all honestly has been coming since the 2021-22 season and the failure to address fundamental required changes from the top down has now come home to roost.
Unless these matters are tackled urgently, the downward spiral on and off the field will continue and fan support will continue to drift away at an even faster rate than it has already.
Of course we appreciate the enormous financial support from the club owner Vincent Tan which has led to promotion to the Premier League on two occasions. But there has been a complete failure to address the “elephants in the room” of a lack of specialist football experience and knowledge at club Board level and the lack of any full time Board director at the club, leading to an apparent lack of advice and knowledge to pass on to the owner.
As the season has progressed and it quickly became evident that things were not going to plan on the pitch, it has been far from clear who on the club Board, if anyone, has been advising the owner on footballing matters. If any such advice and recommendations have in fact been given, it is unclear if any notice has been taken of such advice and recommendations. Sadly, this has proved to be a critical element in the club`s relegation in our view as the seemingly absolute and unchallengeable power of the owner in all major decisions has failed to work to the club`s benefit.
The appointment of a club Board member with specialist football knowledge and experience has been raised by the Trust with the club CEO Ken Choo and club Chair Mehmet Dalman and has also been raised by the other elected official fan bodies Cardiff City Supporters Club, the Fan Advisory Board (FAB) and the Disabled Supporters’ Association. Those officials have stated in meetings with fan bodies that they would be in favour of such an appointment but that the owner has been steadfastly against the idea, and he remains the sole decision maker. It seems to us that most of the strategic decision making at the club by the owner has been made in what is, effectively, an empirical knowledge and information vacuum.
After the worst start to a season in the club`s history and the expected departure of manager Erol Bulut, we believe it was a mistake to appoint such an inexperienced Championship manager as Omer Riza when there many experienced managers available to recruit. We are also unclear as to whether the permanent appointment of Omer Riza after an inordinate delay and after a series of poor performances and results was based on a Board decision/recommendation or was solely a decision by the owner and on what criteria that decision was made.
We thank Aaron Ramsey for stepping into an ultimately unsuccessful position as caretaker manager for the last three games of the season. However, we strongly believe that for the next season in League One we need an experienced manager at that level, possibly with Aaron playing a part in an assistant role to pick up experience (similar to Craig Bellamy under Vincent Kompany at Burnley and Anderlecht).
We are also disappointed that Vincent Tan has made only minimal and very infrequent contact with the club fans to discuss issues and listen to fans views and concerns. There has therefore been virtually no opportunity for fans to speak to the person who appears to be the sole decision maker on key issues at the club. As a matter of urgencywe are requesting a meeting between Vincent Tan and the elected fan bodies to discuss the failings which have culminated in our relegation to hear what fundamental changes are going to be put in place throughout the club from top to bottom to avoid further failings in future. Continuing the failings of the past that have lead to us celebrating our 125th anniversary with a relegation are not going to turn around our fortunes on the pitch."
Big changes are needed, and needed now, to avoid a further downward spiral in the fortunes of the club that we fans love.
https://www.ccfctrust.org/public-statement-from-the-board-of-cardiff-city-suppor |
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Thread | Eubank v Benn ...
at 23:31 26 Apr 2025
What a scrap. Both fighters left everything in the ring!! |
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Thread | Swansea City Have 4 Players In The Wales Squad ...
at 10:07 12 Mar 2025
"Swansea City have four players in the Wales squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Kazakhstan and North Macedonia.
Ben Cabango, Liam Cullen, Ollie Cooper and Joe Allen are all in Craig Bellamy’s squad as Wales start their bid to reach the finals in the United States in 2026.
They start by hosting Kazakhstan at the Cardiff City Stadium on Saturday March 22, and then travel to Skopje to face North Macedonia on Tuesday March 25.
Jisung Eom has been included in the South Korea squad for their qualifiers against Oman and Jordan, while Lawrence Vigouroux is part of the Chile squad for games against Paraguay and Ecuador.
Zan Vipotnik, meanwhile, is in the Slovenia squad for their Nations League play-off fixtures against Slovakia.
There is also an Indonesia call-up for Nathan Tjoe-A-On as they face Australia and Bahrain."
https://www.swanseacity.com/news/swansea-city-quartet-named-wales-squad-world-cu |
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Thread | Oakwood Theme Park Closed ...
at 18:38 4 Mar 2025
"It is with much sadness that we have to announce the immediate closure of Oakwood Theme Park and confirm the park will not open for the 2025 season.
Following a strategic review of the business, Aspro Parks, owner and operator of Oakwood Theme Park have reached this difficult decision due to the challenges presented by the current business environment.
All possible avenues have been explored to avoid the closure, and we fully recognise the impact of the closure on the local community and the loss that will be felt as a result.
Aspro Parks has invested over £25M since rescuing the park from being at risk of closure in 2008. Most recently a major refurbishment of Megafobia, the iconic wooden rollercoaster was completed to great success and acclaim from enthusiasts and fans of the park.
Despite the ongoing investment visitor numbers have declined, the financial performance of the park has suffered, making further investment unsustainable.
The unrelenting economic challenges ahead, increases in costs, affecting all areas of the operation from; ride parts to electricity costs, food and beverage inflation, increases in NLW and changes to national insurance thresholds have all impacted the decision.
A statement from Aspro Parks Group said “in the entire history of Aspro we have never closed any park or attraction. We, and our dedicated team of staff has strived to overcome numerous challenges to continue to bring joy to families and visitors across the region and country. Unfortunately, we could no longer see a sustainable way forward and will seek to improve our other parks using the assets and where possible team elsewhere”.
We are aware that Oakwood has been a much-loved destination for generations and a rite of passage for many young visitors. It is for this reason we feel such a sense of sadness.
We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to the dedication and commitment of our team members past and present, suppliers and contractors who have loyally supported us and of course all those that have visited Oakwood Theme Park over the years. We are sincerely grateful.
Thank you for making Oakwood Theme Park a special place."
https://www.oakwoodthemepark.co.uk/blog/sin-categoria/oakwood-theme-park-to-clos |
| Forum
Thread | Energy Price Cap To Rise By 6.4% In April ...
at 09:15 25 Feb 2025
"Energy bills for a typical household will rise by more than £100 a year in April under regulator Ofgem's new cap - a higher than expected increase adding pressure on people's finances.
The 6.4% increase means a household using a typical amount of gas and electricity will see their annual bill rise by £111 a year, or £9.25 a month, taking the total bill to £1,849 a year."
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cgl0k772lwpo |
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