There is always a lot being said from down the road, some of the finest nonsense that’s been heard in football. The delusion is over many years now, despite being put in their place on so many occasions.
Take our headline this morning.
That came from Sam Hammam in 2002 when he was running things at a dilapidated Ninian Park, around the time the Swans were on the verge of going out of business. Welsh club football was in a dire state, how anyone, even Hammam could have the audacity to even think about muttering some of the things he said back then is beyond most intelligent peoples reasoning. That line, ‘Swansea will never be a big club and if they are honest with themselves they will say so’ would of course come back to bite when Valencia were despatched in the Europa League. And of course before then with a style of football he could only dream about when he compared Cardiff City to Barcelona when talking about the future of his club.
Hammam was a news headline writers dream. He did everything for publicity and whilst doing so sucker punched an easily led Cardiff fanbase to believe it. Ok, that’s not hard as even today whilst they wallow in derby day misery time and time again there is a superiority complex borne out of arrogance. That has to be either a lack of personal awareness, or a lack acceptance they are not a very good football team.
In Hammam’s case, I actually knew him fairly well, he was so determined to see the Jack Army turn their backs on their club and follow Cardiff he called me on numerous occasions. At the time I was writing for 442 and The Mirror amongst other things and he was desperate for an outlet. I wasn’t going to give Cardiff City any limelight in such a well read publication as 442, and many will remember ‘Total Football’ as well. He even went on a tour of South Wales being driven around by Annis Abraham to convince the population this was a very good idea. One club in Wales his aim. He never went to the key areas though, that wouldn’t have been a good idea. As it did with Hammam at Wimbledon it all fell apart at Cardiff City, the history of which is amusing should you ever want to have a dabble.
He came out of it very much in credit financially. Which doesn’t surprise me at all. He wasn’t an unlikeable man, but he did meet with a support at Cardiff who would believe anything he said, especially when he was undermining the Swans. Oddly enough no mention was ever made of Bristol City.
Then there was this - Another memorable quote from his time at Cardiff, he once referred to the team's style of play as "orgy football. "The other team know they’re going to get it, but they don’t know from whom or where from "
There’s many more. And Cardiff City swallowed it all.
Since those claims from Hammam the Swans haven’t really looked back. The club was sensationally saved from oblivion first by ‘that’ final day defeat of Hull City in 2003 to stay in the football league, and of course the fans taking over the club before that. The Swans really haven’t looked back. Seven seasons in the Premier League followed and a major trophy beating Liverpool and Chelsea over two legs to reach the League Cup Final in 2013 where Bradford City were annihilated 5-0. The stuff of dreams that Cardiff City just couldn’t match. It was made even more sweeter as Cardiff had lost in the final the year before to Liverpool. I’ll leave this thought with you on that. Cardiff didn’t play one Premier League side until they got to the final. Then they lost. Well, we know how the Swans got there the year after, and who they beat.
Sam Hammam was indeed a legend in his own mind, after Vincent Tan took over at Cardiff they made Hammam life President. Even though at the time he was behind a company called Langston that was looking for a thirty million pay off. That title was soon removed after a legal battle which ended without a winner and Tan enforced his removal with a healthy pay off. That’s what it is all down to in the end, money, and every club in the land knows that. There’s still some Cardiff fans who don’t get it though.
That’s enough Cardiff slating for now, but there is more, a lot more in the run up to the derby. That’s guaranteed.