Cardiff City RedBlueDragonBirds 2012-2013 season

[editor]

It's hardly the first time that's happened.

In the 70s the people in the Grandstand would happily have exterminated the entire Grange End if they could. And I remember running feuds between Barry and Valley Boys, and even town vs docks... don't think footie fans have ever been short of factions...

Sure. But if a new owner had rocked up in those days and informed the crowd that the team would henceforth be playing in different colours with a different badge and with a shite corporate motto, I'm pretty sure that they would have given the owner an even worse reception than the Man Utd fans got.

Not that any of this has much to do with a team having a whimsical corporate branding forced on them, of course.

 

[phildwyer]

Sure. But if a new owner had rocked up in those days and informed the crowd that the team would henceforth be playing in different colours with a different badge and with a shite corporate motto, I'm pretty sure that they would have given the owner an even worse reception than the Man Utd fans got.

Or even Rudi Glockner...

 

[editor]

He was some ref.

Troubled Times: The 1970s

Wales had a better spell of play in the 70s, ironically enough following the appointment of Mike Smith, who became the first English manager of Wales. He took over from Welshman Dave Bowen in 1974 and steered Wales into the last eight in the 1976 European Championship. To qualify for the finals, Wales had to beat Yugoslavia. The team lost the first leg in Zagreb, conceding two goals, and only managed a 1-1 draw when Yugoslavia played them at home in the return match. The game was to be remembered for reasons other than sporting prowess, however.

It was played at Ninian Park in Cardiff, which had become one of the first grounds in the UK to install perimeter fencing, in response to a rising tide of football hooliganism. Throughout the game, the East German referee, Rudi Glockner, made some apparently dubious decisions which enraged the Welsh fans. He awarded the Yugoslavs a penalty after a dive, and then ruled out a goal scored by Ian Evans, having judged the bicycle kick pass which preceded it to be dangerous. Instead of being level, Wales had a free kick awarded against them!

Minutes later another Wales goal was disallowed, Glockner judging the player to have been off-side. The crowd went mad, scaling the fence and throwing missiles, including full beer cans, at the hapless official. Wales missed a late penalty and were out. The fans directed their anger and disappointment at Glockner who had to be escorted from the field with a guard of 16 policemen, one of whom was badly injured when a corner flag was aimed, javelin-style, at the referee's head. The press had a field day and photos of the bloody rioting were seen around the world. Welsh football had reached a new low.

In the late 70s Wales managed to defeat England, despite playing away at Wembley. It was the first time in 42 years of international competition that Wales had beaten England, and remains the only Welsh victory on English soil
http://www.talkfootball.co.uk/guides/history_of_the_welsh_national_team.html

 

[phildwyer]

He was some ref.

He refereed the 1970 World Cup Final, so not too bad then.

Probably a better judge of most decisions than the drunken, raging loons who attacked him at Ninian Park...

Mind you, I was there that day in '76, and he did seem to hate the Welsh... the constant chants of Seig Heil probably didn't help... but it did look like an East Bloc stitch-up... I was as angry as the next pipsqueak in the Boys' Enclosure...

 

[editor]

Probably a better judge of most decisions than the drunken, raging loons who attacked him at Ninian Park...

What a weird comment.

 

[phildwyer]

What a weird comment.

You think he was attacked by sober, respectable gentlemen?

It was very lucky no-one died that day. The copper who was impaled on a corner flag nearly did. It was nutters on the rampage, and nothing the police could do...

 

[editor]

You think he was attacked by sober, respectable gentlemen?

You seem to be contradicting yourself with the bit you've just added to your post so I'll leave it, thanks.

 

[phildwyer]

You seem to be contradicting yourself with the bit you've just added to your post

Obviously not, as anyone who reads it can see.

so I'll leave it, thanks.

I think that would be best.

 

[editor]

Obviously not, as anyone who reads it can see.

Would that be before or after you added whole new parts to your posts?

 

[phildwyer]

Would that be before or after you added whole new parts to your posts?

 

[editor]

If you're going to start denying that you'd gone back and edited your posts after I replied to them, then I can only assume you're pissed.

Either way, I've got better things to do.

 

[Clint Iguana]

 

[Gromit]

Ironically this old photo shows that Fred wore grey when he won the FA cup.

 

[editor]

Still 0-0 but Brighton are getting stuffed!

Shots 8 - 1
On target 7 - 1
Corners 7 - 0

 

[editor]

And Brighton have scored!

Perhaps the awesome power of the red scarves is causing a short circuit.

 

[strummerville]

Seagulls! We'll be lucky to hang onto the lead to be honest. Think we need the 3 points more than you at the moment.

 

[editor]

Seagulls! We'll be lucky to hang onto the lead to be honest. Think we need the 3 points more than you at the moment.

Just change your strip to red and everything will be hunky dory.

 

[strummerville]

"ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-changes"

 

[strummerville]

2-0! didnt see that coming. We do seem to often get a result at your place though.

 

[editor]

Proof indeed of the mighty power of the red scarves (which I hope were thrown back on to the pitch and set ablaze).

 

[editor]

*Like

 

[trampie]

He refereed the 1970 World Cup Final, so not too bad then.

Probably a better judge of most decisions than the drunken, raging loons who attacked him at Ninian Park...

Mind you, I was there that day in '76, and he did seem to hate the Welsh... the constant chants of Seig Heil probably didn't help... but it did look like an East Bloc stitch-up... I was as angry as the next pipsqueak in the Boys' Enclosure...

He reffed the final by default other refs were turned down by the finalists because of football politics, it is said he kicked up a fuss that they did not have the correct German flag to fly for him at the final but as luck would have it Glockner had his own German flag with him that he had happened to take all the way to Central America {East German flag- apparently a proud Saxon, Prussian type}.


When it came to the Wales-Yugoslavia match it is said that he insisted on having his own national anthem played not just the two countries anthem but his as well, he gave every decision going to the team that would host the finals, the ref seemed to have it in for Wales, was it because we were on the winning side in the war ?, was it because we are sporting rivals of the English and the Germans and English are very friendly when it comes to sport, lots of football fans thought the English and Germans collaborated to get their teams into the 66 world cup final, what did the South Americans call it ''the robbery of the century'' wasn't it !, i remember the Wales v Yugoslavia game well and put it like this with another ref i think Wales would have won and possibly got through to play in the last 4 alongside 3 of the best sides Europe had seen in the Czechs, the Dutch and the Germans.

But yet again fortune did not smile on Wales who would have won the 34 World cup if we had entered, Wales would have won the 58 world cup if the best player in the world at the time in John Charles had not been brutally kicked out of competition by the Hungarians, and if we had progressed in the 76 Euros as given a fair wind the game at Ninian Park would have been a big win for Wales we would have got the Germans the weakest of the 3 teams in the semis but there you go.

 

[Clint Iguana]

in the words of B-right-on's very own Midfield General -- keep it real

 

[trampie]

Come on K-ardiff don't let Welsh football down by bottling it [again], you have already sold your soul and turned your backs on tradition by playing in red, surely you can't blow promotion this time, surely not, Swans fans were looking forward to a guaranteed 6 points next season off you lot, so come on pull your socks up and show a bit of backbone.

 

[1927]

Well the keep it blue thing wen t really well tonite! I think the masses have spoken.

 

[editor]

Well the keep it blue thing wen t really well tonite! I think the masses have spoken.

Great to see the free gift of extra redness paying such fantastic dividends today. What more proof do we need of the colour's magical powers?

 

[Gromit]

Well the keep it blue thing wen t really well tonite! I think the masses have spoken.

Was that sarcasm?

I'd like to say that the scarf fiasco wasn't at all divisive but it was. There was a sea of red scarves. Also a number of people dug out blue scarves to bring to deliberately wave them. I saw one guy wearing both a blue and a red one.

My friends were playfully annoyed at my red scarf wearing whilst also deeply disapproving.

As for the throwing onto pitch idea. 4 scarves. Yes 4 whole scarves is all. One person went on at the end to retrieve one of them.

The announcement of VT birthday was met without much enthusiasm. Malky's birthday announcement met with cheers.
The match started to a duller than usual atmosphere.

So in the battle between red and blue no one won today and the result / performance didn't cheer anyone up either.

 

[Gromit]

Great to see the free gift of extra redness paying such fantastic dividends today. What more proof do we need of the colour's magical powers?

It only works with shirts and too much of a good thing can be a bad thing. VT pushed lady luck too far with his overly blatant attempt to win favour. She is fickle like that.

 

[editor]

The Twitter stream tells its own story.

 

[Gromit]

Onto the football.

Whits worked hard but seemed to spend most of his time defending not attacking (which is where his true value is).

Our midfield was anon until Conway took it over.

Passing and crosses were dreadful when we couldn't afford it to be. Brighton had control of the pitch for most of the game and their park the bus counter-attacking tactics paid off again.

Un-clinical finish wasn't good enough against a high calibre goalkeep (ex Man U).

Must try harder. I just hope it was because we were still knackered from Saturday's game.