Planet Swans ArchivesTo me a Cardiff supporter is just a fellow supporter, just that he`s/she`s chosen the wrong club (and a figure to feel sorry for if you feel anything at all LOL) We of the J.A.Net football team met up, played football and socialised with Cardiff’s rival board members (The Sleeping Giants) and they were a great bunch of characters and it was nice to meet the likes of Wolf, Armchair Blue, Mozzer1 and the rest of the gang so my question is why the hostility? Why do Cardiff / Swansea fan have running battles? And why did Cardiff supporters attempt to swim home from the mumbles? (Or so I been told)
Looking though the history of Cardiff A.F.C and comparing the 2 clubs for similarities or linkages I tried to look for some reasoning instead of hatred. We all know about matches between the clubs and the former Swansea players who have play for the bluebirds, Legg & Bowen are still there now. I will admit to having in the past referred to Cardiff as Swansea’s reject department but this I admit I did in jest.
Most of us know about Swansea’s history (or at least some of it) but what do we know if anything about Cardiff? Or is the hatred so deep that some of us are like ostriches hiding our heads from anything to do with our rivals? It interesting to see that ninian park was built on the site of a former rubbish tip (I shall refrain from sating that there is still rubbish there now) and it was going to be named Slopper park until Lord Ninian Crichton Stuart stepped in to guarantee finance
I feel I have to have to mention as the Bluebird constantly do:
1925 F.A cup runners up for Cardiff.
1927 F.A cup Winners /Charity shield winners (will we ever hear the last of it,)
7 years later however Cardiff were in trouble they finished bottom of the third division (south) (remind you of anyone?) and there was a real danger that they would not be re-elected to the league and that was just 7 years after their F.A. cup victory.
1933/4 Ben Watt Jones after years of service to Swansea resigned as chairman of the Club to use his influence in the footballing world to save Cardiff from extinction. That this south Wales administrator saved the Bluebird seems over the years to have been over looked but without this Ex-Swansea Chairman Cardiff A.F.C would not be here today (Cardiff Manager Ben Watt Jones 1934-7)
1951-2 Directors at Swansea were concerned over the club’s financial position. As a result of fees not being received (when due) for players who had been transferred to other clubs. There was also a dispute, at this time, with Cardiff it appears that the Swans purchased a winger who, it transpired had bad knees resulting in him giving up the game. The swans claimed he was not fit when he was signed, but Cardiff held the opposite view, which ended with the Swans paying £1000 to Cardiff!! The Swans had forgotten the saying buyers beware. This was a lot of money when you take into consideration that most players were only on £14 per week) The swans vowed never to buy a player without a medical again, but this lesson remained unlearned as later they signed a player from Tottenham who only played 5 games before having to give up the game, let’s hope this means twice bitten, lol .So is this the reason for the hatred who can tell!
Attendance averages at the moment for Cardiff are very good, but in the not so distant pass things were very different.
Attendance averages Cardiff Attendance averages for Swansea
1996/7 = 3,594 1996/7 = 3,850
1997/8 = 3,574 1997/8 = 3,443
They were about the same as Swansea, so a lot of similarities exist between the clubs and although I found many interesting facts along the way, I’m no closer to finding the reason for the hatred than I was when I started. Any ideas? I would like to hear your views as to why this (sometimes violent) intense rivalry exists.
Dave (Le rave) H.
