Glory years Bristol City go with Swansea, Rovers go with Cardiff. Well, up to a point. City’s flirtation with the First Division in the late Seventies matched Swansea’s march to the top, though Swansea got there just as City were sinking. The early Eighties also saw Newport’s last fling, reaching fourth in the Third Division and the quarter-finals of the Cup-Winners Cup. Cardiff’s great days were in the 1920s, when they were league runners-up (1924), Cup finalists (1925) and finally Cup winners (1927). But their last decent First Division spell was in the Fifties, also when Rovers got to their highest league position (sixth in the Second Division) and twice reached the sixth round of the Cup.
Book reviews
Reviews from When Saturday Comes. Follow the link to buy the book from Amazon.
Sam Hammam's desperate bid to create another crazy gang may not be changing Cardiff City for the better, says Grahame Lloyd
Is Sam Hammam the saviour of Cardiff City or just a showman with a flair for self-publicity? Post-Wimbledon, Hammam was desperate to become involved in football again. He picked up his new club for the bargain basement price of just over £3 million in August and was welcomed with open arms by supporters. Eyebrows were raised, however, when Hammam suggested City should change their colours from blue to green and their name to Cardiff Celts. The bluebird symbol would be replaced by a Celtic cross and the club would come to represent Wales.
Sacked Chelsea coach Gianluca Vialli will most likely continue his managerial career in England, not Italy, reports Filippo Ricci
What does the future hold for Gianluca Vialli after his sacking by Chelsea? He didn’t need an official coaching licence to work in England, though it will be mandatory in the future, but it is already compulsory in Italy and Vialli doesn’t yet have one.
Leeds United no longer have to look back in anger, says Dave Cohen. They have finally shed the burden of the club's great years under Don Revie
The history of Leeds United is the history of Don Revie and can be written as follows: Chapter One: Before Don Revie; Chapter Two: The Revie Years; and Chapter Three: The Revie Legacy.
For 100 years, Bradford City battled boardroom conservatism, economic decline and rival clubs of two codes – and won. Mike Harrison wonders when Leeds will notice
For a city with a metropolitan population of nearly half a million (more than Manchester and nearly twice the size of Newcastle), Bradford has rarely come close to fulfilling its potential as a football centre. In some ways the figure is misleading, including as it does the rural suburbs of Ilkley, Addingham, Menston and Burley. In addition, Bradford has had a growing Asian population since the 1960s, working in what remained of the wool industry. Very few have become regulars at Valley Parade, even though the ground lies in the heart of their community. While that does not reflect well on the club’s efforts to draw them in, it does help to explain why City, even in the Premier League, struggle with a relatively modest fan base.