Ridsdale in quit threat

Last updated : 21 September 2007 By Michael Morris
Out of the blue come comments from Peter Ridsdale suggesting he could quit Cardiff City because of the abuse he's receiving from fans who want Sam Hammam back.

"I am getting more stick for saving Cardiff City than I did when things went wrong at Leeds," said Ridsdale.

"If the fans want Sam Hammam back in charge, as many of them are telling me, then maybe they should have him."

Ridsdale is reported to have offered his resignation to the board today but they turned it down.

"Right now, I feel like walking away," he said. "The future for the football club would be bleak, maybe even liquidation.

"Do I want to do that? No, I really am passionate about what's happening.

"Am I being driven away? Yes. I believe I am."

Ridsdale, it's claimed, has received abusive texts that have pushed him to the edge.

Surely Mr Ridsdale is aware that the majority of supporters are behind his Chairmanship as the club was within seconds of disaster before he took over. You only have to look at the messageboard to know that there is very little backing of Sam Hammam with fans aware that the club came close to liquidation and would have had no new stadium. It seems that a minority are causing trouble and I would have thought Peter Ridsdale would be able to deal with critisism after the Leeds Utd situation. I cannot believe that he is getting worse abuse from Cardiff fans than he did at Leeds.

This is a second "incredible" news story in the past few weeks. The first was the possible legal action instigated by the Langstone Corporation against the club for £30m. That subject has gone quiet lately.

Ridsdale goes on to say

"I will readily accept criticism from the fans because it is their club. I am available to talk to fans - and I will always be open and honest.

"I can't stand liars - and I will never lie to the fans of Cardiff City. Whenever I am asked a question I will answer honestly.

"When I came here this football club was bust. The stadium project was dead in the water. Now we have a team to be proud of and everybody can see work on the stadium starting.

"And yet supporters still tell me they want Sam Hammam back.

"I don't want praise. Far from it. I am not here for that. It's not about Peter Ridsdale - it's about my fellow directors, it's about staff like Julian Jenkins, Suzanne Twamley and everybody at Ninian Park.

"It's about Dave Jones, the players, and most of all the fans. But I am fed up with being told at every turn 'It was better when Sam Hammam was here'

"The saddest thing is that the only way I could prove what I say is true would be to let Sam Hammam take the club back. Then people would say 'Oh, we got it wrong'.

"The only way to prove I am right is Armageddon.

"Nobody really understands the size of the task achieved in stopping Cardiff City going out of business.

"When I came here the football club was turning over £8m, losing £9m a year and were £30m-plus in debt which they could not pay back.

"Today, the stadium project is back on track and you can see the bulldozers and work progressing opposite Ninian Park. We are securing the future for Cardiff City.

"The stadium is an asset on the football club's balance sheet - and we can see our way to paying the debt which we accept we owe - and we will pay within the timescales agreed, hopefully earlier.

"People ring me saying when Sam Hammam left we were top of the Championship. But Sam Hammam could not even sign cheques for two years before that - and it was me who brought in Michael Chopra, Stephen McPhail and more.

"We owed the inland revenue £1.7m and there was a £3m bill for professional services on the stadium. The progress since those days has been unbelievable.

"I am as frustrated as anybody about results, but when people talk about a lack of passion it really gets to me

"My family live 250 miles away and yet I am here in South Wales all week and I have not missed a match. If there is a lack of passon, why don't I go home on a Friday and spent the weekend with my children?

"People want ticket prices to stay the same, they want the new stadium and they want new players in all the time. I am giving everything I have to try and achieve everything they want.

"Criticise me by all means, but don't keep telling me you want Sam Hammam back. I have put half a million pounds of my own money into this football club. I have done that because I believe in what is happening here.

"Other people have done the same. How much of his own money did Sam Hammam put in?"

I must admit this surprises me. OK on the pitch we were in a better position when Sam left but by now we may well have been out of business. I don't know the full reasons why all of a sudden Ridsdale should come out with such comments but it's unsettling and not going to help the football side of things. Just what is going on?