Trust member Charlie Brown of Llanishen, Cardiff, collected his £50 prize as the winner of the quiz in our latest magazine.
Charlie is pictured, right, with the latest Trust magazine alongside Rob Jeffery, who compiled the quiz.
Congratulations to Charlie Brown of Llanishen who successfully cracked the quiz published in the Trust’s newsletter. Thanks to all those that entered.
So, how did you get on with the quiz? Here are the questions again with the answers.
Q1. In 2009 from which club did the City sign Nigerian footballer Solomon Taiwo ?
On 11 August 2009 Cardiff City played Dagenham and Redbridge in the Carling Cup. Despite finishing on the wrong end of a 3-1 defeat, Solomon impressed City Manager Dave Jones enough to sign him for a fee rising to £250,000. His 3 year contract period at Cardiff City was somewhat undistinguished only managing 9 appearances although persistent injuries were a factor. He also gained notoriety later when he appeared on the BBC in the 2017 series of Masterchef. Sadly, his performance on that programme probably reflected his Cardiff City career. He was knocked out after producing only one dish of chicken and pasta. Unfortunately for him, his early departure from Masterchef did not go unnoticed and he received considerable abuse on Twitter from some of his former Cardiff team mates.
Q2. Who took over as Caretaker Manager of the City after the sacking of Malky Mackay in 2013 ?
When Malky Mackay signed a 3 year contract to manage the City in June 2011 he brought with him from Watford his first team coach David Kerslake to carry out the same role with us. Citing issues with signings, transfer budgets, results and style of play Vincent Tan told Malky to resign from the club or be dismissed. Malky refused and looking back on it now it seems an age between the controversy arising and his eventual dismissal after a 3-0 home defeat to Southampton on Boxing Day 2013. This paved the way for David Kerslake to take over in a Caretaker capacity starting with a 2-2 draw at home to Sunderland with a Jack Colback equaliser in the 95th minute. That brings back painful memories ! Kerslake lasted one more game – a 2-0 defeat away to Arsenal and then the OGS era started. David Kerslake is now Assistant Manager at Lincoln City.
Q3. Which Cardiff City footballer had the nickname “Nookie Bear” due to his resemblance to ventriloquist Roger DeCourcey ?
Derek Showers also known as “Danny”. He first came to my attention in the 1970/71 FA Youth Cup campaign where his goals helped the City to a 2 leg final with Arsenal. Quite an achievement. However, an injury sustained in the semi final ruled him out for both legs of the final and, at the time, was regarded as significantly diminishing our chances. He was fast tracked into the first team squad in 1970 at the tender age of 17 after the sale of John Toshack. Never a prolific scorer his commitment was never questioned. He was sold to Bournemouth in 1977 and it is believed that at his next club, Portsmouth, he gained the nickname “Nookie Bear” when his rapidly receding hairline rendered him a Roger DeCoucey lookalike.
Q4. He has a famous father and he made the first of only 6 City appearances against Wrexham in 1991 – who is he ?
Cameron Toshack. There aren’t that many father/son partnerships to have played for Cardiff City and John Toshack is the most distinguished father. Cameron Toshack had tried his hand at Swansea City and Bristol City before joining us. Unfortunately he was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes at the age of 21 which made life difficult in trying to cope with the physical demands of professional football. He is now a very successful coach in the youth structures of a club further down the M4……. errr I forget which one !
Q5. This goalkeeper had a long and curious career which consisted of 19 different spells at different clubs including 13 on loan, one of them being 7 appearances for the City in 2001 – who is he ?
When I looked up Carl Muggleton on Wikipedia I thought, Blimey, this bloke has got about a bit. When he joined us on loan in 2000/01 season his substantive club was Stoke City although he had been playing on loan for Chesterfield. He was backup for Mark Walton during his short spell with us. He has forsaken football and is now a qualified driving instructor.
Q6. Who were the City’s opponents when they won the FA Charity Shield in 1927?
Now known as the FA Community Shield. The City played Corinthian Casuals on 12 October 1927 at Stamford Bridge in front of 16,500 spectators. The City won with 2-1 with late goals by Hugh Ferguson and Len Davies after trailing since the 49th minute. This match took place in the days long before it was automatically between the FA Cup winner and the League Champions. The previous 4 Charity Shield matches were between an England Amateur XI and an England Professional XI. It would be interesting to find out why there was a change of heart to let the FA Cup Winners in against a famous Amateur XI. Answers on a postcard please.
Q7. The last hat-trick scored by a City Player in the European Cup Winners Cup was in 1988 against Derry City – who was it ?
In the 1988/89 ECWC competition City were drawn against Derry City in the 1st round. We drew 0-0 in the away leg and won comfortably the home leg 4-0 with a hat-trick by Jimmy Gilligan and a goal by Brian McDermott ( as a manager he replaced Neil Warnock as permanent manager of Leeds United).We were knocked out in the 2nd round comfortably 6-1 on aggregate to AGF Aarhus of Denmark. Sadly the heydays of Cardiff City in Europe were now over. We only competed in 2 more seasons of the ECWC getting knocked out in the first round on both occasions the last one being a salutary experience losing 8-3 on aggregate to Standard Liege.
Q8. Who scored the City’s first goal in their second stint in the Premier League ?
It came in the City’s 4th Premier League appearance against Arsenal when Victor Camarasa equalised just before half time.In the second half City went 2-1 down with a build up and finish we could only dream of by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Danny Ward equalised with a header only for Alexandre Lacazette to lose Sol Bamba ( not for the first time in the match) and finish clinically for the winner. I thought we made a decent fist of a performance in that game and deserved a point. However class told in the end.
Q9 Which City player missed penaltieis in the shoot-outs of both the semi-final and final of the 2011-12 League Cup Competition?
In the semi final we beat Palace 3-1 on penalties after a 1-1 draw over 2 legs. Kenny Miller being the only one of the 4 City penalty takers who missed. The final is still difficult to recall as the disappointment comes flooding back. Kenny Miller’s miss in the final minute which could have won it for us was hard to bear. As a seasoned striker you would have thought he could have done better with his penalty in shoot out but no, he hit the upright. I’m not entirely sure I’ve forgiven him.
Q10. In January 2011 which Israel International did the City sign from Blackpool ?
Dekel Keinan joined the City from Blackpool in January for the dreaded “undisclosed fee”. He did not make much of an impact being kept out of the team by the likes of Paul Quinn. However, his debut was very memorable in that it was at the Liberty Stadium on 6 February when Craig Bellamy scored a dramatic 85th minute winner. Loans to Crystal Palace and Bristol City took place but a permanent move to Palace fell through. Eventually he rejoined his former club Maccabi Tel Aviv after being released by us.
A quiz run to support Headway, the brain injury charity and the Trust’s charity for the season, raised £280 last night.
The event was staged at The Three Arches pub in Cardiff and pictured are representatives from Headway and the Trust. Thanks to everyone for their support for this superb charity.
Headway is a charity that works to improve life after brain injury. An acquired brain injury (ABI) is an injury caused to the brain since birth. There are many possible causes, including a fall, a road accident, tumour and stroke. In Cardiff and south-east Wales, Headway works from Rookwood Hospital in Llandaff .
Cardiff City Football Club has kindly agreed to allow Headway to hold a bucket collection in aid of its vital work before the derby clash against Swansea City in January.
The Trust’s latest magazine is OUT. It includes an article by Trust chair, Keith Morgan on club finances and governance, a feature on Robin Friday and the traditional, Bluebirds Brainteaser. We hope fans enjoy the read.
We’ll be distributing copies at tomorrow’s Championship clash with Middlesborough.
Thanks to all Trust members for their continuing support. Non-members can join the Trust for just £12 a year at www.ccfctrust.org or call into the Trust office near Gate 5 on match days. We’d love to see you.
Trust chair and football finance expert, Keith Morgan, gives his verdict on whether Cardiff City directors would pass or fail proposed new Owner and Director Tests drawn up by the Football Supporters’ Association’s (FSA) in a recent paper requested by the Football Association.
For owners, the paper proposes that anyone taking ownership of more than 25% of a club’s shares should firstly be required to pass a test proving that they have a sustainable business plan for the club and that they will appoint people to be the club’s directors that have the skills and experience to run it properly, including having satisfactory engagement with the club’s supporters and other stakeholders.
Tests for both owners and directors would involve full disclosure of any previous personal insolvency issues, failures as a director of insolvent companies, criminal convictions etc. and that any such incidences should be regarded prima facie as a bar from becoming an owner or director. There would also be a bar on owners borrowing money to buy a club but giving the lender security over club assets for that lending i.e. borrowing money personally, but leaving the burden of that lending to be met by the club.
The first thing to say is, of course, to express our sympathy to our fellow fans at Bury FC following their expulsion from the English Football League (EFL). We’re pleased that Bolton Wanderers has been saved from a similar fate to that of Bury.
If the proposed new rules for Owner and Director fitness tests had been applied in the Bury case, the sad outcome may well have been avoided.
At Cardiff City we are fortunate in that, as Chair of Cardiff City Supporters’ Trust, I have regular meetings with the Chief Executive Ken Choo and also dialogue with the Chair Mehmet Dalman on issues such as corporate governance at the club, its overall financial strategy etc. to receive at least a degree of assurance and comfort for our fans that a Bury or Bolton crisis situation will not happen at our club.
Also, our involvement with the FSA enables us to be kept up to date with discussions with the football authorities and to provide our input into those discussions.
One issue to be considered perhaps is, if the proposed new Owner and Director tests were applied to Cardiff City FC (CCFC), how would its owner and directors be assessed? This cannot be determined accurately, and is looked at now with the benefit of hindsight and applying proposed rules which were not in force at the time of their appointment.
These are my personal views of how they might be applied to the owner and directors of Cardiff City.
Owner – Tan Sri Vincent Tan
No history of past business failures and has invested heavily with his own money into the club without taking it out by way of dividends, bonuses or even loan repayments as debt due to him has largely either been written off or converted into non-repayable shares as part of a historical promise to do so.
No football knowledge or experience before involvement with CCFC but has gained a lot since, including with other clubs.
Would pass new owner test – YES
Chair – Mehmet Dalman
Highly successful businessman, with no record of business failure. Also invested in the club (since repaid) through a business in which he has an interest at a time when the club needed a cash injection.
Had football experience before CCFC, including involvement with owners of Manchester United and has certainly dealt with football problems and issues since at CCFC.
Would pass director test – YES
Chief Executive – Ken Choo
Experienced businessman and qualified accountant, but no football experience prior to joining CCFC. Has since gained huge experience at this club and other football clubs owned or part owned by Vincent Tan. Test applied to Ken would have been financial skills level he brought to club.
Would pass director test – YES
Director – Steve Borley
Very experienced and successful local businessman, who has invested into the club when required to assist it financially and is also a long standing fan of the club.
Would pass director test – YES
Director – Derek Chee Seng Chin
Research shows him to be a senior lawyer in Vincent Tan’s Berjaya business empire but appears to be the owner’s employee rather than to have any specific role for the benefit of CCFC (the club uses external lawyers for its own advice).
Would pass director test –NO, as actual work for CCFC as an entity unclear
Director – Marco Ronaldo Caramella
Not clear what his direct role at CCFC is, but he is a highly successful businessman in Malaysia and has a Cardiff link from his schooldays here. Possible role is in some form of profile raising or seeking additional investors for the club in Malaysia.
Would pass director test – UNLIKELY, as role seems more “ambassadorial” than any role in actually running the football club
Director – Danni Rais
Even doing some research makes it unclear what Danni Rais does, but he seems to have a high social profile back in ,Malaysia and his father was a senior figure in government there until recently. No apparent role at CCFC.
Would pass director test –NO
Director – Ronald Issen
Has a senior role in a business which raised a lot of money in the USA last year , but no apparent reason for him being involved in CCFC and far from clear why he was made a director in 2018.
Would pass director test – NO
Keith Morgan, Chair
With recent turmoil surrounding the future of Bury and Bolton Wanderers, Trust chair Keith Morgan, a football finance expert calls for action over the way football clubs are run and owned, the so-called Owners and Directors Tests
At the Football Supporters’ Association Annual General Meeting held at the end of June 2019, attended by myself on behalf of Cardiff City Supporters’ Trust, one of the matters discussed was a paper concerning corporate governance of football clubs.
In particular, proposals made to the Football Association (at their request) recommending changes to how the FA ensured that football club owners and the directors they appointed to run the clubs were “vetted” to try and ensure that they properly protect, sustain and run clubs in the long term interests of the fans and communities those clubs represent.
The paper strongly recommended that those responsible for setting and monitoring compliance with these regulations should be independent of the clubs and their owners and directors.
The very sad recent news concerning Bury FC and Bolton Wanderers FC (now saved) has just served to strike home what an important issue this is, requiring urgent action by the football authorities acting in unison with fan representative bodies to minimise the risk of future similar damaging impact on the game of football as we know it.
Currently there are three sets of tests covering Owners and Directors – one for the Premier League( PL) , one for the English Football League(EFL) and one for the National League(NL). The paper proposed consolidating these into one consistent set of rules.
For owners, the paper proposes that anyone taking ownership of more than 25% of a club’s shares should firstly be required to pass a test proving that they have a sustainable business plan for the club and that they will appoint people to be the club’s directors that have the skills and experience to run it properly, including having satisfactory engagement with the club`s supporters and other stakeholders.
The paper, therefore, acknowledges that the owners themselves may not have the relevant football knowledge and skills, but that they should ensure that those they appoint to the board should and that they apply that knowledge and skill for the benefit of the football club.
Tests for both owners and directors would involve full disclosure of any previous personal insolvency issues, failures as a director of insolvent companies , criminal convictions etc. and that any such incidences should be regarded prima facie as a bar from becoming an owner or director. There would also be a bar on owners borrowing money to buy a club but giving the lender security over club assets for that lending .i.e. borrowing money personally, but leaving the burden of that lending to be met by the club.
There will now be undoubted further pressure from Football Supporters Association on the FA to bring about these changes to the regulations as soon as practicable.
Unfortunately it has taken the expulsion of a long standing football club to make it more likely to take heed of the warnings set out in the paper.
Keith Morgan