Burnley
Blackburn Rovers
Coventry City
Derby County
Leeds United
Luton Town
Middlesbrough
Millwall
Norwich City
Portsmouth
Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield United
QPR
Cardiff City suffered a heart-breaking relegation to League One on Saturday afternoon, and now chairman Vincent Tan has broken his silence to deliver a statement.
A turbulent campaign for the Bluebirds ended in the worst possible way as Cardiff’s 0-0 draw against West Brom confirmed their relegation from the Championship.
Worryingly, it’s the first time in 22 years that the Welsh side will be playing in the third tier, as Cardiff fans fumed over their ‘disgraceful’ campaign.
From start to finish it’s been a complete disaster, and it was topped off by the decision to replace Omer Riza with the inexperienced Aaron Ramsey for the final few matches.
Robert Earnshaw labelled Ramsey’s appointment as ‘weird’, seeing it as another horrid decision from the club, with chairman Vincent Tan now breaking silence following their relegation.
Vincent Tan hits out at Cardiff City fans after relegation
Cardiff fans protested against the ownership on Saturday, and it wasn’t the first time this season that supporters came together to scrutinise the board.
Ramsey even hit out at Cardiff’s lack of structure at full-time, as not having a sporting director and football knowledge at boardroom level have directly lead to their demise.
The club’s chairman Tan, who rarely speaks publicly about the club, has since issued a statement following relegation after the Cardiff City Supporters’ Trust demanded an urgent meeting with him.
Tan explained how he’s determined to review the several structures and practices currently in place at the club, with the unpopular Malaysian also taking a swipe at fans in the process.
“To say I don’t care is wrong and I strongly push back on that,” his statement read via Cardiff’s official website.
“I watch every game and speak to the board and manager before and after each one. My family will tell you: I kick every ball!”
“This will be the first time in 22 years that Cardiff City Football Club has not been a Premier League or Championship club and it’s a reality that we are determined to address and correct at the earliest opportunity,” the statement adds.
“To have the best chance of achieving this, there will be a thorough period of review across several structures and practices.
“This review has begun and involves the owner, board, executive management and stakeholders.”
Cardiff need to appoint a proven manager
Ramsey is uncertain about his future in the dugout, and not knowing where he stands has only created uncertainty heading into the summer.
The Welsh icon sees his contract expire in June and leaves the club with a huge decision to make, as they can either hand him the job full-time or watch him exit on a free transfer.
Ultimately, as much as he’s adored by the Cardiff faithful, they must appoint someone who can steady the ship and has experience of managing at this level.
As seen by Sunderland’s struggles in the third tier previously and Portsmouth’s, it isn’t easy navigating out of the third tier and Ramsey doesn’t want that burden.
An option for the 34-year-old is to work as an understudy to someone else, but that also depends on where he sees his managerial career heading as a telling few months await Ramsey and Cardiff.