There and Back Again For Cardiff City?

The 2012/13 season saw Cardiff City reach the Premier League for the first time in their history. The club was in a good place. They had a solid team that won the Championship title, managed by Malky Mackay, who was a very popular figure with the fans. Apart from the consistent controversy surrounding owner of the club, Vincent Tan, and his decision to change the home strip colour from blue to red, the club and its fans were looking forward to their first taste of Premier League football. That period seems like a very long time ago now given how much has changed. But are Cardiff about to return to the Premier League, just two years after their relegation from England's top flight?

Where did it all go wrong? Malky Mackay was given a big budget by Vincent Tan upon their arrival in the Premier League. Unfortunately, the money was not spent particularly effectively by the Scotsman, with only a couple of players, such as Gary Medel and Fraizer Campbell, making any significant impact. What was supposed to be a season for the club and its fans to enjoy, was overshadowed by the constant conflict between the owner and the fans. The changing of the kit colour and badge being the main source of this conflict. Despite issues off the pitch, the squad was performing admirably on it. Wins against the likes of Manchester City and big rivals Swansea, along with draws against Everton and Manchester United, saw the Cardiff faithful having real belief that the team could stay up. However, around Christmas time, Mackay was told, 'resign or be sacked' by Tan, after a run of poor results. It was only after Mackay left was it revealed about the racist texts, but that is a different story altogether. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was to be the new man in charge, but a change of manager did not change anything on the pitch. The second half of the season was far worse than the first. Picking up just ten points from the nineteen Premier League games Solskjaer was in charge of, saw the Bluebirds make an immediate return to the Championship.

The 2014/15 season saw the club change drastically. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked after just a few games. He, along with many of his lacklustre signings, headed out the door, and were soon forgotten about. Another change of manager was needed, someone who could bring stability to a club that looked to be in rapid decline. Russell Slade was Vincent Tan's personal choice for the role. The former Leyton Orient manager brought in some frankly fairly average players, but they did their job well. Tan also agreed to change the home kit colour back to blue and the badge was also changed back to having the bluebird as the main focal point on the crest. Cardiff finished in a very respectable 11th position in the Championship, which surprised quite a few fans due to how many players came in and out of the club. This season was used for rebuilding, and credit to Russell Slade, he steadied the sinking ship as best he could, and did an admirable job.

The current 2015/16 season could see Cardiff returning to England's top flight after just two years away from it. The season has, on the whole, been a positive step forward for the club. Slade has been under relentless pressure since accepting the Cardiff job. The fans expect big things at this club, to at least be challenging for a play off spot. Many doubted Slade was the man to take Cardiff back to the Premier League after a less than impressive first half of the season, but things have really picked up. Since the turn of the new year, Cardiff have lost just two of their 14 league games, which sees them currently occupy 7th position. The real question now, is whether they can maintain their good form, and deal with the pressure. Their last two games stand out to me. They play Sheffield Wednesday and Birmingham. Both of these team are also chasing a play off spot. But if Slade and his players manage to pull this off, it will be a fantastic achievement.

The last few years for Cardiff City fans have consisted of a mixture of celebrations and disappointment. The team that has been created by Russell Slade during his time here has become difficult to beat, works hard and have really started to gel together well. So well in fact, that they may well be on their way to a return to the Premier League. COYB!