FAW beneath contempt

Daily Mail columnist Des Kelly has used his column to have pop at the FAW on their stance on an Olympics Team GB squad. He talks about if they are worried about their ‘national identity’ maybe Cardiff City could be playing in the wrong league.

As for the Football Association of Wales, they are beneath contempt. This gaggle of mediocrities want Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey to turn their backs on the GB team because of its perceived 'Englishness'.
This, of course, is the same FAW happily sending Swansea City of Wales to play in the English Premier League this season.
If the Welsh FA were that concerned about their 'national identity', Cardiff City and Swansea would be looking at very different fixture lists for the coming campaign. But it seems hypocrisy has no respect for national borders.
Should anyone hear that an FAW official is about to cross the Severn Bridge to take a complimentary seat at Old Trafford, Anfield or the Emirates stadium this season, can I ask that they let me know so I can remind the culprit of how their collusion with the English game might be 'jeopardising the existence of the FA of Wales in the eyes of FIFA'.

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Are we in next season Welsh Cup then

So what's happening about Cardiff City and the Welsh Cup? It's been well over a month since news broke that the Football Association Wales were planning the controversial move to welcome back the clubs that play in the English league set-up. It's been a long 16-year absence for the English based clubs it was the formation of the Welsh Premier League in 1995 that was the catalyst to them being forced out. At the time, the hierarchy that the FAW felt the inclusion for the English based club could be detrimental to the status of the newly formed league.

There was an attempt to bring the Welsh clubs and Cardiff City, Swansea City and the others together with the setup of the FAW Premier Cup, but without the carrot of a European place it was never going to work. The fans saw it has a failure the crowds were dismal, but it ploughed on for 11 seasons (1997/2008). BBC Wales did their best to promote the competition, games were shown live and there were highlights shown, but that didn't help. The Welsh clubs and non-league teams found prize money helpfully and tried to keep it going, but when the BBC decided cancel their sponsorship that was the end.

Before his sacking, Dave Jones said he was up for the Welsh Cup even telling the press he would use his best possible team. If the club was too re-enter the competition the door would be open for a return to European football if they win it of course. The FAW were planning to speak with UEFA and the English FA about their plans, but like the search for the new manager at Cardiff City they are taking their time about it.

The Road to Nowhere - The Welsh Cup 2010/11

It could be all change for the Wales Cup with the reported return of the outcasts Cardiff City among them after a 16-year absence. Football Association of Wales agreed to the dramatic U-turn at a meeting a number of weeks ago and they are also hoping the return will give a boost to the profile of the Welsh Cup.

The FAW are to hold talks with the UEFA and the English FA but they are expected to give the plans the green light. European night to come back to Cardiff which would be great and Cardiff boss Dave Jones said he would welcome it and admitted he would play his strongest possible team. The winners have a chance to play in the Europa League.

Has for this season in the opening qualifying round I plumed to start the trail with Fleur de Lys FC a name I remembered from the old Football Echo it was the name of a rugby club. The trail ended with Bangor City who surprisingly lost to Llanelli in the final. I call this ‘The Road to Nowhere’ because basically it barely registers with football fans anywhere.

Final – Saturday 8 May 2011 Bangor City 1-4 Llanelli Att 1,719

Semi-Final -Saturday 9 April 2011 Bangor City 1-0 Gap Connah's Quay Att 877

Quarter-final - Saturday 26 February 2011 Gap Connah's Quay 3-0 UWIC Att 227

Fourth Round - Saturday 29th January 2011 Carmarthen Town 2-2 (AET 2-3) GAP Connah’s Quay Att N/A

Third Round - Saturday 6th November 2010 Goytre United 2-3 Carmarthen Town Att N/A

Second Round - Oct 2nd 2010 Goytre United FC 3-1 Fleur de Lys FC Att N/A

First Round - 11th September 2010 - Fleur de Lys FC 1-0 Ely Rangers FC - Att 200

Qualifying Round Two - 28th August 2010 - RTB Ebbw Vale FC 1-4 Fleur de Lys FC Att N/A

Qualifying Round One - 14th August 2010 - Talgarth Town FC 0-5 Fleur de Lys FC Att N/A

Cardiff and the Welsh Cup

A return to the Welsh Cup?

All Bluebirds fans on my list here feel free to add me on Facebook if u hasn’t already Could Cardiff City find a way back into Europe via the Welsh Cup? The BBC are reporting that the FAW are about to end the 16-year absence of the Bluebirds plus Swansea City, Newport County and Wrexham, but it seems not Colwyn Bay and Merthyr Town. It would be unfair to exclude Colwyn Bay and Merthyr Town from any possible return of the exiled six.

According to the article on the BBC website the plan has been discussed at FAW council meeting recently, it could well cause some discord among the Welsh Premier League teams. It's not sure if the clubs would be interested in the Welsh Cup anyway. It would mean more games to fit in to any already congestion On the question of a place in Europe it would be in the lap of Uefa and the English FA to see if they would be allowed entry to the Europa League.

The likelihood could be the clubs would use a reserve team until the latter stages of the competition something the FAW have frond upon in the past.

BBC Story