Moving on

So there we have it. Swansea City have become the first Wales based football club to enter the English Premier League and in a sadistic sort of way I am pleased for them. Not for the fans, certainly not for ‘Welsh football’, not even for Brendan Rodgers’ approach to playing football. Pleased for the Football Club.

From the days of Tony Petty and the brink of departing the Football League, Huw Jenkins, who purchased the club for a £1, has guided Swansea through the divisions his own way. Met with hurdles along the way, like seeing manager Roberto Martinez leave for 'bigger fish', Jenkins met the problems head on and without controversy or over expenditure he has delivered Premiership football to the people of Swansea.

In a way I am pleased this ‘first Welsh club to reach the Premiership’ honour is over too. Before Swansea’s play off final victory over Reading everybody looked to us to achieve Premiership status. Owners and directors of the Club also gambled in many ways in a bid to achieve this. Expectation was the buzz word surrounding the Club and in the end it wasn’t to be. Swansea supporters have the bragging rights and brag they should…..because I certainly would.

It has been well documented that Cardiff City has been mismanaged in the past. We all have our opinions as to who is to blame. For me, I am not going to dwell on past failures any more. I’m driving myself away from those storm clouds as I see a brighter outlook ahead.

Arguably one of Cardiff City’s most ‘successful’ managers has left the Club. I use the term successful in that I thought I would never see the day my team would walk out in an FA Cup Final let alone visit Wembley 3 times in 4 years. So much so I got bored of the place, or maybe that was down to the defeats that occurred there. None more so than that devastating £90 million defeat to Blackpool . These visits to our recently adopted second home coupled with player signings of the calibre of Craig Bellamy, Jay Bothroyd, Seyi Olifinjana, Michael Chopra, Lee Naylor.....well, his Mum loves him anyway.......expectation levels were as high as a Happy Mondays reunion party. Dave Jones himself knew at the start of the season if we didn’t go up with the squad we had then a P45 would be landing on his doormat the next day.

Personally, I’d like to thank Dave Jones for what he has achieved at the football club in some what difficult times. I certainly won’t forget his time here.

Onwards and upwards though it is. The search for a new man to take the helm is underway, Malaysian investors have pledged their future to the club, outstanding debts are to be addressed and a new Class of 2012 is waiting to be assembled. We will soon find out the intentions of the directors when they announce the new manager and what backing he has been promised. Though it was pleasing to hear recently that the intentions are to challenge for promotion once again.

Swansea’s promotion, Malaysian investment, debt restructuring, new manager and a new squad, I strangely feel that a great weight is being lifted from the club. Optimism has replaced expectation, security replacing uncertainty.

Here’s to a happy 2011/12 season!