This forum is usually fairly quiet on actual football matters, but I know there are a few City fans out there who will be dying to show their true blue colours after the FA Cup win on the weekend.

Even though the Welsh rugby lads won the Triple Crown in Dublin, for City to reach the semi finals of the World's oldest football competition is such a rare event (last time they did that it was 1927).

A few thoughts I want you Bluebirds to consider:

- Will we conquer giant-killing Barnsley at Wembley and get to the final?

- Are you bothered that we wouldn't get a European place even if we won the cup outright? What do you think of that rule? What do you think would happen to that European place and who would it go to?

- And of course, will we live to see another season in the Championship with this court case hanging over our heads? A 10 points deduction as a result of the club going into administration would certainly throw City into a relegation dogfight.

Good God, its all happening at Ninian Park this week!??!?!?
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"Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear"
-Mark Twain

Shall I be honest here Joe?? Go on then!

I couldn't give two shiny shits what Cardiff do in the cup or in any other competition come to that!
Will they get to the final? Oooooo!
Like anybody outside of Canton gives a flying one!

I like the way the press suggest that it's a great sporting weekend for Wales. Wales? For Cardiff more like!
We have our own football teams in our towns and cities!

What am I saying here?
I guess I'm saying - C'MON THE JACKS!!! WE'RE GONNA WIN THE LEAGUE!!! WOOP! WOOP!

Martinez's Black & White Army!!!
Martinez's Black & White Army!!!
Martinez's Black & White Army!!!

CCFC will have to look out next season!

P.s. Cancel all SW Police leave for next season. And it's probably an idea to board up the Owain Glyndwr's windows sooner rather than later!

Well, I think we can safely say that both Cardiff and Barnsley drew their preferred side. Who will get the upper hand is hard to say. We were having a chat the other night about how tight the Championship is, and anybody on their day can beat anyone. So nobody can make an educated guess here. You won't know until the final whistle.

It does bother me that Cardiff would not be able to play in Europe next season were they to win the cup, but I can also see the reasons why they can't.

What I'd like to know is, if Cardiff were to get into the Premier League, and after the first few years managed to gain a top 7 finish, will they still be prevented from representing themselves in Europe? Or even if they got into a Champions League place?

Another question; do the winners of the FAW Cup get into Europe via the back door? If not, then how are Cardiff, or Swansea and Wrexham for that matter, ever going to gain a place in Europe?

And to answer the question of who the Europe place would go to if Cardiff were to win it, then I guess the obvious choice would be the runners up, whether it be Portsmouth or West Brom.
But saying that, what if Portsmouth and Cardiff get to the final, and Portsmouth are guaranteed a place in the UEFA cup due to their final finish in the Premier League, who would get the allocated FA Cup representation? It must go to someone,m otherwise it will throw the whole UEFA cup out of whack, (unless they allow one team a BYE into the second round of the UEFA cup).

A few thoughts to mull over the ol' noggin.
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Viva La TTFE!

With your question for the FAW Cup, there is no place in Europe for the winner just £100,000 prize money.

Also if Cardiff win, the place in Europe goes to the runner up
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Statistical Genie

100% Attendance Record At TTFE 2010

Oooh a bit of banter! Well we welcome all kinds of Welsh footie fans on here - Bluebirds, Swans, Dragons even the Martyrs!

I posted the Europe question really because it baffles me. This is to clarify the European situation for Cardiff, Swansea, Wrexham, Merthyr, Colwyn Bay and Newport County - they all have NO route to Europe.

Why? - Because they are stuck in a virtual limbo, between the English and Welsh FA organisations. Its all quite silly - The big three Welsh clubs will play in English leagues but answer to the FAW when it comes to disciplinary aspects such as appeals, fines, bans etc..

It all started back in the day, when a bunch of Welsh clubs were invited by the English FA to play in their league on the basis on a set of rules - one of which was to never represent the English FA in Europe, in the event of earning a place through competing in English competition e.g. winning the FA Cup or League Cup.

Fair enough you say. City and other others can just play in the Welsh Cup and earn a European place there like they did for years! City almost beat Hamburg in the Cup Winners Cup Semi Final!!! But sadly, you'd be wrong. When the Welsh Premier League was set up in the 90s (for years Wales didn't have its own league) FIFA and the FA stated that only teams in that league could contend for places in Europe to represent Wales. Seeing that the teams above chose to stay in the English league (whilst the likes of Barry Town and Bangor City went into the Welsh Premier) they were unable to play in the Welsh Cup as well, as they played in the English league and their own cups. Thus, since 1995, the teams participating in Europe to represent Wales were purely from the Welsh football league system - not including the exiles of above six teams. And as Dale said, the Welsh Premier Cup is purely to do with money and BBC sponsorship, with no route to Europe at the end of it.

So what does that mean for City's European chances? Seeing that the English FA have ruled out any chance of Cardiff going to the UEFA Cup if they win the FA Cup this May, it means that they would probably stick to their guns even if City went up to the Premier League and earnt a top four place and a Champions League spot. So as it stands - Cardiff will never again play in Europe. That pretty much sucks - especially when Big Sam promised we'd be playing Barcelona one day. He fucked up big time when he said that, didn't he?

There are a number of solutions:

(1) Drop out of the English league altogether. By joining the Welsh Premier they could contend for a Champions League spot with ease. Of course, you will NEVER see this happen - City and the others stand to gain too much money from the English league, plus I don't think very many of you would like relish a tie with Holywell Town or Airbus on a Saturday afternoon.

(2) Become an English club. Sounds daft, sounds unpatriotic, sounds completely drastic. But if City want to have the money and have the chance to play in Europe, they have to become an English club in the eyes of the FA and the world. This would mean being based in England. But do not fret - Chester City actually play their home games in Wales, whilst their offices are in England. All we need to do is get some office space in Bristol or summat.......
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"Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear"
-Mark Twain

Platini wants to help 'em -
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/c/cardiff_city/7292287.stm

And the FA (English) are looking at now...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/c/cardiff_city/7294461.stm

There's hope yet for Echo readers and Cardiff fans everywhere!

CITY!
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"Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear"
-Mark Twain

Are you watching Leighton James!!!??
Are you wa-tching Leig-hton James!!!??

Luco wrote:

Are you watching Leighton James!!!?? Are you wa-tching Leig-hton James!!!??

No i wasn't, what's it about and what channel?
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"For when the one great scorer comes to write against your name, he writes not that you won or lost but how you played the game"

TTFE Poolmania Champion 2011!