Bluebirds’ TransAtlantic Mission For Premier Return

Cardiff City are following the lead of Pep Guardiola’s Premier League champions and jetting off to North America.

Manager Neil Warnock took his team to Cornwall a year ago and stayed in a hotel next door to his home.

This time, though, the newly-promoted Premier League club are planning a trip to the USA.

The Bluebirds have travelled the World on tours during their history, visiting Australia, New Zealand, Canada, America, Switzerland, Czechoslovakia, Austria, Germany, Holland, Portugal and more.

Neil Warnock pictured with Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola when they went head-to-head in the FA Cup. Pic: Getty Images.

Now they are heading back to the USA where former manager Dave Jones took his squad 12 years ago.

It was a four-match trip to North America in 2006, playing against Seattle Sounders, drawing 1-1 at the Qwestfield Stadium, and Vancouver Whitecaps, losing in a penalty shootout.

Guardiola is taking his team to Philadelphia and they will compete in the International Champions Cup tournament for a second year running.

One of their fixtures will be played in New York City.

Swansea City have American owners and they visited the USA in 2017, playing Richmond Kickers and North Carolina.

Jose Mourinho takes his Manchester United team across the Atlantic this summer. They will play five games in just 13 days and will also take on Real Madrid and AC Milan as part of their build-up to the 2018-19 season.

The tour in July kicks warm-up games, against Club America at Phoenix University Stadium, Arizona and San Jose Earthquakes at Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara.

United then play in the International Champions Cup tournament in Los Angeles, playing AC Milan at Hollywood’s Rose Bowl stadium then Liverpool at the Big House in Michigan.

Former Bluebirds goals ace Robert Earnshaw may be able to help with fixtures. ‘Earnie’ is currently assistant coach at United Soccer League Fresno FC in California.

No details have been revealed on Cardiff City’s pre-season tour, but they have made a lot of progress on the trip to America.

An announcement is expected soon.

Robert Earnshaw is now coaching at Fresno Falcons in California. Pic: Getty Images.

The Bluebirds on tour

1923-24 Czechoslovakia, Austria and Germany

Manager Fred Stewart

End of season tour. Among the fixtures played were two against Sparta Prague. City lost 3-2 in the first fixtures and then won by the same scoreline 24 hours later.

1928 Denmark 

Manager Fred Stewart

During the summer of 1928 played three and won three, beating Aarhus 2-0, Aalborg 4-0 and Odense 4-1.

It was agreed that substitutes could be used in those matches – the first time that had happened.

1960 East Germany

Manager Bill Jones

The trip was called off after the Bluebirds had started their journey due to the U2 aircraft incident when an American spy plane was shot down while in Soviet airspace. Pilot Francis Gary Powers parachuted safely and was captured.

The communists decided to close the border and City had to return home.

1968 New Zealand and Australia

Manager: Jimmy Scoular

The Bluebirds played 12 matches during their trip down under, winning 10 and drawing two. They scored 42 goals and conceded nine.

Results:

v Canterbury in Christchurch 2-0

v Auckland 3-0

v New Zealand in Auckland 3-0

v Victoria in Melbourne 1-1

v Tasmania in Hobart 5-1

v Northern NSW in Newcastle 2-0

v New South Wales v Sydney 1-1

v Victoria in Melbourne 6-0

v Queensland in Brisbane 7-2

v New South Wales in Sydney 3-1

v South Australia in Adelaide 3-2

v Western Australia in Perth 6-1

1998 English midlands

Manager Frank Burrows

The players stayed in student accommodation at Keele University. Fixtures were played against opposition nearby including Stoke City and Port Vale.

1999 Republic of Ireland

Manager: Frank Burrows

Cardiff City manager Frank Burrows. Pic: Getty Images.

2000 Republic of Ireland

Manager Billy Ayre

Billy Ayre. Pic: Getty Images.

Longford were among City’s opponents. The Sam Hammam era was imminent, Billy Ayre was manager.

Bobby Gould was sent on a spying mission and later took over as manager.

2001 Republic of Ireland

Manager: Alan Cork

2002 Scotland

Manager: Lennie Lawrence

The summer of Graham Kavanagh’s challenge. Cardiff were staying at MacDonald’s Hotel in Scotland when, on a midweek day off from training, ‘Kav’ asked me to play tennis.

The courts were at the back of City’s team hotel and when we walked out, having collected rackets and balls from reception, virtually every player was hanging out of windows ready for the crunch clash.

Captain ‘Kav’ powered to a 6-4, 6-3 victory and the guys cheered him every step of the way, while I was the target for some ‘hostile’ banter.

The class of 2003 got together for a Legends Evening in support of Cancer Research Wales. Back row, left to right: Richard Langley, Andy Legg, Scott Young, Leo Fortune-West, Clayton Blackmore, Jason Bowen. Front: Gavin Gordon, Graham Kavanagh, Layton Maxwell, Danny Gabbidon.

2004 Scotland 

Manager: Lennie Lawrence

Tony Vidmar and Richard Langley were added to Cardiff’s squad for their trip to Edinburgh where they played manager Tony Mowbray’s Scottish Premier League Hibernian, having returned from international duty with Australia and Jamaica respectively.

They were in an 18-man Bluebirds’ party who flew to Edinburgh. His won the match 2-1.

2003 Sweden and Denmark

Lennie Lawrence (left) with Cardiff City owner Sam Hammam after their 2003 League One play-off final success. Pic: Getty Images.

Manager: Lennie Lawrence

The Bluebirds were based in Malmo and also played one match in Copenhagen, which is a short coach journey away across a main bridge between Sweden and Denmark.

Cardiff lost 2-0 against BK Frem on that trip, a match refereed by Kim Milton Nielsen, who had sent off England’s David Beckham during a World Cup match against Argentina in 1998.

2005 Scotland

Manager: Dave Jones

Portugal was DJ’s favourite venue for pre-season tours, but the trip to Scotland had already been arranged when he was appointed manager.

The squad stopped en route to Scotland and played Accrington Stanley. Italian striker Andrea Ferretti joined the club for that trip, while future Bluebirds captain Darren Purse arrived to watch.

He didn’t play, but signed soon after.

2006 Canada and America

The programme cover for Seattle Sounders v Cardiff City.

Manager: Dave Jones

The tour song adopted by the Bluebirds was ‘Burning Ring of Fire’ by Johnny Cash and it blared out during training sessions.

It was also played during the warm-up before Cardiff’s Vancouver Nations Cup semi-final against China’s Under-20 team.

Fitness coach Alex Armstrong led the warm-up and arranged to have the song played over the loudspeakers.

Manager Jones can speak Cantonese and chatted fluently to Zheng Xiang, head coach of the Chinese. He learned the language while playing for Seiko in Hong Kong.

It was a four-match trip to North America and Cardiff played local team Victoria United in their first match, winning 4-1 at Caledonia Park, Nanaimo, British Columbia..

Michael Chopra, Kevin Cooper, Steve Thompson and Darren Purse (penalty) scored the goals, while Victoria had captain Will Moore sent off for a second bookable offence after 38 minutes.

Cardiff City: Mark Howard, Neal Ardley, Darren Purse, Chris Barker, Jeff Whitley Marvin Kamara, Nick McCoy, Jeff Whitley, Michael Chopra, Steve Thompson. Subs used: Riccy Scimeca, Joe Ledley, Kevin McNaughton, Paul Parry, Stephen McPhail, Neil Alexander (gk).

City drew 1-1 against Seattle Sounders in front of more than 4,000 spectators at Qwestfield.

In the Vancouver tournament the Bluebirds won 5-0 against China and then drew 0-0 against hosts Whitecaps in the final. Cardiff, though, lost 3-1 in a penalty shootout. Kevin McNaughton scored from the spot, but Darren Purse, Steve Thompson and Michael Chopra failed.

2007 Portugal

Manager: Dave Jones

Michael Chopra celebrates scoring for Cardiff City

Michael Chopra left the trip mid tour and completed a £5m transfer to Sunderland. That opened the way for Robbie Fowler to join the Bluebirds.

Among the fixtures played was a match against Vitoria Da Setubal at the National Stadium, Lisbon.

2008 Portugal

Manager: Dave Jones

Celtic scouts were despatched to watch Cardiff City’s Joe Ledley. They took in the action during a Cardiff match at Estado Algarve, Portugal.

2009 Portugal

Manager: Dave Jones

Former Cardiff City manager Dave Jones. Pic: Getty Images.

The Bluebirds took part in the Algarve Cup for a second season, along with Middlesbrough, Celtic and Vitoria de Guimaraes.

Ross McCormack scored twice in a 2-0 win against the Portuguese club, while Joe Ledley netted the only goal in a 1-0 victory against Celtic as Cardiff won the tournament.

CARDIFF CITY: Heaton, McNaughton, Loovens, Johnston, Capaldi, Rae, McPhail, Ledley, McCormack, Comminges (Blake 89), Thompson. Subs not used: Enkelman, Purse, Whittingham, Parry, Kennedy, Dennehy, Scimeca, Brown.

Before the tournament they played a warm-up match against Portuguese side Vitoria de Setubal which ended 1-1.

2010 Malaysia

Manager: Dave Jones

The plan was for Cardiff City to visit Malaysia, but Jones went on an inspection tour to Kuala Lumpur and a club statement said: “The proposed pre-season tour of Malaysia, initially planned for July 2010, will now take place in 2011.

“The decision follows Dave Jones’ recent inspection where a review of the timings and logistics resulted in the decision to pursue alternative tour options for this year.”

2011 Spain

Manager: Malky Mackay

Former Cardiff City manager Malky Mackay. Pic: Getty Images.

The proposed tour to Malaysia was called off for a second time and the trip to Spain had already been organised by ex-manager Dave Jones when Mackay took charge.

City played one match, winning 1-0 against Charlton Athletic at Estadio Guadalquivir del Coria in Seville.

The game was played in baking heat and French striker Rudy Gestede, a 22-year-old who linked up with Cardiff on trial, scored the only goal.

The hot conditions ensured Mackay would take his Bluebirds to a far different location a year later.

2012 Switzerland

Manager: Malky Mackay

This was the first pre-season tour I went on when Cardiff City didn’t play any fixtures.

2013 Switzerland

Manager: Malky Mackay

Mackay ordered double training sessions every day – and the players cooled off in Lake Geneva which was at the bottom of the hotel gardens.

Their hotel was in the shadow of the Alps in Lausanne.

The Bluebirds rubbed shoulders with European football’s top brass after Mackay called on contacts in high places to arrange City’s week-long stay at Uefa headquarters in Nyon, near Geneva.

Daily workouts were at the Stade Juan Antonio Samaranche – named in honour of the former International Olympic Committee president.

Cardiff were preparing for a Premier League season and their Swiss work on fitness and endurance – both physical and mental – was seen as essential.

2014 Austria

Manager: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

Ex-Bluebirds boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Pic: Getty Images.

It was back to baking temperatures when OGS took his team to the Tyrol region of Austria.

Cardiff trained at around the same altitude of Brecon Beacons landmark Penyfan, the highest point in south Wales at 886m (2,907ft).

Solskjaer had signed Javi Guerra, Guido Burgstaller, Adam Le Fondre, Federico Macheda and Kagisho Dikgacoi.

Having flown into Munich Airport, Cardiff’s squad travelled for an hour and a half, crossing the border into Austria to set up their base in the picture postcard village of Walchsee.

That is an all year round tourist hot spot. Sun seekers who love the scenic views of the forested Alpine peaks and the calm of nearby Lake Walchsee were out in force..

Ski enthusiasts take over during the winter to make use of the surroundings slopes. There are 40km of winter walking paths, 25km of ski runs and 140km of cross-country skiing tracks.

Facilities were excellent, while pitch side hoses allowed ice baths to be on hand for the players to do recovery work after sessions.

“We could have gone to Malaysia,” said Solskjaer, “but these are better preparations.”

City played fixtures against TSV 1860 Munich and Albanian team KS Teuta Durrës at SVK Arena Kirchbichl on the same day, fielding two different teams.

They then took on Russian Premier League FK Amkar Perm at Kaiserwinkl Stadium, Kossen

2015 Holland

Manager: Russell Slade

Russell Slade. Pic: Getty Images.

The Bluebirds won 2-0 against Israel Premier League team Hapoel Ironi Kiryat Shmona, a match played in the Dutch town of Putten an hour’s drive from Amsterdam.

2016 Germany

Manager: Paul Trollope

City won 3-0 against VFC Osnabrück 2-1 v FC St Pauli.

2017 Cornwall and Devon

Manager: Neil Warnock

The main men. Vincent Tan (centre, above Neil Warnock). Ken Choo (right) and chairman Mehmet Dalman (left).

Warnock took his first team to Cornwall and they stayed in a hotel close to where he lives.

They played first team friendlies against AFC Tavistock, Bodmin Town and Plymouth Argyle during their stay in the South West.

Cardiff’s under-23 squad also went on a Cornish tour, playing two fixtures.

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