Triangle wrote:Congrats to Cardiff on getting into the Premier League, hope Swansea stay up too.

All good for football in Wales.

100% my sentiments exactly. I think this time round, Cardiff will stay up longer. I certainly hope so.

Happy to see Cardiff promoted, but they will need pretty much a whole new squad to have any chance of staying up.

George Street-Bridge wrote:Happy to see Cardiff promoted, but they will need pretty much a whole new squad to have any chance of staying up.

Not necessarily, no massive overhaul at Brighton just a few decent signings and their, mainly championship, team stayed up this year.

I've been following both Newport and Cardiff this season ......first time I've followed County properly. I feel pretty happy having multiple allegiances. I like to see Cardiff , Newport and Wales doing well. I think if Merthyr were anywhere nearer the football league or top end of the non-league, I'd probably start taking an interest in them too.

There are lots of people talking about the rivalry in the 80's but my father says that it wasn't uncommon for Cwm Rhymni/Caerphilly/Bedwas...MAchen to follow both Cardiff and County. I even met a guy in Caerphilly who reckoned he knew people who went to both Cardiff and Swansea games.

Anyhow, I was chuffed to see City get promoted. I was gutted that County couldn't kick on after the FA cup stuff and push a bit more towards the play-offs.

Regarding idiots, County have trouble makers too .

I live in the Basque Country and here we have 4 teams in the first division and 1 in the second. Similar sized country (Football is the first and pretty much only sport here though) and I think there is a sense of unity which is definitely beneficial to each respective team. You'll see loads of shirts from either side when Real play Alaves ...... fans drinking together. No issues. I'd prefer that any day than the agro you get when the Welsh teams meet.

Personally I can handle and even enjoy the banter with the Jacks and have learnt to put up with it having lived in Carmarthen for years, but I just don't really have much time for them due to their union jack waving / bnp element...... which kind of goes against the idea of national unity between the welsh sides. Even then though, that type of Swansea fan is still a minority I think (hope).

That aside, I'd prefer them to have stayed up for the derby and because of the fact it'll ultimately be better for the national team.

Divine Wright wrote:Personally I can handle and even enjoy the banter with the Jacks and have learnt to put up with it having lived in Carmarthen for years, but I just don't really have much time for them due to their union jack waving / bnp element...... which kind of goes against the idea of national unity between the welsh sides. Even then though, that type of Swansea fan is still a minority I think (hope).

I have been along to a few Swans games and not witnessed any kind of BNP-related activity. That's not to say it doesn't exist of course (after all, I've been to a fair few Leeds games and never encountered any kind of unpleasantness so it's entirely possible I am lucky, thick-skinned, oblivious or people exaggerate the bad). But I am going to go out on a limb and say I think that type of Swansea fan is indeed in a tiny minority.

As an aside, football-related aggro in Swansea seems to almost exclusively involve fat blokes in their fifties (recapturing their youth, I guess).

Divine Wright wrote:That aside, I'd prefer them to have stayed up for the derby and because of the fact it'll ultimately be better for the national team.

Could you explain your logic? Even putting to one side Swansea City's appalling recruitment of young players (sign them up for four years, pay them crazy money, then give them free transfers to Welsh League and lower division clubs in the EFL), the Swansea first team is hardly the bedrock of Welsh footballing talent. Following their relegation we may see some of the expensive imports leaving West Wales and then perhaps one or two young Swans players may get a chance in the first team.