DALMAN: OPEN DIALOGUE IS KEY
Following a challenging week off the field, Cardiff City Chairman Mehmet Dalman has called on the need for structured and open dialogue to commence between his manager and the club owner, with a view to finding the best possible outcome for all concerned.
“My definition of diplomacy is to create space for dialogue,” he said. “I have spoken to Vincent Tan and he has agreed I can go into bat to try to bring a solution to this situation.
“The important thing is that we try to find a way through this predicament. There’s goodwill on Vincent’s side. I’ve not had a chance to talk to Malky just yet, but I will obviously do that as well. We need to have further dialogue to see if we can get through this together for the good of the club, which is the most important thing.
“We managed to create space for everyone to work together back in October and we have to see if we can do that again in order to move forward. At least we have a platform for dialogue, which gives us an opportunity to try to work our way through this.
“If we wish to work towards a reconciliation, Vincent Tan has offered us that opportunity to move towards that. If it works, it works. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t. But at least I as a responsible person and Chairman of this football club have tried my best.
“I’m not taking sides in this, I’m just trying to do my best for the good of the club. Let’s see if we can fix it. We can’t keep having the club under a cloud, so this is it. We managed to get two or three months leeway last time and we need to create something similar again. I’m not putting a time scale upon this, but we have to try.”
Cardiff City’s fixture schedule over the festive period sees four fixtures in just ten days, including three Premier League matches that could be significant in achieving the aspirations of all connected to the club.
“If we want to find a way forward, we now have a platform, a base, from which to work,” he continued. “This is a crucial time in the Premier League. Every point counts and we are better off going for stability. So if we want to give the club the best chance of being in the Premier League next season, the best way is to fix the problem and seek stability.
“In order to do that, it’s best we have an attempt at dialogue. Vincent Tan is in London for a while, so at least he is physically here which makes it easier to have that face to face dialogue.”
Much has been made of potential replacements, though the Chairman was clear in his view.
He said, “I can tell you categorically that I, as chairman, have not initiated any dialogue with anybody else. Can we go out and get another manager? Of course we can. But I’ve read and heard so much nonsense about us speaking to four different candidates and that sort of thing. It’s simply not true.
“What I do have is Vincent’s word that if we don’t succeed with our dialogue with Malky, I and the board will be handed the responsibility of going out and getting the manager we think is best to take the club forward.
“As things stand Malky is in charge for the foreseeable future and will be until something else happens. I don’t want to go game by game on this, with people asking if he will be in charge.
“If I had one wish for Boxing Day, it’s that they don’t hold up ‘Tan Out’ or ‘Malky In’ banners, but rather one that says ‘Talk to each other’.
“The crisis for the time being is over. The emphasis as of today is for us to create space and dialogue.”
