Bluebirds-Blues TV clash

Mar 20 2008 by Paul Abbandonato, Western Mail

THOUSANDS of Welsh-based sports fans face an agonising TV choice following an unfortunate fixture clash which pitches Cardiff City and the Blues head-to-head in their biggest games for more than a decade.

David Young’s Blues play their mouth-watering Heineken Cup quarter-final showdown with French aristocrats Toulouse at 3pm on Sunday, April 6.

Dave Jones’ Bluebirds have a 4pm kick-off for their eagerly-awaited FA Cup semi-final against Barnsley at Wembley that afternoon.

The two huge games are each being beamed by Sky TV, but the clash of kick-off times means neither can be watched from start to finish by armchair neutrals.

On the biggest day in Welsh club sport for decades, the Ospreys are also thrown into the mix with a Heineken Cup quarter-final of their own against Saracens.

That match, featuring most of Wales’ Grand Slam-winning side, kicks off at 12.30pm. However, floating sports fans travelling to Wembley to cheer on the Bluebirds won’t get a chance to see if the Ospreys can make it to the Euro semis.

The biggest fixture clash, however, concerns the Blues and the Bluebirds.

The two games they play that day are of such magnitude they will attract a huge number of floating sports fans.

But from 4pm onwards, it has to be one or the other for the Cardiff sporting public.

A Sky spokesman said there could not be a change of dates or kick-off times at this stage, but argued, “What a choice, and what a day of sport for the people of Cardiff.

“There are many times when we have two or three major sporting events transmitted simultaneously as they happen.

“We get it in the Champions League, we get it with international football when different games are shown on different channels.

“I appreciate this is a bit different because so many people in Cardiff will want to watch their football team and their rugby team play in such high-profile, important matches, where so much is at stake.

“What I guess is there will be many households where people will be using the remote to flick between the channels.

“And, I’m also sure, there will be lots of pubs where different screens will be showing the two matches as they happen.”

The Blues are taking around 1,100 fans to Toulouse for their first quarter-final appearance in the Heineken Cup as a regional unit.

Cardiff City are anticipating 30,000 fans travelling to Wembley to see their big semi-final against Barnsley.

It is the most high-profile match the Bluebirds have had for many a moon and the sense of anticipation here in Wales will be intense.

It remains to be seen, however, how a Cardiff versus Barnsley semi-final is viewed outside Wales in terms of TV ratings.

Meanwhile, Barnsley chairman Gordon Shepherd insists the club are still hopeful of securing FA Cup hero Luke Steele’s services for the semi-final clash with Cardiff.

The 23-year-old goalkeeper’s loan spell at Oakwell come to an end on Monday – when he returned to parent club West Brom – after starring in victories over Premier League giants Liverpool and Chelsea.

His chances of facing the Bluebirds on April 6 appeared to be over after the two clubs failed to come to an agreement over the terms of an extended deal.

However, Shepherd told BBC Sport, “We have not given up on signing Luke.

“We want to take Luke on loan and West Brom want us to make the deal permanent.

“I don’t know if anyone from Barnsley has spoken to Luke since he returned to West Brom on Monday, but he knows we want to keep him.

“The two managers are still talking, the deal is not dead by any means.”

WIGAN boss Steve Bruce will not appeal the red card shown to former Bluebirds star Jason Koumas on Sunday.

Wales midfielder Koumas was shown a straight red after only four minutes of Wigan’s 1-0 win over Bolton at the JJB Stadium for a challenge on Gary Cahill.

Koumas was adamant referee Steve Tanner’s decision was too hasty as his tackle was not two-footed, and he was genuinely going for the ball.

Bruce indicated after the match the Latics would appeal, and Tanner would be reviewing the incident after being requested to do so.

But Bruce has had a change of heart, fearing Koumas’ three-match ban could be extended as happened to Middlesbrough’s Jeremie Aliadiere.