For Cardiff City, the nightmare has become a cold, numbing reality.
After a turbulent and disjointed campaign, the Bluebirds have been relegated from the Championship, ending a six-year period in the second tier that once carried the promise of a Premier League return and financial stability.
Instead, Cardiff now face life in League One, with fans demanding accountability and a clear plan for the future.
Much of the anger has been directed at owner Vincent Tan, and it’s hard to argue he does not deserve a significant share of the blame.
Since taking over the club in 2010, Tan has made bold — and at times reckless — decisions that have left a lasting impact.
Although he presided over the club’s first promotion to the Premier League in 2013, the years since have been marked by instability, short-termism, and a clear lack of footballing vision.
At the heart of Cardiff’s problems this season has been a lack of coherent strategy both on and off the pitch.
Managerial changes have been frequent — three different bosses in this campaign and an astonishing 13 different managers (plus four caretaker appointments) have taken the reins during Tan’s tenure.
This season alone saw further upheaval, with managerial appointments seemingly made more on instinct than on any clear philosophy.
While Erol Bulut and Omer Riza fought – within their limits - to steady the ship, the years of slash and burn, rather than listen and learn, have brought the club to this sorry state.
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Cardiff’s recruitment has been inconsistent for years, oscillating between bargain-bin buys and uninspired loan deals.
There has been no clear pattern in the types of players signed, no building of a cohesive squad identity.
Some investments, such as Callum Robinson and Perry Ng, showed strategy, but too often the club spent money on players who were not improvements, saddled with long-term contracts that offered little value.
Behind all of this, Tan’s influence has loomed large.
His remote ownership style, combined with a small, increasingly isolated executive circle, meant that key decisions were made without the kind of robust footballing expertise successful clubs rely upon.
Sporting directors have never been hired, while experienced figures in the club’s academy and recruitment departments have been marginalised.
Tan’s once-infamous red kit rebrand may have been reversed after supporter backlash, but the lesson — that ignoring the culture and heart of a club comes at a high price — seems to have been only partially learned.
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It would be simplistic to suggest that Tan alone is responsible for the relegation.
Some players have simply underperformed; injuries and bad luck have played a role.
Yet the bigger picture is clear: the owner has fostered an environment where short-term survival always took precedence over long-term planning.
The result is a club that now finds itself without a clear direction, facing a financial recalibration in a division notorious for its difficulty.
So what happens next?
For Cardiff to rebuild and return stronger, there must first be an acceptance that the model of ownership and governance must change.
If Tan wishes to retain control, he must empower football people to run football operations — real professionals with experience in squad building, talent development, and club culture.
The owner must step back from day-to-day decision-making and allow the club to appoint a credible sporting director who can oversee a multi-year rebuilding project.
In League One, there must be a greater emphasis on youth development.
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Cardiff’s academy has produced talents like Rubin Colwill and Mark Harris, but too often these players have been underused or poorly integrated into the first team.
A sustainable future will rely on developing and trusting young players, rather than relying on expensive short-term fixes.
The next managerial appointment must be made with patience and conviction.
The new boss should be aligned with a clear footballing philosophy — one based on possession, identity, and building a winning culture rather than merely firefighting from one crisis to the next.
It must be someone given time, even through inevitable growing pains.
Above all, the club must reconnect with its supporters.
Cardiff has a passionate, loyal fanbase but they have been worn down by years of mismanagement and broken promises.
Transparency from the boardroom and genuine engagement with fans' concerns will be crucial in rebuilding trust.
There are examples for Cardiff to follow.
Clubs like and Sunderland and Bristol City have shown that smart recruitment, good coaching, and a clear strategy can revive sleeping giants.
Cardiff, with its infrastructure, fanbase, and proud history, should not accept being a League One club.
But unless there is serious introspection and a change in approach, the risk is that the Bluebirds could find themselves trapped at this lower level for years to come.
For now, there is pain and anger.
But there can also be hope — if chooses to learn from its mistakes and lay the proper foundations for a new future.
The first step must come from the top: Tan must either evolve, or step aside.
