:00:23. > :00:26.Good evening from Swansea were tonight we will mark the club's
:00:26. > :00:31.incredible ten-year journey from bottom of the Football League to
:00:31. > :00:41.the dizzy heights of the Premier League's top five. Stay with us for
:00:41. > :00:42.
:00:42. > :00:46.that and plenty more on tonight's Sport Wales. Tonight, we look at
:00:46. > :00:50.the implications of the row threatening the Heineken Cup.
:00:50. > :00:56.cannot make his work and continued with a proper European competition,
:00:56. > :01:00.it does not look good for Welsh rugby. We hear in Pembrokeshire for
:01:00. > :01:04.the extreme cliff diving and it is no place for the faint-hearted.
:01:04. > :01:12.you were to look at any diver before they took off, you will see
:01:12. > :01:18.Mackay to top Bellamy, promotion and the rebranding. The club
:01:18. > :01:25.manages to be promoted at some point, if that happens because of
:01:25. > :01:29.the owners' Investment, there will be lots of happy people here.
:01:29. > :01:35.first, we have come to a historic football ground. This is what is
:01:35. > :01:38.left of the Vetch. It is exactly a decade since Swansea City trot to
:01:38. > :01:42.the lowest point of its history, bottom of the entire Football
:01:42. > :01:52.League. Tomorrow, they host Everton with the chance to go level on
:01:52. > :01:53.
:01:53. > :01:56.points with Premier League leaders Chelsea. Last night's defeat saw
:01:56. > :02:06.Swansea drop to the bottom of the Football League for the first time
:02:06. > :02:07.
:02:07. > :02:13.in their history. Survival for Swansea City. Swansea are back in
:02:13. > :02:20.the Championship for the first time in 24 years. # Do you realise...
:02:20. > :02:25.Swansea City are the first Welsh representatives in the Premier
:02:25. > :02:28.League. To appreciate where they are now, remember where Swansea
:02:28. > :02:35.were 10 years ago. Ruck bottom after defeat at Boston, a turning
:02:35. > :02:39.point that would, in time, end the decline and despair. It was thrown
:02:39. > :02:42.together. Nick Cusack was the manager at the time and he was
:02:42. > :02:46.given a budget whatsoever. The majority of the team was picked
:02:46. > :02:51.from a trial match, where it was virtually people who had not been
:02:51. > :03:01.taken up by other clubs. It is fair to say that the Swans were scraping
:03:01. > :03:04.the barrel. Boston, I think it was a Tuesday night. To go bottom of
:03:04. > :03:09.League that day, things could not have got any worse. Brian Flynn has
:03:09. > :03:15.been confirmed as Swansea City's new director of football with Kevin
:03:15. > :03:19.Reeves taking over as first-team coach. You probably wondered
:03:19. > :03:23.whether the club would continue to exist. There was a general lack of
:03:23. > :03:30.spirit and enthusiasm around the City for the club. That was the
:03:30. > :03:35.first thing we had to do, I think, to get a bit of pride back.
:03:35. > :03:43.Salvation came right at the last time of asking as they beat hull
:03:43. > :03:47.mack on the final day, thanks to a invention of a special man.
:03:47. > :03:52.stadium was packed. There were so many people there, so much emotion.
:03:52. > :03:56.I think when I sang for the Swans, it was almost meant to be. --
:03:56. > :04:01.signed for the Swans. I scored a hat-trick to keep us in the
:04:01. > :04:09.Football League. Unbelievable. Everybody pull together. The game
:04:09. > :04:13.at Hull was I think the biggest result in the history of the club.
:04:13. > :04:20.Just two years later, with Brian Flynn a victim of Swansea's
:04:20. > :04:25.progress, promotion from the bottom division under Kenny Jackett.
:04:25. > :04:29.there were massive games, we would look at the club and see to find a
:04:29. > :04:34.result -- try to find a result. And we did against Burnley. Moving to a
:04:34. > :04:36.new stadium, we felt as if the club was gaining momentum. It was a
:04:36. > :04:41.great choice at that time. Everything I thought he could give
:04:41. > :04:46.us, he gave us, the structure behind the scenes and the way that
:04:46. > :04:52.he approached games to make sure that we started winning more than
:04:53. > :04:58.we lost. Kenny Jackett had taken Swansea to the League 1 play-off
:04:58. > :05:02.final. His successor when further. Swansea were promoted as champions.
:05:02. > :05:09.Roberto Martinez brought success in some style. IPT change the culture
:05:09. > :05:16.of the club. I think in the history of the club, the Swansea teams have
:05:16. > :05:19.always put in good teams. Roberto Martinez to cut -- to get back to
:05:19. > :05:24.its traditions of old, getting us passing the ball from the back
:05:24. > :05:30.through to midfield. It was a fantastic style of football. To
:05:30. > :05:40.watch and to play. There was an identity for Swansea City. Back in
:05:40. > :05:43.the day, it was play-off the frontman. But now it is about
:05:43. > :05:53.getting into eye-catching football, so to speak. Looking at the likes
:05:53. > :05:55.
:05:55. > :05:59.of Barcelona and Real Madrid, Spain. After coming close under piles sews
:05:59. > :06:02.up, it was Brendan Rodgers' Swansea side who passed their way into the
:06:02. > :06:09.Premier League via a Wembley play- off win. There was always a doubt
:06:09. > :06:13.that we could go to Wembley and win. I think we have to congratulate
:06:13. > :06:17.Brendan at the time for how he has managed the team, and we were
:06:17. > :06:22.exceptional on that day. That is probably as good a day as I have
:06:22. > :06:27.ever experienced in a club, as a player or coach. When the final
:06:27. > :06:30.whistle went, it was that, I cannot believe this has happened! Even
:06:30. > :06:35.when we start to the Premiership -- Premiership, it did not feel like
:06:35. > :06:39.we are in the Premiership. It felt like we are playing a cup game.
:06:39. > :06:43.They have made themselves at home in the top. You know you have made
:06:43. > :06:49.progress when you were disappointed to drop to 5th as Swansea did last
:06:49. > :06:52.week. Redemption tomorrow, perhaps, against Everton. David Morrison has
:06:52. > :06:56.done a great job with them and that is something we can look at as a
:06:56. > :06:59.club, we can see how Everton have progressed from a small team into a
:06:59. > :07:04.well-established club. You will always look back and consider how
:07:04. > :07:14.tough things have been, and how lucky we are. And how lucky we
:07:14. > :07:18.should always think we are, to be at this level. Sad news this week
:07:18. > :07:27.with the passing of former Swansea City chairman Malcolm stroll, the
:07:27. > :07:31.man credited with appointing John Toshack as player-manager in 1978.
:07:31. > :07:35.And there will be more football later in the programme when we hear
:07:35. > :07:42.from Cardiff City manager Malky Mackay. From the cities, we head
:07:42. > :07:50.west. Wales' landscape means it has become increasingly popular as a
:07:50. > :07:54.location for extreme sports. Recently, the world cliff diving
:07:54. > :08:02.championships came to Wales for the first time and temperature was
:08:02. > :08:08.chosen for the event. -- Pembrokeshire.
:08:08. > :08:12.The Blue Lagoon in a Abereiddi. After the walls of a slate quarry
:08:12. > :08:17.were breached, the Pit Basin was flooded too great a sheltered pool.
:08:17. > :08:22.At high tide, it can be 25 metres deep. It was here that the best
:08:22. > :08:25.divers in the world came to compete in the penultimate leg of the 2012
:08:25. > :08:29.championships. Cliff diving is thought of as being the least
:08:29. > :08:34.complicated of all extreme sports. There is not women to buy, no
:08:34. > :08:38.special clothing. You just jump off the equivalent of an eight-storey
:08:38. > :08:48.building. Throw in a few somersaults on the way down and hit
:08:48. > :09:03.
:09:03. > :09:09.the water at speeds of up to 55mph. It is claimed that cliff diving
:09:09. > :09:13.started in the 17th 70s as a test of courage to a Hawaiian King. --
:09:13. > :09:18.1770s. It has eventually become a competitive world sport. You were
:09:18. > :09:23.an Olympic diver. How does this compare? A Olympic diving was 10
:09:23. > :09:32.metres and this is 27. Essentially, it is the same at the start. The
:09:32. > :09:37.same motion at the beginning, but is suddenly changes. You cannot go
:09:37. > :09:43.head-first, because the impact is so strong. It is about getting as
:09:43. > :09:47.little splash as possible, and as straight a line as possible.
:09:47. > :09:51.judges will judge the take-off, the flight, and the landing. The
:09:51. > :09:54.highest and lowest score out of the five judges will be taken away and
:09:54. > :09:58.the middle three will be added together and then multiplied by the
:09:58. > :10:08.degree of difficulty of the dive. Mentally and physically, it is far
:10:08. > :10:10.
:10:10. > :10:14.more demanding than Olympic diving. I think if you were to look at any
:10:14. > :10:18.diver before they take off, you will see fear. I consistently say
:10:18. > :10:21.that you have to keep your fear at the right level. If it is too low,
:10:21. > :10:25.then you do not care and you will do something stupid and get hurt.
:10:25. > :10:29.If it is too high, likewise, maybe your body will tense up and you
:10:29. > :10:37.will do something out of the ordinary. You have to keep your
:10:37. > :10:41.fear at a friendly level. I was looking forward to this for a long
:10:41. > :10:49.time, knowing that finally I was going to get to do a competition on
:10:49. > :10:56.home turf. The crowd were amazing. It has been great to see what these
:10:56. > :11:06.guys have been doing today. It is a pretty scary height. 10 metres is
:11:06. > :11:09.
:11:09. > :11:17.high, you think, but 27 metres, I think they are mental. In third
:11:17. > :11:25.place, Gary Hunt from Southampton. The current leader of this year's
:11:25. > :11:32.series, the Colombian, came second. And the Welsh winner, with his
:11:32. > :11:39.first cliff diving victory, was the American. Obviously, for me, this
:11:39. > :11:42.has produced my best result so far. Really, when we get on the platform,
:11:42. > :11:50.it was a nice weight. The plans for more sturdy, which is nice and the
:11:50. > :11:53.water looks inviting. It is hard to not like a location like that.
:11:53. > :12:01.have been to some of the most amazing locations. For me, Wales
:12:01. > :12:11.has been the best stock so far. It is picturesque. The Blue Lagoon is
:12:11. > :12:13.
:12:13. > :12:17.fantastic. Stunning scenes. Good to see Jamie Roberts and Lloyd-
:12:18. > :12:21.Williams taking time out. And we turn to rugby now. Once again, it
:12:21. > :12:24.is matches off the field -- matter us off the field that have hit the
:12:24. > :12:29.headlines. The future of the Heineken Cup is in doubt after the
:12:29. > :12:36.English sides in Premier League rugby announced a new television
:12:36. > :12:40.deal. We take a look at what it means for the four Welsh regions.
:12:40. > :12:46.If we cannot make his work and continue with a proper European
:12:46. > :12:56.competition, I do not think it looks good for us. There are pros
:12:56. > :12:57.
:12:57. > :13:01.and cons, and as a Welsh region, along with the union, are looking
:13:01. > :13:04.at things that suits us best for our needs. It is not in the
:13:04. > :13:10.interests of England for us to compete. Everyone says it is not
:13:10. > :13:13.about rugby -- money, but in truth, it is totally about money. Not for
:13:13. > :13:17.the first time, rugby's European Cup has been thrown into
:13:17. > :13:20.uncertainty and confusion. Emergency meetings had been held as
:13:20. > :13:27.the future structure, ownership and composition of the tournament has
:13:27. > :13:30.been forced into debate. 24 teams from England, France, Wales,
:13:30. > :13:36.Ireland, Scotland and Italy currently make up signs in the
:13:36. > :13:40.Heineken Cup. Premier rugby represents the 12 top-flight clubs
:13:41. > :13:46.in England. Beattie vision have agreed a deal to broadcast English
:13:46. > :13:50.domestic league matches from next season and European games from 2014,
:13:50. > :13:56.2015. The French and the English have given two year's notice to
:13:56. > :14:00.withdraw. When the deal ends in 2014. The body who run European
:14:00. > :14:03.Rugby say that Sky hold the right so it -- hold the rights to
:14:03. > :14:06.broadcast European games in the UK broadcast European games in the UK
:14:06. > :14:11.in 2014 and plan to extend that for a further four years, so where does
:14:11. > :14:16.that leave the Welsh region? think it has been very provocative
:14:16. > :14:21.by the English clubs to come out with the proclamation that they
:14:21. > :14:25.have come out with. That they have a new deal, including the European
:14:25. > :14:31.competition which is not theirs to sell. Having said that, whilst that
:14:31. > :14:33.was antagonistic, it has actually raised the expectations of the
:14:33. > :14:38.raised the expectations of the other countries, such as Wales, in
:14:38. > :14:42.terms of what could be available. We need to look at ensuring that we
:14:42. > :14:51.do not lose any more financial income. The game is on its knees
:14:51. > :14:54.and we really need some help. We need to make sure we make a dash 8
:14:54. > :14:57.it -- make an exciting domestic product. We need to make it as
:14:57. > :15:03.exciting for the fans as possible. With the English and French clubs
:15:03. > :15:08.having given notice to terminate, I think all it is going to do it is
:15:08. > :15:13.actually antagonise the other unions. Because it is seen as a
:15:13. > :15:17.further bully-boy tactic, perhaps. We have been here before. 14 years
:15:17. > :15:22.ago the English teams, along with Swansea and Cardiff, pulled out of
:15:22. > :15:25.the Heineken Cup. Cardiff's Chief Executive at the time can empathise
:15:26. > :15:29.with the current disgruntled attitude. You could call the
:15:29. > :15:36.English clubs arrogant, but they're probably showing a bit of
:15:36. > :15:41.commercial reality. It is the big country, and rugby is a box to go
:15:41. > :15:45.for commercial partners, and broadcasters. -- rugby takes the
:15:45. > :15:50.right boxes. The is only one way with dealing -- of dealing with
:15:50. > :15:53.bullies, to hit them in the nose or you will continue being bullied.
:15:53. > :15:57.They have to stand up and say, look, if you want to be part in a
:15:57. > :16:02.competition that we believe in, a great competition, you have to work
:16:02. > :16:06.within the organisation, not throw your toys out of the caught and say
:16:06. > :16:09.that you're not going to play. The French clubs have threatened this
:16:09. > :16:13.before but they have the ability to threaten but it never actually
:16:13. > :16:17.happens. If the French and English pull-out, it leaves just the PRO12
:16:17. > :16:20.teams involved. The Cup tournament with the same participants with at
:16:20. > :16:30.-- same participants at the league structure would not appeal to many,
:16:30. > :16:36.
:16:36. > :16:42.so what can be done to placate the Have a moment, the stupid thing
:16:42. > :16:48.about that Pro12 competition is that the team can finish 12 and go
:16:48. > :16:53.to the Heineken Cup but a team can finish fourth and not go through.
:16:53. > :16:58.It we say it is could be based on the top six in Pro12, you could
:16:59. > :17:05.have some years where there are no Italians, no Scottish, no Irish or
:17:05. > :17:12.Welsh. That is fundamentally wrong. There is almost an morality issue.
:17:12. > :17:16.If you want to grow the game and encourage youngsters, I think we
:17:16. > :17:24.need to make sure that all the countries have a minimum
:17:24. > :17:28.representation. From the perspective of the RFU, greater
:17:28. > :17:37.competition in the Pro12 could have an impact on the chances of England
:17:37. > :17:42.in the Six Nations. It would not be unhappy if the regions were forced
:17:42. > :17:47.to field their strongest teams more often in the Pro12, so that their
:17:47. > :17:53.players get almost as battered as the English and French. The French
:17:53. > :17:59.federation also gave notice to quote back in June. There is
:17:59. > :18:03.opinion in both unions that the way that the Heineken Cup is set up
:18:03. > :18:11.does have an impact on the international stage, especially the
:18:11. > :18:17.Six Nations. Just as English clubs are able to rest their leading
:18:17. > :18:20.players for large parts of the season, starting in late and then
:18:20. > :18:26.resting before the Six Nations, it does have an impact on that
:18:26. > :18:34.tournament. What is the likely resolution? The posturing will no
:18:34. > :18:38.doubt continue and more meetings will be held. This is an
:18:38. > :18:44.opportunity to stand back and have a look at where we want to go and
:18:44. > :18:47.what we want to achieve. It is actually quite an exciting time.
:18:47. > :18:51.England probably have to give a little bit in terms are bringing
:18:51. > :18:56.their commercial cloud and experience to the table and Wales
:18:57. > :19:05.will have to give a bit in terms of qualification. Hopefully all
:19:05. > :19:09.regions can qualify. The one thing you can always agree on is, we have
:19:09. > :19:16.not got any work, so we will agree to have another meeting to agree
:19:16. > :19:20.something. That is the nature of the beast. Back to football. While
:19:20. > :19:26.Swansea City enjoy life in the Premiership, Cardiff City have had
:19:26. > :19:33.a great start in the championship. They made it three wins in a row of
:19:33. > :19:38.on Tuesday night against Millwall. Does manager Malky Mackay can now
:19:38. > :19:48.think they have the squad for promotion? Lisa Rogers went to meet
:19:48. > :19:57.
:19:57. > :20:01.2-0 win at Millwall, never an easy place to go. Delighted. It is a
:20:02. > :20:06.hostile environment at the best of times, and it is a place where in
:20:06. > :20:12.their plea we have not done well. So to get two goals and come away
:20:12. > :20:19.with three points, we are delighted. Third win on the trot. How much to
:20:19. > :20:24.look at those kind of stats? cannot be carried away. It is far
:20:24. > :20:30.too early. By you look at your run of form and how you are playing. To
:20:30. > :20:36.have beaten Wolves, Leeds and Millwall is certainly pleasing.
:20:36. > :20:44.Over at the summer, his former club, Norwich City, made inquiries about
:20:44. > :20:54.bringing him back to East Anglia. It was something that was foist.
:20:54. > :20:56.
:20:56. > :21:01.But I think given what the club had done last year, my link to they
:21:01. > :21:11.Clarke and how I played, meant I was like there. But I was committed
:21:11. > :21:11.
:21:11. > :21:16.here. They have put money into the team. They have invested in a new
:21:16. > :21:22.training facility which I would like to open, I would like to shape.
:21:22. > :21:26.These are real forward-thinking times at Cardiff City.
:21:26. > :21:31.Investment came about because of the change in colour, we are led to
:21:31. > :21:37.believe. There were a lot of had lined up the time. Do you think you
:21:37. > :21:42.are moving on from that? We keep winning in red, which helps! But
:21:42. > :21:47.there's a lot of tradition attached to football clubs and because of
:21:47. > :21:52.that it was something that was incredibly off the wall at the time,
:21:52. > :21:56.in terms of going from blue to red. The owner has stated by he was
:21:56. > :22:01.doing it and what he would get out of the club if he was allowed to do
:22:01. > :22:07.it. I think, after he stated that and how much investment he would
:22:07. > :22:15.put in, clear the club debt, bankrolled the club and invest in
:22:15. > :22:20.the team, invest in the infrastructure, when they decided
:22:20. > :22:25.to make the change and invest the team, I think most people got that.
:22:25. > :22:31.Change takes time but if the club managers to be promoted in the next
:22:31. > :22:37.couple of years, then if that is because of Tim Bresnan, then a lot
:22:37. > :22:40.of people will be happy. There has been some speculation about Craig
:22:40. > :22:46.Bellamy following allegations about his private life and his commitment
:22:46. > :22:50.to the game. He did not actually talk to the magazine, was an
:22:50. > :22:57.interview there was chopped up and came out in bits and pieces. From
:22:57. > :23:02.the moment he has come here he has applied himself fortunately well.
:23:02. > :23:06.Unfortunately against Brighton he cut a calf tear. All of assault and
:23:06. > :23:11.conspiracy theories were out that he was retiring from football,
:23:11. > :23:16.which is laughable, really. He was injured for three weeks and he came
:23:16. > :23:22.back and you saw the goal that he scored. He is committed to the club.
:23:22. > :23:27.He is going to the Antichrist and talking to them. It is early in the
:23:27. > :23:31.season but do you feel that more than any time since you arrived,
:23:31. > :23:35.you can look at your squad and thing, perhaps this is the year
:23:35. > :23:40.that we go up? You can any measure it in terms of the squat and
:23:40. > :23:44.everything that has gone on here in terms of the last year, we are
:23:44. > :23:53.certainly progressing. The squad that was hit by Stuart Ripley put
:23:53. > :24:00.an effort in and ended up in top six and a Carling Cup final. -- the
:24:00. > :24:03.squad that was here last year. The squat now are stronger, higher
:24:03. > :24:08.quality squat and do have players that I feel are committed to
:24:08. > :24:14.wanting to do well. I think the more of them that you have got,
:24:14. > :24:24.both in terms of players and staff, the more Cheju have of doing well.
:24:24. > :24:29.Cardiff City travel back tomorrow to London to face Crystal Palace.
:24:29. > :24:36.But Nicky Maynard is added to having suffered a ligament injury
:24:36. > :24:46.and Rob Earnshaw has gone one- season loan to Maccabi Tel Aviv.
:24:46. > :24:46.
:24:46. > :24:54.will be a tough game. Thanks for talking to us. Her pleasure.
:24:54. > :24:59.can listen to it like commentary of that match on Radio Wales. Staying
:24:59. > :25:04.with football, and a look back at a day of reckoning for the Wales
:25:04. > :25:14.women's team as they faced skull and did a crucial Euro 2013
:25:14. > :25:14.
:25:14. > :25:20.qualifier. -- Scotland. Only a win would do.
:25:20. > :25:26.Parc y Scarlets in Llanelli, and Wales arrive far pleased --
:25:26. > :25:32.arguably the biggest game in their history. It will be close but I
:25:32. > :25:40.would say to-want to Wales. It is such an important game, we have to
:25:40. > :25:48.win. Chances were limited for both teams. Wales came close with this
:25:48. > :25:54.effort. 37 minutes in, it was advantage Wales. Helen Lander
:25:54. > :26:03.following up to score. But the lead would last just seven minutes.
:26:03. > :26:08.Scotland equalised on the brink of half-time through Joanne Love.
:26:08. > :26:13.Women's football in this country is doing fantastically. Ironically, in
:26:13. > :26:19.the FIFA rankings, they are as high as our men's team. I'm sure they
:26:19. > :26:27.will be a higher climate in the near future. In the second half,
:26:27. > :26:32.Wales might have restored their lead. But it went past the post. A
:26:32. > :26:42.costly miss, perhaps, as Scotland went on to end Welsh hopes of a
:26:42. > :26:44.
:26:44. > :26:50.first ever finals appearance. Game over, dream over. Scotland beating
:26:50. > :26:55.Wales to second place in the group and the elusive play-off spot.
:26:55. > :27:01.disappointed that he eventually comes down to goals conceded. After
:27:01. > :27:08.getting our noses in front with a good goal. We are proud of the
:27:08. > :27:18.campaign we have had. It shows in how disappointed we are full stop
:27:18. > :27:19.
:27:19. > :27:24.it shows how far we have come. are committed to train like
:27:24. > :27:34.professionals and that is a big platform. We need to do at base to
:27:34. > :27:38.
:27:38. > :27:45.support these players, so there we can provide a fair chance.
:27:45. > :27:51.women's under 19th will be the home nations for Euro 20 13th. We want
:27:51. > :27:56.to qualify ourselves but we are also happy to host. If you hosts,
:27:56. > :28:04.you have automatic qualification, which we are delighted to take.