Cardiff City manager Brian Barry-Murphy has publicly thanked the club's board after a series of improvements were made to the training base at Hensol ahead of the new season. The refurbishments include a revamped gym and new motivational signage, part of Barry-Murphy's effort to freshen up the environment before his first full Championship campaign.
Barry-Murphy grateful for support
Speaking this week, Barry-Murphy said: "I'm very grateful for all the support and work that's been taken by Morgan's Consult and Sony UK Tech. Without them we wouldn't have the facility that we have today, so we are very grateful." He added: "We have had so much support from the board to make changes that we thought would enhance the environment for the players, to give them the best chance to improve and essentially do well for the club and allow us to win games."
Barry-Murphy also praised Gavin Chesterfield and Steve Borley for their efforts, noting that Chesterfield spent day after day at the facility. The training ground is owned by the Football Association of Wales, but Cardiff invested in improvements while longer-term plans for a purpose-built facility remain on hold.
Hjertø-Dahl expected to play despite Cardiff talks
Cardiff remain in negotiations with Tromsø over midfielder Jens Hjertø-Dahl, having submitted a package worth more than £7.8 million, with around £6.2m understood to be guaranteed. Despite the transfer speculation, Norwegian media expect the 21-year-old to start for Tromsø in Thursday night's Europa League qualifier against Czech side Hradec Králové.
Anders Mo Hanssen, a journalist for Nordlys, told a supporter in a Q&A: "We can guarantee that. He hasn't been sold to Cardiff or any other club yet, so there should be no reason whatsoever to believe he's not playing." There is growing belief in Norway that Cardiff's package is close enough to complete a deal, though Norwegian sources suggest Tromsø may seek a higher guaranteed fee. If Hjertø-Dahl plays in Europe, he would be ineligible for another club in this season's qualifying rounds, but it would not prevent him joining Cardiff.
Season ticket sales pass 14,000
Cardiff have surpassed 14,000 season ticket sales ahead of the new Championship campaign. The club hopes the feel-good factor from last season's promotion, Barry-Murphy's arrival, and potential summer signings will drive numbers higher. Supporters will also notice enhanced security measures, including a new high-powered camera system to identify individuals involved in incidents such as throwing objects or making offensive gestures, in line with football's crackdown on crowd disorder.
