Welsh rock heroes Funeral For A Friend are back with a new lineup and a thrillingly back-to-basics direction on their hotly anticipated fifth album Welcome Home Armageddon, so Sport.co.uk caught up with drummer Ryan Richards to discuss his beloved Cardiff City FC and his involvement in the recording of Bluebirds standard ‘I’ll be There (With My Little Pick and Shovel)’, the proceeds of which shall go towards the Fred Keenor statue appeal fund...
Tell us about the Fred Keenor statue fund and what it means to you...
Fred was basically the most famous Cardiff City player of all time. He was captain of the 1927 FA Cup-winning side and a Welshman as well. That would have cemented him in Cardiff folklore anyway but the fact that he went away to war, actually got shot and injured, then came back into the team to lift the FA Cup – that’s a pretty amazing feat for a human being, let alone a footballer. He’s a great inspiration and that’s where it all started, really. We did the song up in Monnow Valley in Wales and, originally, another Cardiff City fan sadly departed – Stuart Cable [former Stereophonics drummer] – was meant to play on that but, after he passed away, the other guys on the project wanted to keep it going as much for Stuart’s memory as for the club or the Fred Keenor statue. The guys knew I was a Cardiff fan and a friend of Stuart so they asked me to step in, which was a great honour.
One of the things about Stuart was that, even if you only met him a few times, he’d make you feel like you were his best mate. He had that quality. I got to meet Stuart quite a few times over the years and he was definitely a big inspiration for me growing up as a drummer in the South Wales area.
Onto Cardiff present. In the last two seasons, you’ve missed out on promotion in rather painful circumstances.
(Laughs) Very painful!
Would losing out on an automatic spot to Swansea be the worst of the worst?
It would be if we also lost in the play-off final again. That would be massively unbearable, the worst thing possible. On the other side of the coin though – and I might be different to other Cardiff fans in saying this – my ideal scenario would be for both Cardiff and Swansea to go up, us as champions and them in 2nd. I think it would be great to take the South Wales derby to the Premiership. It would be a fitting place for that spectacle.
The media would have a field day with two Welsh teams in the top flight – “England vs Wales” every week and so on...
Oh, it would be incredible! I’d love it. Obviously first and foremost I want Cardiff to go up but it would be great for Welsh football if they both did. I’d hope it would have a beneficial knock-on effect on the Welsh national side as it could give more encouragement to youngsters in Wales to start playing football, which would mean a lot for the scouting and development systems in Swansea and Cardiff.
If you don’t make it up this season, do you think Dave Jones’ position would be under threat?
I think he’s doing a good job but he may have made a rod for his own back by saying this is the strongest team he’s had there. It’s probably the strongest team that Cardiff’s ever had so yeah it could be difficult for him [if he doesn’t get them promoted]. I think he’s probably been the best manager Cardiff have ever had; he’s taken us to Wembley twice and within touching distance of the Premiership a couple of times, so it would be a real shame if he doesn’t take us up with the squad that we’ve got. With the outlay and ambition that they have, I think the owners are expecting and wanting Premiership football.
How did Aaron Ramsey look to you during his all-too-brief return?
Incredible, to be honest. Absolute class. In the first game he came back, there were glimpses; you could tell he was dipping his toe back in the water, so to speak, but from the Swansea game onwards he was just a different class. It’s a shame we haven’t got him longer but it’s encouraging as a supporter of the Welsh national team to know that he’s with us for the duration. I think he’s going to turn into a world class player, I really do, and from what I saw it looks as if he’ll get back to his best after the injury he had.
Do you think Jay Bothroyd’s early season form was a flash in the pan?
I hope not. At the beginning of the season, he just looked like a different player, like he was getting his head down and reaching his potential. I don’t think the England call-up helped us and maybe he’s been thinking about other clubs but it’s probably more to do with the injury he had. He’s still a quality player on the ball, especially at this level, but we’re going to need him to be back at his best from now until the end of the season or it’s going to be difficult because there are so many strong sides competing around us.
Who are your top five favourite Bluebirds?
I’d say Ramsey because I think he could go on to be the best player that’s ever played for Cardiff, I really do believe that. ‘Earnie’, Rob Earnshaw, because he was great for us, scored a mountain of goals and has always shown a lot of respect for the club since he left, even as recently as a few weeks ago when he scored the winner against us for Nottingham Forest and refused to celebrate. I think that’s left him in high regards amongst Cardiff fans. I’d have to say Fred Keenor because of the reasons I gave earlier. Nathan Blake, certainly; I’ll just never forget him scoring the goal against Man City in the cup, that was an incredible victory. If I had to pick one other...(deliberates)...yeah, Kevin McNaughton’s a big favourite of mine; we’ve had our problems in defence but he always seems to be the calm head steadying the ship and I think he’s one of the most consistent players we have, a great player.
'Sixteen', from the new album
FUNERAL FOR A FRIEND release their fifth studio album Welcome Home Armageddon on 14th March on Distiller Records, before embarking on a UK headline tour from 16th March, dates for which can be found at www.myspace.com/funeralforafriend