Why Cardiff City and Bristol City supporters won't ever agree on EFL maverick who crossed the Severnside divide | OneFootball

Cardiff City and Bristol City fans had very different experiences with this midfielder

Cardiff City and Bristol City fans are unlikely to ever share opinions on midfielder Lee Tomlin.

He joined Bristol City in the summer of 2016 after a successful short-term loan spell, but was unable to recreate that early form once he’d signed permanently from Bournemouth

To rub salt in the wound, Tomlin then transferred across the Severnside divide to join rivals Cardiff City just a year later.

It wasn’t an immediate success, but he departed the Bluebirds with a strong reputation; the same can’t be said in Bristol.

Bristol City gambled a lot on Lee Tomlin

Tomlin was not an unknown quantity to the Robins when he arrived at Ashton Gate in July 2016, as he has spent the previous few months on loan there, linking up with the squad from parent club Bournemouth in January of the same year.

The maverick midfielder impressed, netting six goals and providing two assists in just 18 appearances.

City felt they’d seen enough, and were tempted into splashing around £3m to sign the player permanently, which was a club-record fee at the time.

They likely presumed that, having seen the player in action for their side, signing him permanently for a big fee was safe, but it didn’t exactly go to plan.

Lee Tomlin didn't meet Bristol City expectations

On the face of it, the six goals and six assists in 38 Championship appearances that Tomlin managed in his only full season with the Robins isn’t the worst return.

However, given he only equalled the goal tally he managed on loan with double the appearances, keep the club-record fee paid in mind, City fans can be forgiven for expecting a bit more.

They may have been willing to write the move off as an error, or give Tomlin a chance the following season, but his next move was the final nail in the coffin for the creative playmaker.

With just one full season under his belt, Tomlin was off.

Lee Tomlin became Cardiff City star after controversial Bristol City exit

A post on social media suggested that Tomlin may well be on his way out of Ashton Gate, but Bristol City head coach at the time, Lee Johnson, confirmed Tomlin was still part of his plans.

It was, therefore, earth-shattering news when it was revealed that not only was Tomlin on the move, but he was joining rivals Cardiff, for a fee of up to £2.9m, representing a loss on their original investment.

A stuttered start in South Wales, which included loans to Nottingham Forest and Peterborough United, may have left the Robins feeling they’d offloaded Tomlin at the right time.

But he returned for the Bluebirds in 2019/20 season to net 9 goals and provide 10 assists in their run to the play-offs that season, one of his best ever seasons, which made him something of a cult hero at the Welsh outfit in the process.

Cardiff had the last laugh, then, as far as the two club’s dealings with Tomlin go; it will be one laced with plenty of regret for the Robins.

Tomlin's impact at Cardiff wasn't sustained - injury problems would see him lose his way the following year and he ultimately left under a cloud and dropped down the leagues before hanging up his boots, but they still saw a decisive influence from him for an entire season, and he's fondly remembered by supporters to this day.