Vincent Tan is attending his first Cardiff City match in almost three years - and he's in combative mood.
Dressed in a Bluebirds top, deep inside the confines of Cardiff City Stadium, the Malaysian billionaire has just come off a 14-hour flight and is granting a very rare recent interview to two journalists, yours truly and BBC Wales' Rob Phillips.
There is a lot of misinformation out there, we are told, and the club wish to put the record straight.
No, Tan insists he is not selling Wales' capital city team, despite various approaches.
"A large part of my wealth has gone to Cardiff, all my family members want me to sell ASAP. What do I tell them in response? That when when the time is right we will, but the time is not right, yet. I believe we can make this work, that I can get some of that money back," he states.
Yes, Tan maintains he is as enthusiastic as he was when first taking the helm from Peter Ridsdale 13 years ago. And still has a plan, too.
"To take this club back into the Premier League - and stay there for 10 years. Yes, I genuinely believe we can do that. I'm an optimistic person," he states.
As for the critics among Cardiff fans, with the number growing in recent months due to what they view as apathy and lack of direction from above, Tan doesn't exactly hold back.
"To those guys who want Tan Out, or say Mehmet Dalman out, or Ken Choo out, if they are so smart maybe they should plough in their own money - or ask a rich Welshman, probably a billionaire, to buy this club and take it to the Premier League.
"It was 2009 when I first came in. In that time we've been in the Premier League twice. This club didn't go up for 53 years before that, right? So I think it's been OK, the fans should be happy."
The discontent among Cardiff supporters is because of what they perceive as radio silence from the Bluebirds hierarchy, Tan's non-attendance at matches, talk of a takeover, budget cutbacks, the sacking of Steve Morison and the lack of a full-time manager.
The last point has been addressed to a degree. Mark Hudson has been offered the job until the end of the season, although the nature of Tuesday night's 3-2 loss against an ordinary Hull team in front of the watching Tan will have hugely disappointed the owner.
But he does try to soothe concerns over the other issues and insists the Bluebirds remain at the forefront of his thinking, whether he is here in person or not.
"There has been a pandemic for two years, people have struggled to travel," says Tan, pointing out restrictions in Malaysia have been stricter than in most countries.
"I've also had to focus on my other businesses in Asia, make some money from them to be able to put into Cardiff.
"I've just come off a flight to attend this game. Not bad for a 70-year-old. I'm here in person. But I watch every single match anyway. I'm so invested here, a major part of my wealth has gone into Cardiff City. I have a love for the club.
"Back home, because of the time difference, that means getting up at 3.45am, or 2.45am, to watch night matches over here. The manager can vouch for that - he gets text messages afterwards.
"Saturday 3pm kick-offs in the UK are not so bad. It's 10pm back in Malaysia, I can tune in after dinner. But I make sure I can see the games.
"I'm extremely involved, we still have plans and ambition.
"Cardiff is a big city, this is a big club, we should be in the Premier League. Get back up there and this time I can learn from the mistakes made previously, and look to stay there for 10 years.
"That's the drive for me. By then I'd be 81, but hopefully I will still be able to walk well. I'm a vegetarian, I exercise, I take care of myself, don't drink a drop of liquor, don't smoke a single cigarette. I'm in good condition and I genuinely feel I can be around to help turn around the situation.
"I hear talk that we have no plan. Do you honestly think I would have put in so much of my money if I had no plan? Do you think we are idiots?
"Do you think I would be putting in money every month, particularly during the pandemic, if I didn't want success?
"Yes I've made mistakes. Sometimes money has been wasted, mainly on players who cost way too much and didn't perform. Stupid transfers, ones our managers persuaded us to make. Wasted my money. But I'm still as enthusiastic as I was when I first took over.
"We just have a different way of doing things today, a business model I'm more comfortable with, and it's one more likely to enable us to sustain any success achieved. Younger players, who have good futures in the coming years, who have their best days ahead of them. Academy youngsters, I'm a great believer in bringing through our own home-grown talent. That's why I gave Steve Morison, our Academy boss, a chance as manager.
"What we're doing is the right way forward. I'm also hugely optimistic in my outlook, believe we can do things when others can't. The play-offs, for example. This league is so tight, three wins can suddenly take you right up there. Once in the play-offs, anything could happen. If I didn't have the drive to take this club back into the Premier League, I would have sold it yesterday.
"No, we have unfinished business here and that's what we need to focus upon. I'm not turning my back on the club."
Asked how much money he has invested into the Bluebirds, Tan won't give an exact figure.
"But it's more than £200million," he states. "Actually the figure is a bit embarrassing. It's too big."
Addressing the critics again, he says pointedly: "Get this new owner to put the money in, take them to the Premier League and ask them to keep them in the Premier League for the next 10 years.
"A big part of my wealth is invested here and I hope it is not completely lost. I believe it's possible to turn it around. I'm an optimistic person, I insist positive things can happen when others don't believe it's possible."
That, Tan maintains, includes the play-offs this year, albeit the abject loss at the hands of Hull has Cardiff looking more over their shoulders below them than up towards near the top.
"I don't agree with you it's not possible," asserts Tan. "This league is very tight, put three wins together and you can suddenly be right up there. Get in the play-offs and who knows what can happen? That has to be the aim."
We can agree to disagree on the likelihood of that happening, I guess, but Tan does appear to be putting his money where his mouth is given the opportunities to sell up which he has firmly rejected.
"We have had many approaches but we have always turned them down for many reasons," he explains. "Most of the time it is that I am not really very keen to sell. I think we should take it up to the Premier League.
"And I hope we can do it and that will be the third time, then perhaps think about selling. But maybe at that point I will decide to stay, maybe we can stay in the Premier League this time. Who knows? If we do get there, we will learn from our mistakes from the previous times."
That, Tan asserts, was spending what he dubs 'stupid' money on players who simply did not deliver.
The two particular examples he cites are those of Denmark striker Andreas Cornelius, signed for £8m first time around by Malky Mackay, and Josh Murphy, captured by Neil Warnock for £11m.
Throw in the wages, and Tan maintains we are talking about huge sums way in excess of those transfer fees.
"We won't make those stupid mistakes again," he declares. "I was not experienced enough when we first went up, let the manager overpay so much.
"Mackay spends that money, then he doesn't play Cornelius, he doesn't score goals and he goes and tells the Press it's a 'project'. What the heck is he talking about? That man should retire from football.
"Neil Warnock did a good job taking us up, but then he creates a bad side and buys the wrong players. Murphy cost £11m, hardly scored any goals, then left on a free transfer. He was never worth that money. I was conned.
"Stupid buys. The managers recommended them, pushed very hard, but we won't be making those mistakes again. What happened is still fresh in my mind. We will have more careful checks in the future."
Cardiff City circa 2022 is a very different business model, of course, and one Tan appears more comfortable with post-pandemic when his leisure business was hit badly and after the spend-spend-spend days during his earlier tenure.
Morison was asked to start the revolution of the playing squad, only to be sacked barely weeks into the new season.
"He was given an opportunity but didn't do as well as I thought he would," explains Tan. "Some were telling me to let him go. In the end I had to.
"In my many conversations with him I talked of certain things I thought he should be doing. We had a disagreement on some things. I had to ask Ken (Choo) to convey the bad news.
"This is a tough business that we're in. Managers do well and they get applauded; don't do well and you're under pressure to sack him.
"I always tell managers I hate sacking them. I've got 40,000 employees in my business group, I hate sacking anyone.
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"But if we're not performing, and there's a fear of relegation, what are we supposed to do? In the end this is a results-orientated business. What more can I say, really? I feel really sorry for managers sometimes, but you have to make these tough decisions."
Tan doesn't specifically say this, but it appears clear he felt Morison was way too negative with his team selections and tactics and wants a different approach under Hudson.
"I've told Mark I have certain expectations," he goes on. "I want him to play more aggressive, attacking football. We need to score goals if we're to climb that table.
"We're happy to make him our manager until the end of the season - unless he does badly, of course.
"But I think he can do a good job. He is a humble person, deals well with the players, they like him.
"We have an understanding they will do their very best to do a good job for this club and who knows we may be able to make it to the play-offs, and who knows may be able to win the play-offs and be in the Premier League? I believe it's possible. Others don't, but I do.
"We're ready to support him in the transfer window - if it makes sense.
"No more of those stupid signings, though."
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