CHOPS AWAY ! ! !

Michael Chopra leaves Cardiff for Sunderland

Chopra says "Thanks A Million" to City fans

Ridsdale says, "Thanks for 5 Million!" to Chops

And now the end is near .... Michael Chopra has left City's Portuguese training camp, his £5M release clause fee has been triggered by Roy Keane and Sunderland and the boy and his agent are believed to be finishing off the paperwork with Dave Jones already having said his goodbyes, privately and to the media.

I got mixed views. I really didn’t want him to go, it’s a blow but, in truth, it’s a cracking deal and City had no choice.

But our star man, if truth be known, had a mixed season just like the club and nothing showed it more than his scoring record. 22 goals in 44 Championship games is a truly fabulous record and he certainly made many more as well. His work-rate and commitment was exemplary, his disciplinary record dubious but his first touch and some skills, at times, magic and wonderful.

That scoring record disguises how his goals only came in 2 spurts. Chopra started slowly but sprung into life with 10 goals in 10 games in a 2 month spell during early September to early November but that dired up until he got going again with a blistering 9 goals in 6 game spell from in late January and February. Outside of those hot spells, Chopra scored just 3 goals in his 28 other league games with a barren mid-season spell of 1 goal in 14 games and in what turned out to be his final Bluebird Championship appearences, 1 goal in his last 9 games for City.

City did well to change his contract from a £2M release trigger to £5M before the end of last season and the fee is wonderful business for the club who paid just £500k for him a year ago. Whether it's wonderful for the football team will depend solely on what is made available to Dave Jones and how he uses it.

Once Sunderland bid the release fee, then like it or not, nothing could be done to stop it. And let's face it, "Transparent" Pete wanted to sell him or another star. We've now done it in each of the last 4 years with Earnie, Ginge and Gabbs, Jerome and now Chops. It’s a fact of life in the Championship that if you are one of the better sides, you’ll lose your best players to the Prem. For Chopra at Cardiff, also read Nugent at Preston, Koumas and Kamara at West Brom and so on.

Chopra scores at Sunderland for City ... I bet no good comes from it!

Here's My Top 3 Chopra Moments for CCFC

1. His hat-trick v Leicester in January. A trio of truly stunning strikes, the best quality hat-trick I've ever seen a Cardiff City player score and, hand on heart, I'm struggling to think of a better hat-trick scored by anyone. That hat-trick was a privilege to watch and be there when it happened. I'll never forget that.

2. His display at Crystal Palace away, classic early strike and then working his nads off late on to win the ball by the touchline, weave past the Palace defence and his edge of area strike hitting the post for Scimeca to bundle home an astounding late winner. I really believed we were on our way to the Premiership that day as we were clear at the top. It was fun while it lasted!

3. His squaring up to QPR's keeper in his final Championship match. Royce was gesturing to City fans and Chops was incensed. After a torrid, gutless couple of months, it was good to see some passion and aggression even if it didn't help anyone. It was stupid, Chops was red carded and the playing ban finished his playing days here. How I wish he'd now decked the keeper instead of giving him a handbag glance! That would have been worth the ban.