My view for the Blues!

I think solving the Blues problems is quite simple.

1. Upgrade of the CAP. It would not take a huge amount in sports terms to upgrade the best placed rugby venue in Wales/Europe/the world.

I'm not talking a total revamp, all seater modernization. I'm talking the embrace of the terrace, an asthetics over view. Lick of paint and some real thought of the fans on the ground. The execs and hospitality can wait their turn for now. The need for room for 14000 one way or another is necesary.

2. Moving back to the CAP. The fans are there and ready, but they are avoiding the big tin bowl out in leckwith.

3. To fund this move, a cull of the playing squad. The likes of Tito, Patterson, Rush, Mama (given a coaching role poss) and a number of other SH and Welsh journey men. Maybe even the loss of Roberts, Warbs, and 1/2p ( I know I know) is needed for the good of the club at present.

4. The promotion and full use of the academy system. Cardiff can produce top players, and will again. The likes of Cook, Navidi, Robinson etc need to be invested in and a squad built around. The short term hole plugs as Trevett, Breeze, Evans, etc are just not good enough, but as long as they take a large pay cut will stay for now.

5. Helping the valleys plan get off the ground. If this goes ahead we have a settled and happy region, the valleys will ignite a lot of talent and an extra academy system in Wales to nurture young talent is needed instead of the over stretched ones we have now! There may even be some more players at those academies who prefer to play for Cardiff, and Vice versa!

6. A rebrand. It was rushed first time round, and a cheap badge, poor bus posters and a dire website is what has been conjured. No real thinking has gone into the Blues brand, right now it's 'generic colour'. It's dull and uninspiring!

6. The restructure at the top is needed. I left this for last, but it would need to be implimented first and foremost. Cardiff RFC old heads are interested in 2 things, their pockets and their titles. They remind me of old Scottish nobles who will sell out for power and money.

This isn't going to happen anytime soon, but needs to. A new team put in place, one that are qualified to identifiy and impliment new strategies, not just marketing but for the game. The blues are stuck in 2005, have not evolved with the game, or the country in general.

Watching Sarries at a sold out Wembley is depressing as a welshman. They have created an entity that is wanted, it may not be purely rugby but it brings in money that can be spent on rugby. It is fresh thinking, it's new and most importantly...

IT'S WORKING!

The clubs developing, english rugby is developing and moving forward, whereas at the Blues there are new innovations such as...

Family days,
Kids go free/cheap etc...

The Blues need a revamp, get dragged kicking and screaming into 2012 and look beyond it not to just survive but to flourish!!!


AAAARRRRGHGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

so official recognition of a cardiff superclub? a valleys region as well so 6 teams? or do you just cut out the dragons?

excuse me 5 teams

If you were doing things from scratch a Cardiff 'superclub' would make sense as significant chuck of the population live in Cardiff and could support one. But it would require a significant re-jig of all the other regions as I can't see a new region not going North and there is no way the WRU are going to fund 6 regions.

rebrand and lose the history, the Cardiff blaziers and fans would be out raged.

I never bought this keep the Cardiff name and its one of the most famous names in rugby. I've news for you, it isn't. Ospreys is the best known Welsh club, and they have been in exestince for 10 years.

Forgot Cardiff RFU the stand alone club i say.

join the valleys buiness plan as a member of the region, not owner of the region I say

If things don't work out with the Valley's team then perhaps a full revamp of the regions should go ahead, because currently a lot of hope is hinging on a new region.

Suggestion:-
I say let the Blues have the bottle. Call them Cardiff Blues&Blacks for all I care. Let them take care of rugby in the Cardiff area.
Then give the Valleys to the Dragons. They could do with a bigger player base to get players and Ponty want nothing to do with the Blues so Dragons it is. This also depends on the Dragons though embracing thr regional concept and play games all over the Valleys.
Maybe a re-brand as well, the Valley Dragons.

jay your forgetting the animosity between valley and town, the fact that games would be in newport makes it a no go,

personally the only way i see it being successful is a north east west and valley model,

east play 50% rodney and CAP

West play 50% out of PYS and Liberty

Valleys play out of sardis, pennydarren, eugene cross and knoll

north play out of erias plus any other offered

You think losing the likes of Roberts, Cuthbert, Halfpenny and Warburton is going to do the crowd figures and 'club' a world of good? Madness!

Without question Cardiff Blues have to move back to CAP, asap.

I think there is a lot of panicing going on at the regions (pretty much in general).

- The Blues lost to the current HEC champions in a QF of the HEC, which meant that they finished of their HEC campaign in a better position than any of the other regions.
- The Blues are unlikely to finish in the play-off spots this season, however they are still amongst the top pack of teams in the Rabo, and they have been sitting high in the legaue most of the season.
- The deadwood, and filler in the side seem to be making their way for pastures new, and the young players coming through do seem to be showing promise.

Yes the Blues are not setting the world alight, but i think they are far from having to hit the panic button just yet. They have a new coaching team, and these things usually take a season or two to bed in properly.