By Andrew Collins
April 30 2005

So to the future of the Cardiff Blues, people are asking so questions, so i have chosen to answer. So to the future of the Cardiff Blues, people are asking so questions, so i have chosen to answer.

Need you look further than the Ospreys to see how to make your region huge - Last season they struggled with us, now they have one good year and they're bringing in full attendences and are going to sell a hell of a load of season tickerts for the Morfa and probably attract a good few summer signings. The key is success, you can say the same about Wales football, you couldn't get a ticket against Russia in the play-off (i did ) not long ago, and now now WFU are struggling to get half attendence in European Cup qualifiers.

What we reallistically needs is:
1. Money - Nothing happens without it
2. The players - Players bring success
3. Good advertisers - Be Passionate... was a nice slogan but looked like a perfume ad. We need to make these players cult heros, like Wilko and Gav. The idea of the magnificent 7 was a big step in the right direction for Cardiff as a LTD company. Latch onto Rhys as a star, make Rhys, Nicky and Jamie (for example) the face of Cardiff Blues.
4. Matches on a saturday - Saturday is the day for sport, plain and simple. Even RFC games get good attendences on saturdays, 5 years ago(maybe earlier) Rugby was the welsh populations Saturday. If friday night games continue, we won't get away support and even often home support.

I'd also like to ask how can people seriously have a go at Peter Thomas. This man put Cardiff where they were when at the height of European rugby, we all think Cardiff should be great becasue we were the best a few years ago, but don't forget who got us there then. PT was critized for being a check-book-charlie then, and now for being a tight git, its ridiculas.

He brought the likes of Howley, Jenkins, Walker, Muller, Baugh, Tait and even Martyn Williams to the club whoich was so successful, and people to often forget that. Then a few years ago he did something which i think he belived would save the club. He sold Howley, Quinnell, Humphreys (damn shame), Jenkins and co. and why? Because he knew welsh rugby was changing, WRU was in dept and proffessional rugby was not taking off, would changes mean Cardiff could no longer afford to go on paying huge wages for these players? Nobody knew at the time, by selling them, he was garenteeing a future for the club he loves, and he also kept young, promising player, like Jamie, Nicky, Rhys, Powello and Martyn.

And as for the recent years, we've successfully brought in 2 lions in 2 years (shanks and melon) which is by my standrads very bloody good. Not to forget Sidoli who we had to battle for with Welsh and English clubs like crazy for, and when was this? Not even a year ago. And also re-newing Shanklin, Nicky, RST and co.'s contracts.So i plead with you, don't knock him down, support him, he hurts as much as the rest of us do, and with the record he's got, let him say he's going to bring in quality - i for one believe him.

And one final note, for the good of the club, don't listen to everything that prat Delme Parfitt and bigger prat John Scott say. Support our region from players to staff, don't give them the hard time the media want them to have.