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unacceptable to the Blues as it is to Leinster, Glasgow or any opposition you care to mention.

So to the elephant in the room: who could be the Blues’ answer to Warnock and how could they afford him?

Look, as with all recruitment in the Welsh game there’s a need to be realistic and it’s no secret the Blues are neither willing nor able to offer a life-changing salary.

What they should do, though, is approach the filling of this vacancy with the attitude that it is one of the most important in their history, more important than the signing of any player.

The Blues have meandered around in mediocrity for too many years. The time for window-dressing and stop-gap solutions is over and whatever they have in their coffers for this has to be squeezed out.

Potential candidates? Again, who knows a) who is available b) who would fancy it and c) whether their wage demands would preclude seriously entertaining them as an option.

But when kicking this Warnock concept around the office earlier, Mike Ruddock, John Mitchell, Ian McIntosh, John Plumtree, Eddie O’Sullivan, Nick Mallett, John Kirwan, Andy Robinson and even Graham Henry were the sort of names that came up. To reiterate, this should not be considered territory for a rookie.

There was even a lament that Richard Cockerill has already been snapped by Edinburgh. Think of the effect a customer like the former England hooker could have in the Welsh capital.

Of course, of the above mentioned none would come cheap, but do the Blues wants to do this properly and truly start a new era? Or do they want to be back to square one in three years time?

You would hope that proven leaders such as these are the type who would become masters of all they survey on the rugby front at the Arms Park. You would hope they would take ownership of the project and drive it forward, commanding the respect of all in the process because that’s what’s needed at the region. End of.

It’s high time the biggest personality at the Blues was once again the head coach. Just like Neil Warnock at Cardiff City.