Supporters calling for Cuddy to step aside

NEATH Rugby Supporters Club have called for owner Mike Cuddy to step aside after he issued a defiant statement.

With the club facing a winding up order, more than 180 people – including supporters and volunteers – attended a meeting at the club on Tuesday, but Cuddy was not present, citing ill-health as his reason for not being there.

But he did issue a statement that saw him blame some ‘expensive’ players for the club’s current plight and vow to rebuild from a lower division.

Languishing at the bottom of the Principality Premiership, the threat of relegation is very real.

“During pre-season we unfortunately recruited significant, expensive and subsequently underperforming players, the majority of whom did not understand our values and did not have our club at heart,” said Cuddy.

“Whilst we will do everything within our powers to stave off relegation we face a significant battle given our current position in the league.

“It is my intention to rebuild Neath Rugby, in its present company structure, from a lower division and for it to be once again successful.”

However, the statement received a mixed reaction among fans and the Neath Rugby Supporters Club have now called for him to walk away for the good of the club and his own well-being.

“Mr Cuddy was at great pains to stress in his statement that his health is poor and that he remains extremely frail,” a Supporters Club statement read.

“Whilst he professes to love the club and its “real” supporters it is more than apparent that it would be in the best interest of Neath RFC, its supporters, Welsh Rugby as a whole and more importantly for his own mental and physical well-being that he step aside and let the club begin the arduous task of rebuilding without him.

“A strong leader is needed to guide Neath back to its rightful place and, in his own words, Mr Cuddy is not capable of being that person.”

Yesterday, two more players left the club to join Ebbw Vale RFC, bumping the tally up to 11 confirmed departures.

Neath, who are due to travel to Bedwas this weekend, will have to continue to rely permit players from other teams to field a side, but whether they’ll be able to fulfil all their fixtures this season remains to be seen.

Their court case has now been deferred to a specialist court in Cardiff with a date for the hearing yet to be set.