It’s been quite the week at Rodney Parade.

Dragons have announced David Wright as their new chair, new signings in the form of Chris Hollis, Solomone Funaki, Harry Wilson, and Steve Cummins and now a new CEO in former Cardiff Chief Operating Officer Rhys Blumberg.

Dragons’ new CEO took time out of his “mad day” to speak to Sportin Wales after his move from Cardiff to Dragons was announced.

“My battery has died three times today, but it’s all been positive so that’s good,” said Blumberg.

“I’ve been on and off with Cardiff for 13 years, I’ve resigned three times but there’s no hard feelings there. Cardiff were really accommodating, Dragons understandably wanted me in as soon as possible so I have a pre-season.”

“I was approached a few months ago by the three new owners, all three are very different but are approaching the region in a very realistic way.

“We’ve made new signings this week and the intention is to take the club from where it’s been for the last 15 years and accelerate.

“I’m not saying Dragons will win the URC straight away, but the aim is to be far more competitive than of late.”

Dragons’ new signings will go someway in improving the side on the field but in his new role Blumberg regards the commercial side of the business as well.

“Off-field we want commercial revenue growth and to build the Dragons brand to what it should be,” said Blumberg.

“The owners were keen to bring in a young CEO who will be looking to get their hands dirty and drive revenue personally and that’s what I’ll be doing.

“We’re the only region which owns our own ground and that gives plenty of opportunities with the old clubhouses for redevelopment.

“With the ground being in the heart of Newport there are opportunities to bring events into the city, it’s not Cardiff in size but it’s still a city with a good population.”

Blumberg admits the easiest way to bring in bigger crowds and in turn more commercial revenue is by having a winning team but also believes there needs to be a heightened importance on consistency of messaging to media and fans alike.

“At Cardiff, myself, Matt Sherratt and a few others sat down before the start of season and discussed the need to keep our messaging and PR approach consistent,” said Blumberg.

“We knew we had a good group of young players who were desperate to impress and would give everything for the badge in Mackenzie Martin, Cam Winnett, and Alex Mann so we focused the marketing around them.

“That played a big role in us selling out the stadium three times and nearly doing so on four more occasions as those messages and the narratives have been consistent.

“Now with Dragons, we’re signing better players and we want to create a string of consistent messages which creates a story.”

“In truth, I haven’t lifted the bonnet at the Dragons yet. If we tell the right story then we can get a romantic outcome.”

Dragons currently sit second from bottom in the United Rugby Championship, a position they have held in both of the last two seasons.

Whilst this season has also seen Cardiff and Scarlets struggling, in part due to the financial difficulties surrounding Welsh rugby, Blumberg believes there needs to be a change of culture both within and outside of the club.

“In the past there’s been an acceptance of Dragons’ poor results,” said Blumberg.

“Not necessarily internally but externally by fans and in the media with people expecting them to lose.

“First thing I want to do when I arrive is ensure that that acceptance is no longer acceptable both on the pitch and commercially.

“If we fall short of a commercial deal or a result, we’ll be disappointed together.

“I feel the club has underachieved on every level and, for some, Dragons has been the graveyard of rugby in the past which is ridiculous because of its history, heritage and importance to Welsh rugby.

“We need to change that culture and begin improving things. It won’t happen overnight, I’m not going to say we’ll win our first five but we’re here to make a massive difference.”