RIP Mike Roderick. 'The Voice of Reason'

[SunderlandBluebird]

I didn't really know Mike at all but was put in touch with him by my uncle a few months ago regarding a spare ticket he had for Slovakia. I agreed to buy it off him and a deal was a deal. A few weeks later a 'second chance' to buy tickets email from UEFA came around so me and my friends managed to get tickets to each Wales game together. I let him know the score and offered to honour buying the ticket as he'd done me a favour in sorting it out and I didn't want to mess him around but he was having none of it and told me not to worry.

Seemed a lovely guy and the blog post above is very touching. RIP.

[Arfur Europe]

Met Mike a few times during the early days of the CCST and later some Keenor statue fundraisers and he seemed a likeable bloke. Have read his blogs and it's heartbreaking but his faith will now see him and his family have peace.

RIP Bluebird

[Llanedeyrnblue]

RIP fellow bluebird

[TruBlue]

Sad news RIP.

[Splott-light...]

The exerpt regarding the last afternoon spent together with loved ones was incredibly touching.

Bless you Mike.

[The Lone Gunman]

I first met Mike through this message board in 2005. He was a frequent contributor back then, although I can't remember his original username. Towards the end of the 2004/05 campaign, the club was offering season ticket holders the chance to buy two cheap tickets for a game at Ninian Park and I mentioned on here that I could pick one up if anyone wanted it. Mike got in touch as he'd recently finished working as a matchday steward and didn't have a season ticket at that stage. It turned out that he lived quite close to me, so wet met up and soon became good friends, which was against the odds as despite our Cardiff City connection we were like chalk and cheese in many respects.

In the months that followed, Mike bought a season ticket for the seat next to me on the Bob Bank and we sat together for the last few years at Ninian Park. When the club moved across the road to the CCS, we ensured that we got seats next to each other in the centre of the Ninian Stand, and that's where we stayed until the end of the 2011/12 campaign.

To say Mike was passionate about Cardiff City would be something of an understatement. An ardent fan of the Bluebirds since the Sixties, his interest in the club extended a lot further than the events on the pitch. He was a shareholder, a message board regular, an active member of the Supporters' Trust and someone who always followed the club's off-field fortunes very closely.

Like me and plenty of others, Mike was greatly affected by the re-brand. He was appalled by Vincent Tan's vanity project and shocked at the reaction to it by the majority of the club's fanbase. Mike got a refund on his season ticket during the summer of 2012 and was one of the main instigators behind the ill-fated Keep Cardiff Blue campaign, the failure of which disappointed him greatly. He boycotted matches until the return to blue in January 2015, so sadly he never saw his beloved Bluebirds play in the Premier League.

Although we met up occasionally, I hadn't seen much of Mike since we stopped attending City matches in 2012. Indeed, the last time we got together was the 'back to blue' meeting at the CCS last year, but we were regularly in touch via text. Only a few weeks back he was telling me about his plans for the Euros and trying to convince me to join him in France, so it was a considerable shock to hear of his passing on Sunday. I knew he hadn't been well lately but to be honest I was unaware of the extent of his illness.

Mike Roderick was a really good man - a generous and thoughtful person who was always entertaining company. Being an opinionated pair, we occasionally argued about the issues and personalities surrounding the football club and sometimes we disagreed strongly, but those squabbles never affected our friendship. Indeed, one of the things I liked most about Mike was his straight-talking, no nonsense nature. He was never afraid to speak to his mind and you always knew where you stood with him, which was something I admired. I also liked that fact that Mike was a man of principle who, unlike so many other people, was always prepared to get involved in the things he believed in. It was an honour to have been able to count him as a friend.

[Shergar]

Rest In Peace.

[gurkhablue]

RIP fellow Bluebird, condolences to the family, a fitting tribute from Mike Morris, sad times!

[Since62]

I first met Mike through this message board in 2005. He was a frequent contributor back then, although I can't remember his original username. Towards the end of the 2004/05 campaign, the club was offering season ticket holders the chance to buy two cheap tickets for a game at Ninian Park and I mentioned on here that I could pick one up if anyone wanted it. Mike got in touch as he'd recently finished working as a matchday steward and didn't have a season ticket at that stage. It turned out that he lived quite close to me, so wet met up and soon became good friends, which was against the odds as despite our Cardiff City connection we were like chalk and cheese in many respects.

In the months that followed, Mike bought a season ticket for the seat next to me on the Bob Bank and we sat together for the last few years at Ninian Park. When the club moved across the road to the CCS, we ensured that we got seats next to each other in the centre of the Ninian Stand, and that's where we stayed until the end of the 2011/12 campaign.

To say Mike was passionate about Cardiff City would be something of an understatement. An ardent fan of the Bluebirds since the Sixties, his interest in the club extended a lot further than the events on the pitch. He was a shareholder, a message board regular, an active member of the Supporters' Trust and someone who always followed the club's off-field fortunes very closely.

Like me and plenty of others, Mike was greatly affected by the re-brand. He was appalled by Vincent Tan's vanity project and shocked at the reaction to it by the majority of the club's fanbase. Mike got a refund on his season ticket during the summer of 2012 and was one of the main instigators behind the ill-fated Keep Cardiff Blue campaign, the failure of which disappointed him greatly. He boycotted matches until the return to blue in January 2015, so sadly he never saw his beloved Bluebirds play in the Premier League.

Although we met up occasionally, I hadn't seen much of Mike since we stopped attending City matches in 2012. Indeed, the last time we got together was the 'back to blue' meeting at the CCS last year, but we were regularly in touch via text. Only a few weeks back he was telling me about his plans for the Euros and trying to convince me to join him in France, so it was a considerable shock to hear of his passing on Sunday. I knew he hadn't been well lately but to be honest I was unaware of the extent of his illness.

Mike Roderick was a really good man - a generous and thoughtful person who was always entertaining company. Being an opinionated pair, we occasionally argued about the issues and personalities surrounding the football club and sometimes we disagreed strongly, but those squabbles never affected our friendship. Indeed, one of the things I liked most about Mike was his straight-talking, no nonsense nature. He was never afraid to speak to his mind and you always knew where you stood with him, which was something I admired. I also liked that fact that Mike was a man of principle who, unlike so many other people, was always prepared to get involved in the things he believed in. It was an honour to have been able to count him as a friend.

Well said Dave.

[ken000]

R.I.P