Phil Bennett says the Scarlets must get the fans flooding back to watch
Wales great Phil Bennett says the Scarlets must produce a "wonderful" season next year if they are to stop a worrying decline on and off the pitch.
The former Llanelli fly-half says that with just five Magners League wins this season and poor performances it is no wonder that crowds have been poor.
Bennett also says that the off-season move from Stradey Park to Parc y Scarlets "was handled quite badly".
"This isn't a one-season blip, there's been three poor seasons," Bennett said.
Bennett pin-points the final season that Phil Davies was head coach of the Scarlets as the start of the decline.
Nigel Davies took over from his namesake in the summer of 2008.
"Nigel's taken over a squad which he didn't want really half the players there," Bennett told BBC Radio Wales' Scrum V Radio programme.
"Two poor seasons and then only winning five games in the Magners [this season].
The gulf in class between the Blues and the Scarlets that evening was evident for everyone to see
Phil Bennett
"Next season is vital, they've had perhaps their worst season this year in the Magners and it cannot go on next season because we know for fact the support at Parc y Scarlets hasn't been the greatest.
"They need the supporters to come back next season and they need them in bulk and in greater numbers, because you cannot be developing all the time, you have to produce the goods."
Bennett understands that the Scarlets have not been helped by lengthy injuries to key players, while he has hailed the emergence of forwards Dominic Day, Lou Reed, Ken Owens, Rob McCusker, Josh Turnbull as "all great prospects".
"They've been decimated by injuries, losing the likes of [Morgan] Stoddart, especially Regan King, Simon Easterby, Matthew Rees... throughout the season," Bennett said.
"They need some hard, gnarled forwards - someone like Ben Kay that Leicester are getting rid of - but the big thing is can they afford the money to sign those kind of players.
"There's huge rumours - always is down this part of the world! - that they're in financial trouble, they're in a mess financially.
"I think they've cut back. I think their move from Stradey Park to Parc y Scarlets was handled quite badly in many ways and I think the region has suffered from it.
"The support isn't there, the community hasn't supported it in many ways and they all need to get together and say 'this is for the good of Llanelli Rugby Football Club, the Scarlets'.
"But they have to have a wonderful season next year, much, much better than they've had."
Scarlets did not look out of their depth in the Heineken Cup, although they were still unable to qualify for the quarter-finals and dropped into the second tier Amlin Challenge Cup, where they went out in the quarters to Toulon.
But a lacklustre season in the Magners League has seen them overtaken by Newport Gwent Dragons to become Wales' lowest-placed region.
That means that unless Cardiff Blues - who won 39-16 at Parc y Scarlets in the league last month - win their Amlin Cup final against Toulon and gain Wales an extra Heineken place, Scarlets's European campaign next season will only be in the Amlin.
Scarlets finish their season at home to Magners play-off hopefuls Glasgow on Friday night and Bennett hopes that they can end on a high and set the tone for a better season next year.
"They've done well in Europe... beating London Irish, beating Brive home and away [but]... they've only won five games in the Magners League," Bennett said.
"But the biggest blow possibly would have been losing in Toulon and then getting smashed by the Blues, who produced a magnificent second-half performance.
"The gulf in class between the Blues and the Scarlets that evening was evident for everyone to see and the Scarlets supporters left.
"They were very quiet, they were very sad and they said 'this is what it's come to, the Blues are just smashing us'.
"And they now have to rely on the Blues to win the Amlin for them to go into Europe [the Heineken Cup].
"It can't be permanent as far as the Scarlets fans are concerned and that's why beating Glasgow is very important to get those supporters back on board next season."
E-mail this to a friend 
Printable version 
Bookmark with:
What are these?