Discussions about Peter Ridsdale are invariably highly emotive. Most supporters of the clubs he has been involved with have a strong opinion about the man - some more informed than others. I don't suppose that many (if any) of us on these message boards are privvy to all the information regarding his involvement with the various clubs, but it would appear that his introduction into each club was under heavily differing circumstances. Surprisingly, there are quite a few Leeds fans who do not hold PR exclusively responsible for their decline. In fact, many see him as a victim of the demands of a club that saw anything less than being up there withe Man U's etc. as being unacceptable.
As far as his time at Cardiff, it's important to remember the state of affairs when he came in, and the general history of the club. Sam Hamman was the most recent (and probably the most ruthless) in a line of owners who thought they could take advantage of the potential of the club. Of course, there is no getting away from the fact that we (some say blindly) embraced the influence of Sam Hamman, despite having seen what he did to Wimbledon. So, as I understand it, we were in huge debt and rudderless when PR came in. He set out three very clear objectives at the very outset; to get the new stadium built, increase the support and find new owners within 5 years, at which point he would leave the club. As has been already mentioned, some of his methods were questionable, but even then, you could be forgiven for calling it tough love. Which ever way you look at it, it is clear that the club is better placed when he left than when he came in, albeit with a flirtation with administration.
I'm sure he benefited from his period with us, but would we have got the job done with a cheaper alternative? I guess we'll never know, though again, I'm sure opinion will vary greatly.
I suppose the philosophical questions are; where would be now without SH and PR, and if the answer is still bouncing around the lower leagues, would we be better off? The answers depend on what you want from supporting a football club.
Anyway, for me, PR was an uncomfortable but necessary protagonist in a period in the history of the club.