Dai chopped??

[Stinging Wasp]

Not much given away on BT Sport tonight as was to be expected. As a Wasps fan since the Sudbury days this has to be one of the saddest chapters in our history. We have no right to be told what's going on, I just hope that Dai is OK and being treated with the respect he deserves. We and the board, who a lot of had probably never heard of Wasps until the move to Cov, all owe him that.

[westwaleswasp]

I am very unsure on all of this. Dai did lead us through some periods of very exciting mrugby,  with some superb results- you can't get closer to the title than we got without winning it- a different ref other than JP and the title was ours- but there were two distinct periods where we were pretty conservative, one season prior to the move, one now. The problem with conservative rugby is beyond style, it is simply that it has a ceiling if you are not the best at it, and we never looked like we would be with our personnel. Munster and Chiefs have had little success in Europe of late, whilst EAs circa 2012 failed in all the big games playing pretty conservative stuff, whilst flat track bullying elsewhere. It is safe but rarely gets the big prizes. It is true that SA won a WC with a conservative style, but a fixture list where they had only to beat England, Wales and  Japan helped. Wasps have developed a style over 18 months that feels very safety first, which for me limits our potential. I do not know how much of this is Dai, and how much us forced by circumstances.


I will be honest, I don't like our recent style of play. We have looked sharp offensively a small number of times in eighteen months, two games when Searle clicked for forty mins and a couple of recent ones with Jacob playing well and the backs suddenly clicking.The rest of the time when we have been successful,  and there are not that many successes, when we have won matches it has not really been through scintillating back play but more about dogged defense, solid scrum and defensive intensity with tries coming from the forwards. Think Chiefs last year- great win but our backs created little, at least in comparison to previous wins.

I am concerned by reports of rifts. We do have a great crop coming through by all accounts, and it slips true that some star signings have not lived up to billing, but the idea put forward  in various outlets that Dai has been refused signings is worrying. I hope it is not true, he deserves more.

I don't think the club have handled it well regardless of the actual decisions made. Does anyone agree?

[Davidabricot]

I agree. We see to many team which change their staff whe things goes really wrong. Maybe I prefer this to be done quietly when there is no emergency at all. We don't know what it is about, but I agree that or today's play is not really good. Finally, thanks to the Sarries... without this affair we would have been fighting at the bottom of the league. By the time where the RFU close the doors to the Championship, I think we must stay in Premiership.

The sad thing (for me) is that I'm experiencing very similar situation with my French team. In Castres, the head coach is a former player who already saved 2 times the club from the proD2, just 3 days before the end. But now, the team is really bad. However, like Dai, Reggiardo is a very nice guy. That's a shame to see those guys without good results.

I strongly hope we'll have more details soon.

[coddy]

Dismissing Dai due to recent bad results doesn't stack up as we've picked up 12 points in the last 3 league games. Like others I just wish the club would hurry up and make a statement to the supporters.

[WickedWasp]

I would guess he has not been dismissed or this whole thing would have been done alot more smoothly. There have been signs of frustration between him and new board members of late with the promises made during the move now being broken...training ground...investment in players. That includes holding on to players such as Will Stuart etc. Enough is enough and the silence tells me there are negotiations going on because Dai is so unhappy with the support of the board and his treatment lately that he wants out of his contract.

If he was dismissed a statement would have come by now. This has not been planned.

[BG]

Sacking Dai would cost the club a lot of money as they would have to pay off his 2023 contract. Dai resigning due to his re-positioning would suit Wasps management more. I think that's what happened to Nick Kennedy at London Irish. He was moved aside and new coaches brougth in and Kennedy felt he couldn't work under those circumstances... constructive dismissal some might say.

An optimist may suggest that Wasps are following the Glos setup but if they are its been far from seamless. Surely they would have announced a new appointment as well as informing everyone of Dai's interim status in a different role

[Hymenoptera]

I hope this doesn't produce the same situation as when Judas Wade left. The club took a huge amount of flack from trigger happy fans quick to point the finger armed with no facts but a sack load of guesswork, assumptions and gut feel. After the non stop attack it turns out that Wasps weren't legally positioned to make a statement and had themselves been side swiped by the news as quickly as Wade was packing his rucksack.
Its only natural that we'd like to know whats going on and i'm sure it'll come out in the wash but theoretical surmising will get us nowhere. I think i have read over 20 different theories on whats going on, the reality is we'll find out in due course and for now.

[NellyWellyWaspy]

I hope this doesn't produce the same situation as when Judas Wade left. The club took a huge amount of flack from trigger happy fans quick to point the finger armed with no facts but a sack load of guesswork, assumptions and gut feel. After the non stop attack it turns out that Wasps weren't legally positioned to make a statement and had themselves been side swiped by the news as quickly as Wade was packing his rucksack.
Its only natural that we'd like to know whats going on and i'm sure it'll come out in the wash but theoretical surmising will get us nowhere. I think i have read over 20 different theories on whats going on, the reality is we'll find out in due course and for now.

'In due course' does not motivate fans to turn up and watch at games, it does not motivate players to play well and win games, and it does not motivate businesses to sponsor. It does not motivate fans to buy season tickets. There is a huge cost to 'in due course' and, in due course, we will see that unfold. Starting on the weekend.

[baldpaul101]

I agree mostly Nelly, but I would expect the players know whats going on. Whether that translates into anything either positive or negative, we'll see.

[Lwasp]

'In due course' does not motivate fans to turn up and watch at games, it does not motivate players to play well and win games, and it does not motivate businesses to sponsor. It does not motivate fans to buy season tickets. There is a huge cost to 'in due course' and, in due course, we will see that unfold. Starting on the weekend.

The problem is legal niceties trump commercially advantageous strategies and timings. When it comes to professional sport the paying customer is just one part of a complex picture. Employment law is not to be trifled with. Players will not be motivated to play for an employer that rushes to defend itself in the press without due regard to the needs of the employee either.

It really is time that us fans realise we are rarely number 1 priority in the business of sport. I'm sure no-one at the club is enjoying reading the endless speculation on here and elsewhere. But sometimes silence is all the club can do to avoid getting themselves in to serious and expensive hot water.

[mike909]

But sometimes silence is all the club can do to avoid getting themselves in to serious and expensive hot water.

Whilst agreeing with everyone suggesting that all we have is guesswork and the not v useful press reports, the concern is that any personal or medical or similar reason for a step back would be very unlikely to involve legal issues such that no comment is possible, even after several days

It would appear to only leave the more awkward issues/positions as widely discussed on this topic. They are the ones where legal issues might require the club to be careful.

[Hymenoptera]

I hope this doesn't produce the same situation as when Judas Wade left. The club took a huge amount of flack from trigger happy fans quick to point the finger armed with no facts but a sack load of guesswork, assumptions and gut feel. After the non stop attack it turns out that Wasps weren't legally positioned to make a statement and had themselves been side swiped by the news as quickly as Wade was packing his rucksack.
Its only natural that we'd like to know whats going on and i'm sure it'll come out in the wash but theoretical surmising will get us nowhere. I think i have read over 20 different theories on whats going on, the reality is we'll find out in due course and for now.

'In due course' does not motivate fans to turn up and watch at games, it does not motivate players to play well and win games, and it does not motivate businesses to sponsor. It does not motivate fans to buy season tickets. There is a huge cost to 'in due course' and, in due course, we will see that unfold. Starting on the weekend.

Your not honestly saying that a due course statement, less than 3 days old is an any way going to affect commercials in any way are you? Is a fan that was planning to go this weekend suddenly going to stop supporting the team because they don't have the clarity of what is going on this week behind closed doors or that Voda are going to pull the plug or potentials will stay clear. We haven't a clue whats been said to the players, your hung on a media strapline. We haven't just been caught breaking the salary cap.
Seriously Nelly..with respect thats a huge over reaction.
Mike..not insinuating its legal issues, merely a previous situation of lack of clarity.

[Bloke in North Dorset]

As my first post I'd just like to say whatever happens Dai will always have my support and respect.

My guess is that the lack of clarity is because whatever the the issue is it hasn't been fully resolved between Dai and the club and they and/or their legal teams are still negotiating.

[DGP Wasp]

Whether or not a fan chooses to go to the game this weekend has no commercial bearing on Wasps whatsoever as the game's at Welford Rd.

[mike909]

Mike..not insinuating its legal issues, merely a previous situation of lack of clarity.

Hopefully that's the case....but.....not saying anything tends to suggest more complex issues?