Times article on Dai

[Heathen]

The plot thickens.

Dai Young is stood down by Wasps amid tension over signings :

Wasps are in a state of disarray following the club’s sudden decision earlier today to relieve Dai Young, the director of rugby, of his first-team duties, nominally for “an interim period”. The former Wales prop, 52, has been in charge at Wasps since 2011, overseeing the club’s move from London to Coventry five years ago, and senior players were understood to be shocked yesterday morning when they were told that Young would not be in charge for the Gallagher Premiership game away to Leicester Tigers on Saturday.

After a meeting of the club’s senior management, the news was broken to the first-team squad at Wasps’ training base that Young was stepping back from his role and that Lee Blackett, the attack coach, would be taking charge of the team this weekend. Young has not been dismissed from his position and the announcement to players was understood to be heavily loaded with legal terminology.

The director of rugby’s contract with the club runs until 2023 and paying off such a lengthy deal would be problematic for a club with considerable debts. Having finished eighth in the league last season, Wasps lie ninth in the Premiership table at present, suffering six defeats in their first nine matches.

A club statement said: “Director of rugby Dai Young will be stepping back from first-team duties for an interim period. Lee Blackett will step up to interim head coach. Further announcements will be made in due course.”

It is understood that tensions have been growing between Young and the club’s owners over the amount of money available for players next season. After the recent departures of a raft of internationals, including Elliot Daly, Nathan Hughes, Willie le Roux and Danny Cipriani, Wasps have been spending below the £7 million salary cap this season and Young had been finding it increasingly difficult to attract new signings.

The club’s ongoing struggle to secure a permanent training base has been another source of frustration, having camped in temporary accommodation at Broadstreet RFC since the move to Coventry in 2014, with the latest plan to move to a site in Henley-in-Arden in time for the start of next season.

Young joined Wasps from Cardiff Blues in 2011 and, three years later, with the club on the brink of going bust, he oversaw the move to the Ricoh Arena under the ownership of Derek Richardson, who had taken control a year earlier.

A period of success followed the move, with three consecutive top-four finishes from 2016-18 and a near miss in the 2017 Premiership final, when they were agonisingly beaten in extra time by Exeter Chiefs at Twickenham.

Last season saw them tumble out of the top four and there has been little sign of progress this season. Now Young’s future at the club is shrouded in uncertainty, with no indication of just how long his “interim” period away from the helm is likely to last.

[Neils]

Thanks but worrying

[Shugs]

That puts a different spin on it. If this isn't health related the club really need to get some clarity out there ASAP. Slight inconsistency in the story though as if it is DY who has stepped away due to funding etc there would be no need to pay his contract up.

[HDAWG]

That's a massive shock and very worrying.

In a way it paints Dai as still wanting the best results for the club which is good.

But I'm saddened he may have lost his job because of him standing up for the club, performance wise.

[Neils]

A different spin on the very short statement given to BB. It almost smacks of journalists taking old rumours and making them fit yesterday. However the club really need to get out a sensible statement to stop the nonsense speculation.  Of course it may be true if someone else has spoken. Just what we need with a match days away!

[Vespula Vulgaris]

Let's put a different spin on this.

We know that a formal decision was taken to stop spending a fortune on glacticos from around the world. However well we did with players like Smith, Beale, and Piutau they were never really Wasps at rheir heart.  Once the academy was in a position to start delivering a decent number of alented youngsters the reset button was pushed and we started down a path that would hopefully lead to a much more stable long term future for the club.

Obviously the risks that come with that is that we might not do very well, we used to have a bunch of truly world class players, and now we don't.  We could easily lose a stack of games.

I suspect that Dai understands full well that the buck rests with him and that the losses we have suffered way more heavily on him thatn on anyone else.  This is not only his job, but his future career that is being defined by this.

So maybe he has been arguing to get some big names in.  To help pick up those wins that we have so desparately needed, and maybe the board have a different perspective. With relegation being off the cards we have a bit of breathing space to sort out the current situation without spending large sums on headline names.

What I don't believe for a second is that Dai, Derek, or the rest of the board are acting outside of what they firmly believe are the best interests of the club.

I have always been, and remain, a firm supporter of Dai. I believe we all owe him a massive debt of gratitude, and I am very pleased I have had the opportunity to shake his hand and tell him that in person.

However even with that in mind something needs to change.

Let's wait and see what it is...

[Chilham]

Thanks Heathen.  What a clusterf*ck!

[NellyWellyWaspy]

The problem is, we have two of those big name (expensive) galacticos in. One is misfiring at best (Sopoga) and the other (Fekitoa) is just starting to click, but it is rumoured he didn't cost as much as some guessed.

My guess is that Sopoaga was on a 2+1 on a lot of money, and Dai has been arguing to take up the +1, but the board have said no (OR, at least, told Dai that he should say no to the +1 but offer Lima a much lower value contract), and also said no to a replacement (meaning they are happy to put Jacob in that spot). That means we have a spare marquee slot, and my guess is no was the answer to filling that either, instead shifting (maybe) Fekitoa in to that slot, thus freeing up some salary cap at the lower end, to allow more academy promotions.

It is possible, therefore, that Lima had been told this and was thus looking elsewhere. What then would have been the trigger for this announcement/move? Sopoaga must have just told Dai he has signed elsewhere, and Dai will have exploded.

OR, it might be that Thibaud has signed elsewhere, but was willing to stay, for more money than Dai had?

OR Dai has been trying to hang on to another player, like Cruse, or YY, ....

[Peej]

That reads as if Dai knows what players he wants, but can't get them (or retain them) because the Board won't sign off the cash.

But it still doesn't make sense to do this now. There's no relegation this year, so it doesn't matter that much if we finish 11th. Why enter into legal dispute and have to pay out more in February when you could do this 6 months or more down the line?

Is this the new CEO/Board trying tis tip in and change the direction of the club?

[Old Geezer]

Vesper Vulgaris, I totally agree with your post.  Reality may be taking a part in this.  Not so much a difference of wishes between Derek and Dai perhaps as a businessman's eye on the finances and the large amount of debyt we are carrying.  Who knows?

[Old Geezer]

Sorry, VV.  Typed you name wrong.

[BG]

Apart from the one obvious club I don't think our squad stacks up too badly against other clubs. We do have a few big name signings and the squad is bigger than previous seasons.

Buying in or having big name stars doesn't guarantee results. Tigers are stacked with internationals and look where they are. We've just been playing poorly for the last 2 seasons.

It woud be slightly worrying if it transpires that we are struggling to even spend up to the cap and this must surely impact on Dai's ability to keep players who might be lured away by cash rich clubs.

The next few months are when signings and leavers are announced so it will be interesting to see what occurs. Is Dai operating with his hands tied behind his back or is the board getting despondent with the last 2 seasons performances and wish to freshen things up?

[baldpaul101]

This looks to me like a journalist doing what we've all done, trying to think up scenarios to fit the facts.
We still don't know whats going on, and won't do till we get an announcement.
The only reason I can see that there hasn't been one is that its still not decided.

[Hymenoptera]

Does anyone really believe Dai walked out over 'tension' regarding signings...do me a favour!! Utter garbage.
Thats about as anti Dai as anything on earth.

[coddy]

I agree, it sounds absurd that Dai would throw his toys out of the pram and step away due to player finances. Especially when you consider his actions when we were at Adams Park.

The plot thickens by the hour on this one.