Dai

[Heathen]

I have huge respect for Dai, given how he dragged out of the fire in 2012 but, something now has to change in an attempt to avoid that scenario repeating itself. Last season's slide is continuing and I fear that by the end of January we could be staring at the abyss. I not sure that Dai knows what to do about. Each post match interview he looks increasingly forlorn and sounds increasingly uncertain about how to move things forward.

Change sometimes is needed. The fortunes of several GP clubs are on the up due to changes at the helm.

Is change now needed at Wasps to arrest the slide?

[Gaz]

Hoping there are worse teams in the league is not a strategy for survival so I hope the board are at least talking to Dai, gauging his mood and looking at tangible thing s he is doing to make a difference.

Last year, we got Dai carrying out his own internal review. I have no inside knowledge but from the outside it looks like nothing has changed.

The only question with removing Dai is who do you get?

I'd like to see an experienced DoR leading someone like Joe Worsley as head coach perhaps, Dave Walder, Jimmy Gopps, Stephen Jones type, young coaches. No guarantee of success but they have credibility. Maybe Joe Schmidt could be persuaded to take is til the end of the season, he has a reputation to repair, if all goes well it is a win win.

[wasps]

Right now, as things stand, there is no DoR, head coach or coaching team that would get us winning.

No team wins a competitive game when playing with 6th/7th choice locks (or wherever we are)... And then having to put back row players there.



I understand the desire for change, and I know that the argument from some will be that if we wait it'll be too late.

The thing that I keep remembering is how so many here were outraged when we didn't get a defence coach to replace Phil Blake, and then why we didn't get one mid season... And then when we didn't try to get him to come back.
I look at Leicester who did get him in and they're not exactly doing well either



I don't know what we need, but I personally would be happy if it involved Dai still being at the club

[BG]

If Dai and his staff aren't getting slightly worried about their employment status then something is wrong

I think our pack (when most are available for selection) can compete with most other packs in the premiership ( apart from the Barnet Lions obviously)

Its must be slightly demoralising for the forwards though, to look up from the bottom or a ruck/maul having fought hard to retain or win the ball to then see the backs simply shovel the ball from one to another and either drop it, get caught behind the gain line

I'm struggling to understand what the backs and coaches did during the long pre-season. There seems to be a distinct lack of direction, ideas, moves.

Without an attacking threat, pressure mounts on other parts of the game.. defence, first phase possession which seems to take its toll on the team during the 2nd half.

Our predicament mirrors other clubs a few years ago who stuck with coachng staff for too long.

Does DR wait until Feb/March before assessing the situation? Will it be too late by that point

[HDAWG]

Long term I'd say Scott Robertson, assuming he doesn't get all Blacks job. But soonest we'd get him is 2021-2022.

I can't think of many good head coaches who are available and are similar style to us.

Attack coaches, same applies. Blackett has been struggling the past 2 seasons.

We should've done more last season to try and improve coaching structure so we weren't in this mess. Particularly before a world cup. We're late to the party to sign available coaches and that's annoying.

[Sting]

Right now, as things stand, there is no DoR, head coach or coaching team that would get us winning.

No team wins a competitive game when playing with 6th/7th choice locks (or wherever we are)... And then having to put back row players there.



I understand the desire for change, and I know that the argument from some will be that if we wait it'll be too late.

The thing that I keep remembering is how so many here were outraged when we didn't get a defence coach to replace Phil Blake, and then why we didn't get one mid season... And then when we didn't try to get him to come back.
I look at Leicester who did get him in and they're not exactly doing well either



I don't know what we need, but I personally would be happy if it involved Dai still being at the club

Sorry to be so blunt but that is just nonesense. Fielding young 2nd rows did not lose us the game. The scrum in the 1st half was strong and was front row that buckled under the pressure.
We lost the game because we have poor defence strategy, no attacking threat and the odd individual slip.
Dai has his heart in the right place but he needs to change his coaching team now. If he does not then the board will likely change him.

[westwaleswasp]

The backs have looked clueless, by a large, since the day Danny left. People alluded to the fact that he was basically the backs coach, it looks as if they were right. I don't buy the injury arguments, never did- yes they were bad but most clubs have severe shortages in more than one position.
Dan looked as slow and ponderous as Joe ever did over the last 18 months. Now look at Joe at Glaws.

I don't think it is about wasting try scoring opportunities - think we always were prolifigate with our stellar team with our length of pitch breaks, we often failed to concert, but we still scored four or more a game because we created so many searing breaks off turnovers or just sometimes running from the 22. Now our chances are less frequent and we convert as small a percentage. When we do score it looks more like Chiefs than Wasps, five or six phases of bosh, minimum.

I am not even sure what style we have any more. Playing off the ten or nine, playing with a ten in traffic or deep in the pocket directing, being a set piece team who hold the ball in the scrum or one that gets it out, having a 10/12 distrubutor package of two tens, or a non kicking 12 who may or may not be the defensive leader, playing for territory or with ball in hand, we seem to have tried the lot, and most of the time look like a scratch team in the backs or a team with a set of forwards and backs from different clubs.

Not sure where we go, we really need home wins, build the confidence with a w and strong team next week.

[JonnyD]

Yep love Dai, but he’s out of ideas now, similar to how he ended his tenure at Cardiff after their previous highs.

Since Cipriani left we have had nothing in attack, yes he messed around with contracts but also was arguably not playing how Dai wanted his backs to play , yes we scored tries but lots of comments always surfaced about earning the right to go wide, or playing in the wrong areas of the field, as I imagine Ackerman is dealing with now.
However with Lima at the helm it is clear that not a lot of other coaching is finding its way into the backs.

The defence had its moments under Brad Davis but was regularly criticised, he left, was worse under Blake but we were winning, but as said above a defence coach has never been employed since. We have two championship coaches, a newbie out of RL and Titterall who is new himself, although seemingly was doing a good job until he lost all his line out callers.

I think it’s time for a clear out although mid season I cannot see this happening. If Dai goes it will be Costello/Blackett that takes over until the end of the season and I can’t see that going well. Also can’t see wasps paying Dai off to get him out of contract so imagine he’ll just be moved upstairs. (Maybe though this isn’t an attractive prospect for other coaches coming in however and a reason we lost Edwards and bothwick)
It almost doesn’t bother be now how we do in Europe now but if we don’t win next week there are real issues. The league has to be the priority, we simply cannot afford to be playing at the Ricoh in the championship, it is actually beyond belief that it could happen.
I would bring in worsley and whoever he wanted to bring in.
Worrying times indeed and none of those regular positive posters, especially on the FB group can deny that now. Of course I will still be behind the players but this has been spiralling out of control for a while now and Dai’s post match interview was the final straw for me, looks out of ideas, a forlorn figure who said all of the same things we could have predicted he would have said

[WickedWasp]

I think the coaching team certainly needs freshening up. I am not so sure I buy into the idea of sacking Dai or others. But is there the money or even the personel out there for this. Difference with Wasps to the Saints example is that Saints were failing to perform with pretty much the same team as had previously been successful. Wasps are now operating on a different level with a different team to before. This will take time to settle. I would like to see an injection from an outside voice for maybe a few months period. It might get some of the players on their toes a bit more. But then again I dont think the effort is lacking more the execution. I've discussed in another thread Miller. Kilbrigie is another example with his break down the outside then he went to chip the ball inside for his support. Not an easy skill I admit when running at speed but he over cooked it. Little things like this go our way and the team suddenly has some confidence and it's a different outlook. Currently I think the boys are trying too hard and sometimes not being efficient enough in their play as a result and picking up injuries or making errors.
If we can get a fit 23 playing in their right positions I fancy there is more team spirit there this year and some improvements to get us wins. Currently it is imposible to rest players and target certain games when you only have so many fit at one time.

[backdoc]

"The backs have looked clueless, by a large, since the day Danny left. People alluded to the fact that he was basically the backs coach, it looks as if they were right"

We did have a very competitive near miss against Saracens in the Heine SF before Danny came back. Jimmy G at 10, Dan Robson at 9.

[Shugs]

You just can't ignore the journey the club has been on. Pre Coventry we were struggling. We then had to attract a new fan base and did it with a non-sustainable but necessary recruitment strategy. We're now the other side of that and are trying to mix up youth and experience in a sustainable way. To get that right will take a couple of seasons. We're not playing well, we're not winning, but we are I believe heading in the right direction. This year we must find a way of staying up. That feels like a long way away from where we were a couple of years ago but what is happening now is vital for the club to survive. As for coaching I'm not sure. What I do know is we're snatching at chances and making individual errors. That's down to confidence - not coaching.

[NellyWellyWaspy]

Here's the thing. This is like playing Scrabble. You have your tiles; the squad, the coaches. You don't get any more to play with till next season. You will lose some tiles in the meantime, but you won't get any to replace them.

No point in hoping to chose the letters you want. You can't.

We are 'pretty much' out of Europe now.

We are unlikely to make top 6. That means, financially, we are going to struggle for a few years. That means no expensive imports; players or coaches.

Only three things to do:

#1 Avoid relegation.
#2 Build the 'team' spirit with those who will be staying for next year. Cut loose those who will not be staying.
#3 Build and strengthen the younger players; they will be the core of what we can afford for the next two seasons.

Calls to sign in this or that player. Calls to sign in new coaches. Calls for people to go. None of that will happen. Pick up those flags and get behind the lads. Not to trip them up, not to push them out, but to lift them up.

[Westy68]

For me it’s our attitude on the pitch, we are slow to get to the break down, slow to set up our defensive line, slow to get the ball out wide.

Why is this? It must be a coaching issue, a couple of players being a bit lazy but a coach should be able to resolve that.

I believe we are about 4 players away from having a group of players that should get us into the top 6. The problem is can we afford them and can we coach them correctly

[mike909]

Calls to sign in this or that player. Calls to sign in new coaches. Calls for people to go. None of that will happen. Pick up those flags and get behind the lads. Not to trip them up, not to push them out, but to lift them up.

Something does need to change or else we are likely one of three fighting relegation. I'm hoping there is a corner to turn, but its getting harder to see one. Playing well doesn't earn points. Newcastle were playing pretty well early last season...

We certainly have the players - but we really can't rule out a coach refresh. It doesn't have to cost the earth, but carrying on doing the same things and expecting a different outcome is for me, at best, naive. And if, as I'd put money on, we at best win just one of the next three Prem games, making it 2 from 8, it will start to look late to make a change.

And Newcastle's decline last season is chilling, with better form than we have this season, a better previous season (4th) but never pulled back from winning 2 of the first 8.

[welsh wasp]

1. Where is there a DOR available so early in the season? Would have to be from the Southern Hemisphere?
2. Why are some people seeing Worsley as the saviour? Great player, worked at Bordeaux for a while, helped one country at the RWC - I think - but where is he now? There seems a risk that he will be seen in the same way as people regarded Cipriani as perfect.