Director of Rugby Steve Diamond spoke to the media today ahead of Saturday’s Gallagher Premiership match against Newcastle Falcons at Sixways (3pm).
Here’s what Steve had to say:
Is the club in administration?
- I can’t confirm that, no. I have heard the same rumours.
- Whether it’s convenience or good timing or poor timing, the public liability insurances for the club are up on Monday so we are in limbo from then anyhow.
- If there’s no public liability insurance we won’t be able to train at the stadium. We will have to train off-site.
- Something will have to happen either the said investor who is negotiating or administration.
What did you make of Robin Walker MP’s speech?
- I thought it was an excellent debate – it’s the first time my name has been mentioned in Parliament by the way.
- He was very passionate and it was what people want to see and hear, some facts and some honesty.
- We have been in this period of near-purgatory for some time now and it seems to be coming to a head with us potentially being suspended on Monday.
Have you heard from the owners?
- I had a text on Sunday but that has been it.
- Because I have not had any dialogue with them I can’t speak for them. But it would be bizarre to let a business go into real uncharted waters by having a team suspended because they can’t pay the insurance cover in case people slip in the stands. It would also be unprofessional.
- I don’t know how we have got this position. It’s sad and it’s diabolical that it’s been allowed to walk itself to the graveyard virtually. I never thought it would get to this position, but it has.
- The rugby for the players and the staff – most of them are volunteering now – is a welcome relief.
- The result is unimportant to me. Just getting 23 lads out to give it their best shot is all I’m interested in.
- If people had the same mindset behind the scenes that I have then we wouldn’t be in the situation we are in now.
Have you ever though it’s not worth it?
- No, not even today. If the right people come in with the right vision then it will be a success.
- It’s been run poorly, incredibly badly, and it needs re-booting. At least I have had six months to work out how badly it has been run.
- With a fair wind behind us and some serious finance in reserve – not to use on celebrity names in the playing staff – just to reboot the club from Academy to the top. You wouldn’t need to be Warren Buffet to do that.
- We need to build relationships with the rugby club across the road where there is no relationship – which I find ridiculous.
- The local community have shown what they are about in bucketloads. I’ve had personal messages from sponsors, potential sponsors and potential investors. Everyone wants it to work and that’s where I get my enthusiasm from.
What are your over-riding emotions?
- I don’t feel let-down. I have had the foresight to see that, for whatever reason, there has been no financial control and no real graft in the business.
- Every rugby club had to take emergency steps through the Covid period with DCMS and HMRC allowing payment windows.
- But you have to stay on-side with these people. Generally that comes from being a good communicator and as we have seen over the past month that has been very poor.
- If it’s very poor with people who give blood for them on a Saturday afternoon then you can only imagine it being a lot worse to people at the end of a phone.
How are the players mentally?
- They are remarkably good. We had a good chat again this morning and the over-riding mentality is that we want to play the game.
- For the right reasons. We are in the political window but I don’t want the team to be in that position. I can handle that position.
- It does put pressure on by us playing because the staff are working for nothing, the volunteers have been fantastic and we get so much goodwill that if we don’t play the attention will come onto the team and that’s not what we are about.
- But if the deadline is not met by the powers-that-be on Monday then we will be suspended.
How long might you be suspended for?
- There are some assurances that it wouldn’t be fatal. But you can’t have a team not playing for five or six weeks and then put them back in again.
- I am assuming if we are suspended and we do go into administration then it will be a two or three week process. We could be playing after the break when we have a bye week in two weeks’ time.
- The disappointing thing is how this has kept going and meandered. I asked the RPA this morning whether they had jumped in now because the insurance is up on Monday.
- We are playing with a lot of livelihoods and 70 per cent of those livelihoods haven’t been fully paid.
Injuries
- Ted Hill is nearly there with his hamstring but we don’t want to risk him.
- Renato Giammarioli is waiting on his visa.