I'm starting to wonder if we shouldn't go back to Gatland  and say we were wrong, he can bring in whatever coaches he likes. I've noticed we usually don't, that whoever comes in as head coach is told to make it work with the coaches already here. How has that worked out for us?

Gatland is a bit marmite, I admit. But he's a bigger beast than any of those left in the pool at the moment. The team is shell shocked. They're good players but it's like they've been in the trenches too long. The motivation and belief just isn't there, and yes some of them are going through the motions. But for a different leader with a clear cut plan, they might pull themselves together.

I see it as a bit like when Dean Richards came in. He wasn't a huge hands on coach, but he somehow fired up the coaches and they fired up the team.

So unless we have a cunning plan or someone tucked up our sleeve, what is the choice?

What is Brian Ashton doing these days?
10 things Brian Ashton Still Believes In. Strikes me as an ideal Harlequins coach!

Either way the damage that's set in at the club is going to take at least several seasons. The wider squad isn't good enough, but that's just my opinion, and we've given too many extensions in the past to players who've simply not added much and considering we are spending up to the cap should now look at other options, coupled with the coaching.