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Director of rugby Dai Young conceded he was in a 'dark, lonely place' at Wasps amidst a star-player exodus and a dramatic downturn in results.

In an explosive interview with CoventryLive, the Welshman laid bare his innermost feelings in the aftermath of Elliot Daly's summer move to Saracens.

A run of just two wins in 17 games over a four-month period has been set in the context of an incessant rumour mill linking players with moves away from the club - most of which have proven true with Daly, Nathan Hughes, Jake Cooper-Woolley, Joe Simpson and Will Stuart all joining rival Gallagher Premiership sides this summer along with Willie le Roux's confirmed exit.

"What is it like to be director of rugby at Wasps at the moment? It's a pretty lonely place to be honest with you, especially when things aren't going well," said Young, who a little over 20 months ago was minutes away from winning the Premiership title at Twickenham before Exeter Chiefs inflicted late heartbreak.

"It's part of my job, and some times I do it better than others, to support all the coaches, support all the staff even when things aren't going well. sometimes I can't help but vent my frustrations when we're not getting the results or we are not training as we would like.

"I think generally the staff would say I am pretty supportive to them when things aren't going well. The players would feel the same.

"It's my job to support them, but it's a pretty lonely place for me.

"We've lost the last couple of games. It's surprising the texts stop coming when you're not winning regularly. I get two texts after the last couple of losses and that's from my sons. It's a pretty lonely place.

"I feel like I am in quite a dark place at the minute. I really take it to heart the results, I really take it to heart that we are not winning, I don't need any pressure being put on me, I put as much pressure on myself as possible.

Wasps' last 17 results in all competitions L 21-35 Gloucester (H) L 52-3 Leinster (A) HCC D 35-35 Bath (H) HCC L 31-7 Gloucester (A) PC L 14-15 Northampton Saints (H) PC L 19-30 Bristol Bears (H) PC L 36-17 Northampton Saints (A) W 32-28 Bristol Bears (H) L 29-6 Saracens (A) L 16-24 Toulouse (H) HCC L 42-27 Toulouse (A) HCC L 14-24 Bath (H) L 20-13 Harlequins (A) W 27-16 Northampton Saints (H) L 18-16 Bath (A) HCC L 19-37 Leinster (H) HCC L 35-23 Worcester Warriors (A) PC PC: Premiership Cup, HCC: Heineken Champions Cup

"You feel that you are letting people down, the supporters mainly, the people who support you through thick and thin and it makes you a bit more determined to get it right.

"I can't hide the fact I probably haven't been a very good person to live with, my wife probably hasn't had a very good time over the past two to three months.

"Sometimes you can put a brave face on it when you're in work because you've got to have that strong demeanour, display a bit of confidence to players and staff and you've got to show you're there to support them but it doesn't get away from the fact on occasions it's a pretty lonely place for you.

Constantly putting out fires

"This year has been the hardest year since I've been at Wasps. I can hardly feel my fingers with all the fires I am putting out. Some of them, are my responsibility, some of them are not. But when you're the face of Wasps, I think it's fair to say I pretty much am the face of Wasps, I tend to have to address the media on all subjects.

"Some of it in my control, some of it not. It is hard work, certainly this year it's been almost constant negativity with these fires you are constantly putting out.

"It's been a really tough year. Hopefully we can start turning it around. I wouldn't have said this at the start of the year, but I do think we are in a bit of a transition, which everybody can see for themselves.

(Image: David Howlett)

"I do believe we've got a real strong backbone of a group here, it feels not quite as bad as it was when I took over. When I took over we lost a lot of players and I had to rebuild.

"That's maybe something we've got to do from next year on. But we're certainly rebuilding off the back of a really strong group already. It's not a major rebuilding project like we did last time but there's no reason we can't go on and do well this year and push for that top four. If you get in that top four you're two games away from winning it.

"The reality of it is, a lot of the squad are leaving. We did well to rebuild that squad. We got to a couple of semi-finals and went within 90 seconds of winning the Premiership. That was perhaps the height of where that squad was going to get to.

"This year we can hopefully get into the top four but certainly from next year we've got to start to building that process to get to back to where we were.

Summer ins and outs at Wasps so far IN: Malakai Fekitoa (Toulon), Jeffery Toomaga-Allen (Hurricanes), Jack Owlett (Exeter Chiefs), Mike Daniels (Nottingham), Ben Vellacott (Gloucester), Matteo Minozzi (Zebre), Ben Vellacott (Gloucester), Sione Vailanu (Saracens) OUT: Nathan Hughes (Bristol Bears), Joe Simpson (Gloucester), Jake Cooper-Woolley (Sale Sharks), Will Stuart (Bath), Elliot Daly (Saracens), Willie le Roux (not confirmed) RE-SIGNED: Juan de Jongh, Ashley Johnson, Jimmy Gopperth, Tommy Taylor, Ben Harris, Simon McIntyre, Zurabi Zhvania, Kieran Brookes

"It's been a really tough year. Starting from the start of the year, the results are my responsibility, that has been tough to take, but there's been so many other things going on in the background which has been time consuming and a little bit disheartening as well.

"I am confident we can turn this around. We've got no right to win games. Just because we're Wasps doesn't mean we're going to finish in the top four.

"Every club will go through a transition period but that doesn't mean we're not going to be strong next year. We have lost guys but we will still have a very strong squad next season."

Dai determined to see the job through

Having guided Wasps during the early part of his tenure through the brink of financial ruin and steered the Black and Golds through the choppy waters of the move north to Coventry four years ago, Young is no stranger to challenging periods in the hot-seat.

The 51-times capped Wales international was heavily tipped to succeed Warren Gatland as the Wales head coach and was also approached by other Premiership clubs when his Wasps contract was up for renewal.

But he remained loyal to the cause by signing a 'long term' deal, believed to run up until the 2023 World Cup, in January 2018.

He said at the time: "I want to play my part in going that final step and taking this squad as far as I know it can. Our fans and everyone at the club deserve success and I want to be here to help us achieve it.”

Despite a dismal sequence of results and exiting the Heineken Champions Cup with no wins to their name, Wasps lie sixth in the Gallagher Premiership heading into a huge block of four fixtures that commence with the trip to Bristol Bears on Friday, February 15.

With the likes of Juan de Jongh, Tommy Taylor and Jimmy Gopperth signing new deals, New Zealand internationals Malakai Fekitoa and Jeffery Toomaga-Allen joining this summer along with Ben Vellacott from Gloucester, Young remains confident he is the man to turn around the club's fortunes once more.

"I am determined to get us back to winning ways and playing the rugby that everybody enjoys and get us back to competing at the top table," he said. "Hopefully that's weeks not months. I am determined to see us through this transition of the squad and getting us back to where we want to be.

"I am not going to be here forever. People talk about loyalty, I had a number of offers when I signed my extension to stay here and people talked about how loyal I was, which was nice to hear, but it's part and parcel of the sport.

"But it's the same guys who were talking about loyalty who will want to get rid of you when things aren't going as well.

"From my point of view, I have no focus other than getting Wasps back to winning ways, competing at the top end of the table and being in the running to fight for trophies if that takes six weeks, a year or two years.

"I am 100 per cent determined to see that job through."

How do you feel about Dai Young's comments? Let Bobby know via email: robert.bridge@reachplc.com, Twitter: @bobby_bridge or via Facebook: Wasps - Coventry Live.