Click here to listen to the full interview with Tom Walkinshaw - NOTE: The recording is a large file so please be patient when opening.

Below is the full interview between Gloucestershire Media editor-in-chief Ian Mean and Gloucester Rugby chairman Tom Walkinshaw...

Ian Mean (IM): "Can I sort of bring you up-to-date on the sort of latest situation?"

Tom Walkinshaw (TW): "Yes, sure."

IM: "From my point of view. During the last week our website has been inundated by fans who are, basically, not necessarily having a go at Dean for the lack of success. What they're concerned about really is their position as fans and what Dean said concerning their involvement in the club. He said, to the effect, that the fans didn't control the club, Tom Walkinshaw did. He worked for Tom Walkinshaw.

"A lot of the fans were extraordinarily upset about that sort of statement. So, what has been happening over the last few days is, yes, a lot of people have been calling for his head but most of them actually are just concerned about their position as fans."

* IM reads his comment piece from Monday's edition of The Citizen *

TW: "I think everybody and all the fans in the club know that I take on board all their comments all the time and try and communicate with them, canvas their opinion and do what I can for them because I recognise that they are the heartbeat of the club and I've always said that.

"So, it's unfortunate to say things like you've just quoted, I think it's unfortunate, and very unhelpful.

"But everybody, we're all frustrated at the moment, with the way the season's ended.

"But we've got to find out and analyse why and fix it properly because I think this has been going on... I wouldn't even be surprised if this didn't have its roots in the season before last. I think the big turning point was the losing of the playoff game against Leicester last year.

"I think the team's been very inconsistent since then and it's very difficult to put your finger on exactly why that is. The players and the coaching staff are the same but you've simply got an inconsistent performance.

"We need to address it and we will and everybody should know that I've never been backward about fixing the problem, so we will take whatever decisions we need to improve the lot, for everybody's sake, because nobody likes feeling their team is taking a thrashing do they?"

IM: "What Dean has said after the Wasps match is that he still believes he's going to be there next season. He's on record as saying he still has your confidence. Is that right?"

TW: "At the moment. I haven't talked to Dean since the Worcester game. What was agreed beforehand, that was agreed several weeks ago, was that we needed to do a top-to-bottom review of every department in the club and every person in it and figure out why we're not performing properly and take the appropriate action.

"And, that'll conduct, that review... Nobody will have a safe meeting in that review, you know. We'll look at everything from top to bottom, as you would expect us to.

"That's what I said would happen and that's what will happen.

"We've got to fix this or we're not going to change anything. We will determine what the problem is and take the appropriate action. Whatever is necessary.

"I will take whatever action is necessary to fix what's wrong with the club. That's all I can tell you."

IM: "Do you know, Tom, have you got an idea when that review will take place?"

TW: "I always said we'd look to give it a couple of weeks until the dust has settled after the end of the season so everybody's, obviously, emotion would go out of it, so we could come into this with a very cold-headed look at everything and analyse the performance of everyone and everyone's performance and then determine what needs to be done about it."

IM: "Will you be conducting that Tom when you return from Australia?"

TW: "Yes. I've said all along I would be doing a top-to-tail review of the top executives, my key players, I'll be talking to the coaches and also the commercial side of the company to get a view from everyone."

"Everyone needs to put forward what they think is the problem. Some of the things will be right, some will be wrong, but at the end of the day you'll build up a consensus in certain areas and make a qualified decision."

IM: "Have you got any idea when you might be back to do that?"

TW: "I'm back at the beginning of next week so as soon as I'm back then some of the key people, who know I want to talk to them, because I've been talking to them over the last couple of weeks to make sure they're around for the meetings and know I'm around and we will then spend a couple of weeks doing the work after that.

"We don't play again until August so it's not something that needs fixing next week, it's something that needs analysing and then fixing properly.

"We don't need a Band Aid job on this. This thing needs some serious surgery and it's going to get it to fix the problem."

IM: "What is your message to the fans?"

TW: "I respect the fans, I always have done. I respect their views and they should know that I am with them and I always try and say when they congratulate me on the club, I always say that if it wasn't for you guys turning up I could do nothing.

"This is a joint thing between them and me. They expect me to fix things and mend things to their satisfaction and I just say 'trust me, give us a month here now to analyse it and come up with the correct solution here rather than try and knee-jerk into everything and halfway through next year find we still have the problems we've got at the moment'."

IM: "It is their frustration, that's what's coming out. In fact the poll we did last week was not necessarily saying Dean should go. It was a lot of people - I think about 51% to 47% - saying that he shouldn't. But the key thing is the fans saying that they want to be involved, that they want to be part of it."

TW: "We've always involved them and we hold seminars and everything else. I've always made myself accessible to them whenever we've got the feedback that they want to talk, we'll hire a hall and hold a seminar and I talk to them.

"I'm not backward in coming forward to talk to the fans and listen to their criticism because most of it is constructive, some of it is a bit off the wall, but most of it's constructive and it's all helpful.

"At the end of the day it's your club as well as mine. I've always said I see myself as a custodian of this and a custodian for the fans, for the city and for the whole West Country community.

"That's always been my view and you all know that, or you should do..."

IM: "Yes."

TW: "People under pressure say some things that are inappropriate and they probably wish they hadn't after they've said it, and that's what I want to try and avoid now, is that people are put under pressure and say things and it just makes matters worse.

"I think we should just let it calm down and in the cold light of day analyse it and then fix it."

IM: "Would you be prepared to have the sort of meeting you talked about; like an open meeting with the fans? Is that something..."

TW: "No problem at all, we've done it many times in the past. It's no problem at all.

"But I have to have something to tell them. At the moment, I'm not happy with the performance either - no one’s happy with the performance. You'd need your head examined if you were happy with the performance.

"We've got to... My job is to dig in now and find out why it's happening.

"It's been happening, on and off now, for the last couple of years and we've got to figure out what is happening."

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