NEWPORT Gwent Dragons benefactor Tony Brown says nobody has been ruled out, at home or abroad, in the search for a coach to replace the suddenly departed Declan Kidney.

But he warns that the way the Welsh Rugby Union and Leinster handled the appointments of Mike Ruddock and Kidney respectively has made the Dragons' job of finding a top notch new No 1 difficult.

"Hobson's choice could dictate I am forced to go down a certain route whether people agree with it or not," he said in an exclusive interview with the Argus.

He said the loss of Ruddock and Kidney had put the region ten weeks behind everyone else and as a result most of the best coaches were already in place elsewhere.

"Up to the time the Welsh Rugby Union moved in for Mike Ruddock, I thought we had a coach for the next few seasons," said Brown.

"It was a big blow that he went, but I don't blame Mike. It's every coach's ambition to coach Wales... and the country has a very good coach.

"I only wish the Union had put the pressure on when they first advertised the job rather than at the end. "So from early March we had to find a new coach.

"We looked around and the man whose record stood up amongst others was Declan Kidney.

"I spoke to him several times and got things sorted out and we had a world class coach on board and then Leinster threw a spanner in the works.

"But we did not entertain any thoughts of holding Declan to his contract (of two years, with a release clause after one year and not immediate) because I had too much regard for him as an individual.

"It wasn't a question of remuneration or anything like that, it was really a question that Declan is a very, very strong family man and realised coaching at Newport would have meant separating himself from his wife and family for probably two thirds of the year.

"But that said, we'd lost Mike Ruddock because of the way the WRU carried out their recruitment campaign and we lost Declan Kidney because of the way Leinster carried out their recruitment.

"It does seem extraordinary that knowing Declan was talking to the Dragons, they waited until he'd actually signed for us before they came forward and offered him their post.

"It means we are back to square one, back to where we were when the WRU first announced that Mike Ruddock had gone, and time is drawing on."

Brown emphasised that most of those coaches available were forwards men and that with Leigh Jones earmarked for the Dragons forwards role, they wanted a backs chief.

He added: "The coach is critical to the success we want for next season, so we've got to get a man on board who will have the respect of the players.

"There are one or two names who have come into the frame, but I don't want to say any more than that at this moment.

"I always try to be involved in the appointment of a coach who will bring out the best in the squad. Whether he's a Welshman or not I think is immaterial.

"I think it's critical to get somebody on board as soon as possible. I think the squad needs direction and there is still recruitment that needs to be done.

"We are actually two and a half months down the road and we are no further forward than we were."

On a personal level, Brown said his ambition remained to see the Dragons in the quarter-finals of the Heineken Cup, and he believed they now had a squad capable of achieving that.

"We have to measure ourselves as a squad against the likes of Toulouse and Wasps, who played in the Heineken Cup final," he said.

"Last season our squad played way above themselves. It's an interesting scenario that squads that play well are the ones that have most grief off the park. It bonds them together.

"I do believe that for next season we have reinforced and strengthened our side so that it can compete in Europe, but the coaching appointment is critical."

Brown revealed the Dragons hoped to reveal the names of several top class signings next week.