DRAGONS co-owner David Buttress insists it is a good time to hunt a new boss and that it would have been a bigger issue to ‘drift’ under Dai Flanagan.

The Rodney Parade club parted company with head coach Flanagan at the end of the first block of the United Rugby Championship.

Interim head coach Filo Tiatia called the shots for the first time at Cardiff on Saturday but there was no bounce.

Familiar failings leading to a sixth straight loss since the opening day win over the Ospreys as the Dragons fell to the bottom of the table beneath Zebre.

Tiatia has been tight-lipped on whether he wants the top job permanently while the Dragons owners had been quiet on the exit of Flanagan, who had a year left to run on his contract.

But Buttress, who was replaced as chairman by co-owner Dai Wright in the summer after becoming chief executive of Ovo Energy, made comments to disgruntled fans on social media after the 18th successive defeat to Cardiff.

FRUSTRATED: Dragons co-owner David ButtressFRUSTRATED: Dragons co-owner David Buttress (Image: Huw Evans Agency)

“It is a good window to be looking for a head coach. It would have been a bigger issue if it had drifted,” he posted on X.

Flanagan would have wanted to either start new contract talks or get clarity on what the future held while shaping a squad for 2025/26.

“Coaching set up will be resolved and we are now running a search process,” Buttress replied to another fan.

Whether that is someone above Tiatia, who has stressed he joined in the summer to be defence coach and didn’t have aspirations to be boss, is yet to be seen.

However, Buttress also criticised the summer recruitment that had aimed to give the Dragons more power.

Of the five senior signings, only blindside Shane Lewis-Hughes has been an early hit.

Lock Steve Cummins and back row forward Solomone Funaki have been hit by injury while centre Harry Wilson and fly-half Lloyd Evans been underwhelming.

A sixth recruit, hooker Oli Burrows, was signed from Exeter as one for the future to boost the options at the heart of the front row.

SLOW START: Australian centre Harry Wilson is yet to get going for the DragonsSLOW START: Australian centre Harry Wilson is yet to get going for the Dragons (Image: Gareth Everett)

“I’ve been disappointed with the summer’s work to be frank,” said Buttress, co-owner with Wright and Hoyoung Huh.

“We can and must do much better, we have owners willing to put more money in, we have to get the structure right off the field to make the most of that investment.”

The Dragons appointed former Cross Keys director of rugby Jonathan Westwood, who had been on the commercial team, as head of recruitment to work alongside Flanagan at the start of October.

“On coach, recruitment and results must improve. We all must improve!,” he added, promising that there will be a Q&A with fans in January.

Wright was a late withdrawal from a forum in the summer when new chief executive Rhys Blumberg addressed fans alongside Flanagan.