Newcastle Falcons coach Alan Tait will not let the club make the same mistakes again while he is at the helm.
Tait wants to see his star players tied up to new deals before the turn of the year to ensure they don't depart Kingston Park at the end of the season and he has already expressed his wishes to the board.
Speaking to reporters, he said: "There's lots of players this club will not want to lose, and we have to be proactive about ensuring we keep them.
"We want to do things differently on that front: I've spoken to the board and the chief executive and I've told them we need to start talking to players at Christmas.
"In the past there's nothing been said to the players until the very end of the season and by then it's too late, because guys need to know earlier.
"So certainly by Christmas-time I'm hoping the board comes to me and asks me who I want to keep and will ask who wants to stay and all of that.
"I'm pretty sure most of the guys will be on the list."