By David Ornstein

Tigers have won 13 of 23 games since Loffreda took over

Leicester have denied reports that head coach Marcelo Loffreda will be sacked.

The Argentine, who arrived at Welford Road after seven years in charge of his country, has overseen one of the club's worst seasons in the professional era.

It was claimed that a board meeting on Wednesday would be used to rubber-stamp the 48-year-old's dismissal.

But when asked if he expected Loffreda to be sacked, Tigers chief executive Peter Wheeler told BBC Sport: "No. The reports are wrong."

Loffreda, who succeeded Pat Howard at Welford Road after leading Argentina to an unprecedented third place at the 2007 World Cup, arrived with high expectations.

But, despite taking the reins of a team that won the Guinness Premiership and EDF Cup - and were runners-up in the Heineken Cup - last season, Loffreda's first season has not gone to plan.

Leicester, who have won 13 of 23 games under Loffreda, were knocked out of this season's Heineken Cup in the group stages, lost their EDF title to Ospreys and, sitting sixth in the Premiership, are struggling to make the play-offs.

"There has been no discussion on Marcello's position," said Wheeler.

"Rugby World Cup seasons are always difficult because you are always without a significant number of players for the first two or three months of the season.

"Then you've got the problem of reintegrating players into the side and then they go off to the Six Nations.

"It's a pretty difficult role in any case - being a head coach at a Guinness Premiership club - but in a World Cup year it is even more difficult.

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"We realise the problems people face, especially when they are coming into the job halfway through the season."

Newspaper reports on Sunday alleged that Tigers chairman Peter Tom had held discussions with board members, club coaches and senior players and that the decision to end Loffreda's tenure is considered inevitable.

It was suggested that former Tigers and New Zealand centre Daryl Gibson, currently in charge of Glasgow Warriors, was in line to take over.

But Wheeler added: "As far as we are concerned we have a normal board meeting on Wednesday at which, in the normal way, the performance of the team in the past month will be reviewed.

"There's nothing other than the normal business of the board to be discussed.

"We'll sit down and talk with Marcelo and the other coaches to plan pre-season and recruitment. There's nothing additional to discuss to anything we normally do."