Don't confuse DA being diplomatic with him being happy with the squad. He's playing with the hand he was dealt to a large extent.
I'm not sure how true this is - If he had really wanted shot of those (especially lower earners who are not good enough - Cornell, Hoskins etc) then I am sure he could have got rid.
But the bigger question you raise here is, Does DA get the best out of what he does have?
The answer to that and results say no he does not in any way shape or form - It's alright playing pretty, pretty football if you have the players to do it and are getting results - He is clearly not and sometimes we need to mix it up and be more physical and he is found wanting time and time again.
To me he looks a lost man out of his depth and his playing the likes of Hoskins, Crooks etc. week in week out regardless of there previous weeks performance is infuriating!
I hope he has 90 mins left to save his career - it could get very nasty on Saturday afternoon if things go the way they have the last few weeks.
DA and a lot of the players are fine a talking the talk, very few actually walk the walk tho and that's a major problem