In case you missed it see what’s in this section
We recommend
Let's Talk
Your Total Guide To sport
The Bath Rugby Column: Coaches deserve support, not the sack
It's been another mixed week for Bath Rugby. After getting back to winning ways against Worcester Warriors, defeat came knocking as in-form Wasps visited the Rec. With criticism being dished out to the hierarchy, Total Sport columnist Stephen Tred defends the coaching personnel.
The air of discontent is particularly pungent at Bath Rugby right now, with fans and pundits alike simply asking: 'what the hell is going on at Bath?!?' After a frustrating 18 - 24 defeat at the hands of Wasps rugby fans have returned to their chalk boards to try and dissect and analyse the route of the west country clubs problems.
With results going the way they are it was obvious that fingers would be pointed at the coaching set up and they have ended up taking the brunt of fans anguish. Bath's current coaching set up consists of Mike Ford, Toby Booth, Neal Hatley and Darren Edwards. The team was originally assembled in 2012 under the billing of a 'new beginning'. At that point in time Darren Edwards hadn't joined the club and Gary Gold was in place as Director of Rugby.
Once the set up arrived in Bath immediate success was expected by many, especially the press. However unlike football, immediate switches or knee jerk reactions aren't part of the fabric of rugby. It's a notion that many rugby fans are proud of and is not only a symbol of the difference in the two sports but is also a policy that they don't want to be lost as the game continues to evolve. Bath took time to mature, an infrastructure had to be put in place, players needed to be purchased and a culture had to develop.
Bath fans started to see the fruits of the coaches labours in the 2013 - 14 season when the team began producing their own brand of exciting rugby, through developing the team around young talent such as George Ford, Anthony Watson and Jonathan Joseph. That season Bath were consistently in the top four, just losing out on a place in the premiership semi finals after a final day defeat to Harlequins. However the team finished fifth and also reached the Amlin Challenge Cup final, being beaten by Northampton Saints in the final.
Of course last season was a memorable one for Bath fans, with the club reaching the premiership final. They represented themselves well in the European as well with memorable a win against Toulouse. Bath fans could see progression in their club and were excited about the prospect of what this young side could set out to achieve in the following few seasons.
This season has been a complete polar opposite, a top six finish in the Aviva Premiership is still achievable however a place in the semi finals now looks out of reach. Although it's not what fans would have wanted it's a goal they'd now quite happily settle for. Many have called for the coaching set up to leave at the end of the season, with Mike Ford receiving the majority of the blame.
On Twitter, Martin (@martylfc73) wrote: "The playing squad and the coaches need a boot up the bum or heads will role at the end of this season."
However on the terrace, once the dust had settled and fans began to dissect the loss to Wasps, fans seemed fairly united in the view that the coaching set up should remain in place for next season. Understandably they were annoyed by this season's performances and were concerned about the current state of the squad but acknowledged that the staff currently in place can't be the only reason for Bath's downturn in fortunes.
Earlier on in the season it was questioned whether Mike Ford had lost the dressing room and that that might have been the reason for Bath's loss of form. To me this seems like an unlikely reason due to one major factor, contract extensions. This season Bath have recruited well and have re-signed a number of first team players including Semesa Rokoduguni, Kyle Eastmond and Dave Attwood. If such vital players such as these lads were upset or did not believe in the staff they simply wouldn't have re-signed. Through their contract extensions they are showing confidence in the staff and obviously believe that they are the right men for the job.
Personally I would choose to stick with Mike Ford and his men. Although I understand the frustration many fans have over the current coaching set up, I feel that Bath need to consolidate their losses this season and look forward to the next one. A premiership season after a World Cup is always an odd one and a combination of factors has influenced Bath's poor run of form. For the past few seasons the staff at Bath have taken the club incredibly far and to destroy that progress and investment would be naive.
Bruce Craig will be looking for results and ultimately he wants to see his club reach the summit of domestic rugby however he would have established quite early on that it wasn't going to happen over night. He would have learnt from past mistakes after he brought in Sir Ian Mcgeechan, a decision that resulted in Steve Meehan leaving the club and Bath having to go back to the drawing board. You also have to question who would be a suitable replacement, on paper Bath have one of the best coaching set ups in the Aviva Premiership and there are next to no candidates that come to my mind when thinking of replacements.
Bath fan Matt (@winwin84676) wrote on Twitter: "If current coaches went, who would replace them? Starting over again."
Football fans are often critical of managers, however with a club like Chelsea they also recognised that the players must have been at fault as well. Jose Mourinho didn't suddenly become a terrible manager this season, he is still a world class coach that most clubs would love to have as a manager. Now I'm not comparing Bath to Chelsea or Mourinho to Ford but we can learn from the mistakes that are made in football.
Ford and his men can turn things around at Bath, they simply need more time. If Bath get rid of them at some point during this season it could create an alarming precedent for rugby as a whole. There are unwritten rules of the game that everyone abides by and standing by your coaches is one of them. Although they should be questioned, Ford and the rest of the staff are all international standard coaches and not too long ago where mentioned as possible candidates for England roles.
On Twitter Richard (@sixwheeler) wrote: "Leave well alone, it will come right. This isn't football, let's keep it that way."
Hugh (@HughWalker15) agreed with Richard's view, saying: "I echo Richard. We are not a football team. Great last season. Poor this season. Try again next year and judge then."
Bath simply need to stick with the current set up and collectively support the club. The players and coaches are just as frustrated as the fans on the terrace and will be determined to change their fortunes. To sack the set up would be an overreaction and an alarming precedent in the Aviva Premiership. To destroy the infrastructure, ethics and culture that's been built throughout the club over the last few years would be foolish. Stick by Ford and I'm sure Bath will be back to their brilliant best next season.
You can follow Stephen on Twitter here.
Weather in Bath
Listings