The last time we saw the sort of passion Robbo shows at the Rec each Saturday was when we rented an off the top shelf video.

Robbo hasn’t spent a sack full of money on has-beens who are seeking their fortune, he has overseen the development of some of the best youngsters in the English game at the moment - if you want a comparison look north to Manchester United who won the European Championship on the back of many home grown kids. With all of this in mind, ERE sent its roving reporter Haydn Giles to meet the man in charge at the Rec.

Haydn: What was your reaction to the result and performance against Saracens last Wednesday?

Robbo: If we look at the overall result it’s very disappointing, especially because it was a Testimonial for Jon Callard and Martin Haag - two players who represent the heart and soul of the Club. The actual performance we put in was poor. Looking at it technically we were turned over too many times and dropped too many balls which led to them scoring 4 tries from our mistakes. So in a positive light, if we had limited our mistakes, then maybe we could have won the game. Plus I tried a couple of things that didn’t come off and the tackle situations were interpreted differently to those of a normal league game.

Haydn: Paul Ackford was quoted in the Telegraph on Monday as saying " Andy Robinson has one year left to get it right at Bath." What are your thoughts of his opinion?

Robbo: I don’t look on it as a time-scale that I have, but in terms of steering Bath in the right direction with the players we are trying to bring to the Club and the development plan. Through the first 3 years of professionalism we’d made a lot of mistakes and didn’t go in with a clear vision in terms of the business or playing side. I met with Andrew Brownsword just after Christmas and we both agreed that we had to make the business side of the Club successful as well as the playing side. In the short-term we need to have experience coming in to help the youngsters. For example, at the end of amateurism some of our experienced players retired, most of whom were outstanding.

Now other sides have caught us up and some of our younger players have shown some inexperience and lack of consistency in their performances at times.

The long-term development has to be around our young players so we can bring in and develop the best. I believe that in 2 to 3 years time, because of what we are doing, Bath Rugby will be successful. That’s what my job is and if Paul Ackford says I’ve a year in which to prove it he can write that, but I listen to Andrew Brownsword and the players and they are the people who matter to me. I have a lot of self-belief and believe no one is bigger than Bath Rugby Club. It’s not about my ego or that of the players so we all have to work together in order for Bath to win.

Haydn: What credentials are you looking for in a player when recruiting?

Robbo: Players have to come for the right reasons. People who come to Bath Rugby Club have to want to be part of what Bath is about - a fabulous City with the aura of the Rec. Although the game is professional, some of the amateur ideals such as team spirit are so important. Whilst the money does matter the players have to show they want to be part of a successful team on the pitch. Some of our younger players who have been outstanding have been the least paid.

Haydn: How is the club investing in the youth to secure the long-term success of the club?

Robbo: Gareth Adams is in charge of youth development and Jon Callard has been given extra responsibility in terms of the Under-21 side. We see the structure as: The First Team; United; Under-21s; Under-18s down towards the Juniors and the Minis. We believe the youngsters coming out of school who become good Under-21s will also play for United.

Haydn: But where is the next Jerry Guscott or Matt Perry who will appear from the Mini ranks?

Robbo: That’s down to the coaching. It’s my belief that rugby should not be taken seriously at junior level until they are fifteen. The game should be played to enjoy whilst learning all the skills and all the different positions, which is what I did as a youngster and helped me develop as a flanker. Dan Lyle didn’t play much rugby as a junior, but his skills as a basketball player have helped him in the air during kick-offs.

We have a lot of catching up to do with the Southern Hemisphere in terms of the technical aspect of weight training. Youngsters are not coached technical aspects of this well enough. That is an area that can really help them to develop at school, so when they join us at eighteen, they are actually fitter and know how to lift properly. The development process should start at fifteen with the fitness, mental preparation, and understanding of their position- when we’ve got that right we will bring the players through quicker.

Haydn: Did you have an opportunity to sign Mark Mapletoft this summer.

Robbo: There were discussions held, but because he didn’t think he’d get enough games here he decided to go to Saracens.

Haydn: Would you have liked him to have come to Bath?

Robbo: I like him as a player, but he didn’t think it was right to come to the Club, so in the end things didn’t progress and his agent said he wanted to play with Saracens for a year and see how he felt after that.

Haydn: Why did the Club (by its standards) have a bad season last year and what did you learn from it?

Robbo: Each game now is based around a few mistakes and the games in which we lost you could see this. We stared well with 7 wins out of 8, then against Newcastle we made a mistake with 3 mins to go that cost us the game. In the London Scottish match we made mistakes in the pouring rain and lost 13-12. The week after against Leicester, we made mistakes and were 21-0 down after 10 mins - and no one practices to do that. Away to Quins through the International period our poor defence was to blame and cost us the game. Then a lack of confidence and self-belief occurred and whilst playing Northampton although we played some good rugby they defended very well. Ieaun dropped a ball with the line beckoning and we tapped a ball behind our own try line for them to score from our line-out. After all that everyone started to become very inward and the belief and confidence had gone for the players and myself. The worst performance of all was the Saracens game where we lost shape and didn’t really know where we were going. Then the loss at Gloucester, which for a lot of us, was the end of it. To lose by 23-7 points and not be in the game was very disappointing. Again that game hinged on some crucial errors.

Haydn: What’s been causing all these mistakes?

Robbo: We pinpointed that we weren’t going forward from defence or hitting teams hard enough in the tackle. Our poor organisation in this area had to improve as did our concentration, which needed to be for 80 minutes. The younger players were experiencing a sharp learning curve and it’s important they understand the need for consistency.

Haydn: Why did we see so little leadership on the field last season?

Robbo: I will agree with you that there were times last season this occurred. However, Richard Webster led from the front through all those games that led up to Christmas. But in the end through injury and where we got to in the season it was right to change that. The leadership area is one we’re constantly talking about and it’s one of the reasons why I made Phil Captain having lead Bath and England in the past. When he hasn’t played it’s that quality that has been noticeably missed. Phil is similar to me in that he is not big, nor is he quick for his position and has had to work on ways to survive and be successful at centre, which has made him a good player and a good leader.

Haydn: How do you deal with the pressure of loosing?

Robbo: I have a problem with loosing - mentally I can’t cope with it. If we lose a game of rugby I look at myself first and blame myself. It’s a problem that I have to conquer as I go through a whole process of blaming myself for bad decision making which lasts about a day and a half after a match. I find it very difficult to cope with loosing because I am a bad loser and I do get embarrassed as I feel I have let people down. I think it is important for the players to share the same feelings about loosing in the professional game. Part of this process is to be street-wise and a problem for some of our younger players is that they are too ‘nice’ - we’ve become a ‘nice’ team to play against. While I’m not an advocate of kicking and punching, it does need rectifying.

Haydn: How will you monitor player’s performances this season?

Robbo: We assess how a player has performed in a game by looking closely at the video of the match. We’ll look at the phase play, the lineouts and scrums and which players are walking or running to the breakdowns, tackle counts etc. Statistically we are able to plot effective and ineffective tackles made, the number of times someone has taken the ball into contact and how often the ball comes back or is lost. So we are looking very closely at the basics of the game. It’s an analysis we used last year that we should be working on a lot harder this season for players to look to improve their individual performances.

Haydn: What effect will the loss of players to the World Cup have on Bath results?

Robbo: You’re talking about quality players and to lose so many in the centre position is tough. Plus someone of the quality of Victor is a difficult man to replace. Having said that I believe anyone playing for Bath Rugby Club has the responsibility and the necessary skills in order for Bath to win. For any player to take to that pitch (the Rec), it is an honour to wear the Bath shirt and should be motivation enough.

Haydn: When are International players due back?

Robbo: We shall look at each individual player and their mental and physical state. For example, Phil may have been on the bench for some games and played in others and be rearing to go, whereas Matt Perry, who has the potential to play in all of the England matches, could be shattered. In that instance I may say stay away for a couple of weeks and get yourself mentally right to come back at a certain time. But I won’t know how that will work out until I have spoken to each player I intend to be able to pick from a full squad on 20 November when we entertain Toulouse, which will be a fabulous occasion.

Haydn: What are your memories of Bordeaux?

Robbo: The whole experience of the weekend. We arrived on the Thursday evening in St Emilion and had a fabulous welcome from 300 French people and went wine tasting. Our training session was superb up until Dan Lyle picked up an elbow injury, but luckily he played. Then we got to Bordeaux and had a look at the pitch and had a little training session on the Friday. That evening we went into the town and the amount of Bath supporters was incredible. The video study of Brive and the motivational training in terms of why we were there was all part of a great build up. On the day I was expecting Brive to play some rugby and they didn’t. I thought we were the side that attempted to play. The match didn’t develop as we had hoped and we gave a lot of penalties away that enabled them to develop a lead. Then that Ieaun Evans great tapped tackle after a ball we had kicked to them. The whole day I felt outside myself, as if I was watching from above. I can remember going over to one of the touch-judges and saying that it couldn’t be right that we were being penalised for so many penalties. I can remember JC missing his first kick and thinking "Um!" Then in the second half their scrums on our line saw all our hard work in practise pay off. Suddenly the move that gave JC his try made me think, we can win this game. For Addey to put a chip up and the ball not to go out on the full was incredible - then for the Brive player to trip him up and the touch-judge to actually see it and have the balls to put his flag up was even more incredible. Then it gave JC the chance from that position and he doesn’t miss those kicks, as I know how nerveless he is in those situations. For a player like JC, who is wound up like a clockwork toy for the rest of the game, making tackles and being aggressive, to see his vast range of emotions is incredible. During the last five minutes we saw Brive squander two opportunities to win the match including the last gasp drop goal. Note the player who actually touches the ball down is Richard Webster, the slowest player on the pitch. The excitement after that when the whistle went and seeing these guys who had played for 80 mins with their arms up running toward you is very emotional. That evening was superb and I remember saying to Tony Swift, "Shall we walk away now or does it get any better than this?" It was great to see some of the senior players like Richard Webster, Andy Nicol and Nigel Redman reaching their potential.

After that, for a while we played some great rugby. But you have to remember teams like Newcastle and Saracens who were above us at that time had played 9 games less because of the European Championship with our tough group. A group that contained Pontypridd (who got to the quarterfinals) and Brive the finalists. If the final had been played at the end of the season people would have said what a great season, but as we won the European title in January people say it was a poor season. But we had won the European Cup and finished third in the league.

So the pressure is there but I am of the firm belief that it is an honour to play for this Club and an honour for me to coach here. I believe we can get back to the days of the success and the dominance we once had, but it won’t just happen. We have to build toward that. There are going to be some hardships and tough times, but I have to keep my nerve and belief in what we are attempting to do. Jon Callard is an outstanding coach with tremendous commitment to the task. Also Mark Spivey the fitness coach and the two physios put in a tremendous amount of work.

Haydn: Did the Club have a chance to hold on to Hilton? How hard did you try?

Robbo: We tried very hard and there were a lot of discussions about David because we wanted him to stay. In this professional world each player has a choice and he was out of contract and chose to look somewhere else not only financially but also in terms of his rugby. It’s a shame, but we can’t bully people to stay here. I want any player to stay but it has to be for the right reasons. Eric and Victor could have gone, as could have Jerry over the years. I wish David and Kevin Yates every success. It was important for Kevin to have a break from Bath with the mental scars he carries and may well return when he has himself mentally right.

Haydn: Any bad habits or superstitions on match days?

Robbo: I get very wound up a couple of days before a match and the frown on my head starts to appear. I’m actually a happy person who enjoys life and I don’t share that on a Saturday. I’m looking to show that more because I believe in what we’re trying to do here. I also think superstitions are there to be broken.

Haydn: What do you think the Bath chant should be? For instance because we have a one-syllable name should we adopt a chant as the England soccer fans did by singing the "Great Escape" in the World Cup.

Robbo: I enjoyed that because it shows humour. I remember two years ago when Freddie scored a try and we heard " Don’t cry for me Argentina" from the crowd, while a Dan Lyle score prompted the "Star Spangled Banner." It is important to identify with the players on the pitch and develop a rapport with each individual. It adds character to the game and the players can respond to that. The old cries of "Coochie Coochie!" and "Come on my lovers!" have been important over the years. I like the flag waving which we can increase and of course the klaxon horns. The band were good but they did tend to play the same things and became repetitive. They became a bit like our game at times - predictable. I do think we as supporters are worried about doing things, but we can learn from the French who still played and waved after the Brive team had lost in the final. I want to build another fortress here at the Rec that visiting sides will fear and which the fans can help to achieve and have some fun along the way.

Haydn: What do the players say about the fanzine?

Robbo: ERE is the best fanzine around. The players read it before a game, but it can wind me up as you consider Neil Back as one of your favourite players. (No we don’t Andy we have always hated him with a passion, and now even more so because he has turned in to (gulp) a really good player Ed.). The great thing about the fanzine is that it is honest and is humorous. It is opinionated and never bland

Haydn: How important was it to see the fruition of the "Supporter’s Club" and should members enjoy more benefits?

Robbo: I think the "Supporter Club" is a great idea and from the meeting we had here last Friday suggest the members are very knowledgeable. I would like to see a lot more player involvement with the "Club." I would also like to think the supporters feel they can mix with the playing squad, even at training to see the work they put in at Lambridge leading up to a match. I think our players are very comfortable mixing after the game. Initially the have "Box Duty" then come over to the Clubhouse to see their families. With a bit more organisation we do need to address the problem that the fans want to mix with the players after a game.

Haydn: And a personal message to the fans for this coming season?

Robbo: The important thing is to keep the love of Bath in your hearts and to be opinionated as ever and to maintain the humour.

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