By Mark H
November 16 2005

When things get so bad that you can’t find an immediate, simple solution to a problem, you know you’re in trouble. If, therefore, anyone can come up with an answer to the problems of Newcastle Falcons 2005/06 that pushes all the buttons, then can they make themselves known please?

One proviso – it must be guaranteed to work in both the short and the long terms.

 

As much as we may need it to be, a short term answer is not the solution.  Whilst I, and many others who contribute to this site, applaud the appointment of Peter Walton as forwards coach, it is clear (because it states so in the press release) that this is a temporary solution; a different voice, if you like, for the players to hear.  Different ideas from a man who always put his head where it hurts for both club and country, and a Falcon through and through whatever other shirt he wore.

 

The long term answer may well be a change of coaching staff entirely.  Well, as much as people cry for it – and the cries are getting louder – the removal of Rob Andrew will solve nothing at this point in time.

 

Not now.  Not seven games into a twenty two game season.

 

Why?  Look at the records of the clubs who’ve removed their coach/Director of Rugby mid-season in recent years.  Northampton have done it twice – John Steele was replaced by Wayne Smith in 2001, and Alan Solomons’ sacking brought Budge Pountney and Paul Grayson to the helm just twelve months ago.  Under Smith, the club went from eleventh at the end of November to finish fifth, reach the cup final, and obtain a Heineken Cup place.  It’s a different story with the Solomons sacking.  Saints were tenth at the time of his departure, and ended up eleventh, saved by results elsewhere as much as anything they achieved themselves.

 

Bath saw Jon Callard quit when they were struggling in March 2002, with Michael Foley (who had only been at the club for four months himself) taking over, and they ended that season eleventh.  When Gloucester first brought in Nigel Melville in place of Phillippe Saint-Andre for the remainder of that same 2001/02 season, they suffered – 44 and 58 points conceded in consecutive games in April 2002.  Even the latest change, Phil Davies being moved/moving (depending on which story you read) aside at Leeds, has not brought about the required change – and reading reports of Sunday’s game at Bristol, it appears that spirits may be near or at breaking point at Headingley.

 

Of course, there are always exceptions, but these are mainly through the force of the characters involved.  Leicester’s sacking of Dean Richards was followed by an unbeaten run that got them into the Heineken Cup at the end of the season; Steve Diamond’s arrival at Saracens turned them round last season after Rod Kafer’s departure; and in the three full seasons since Melville’s departure from Wasps, Warren Gatland led them to the championship in all three.  Even Melville himself, when given a full season with Dean Ryan at Gloucester, took them to the top of the table.  In all four clubs were personalities – Johnson, Back, Randell, Vyvyan, Dallaglio, Ryan – who you know do not settle for second best, and will drag their colleagues with them whether they like it or not.

 

So as you can see, it either works or it doesn’t.  What would you rather have – Rob Andrew staying for the rest of the season, ensuring (at the very minimum) Premiership survival, or a new coaching set up coming in, and ending up in National One at the end of the season?

 

And anyway, would changing the man in charge necessarily change the results?  As Northampton found, the playing staff would be the same, so those men that went out on the field and lost the games would still be there.  As Graham Taylor once famously said to his Aston Villa team, 2-0 down at half time in an FA Cup tie at fourth division Crewe, “Gentlemen, you got us into this [expletive] mess, now you get us out of it”.  It’s not football, you can’t go out and spend money to solve the problem whilst getting rid of others; there’s a salary cap, there’s contracts to honour.

 

If anyone could guarantee to me that an instant change would turn it all around, and not just be a “we’ve got to keep up” solution, then I’d be completely behind it.  I’m not convinced it would.  We’ve been on television four times this season so far, with the fifth to come on Sunday.  If opposition teams didn’t know our strengths and weaknesses, then they’ve had plenty of opportunity to find out.  If they didn’t know them anyway, without looking at the video, then where have they been for the past two years?  Yes, we are THAT obvious – class in the backs, not as strong as we should be in the forwards.  It’s not rocket salad to say that Sarries will try and play – at most – ten man rugby on Sunday, because that’s where they think they can beat us.  Not pretty, but what we wouldn’t give for a win at the moment.

 

Who would want the job anyway?  If you promote from within, then realistically it’s only Peter Walton among the coaching staff, and some of the more experienced players.  Are Matthew Burke, Owen Finegan or Mark Mayerhofler ready for it, or even wanting it?  Page 378 of “A Rugby Life” sees Burke saying:-

 

“…people have asked.  “Will you stay in rugby?”

 

Well, it won’t be in coaching – not at senior level anyway…just because you’ve played 80 Test matches doesn’t mean you can automatically convert to being a successful coach.”

 

And besides, the key role for anyone – everyone – at the club at the moment where Matt Burke is concerned is getting his signature on a playing contract for another year or two.  He may have planned two years in this country, but we, the supporters, want – demand – more.  He’s that important.  He’s that good.

 

So if we have to recruit, we have to look outside.  Who’s available?  Well, the aforementioned Nigel Melville is in a mentoring role at Exeter, but other than him, the cupboard – certainly in England – is fairly bare.  So I’ll pull a name from the sky.  Eddie Jones.  Forget an Australian team in transition, and look at the side that he took to a World Cup final.  It’s an option, albeit unlikely.

 

Such talk is pie in the sky anyway.  Rob Andrew is not going anywhere until the end of the season at the earliest; it would be foolish to get rid now, as there is no-one lined up to replace him, and time is not on our side – the clock is ticking either way.  We therefore have two options here – give up on him entirely, and in effect give up on the Falcons, or trust him to get us out of the mess – because that’s exactly what it is.  If we go down, he’ll stand aside anyway.  I’d rather be watching Premiership rugby next season, so we HAVE to trust him.

 

To my fellow supporters (and I know some of you will think that this is complete anathema) – get behind the team AND the coaching staff, as they’re the only ones that can pull us out of this.

 

To the team – play as we know you can.  Do that, and there should be no problems.  And can you do it for eighty minutes please, not thirty eight as has happened in all three home league games so far.

 

To the coaching staff – keep it honest.  Know our limitations and devise a way to resolve them.  When we’re bad, don’t over-criticise.  When we’re good, don’t over-praise.

 

All three groups need to come together now.  Do that, remember that we’re the Falcons, and we will not be relegated – and you might be surprised where we end up.