Force will stay with Mitchell in 2011

[travelling_gerry]

Western Force boss Vern Reid has guaranteed head coach John Mitchell will lead the side into the new Super 15 competition next year despite the club's worst start to a season since their 2006 Super rugby debut.

The club's chief executive defended the former All Blacks coach who is struggling to find a winning formula, and who goes into tonight's clash against the Waratahs desperately needing a first win to breathe life into the season.

The Force are bottom of the Super 14 table with no points after four games, but Reid told thewest.com.au: "Absolutely. (Mitchell stays). It's not an issue."

Mitchell, the club's inaugural coach, is signed until the end of the 2011 season. He is the longest- serving coach of an Australian Super 14 side, but Reid said: "It's certainly a long period but how long has Alex Ferguson been at Manchester United, (was) Kevin Sheedy at Essendon?

"Quite clearly it is too early to look at 2012. I don't think there's any reason for us to start thinking about coaching for 2012."

Reid has also defended the club's pre-season recruitment amid growing criticism that the injury crisis - losing five Wallabies and a Springbok in 10 days - has exposed a lack of depth.

He rejected claims they had signed too many rugby journeymen or players past their peak as short-term solutions, saying they had used their $5 million player budget to snare all the names they had been chasing.

"I don't think we lost any particular players in our recruiting drive, any that we went hard for," he said.

"Anyone we had a crack at agreed to come.

"We weren't prepared to go over and above that budget.

"The amount of money you can spend on players means that you can't keep buying full tote odds to completely strengthen your roster.

"That forces your hand to take a mix of experienced journeymen, top- level experienced players and younger guys you've got to bring through.

"If you looked at the team on paper when we went to South Africa (for pre-season trials) we were quietly confident that we had put together the best squad we had since the time we had been going as an entity.

"We were feeling pretty confident that we had assembled an extremely good squad, then bang, we had that massive run of injuries.

"I don't think there's a team in the competition that could take that hit. Any team would have stuttered like we've done."

Reid believes the club is in a good position for the future with only a handful of players coming off contract this year, but they include Wallabies David Pocock and Cameron Shepherd.

The Waratahs have lost two Wallabies forwards for tonight's game, with prop Al Baxter and No. 8 Wycliff Palu ruled out with injury. They have been replaced by Sekope Kepu and Ben Mowen.

http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/spo...chell-in-2011/

[benny]

all i'm going to say is "OH SHIT !!!" no finals till at least 2012.

[jono]

there you go.

if you cant handle the fact that mitchell is staying. feel free to support another S14 team. or jump onto melbourne next year.

he is our coach and no amount of bitching will change it.

[Burgs]

As I said pre-season, 2010 was always a rebuilding year for 2011, I'm excited!

[pieter blackie]

all i'm going to say is "OH SHIT !!!" no finals till at least 2012.

Thanks for staying Mitch

If we were to get a new coach next year we will have another start from scratch season It will be another development year for all to fit in to a new coach's way of doing things. At least with Mitch staying it looks as if we will have some cohesion and retention of players and coaching staff in 2010.

Remember that all the trouble we had with Gits, "the committee", the Henjak/Share saga the not having a stadium and the now not having a home as in Office building all played a major role in our performance last year and even a little this year. Then we had a major setback with injuries even before the season started and still haven't got any of those players back halfway into the season

So some people blame the only guy that stuck at it through thick and thin namely JOHN MITCHELL.
If we loose him for the best coach in the world we will still be worse of next year because all new coaches will work on a average 2-3 year plan of getting the guys to play his way. He will start with "breaking them down" in order to get all the bad habits and the old coach's stuff out of them, then build them up to play his way and to a peak in 3 to 4 years. The longer it takes to peak the longer you will stay at the top Just look at the Bulls!!

Give Mitch a chance because it is the best chance we have of achieving something in 2011!!

[slomo]

terrible mistake, and terrible timing, were got flogged last week, better this week but still were stuck on the bottom of the ladder with one bonus point, at the end of this season hes been there for 5 years, i cant see what difference yet another season will make......JM said we'd be finals contenders in 5 years, mitchell also said perth would not be a retirement home for older players to top up thier superanuation.............

[robyn <3]

Booyah! I support John Mitchell's Western Force

[blueandblack]

I support John Mitchell AND the Western Force

[Garfiep]

In Soccer, politics etc, when you get the 'vote of confidence' from the 'chairman' your days are numbered. So long Mitchell - you have not lived up to your reputation in Perth and wont be missed.

[jono]

as i said before. if you dont like this decision. feel free to support another team

[slomo]

as i said before. if you dont like this decision. feel free to support another team

So jono from a coaching point of view, why should supporters be happy with an average coach?....... And what difference will another season under mitchell make?. remembering that he's had 5 years to get his team in order..... . I've no need to follow another s 14 side as I follow the team not the coach ......
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[robyn <3]

I also support how John Mitchell sticks with the same team that got THUMPED last week and they very nearly pull of a killer win, if we hadn't had a blind mouse in our way.

He's a living legend

[shasta]

We are on the bottom of the ladder because of a horror run of injuries. For all those people critical of the recruiting - get a dose of reality. Perth is, at the moment, a rugby outpost and will struggle to attract established players. RWA has been given absolutely no assistance in that area. THE big mistake was the Firepower fueled recruitment of players who did not really want to be here.

Just think who are the players you respect most in our squad and then think how many have elected to stay under John Mitchell. Says it all.

Because WA is a Rugby outpost the coach has made it a priority to grow WA based players and to have faith in previously unknown ones. I think he's done pretty well there. I'm very confident this team will do well from here on as we get some of our best pack on the pitch. But let's not expect miracles or set deadlines about how long it should take to win a title.

[jono]

slomo, what shasta said.

also because nobody can now change the fact he is staying, we should all stop bitching about it. because you're all beginning to sound like broken records.

the coach is part of the team. you might not like what the team (rugbyWA included) does, and what decisions they make. but you still follow the team regardless.
i dont like the fact that hennerrs was sacked, or that stannard wasnt given another contract. but hey... i'm a force man. i dont continue to complain about things i cant change

[Sheikh]

The trouble with beating Mitchell over the head about the '5 year plan' is that the plan probably didn't include losing the starting Wallaby 10 and winger at the end of last season, and losing five Wallabies to injury at the start of this one. None of these were in his control.

The '5 year plans' are always marketting ploys to get corporate sponsorship - any fan with a modicum of sense should realise that sport doesn't work that way (unless you are a soccer fan).