Hazell fed up with Gloucester failure
GLOUCESTER legend Andy Hazell reckons whoever fills the head coaching role vacated by Laurie Fisher must make an immediate impact by reversing a decade of league underachievement.
Fisher fell on his sword following last weekend’s dismal capitulation against Harlequins at Kingsholm, thereby joining a long line of coaches who have failed to wake the sleeping giant.
Despite heavy investment in facilities and playing staff, regular profits and a fanatical supporter base, Gloucester have consistently failed to punch their weight in the Premiership since Dean Ryan led them to successive first place finishes in 2007 and 2008.
In nine seasons since then, only Bryan Redpath, in 2010-11, has managed a top four finish, while under current rugby director David Humphreys the Cherry & Whites have finished ninth and eighth and are now floundering in the bottom four once again.
Humphreys has promised supporters a new head coach will be in place by the end of the month but former back rower Hazell, who spent 17 years at Kingsholm before retiring in 2014, insists the time for excuses must end along with the club’s soft centre.
He told The Rugby Paper: “Fair play to Laurie Fisher, if you think something’s not right you’ve got to move on and I respect him for that. But whoever the club brings in now must make an impact because this has gone on too long.
“I’m not a big fan of three or five-year plans. We’ve tried that and it hasn’t worked and, like Eddie Jones has proved with England, you can make a difference quickly. “It’s hard to put your finger on what’s wrong but Gloucester’s got a good heritage and it’s an honest town, so all I want the club to be is a reflection of its people. Gloucester needs someone with passion who will seize the initiative and make it work.” Fisher, below, has since thrown his hat in the ring for a return to the Brumbies, whose current head coach Stephen Larkham is joining the Wallabies full-time at the end of the Super Rugby season.
“That’s my home town and my family still live there, so should I be given the opportunity to interview, I’d love that opportunity,” Fisher said.
Former Gloucester wing James Simpson-Daniel joined Hazell in voicing his frustration at the failings of his old club and believes incoming major investor Mohed Altrad will need to have a big say on how the Kingsholm outfit proceed.
Simpson-Daniel said: “Stats don’t lie, Gloucester is underachieving and the lack of consistency is so frustrating. They can beat Wasps and Saracens but then lose badly to lower placed sides and it’s been a recurring theme.
“Laurie Fisher’s gone, so what do you do?
“It depends on Altrad. He might not get full ownership but he’ll still have a 49 per cent buy-in and if he wants to inject serious money, he’s bound to want a big say in how that money is spent.
“It could mean wholesale changes, or they might say we’ll back our academy and look for a longer term solution. Either way they have to get this right because there’s huge frustration among supporters around the area.”