Even the best coaches in the world get sacked
‘I’m not bitter. I want Bath to win trophies’
IT was a conversation with his youngest son, Jacob, that convinced Mike Ford not to quit coaching after the powerbrokers at Bath handed over his P45.
sacked after a calamitous season, Ford left Bath’s training ground asking whether the stress on his family — including England No 10 George — was really worth it.
‘It hit me hard,’ says Ford. ‘It hit my family hard, too. I told them that I don’t want to do this any more. why not live the easy life? Go and work with kids or something.
‘we were chewing the fat, and it was Jacob, my 18-year-old, who said, “No, dad, that’s not what you’re about”. He was right. I’m not ready to pack it in.’
Unemployed for the first time since 1983, Ford spent his summer gardening, repairing the roof and contemplating how his career had ground to a halt.
His enforced exile didn’t last long, however, and last month he was invited to join French giants Toulon as assistant coach.
Given that seven months earlier he was being touted as a replacement for sacked England coach stuart Lancas- ter, it is probably no surprisee that the 50-year-old was stillll held in high regard in the game. e. But four months without a job b had given him time to reflect.
‘There was expectation on n Bath because of our success thehe year before,’ says Ford, who was hit by sam Burgess’s shock return to rugby league.
‘suddenly everyone’s asking, “what’s happening?” we had 13 players at the world Cup and there was a lot of disruption at the start of the season that, on reflection, lingered far too long.
‘Results didn’t go our way and we got into a hole that we couldn’t get out of. I was surprised when they sacked me, though, as I was only nine months into a four-year contract. I felt the foundations at the club were really solid.’ speaking about his departure for the first time, Ford shares his side of the story, joking that the plot has enough twists to fill a book.
so how would he alter the script if he could turn back the clock?
‘when the s*** hits the fan, maybe
you’re better off bringing a keg of b beer into the changing room and dt tellingl the players, “we’re not going until we’ve drunk it,”’ he says. ‘Maybe we went into too much detail. I worked too hard — getting in at 6am and leaving at 6pm, then working at home. I gave everything for that club.
‘Now they’ve felt the s*** side of things, they won’t want to feel it again. There’s no bitterness from me. I hope they win trophies with Todd Blackadder.’
Ironically, it is Ford’s middle son, George, who has been central to Bath’s resurgence under the former all Black. Sportsmail understands Leicester chairman Peter Tom rang Bath chairman Bruce Craig in the summer to see if the fly-half wanted to leave, but the somerset club were determined to keep him.
Mike and George would see each other on a daily basis at Bath and they still have daily conversations.
‘we have a bond that runs deep so it affected the whole family,’ says Mike. ‘George is so tough mentally. He gets that from his mum. The boys have always asked me for advice and they still do. we speak every day about how George can get better. Nothing’s changed.’
Except for the fact that they are now 700 miles apart thanks to a dinner invitation in the south of France from Toulon owner Mourad Boudjellal, a long-time admirer of Bath’s attacking style.
Jonny wilkinson provided a glowing reference and now — living out of a suitcase on the Cote d’azur — Ford is settling in with the triple European champions.
‘The best coaches in the world have been sacked,’ he says. ‘Eddie Jones has been sacked. It’s all a learning curve. Listening to Eddie, he’s right that working abroad makes you a better coach.
‘I’m learning to speak French and trying to get my message across to foreign players. Can my philosophy work in a different competition? am I good enough to tweak it if it doesn’t? These are the questions.’
Ford has switched from one omnipresent boss, Craig, to another. speaking from experience, he knows Boudjellal will be equally ruthless if he does not get results.
‘Here, they do things differently,’ says Ford. ‘It’s their motto. “Ici, tout est different”. Mourad and Bruce are entrepreneurs. They think differently. why? Because they can. They’re ambitious and they put their money where their mouth is.
‘at this stage of my life, it’s the perfect challenge. I don’t need to be at home to take the kids to school any more. I’ve done all that. sally anne’s in Bath with George and she’ll come over now and again, because she doesn’t want to be sitting here in an apartment all day.
‘Joe, my eldest, is just married, and Jacob has started as a teaching assistant. we’re all over the place but getting on with our lives.’
Ford is getting on with life in a new climate but is refusing to give up his dream of becoming England coach.
‘Coaching England would be great, wouldn’t it?’ he says. ‘It’s a big pressure, though, and you can’t predict where you’re going to be in three years. I’m wise enough now not to look that far ahead.’