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Saints fans take to Twitter to question why Dorian West is still in job
By Ian Cameron
Pressure is mounting on Northampton Saints forward's coach Dorian West to follow in the footsteps of Director of Rugby Jim Mallinder and exit the troubled club.
Alan Dickens, the club’s attack coach, will take over in the short-term position of interim head coach until a replacement is found for Mallinder, with early betting suggesting former Bath and Toulon manager Mike Ford is in line to take over.
There is a now a clamour among a significant proportion of the club's fanbase which wishes to see West depart the club too.
West's relationship with Mallinder goes to their involvement with the England U21 set-up in the mid-noughties, and critics see him as very much part of the same dysfunctional coaching ticket, with many people levelling the blame for the club's decline at West's door. rather than the sacked Director of Rugby.
Many have taken to Twitter to ask how West has not yet been given his matching orders.
Saints CEO Mark Darbon took questions on social media amid times of change at the Gardens, in which many questions focused on whether or not West would remain and whether Harry Mallinder and Dan Biggar's future in the club is secure.
Mallinder and West won trophies in each of their first three seasons at Franklin’s Gardens, initially winning a National League One and National Trophy double before securing the European Challenge Cup and the LV= Cup in the seasons that followed.
Their greatest success was undoubtedly when Northampton lifted the Aviva Premiership trophy in 2014 having fallen just short in the final the previous year.
“Jim has done a superb job as Northampton Saints’ director of rugby over the last decade, and the amount of silverware the club has won during his tenure speaks for itself. We thank Jim for all he has done at Franklin’s Gardens,” commented Darbon in a statement on Tuesday.
“We will now begin an extensive search to find a world-class director of rugby to replace Jim.
“Whilst that search is underway, we will look to bolster our existing coaching group with some additional leadership and experience on a short-term basis for this season.
“Alan Dickens will oversee rugby and coaching matters on temporary basis as interim head coach.”
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Latest Comments
Steve Borthwick appointment was misguided based on two flawed premises.
1. An overblown sense of the quality of the premiership rugby. The gap between the Premiership and Test rugby is enormous
2. England needed an English coach who understood English Rugby and it's traditional strengths.
SB won the premiership and was an England forward and did a great job with the Japanese forwards but neither of those qualify you as a tier 1 test manager.
Maybe Felix Jones and Aled Walter's departures are down to the fact that SB is a details man, which work at club level but at test level you need the manager to manage and let the coaches get on and do what they are employed for.
SB criticism of players is straight out of Eddie Jones playbook but his loyalty to keeping out of form players borne out of his perceived sense of betrayal as a player.
In all it doesn't stack up as the qualities needed to be a modern Test coach /Manager
Go to commentsBut still Australians. Only Australia can help itself seems to be the key message.
Blaming Kiwis is deflecting from the actual problem.
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