Ford believes Bath can do it next year

Editor

Bath head coach Mike Ford fancies his side to be one of the strong contenders for the Premiership title in next season. 

With one more game against Leicester next week, the 50-year-old Ford is confident that his men will be challenging the top teams in next year's domestic competition.

The Recreation Ground outfit, who were the European champions in the 1997/98 season, are currently in ninth position in the Premiership table which sees them missing out on qualifying for next season's Champions Cup.

"We're going to look at it deeply, but we can't throw the baby out with the bath water from what we did last year, Ford told The Western Daily Express.

"Clearly, for a number of reasons, we've not kicked on and it's been tough. We've been competitive all the way through this season but our confidence of winning those tight games, like today, has deserted us.

"I will rip it up and start again, but I'll put all the good pieces from last year back in there. You can look too deep and analyse too much; thinking everything's wrong.

"We've certainly got to improve in every aspect, but I'm very, very confident that with the unbelievably talented squad, the new recruits we've got coming in, and Bruce behind us, we're going to be there or thereabouts next season."