John Mitchell's rescue mission at Sale Sharks could be over as soon as February according to reports.
The Sale director of rugby only linked up with the club four weeks ago after a brief consulting stint, but has taken charge of the operation to keep Sale in the Aviva Premiership next season.
However, the Manchester Evening News reports that Mitchell could return to South Africa as soon as February, where he is currently a consultant for his former side the Golden Lions, due to personal circumstances.
Mitchell has signed up to be an expert analyst for SuperSport covering the Super Rugby season, which also begins in February.
The uncertainty over Mitchell's future will not help what is becoming an alarming situation at Sale, after last weekend's record 62-0 defeat to Toulon in the Heineken Cup.
The Sharks travel to High Wycombe this weekend to take on London Wasps, who are unbeaten at home so far this season.
Two further crucial fixtures follow against Worcester Warriors and Saracens, as Sale look to close the six-point gap keeping them adrift at the bottom of the table.
"My job right now is to get results over the next three weeks," said Mitchell to Manchester Evening News.
"I'll keep doing my best in trying to alter the mindset of the players and hopefully we'll get some traction.
"It's about making sure we get a very reliable tight group out there who can go the distance. The mindset needs to change and the will to win needs to change.
"It's an important few weeks for us but the focus needs to be on one contest at a time starting on Sunday."
Comments
geoff332 says...
Can anyone name the last time a John Mitchell coaching experience ended well? From memory, it would possibly be the Chiefs - where he was promoted to the ABs after only a year in charge. He's usually bought early success to his sides before they descend into chaos and anarchy. Sale was already close to that state, and in this case he's skipped the middle step of early success...
Posted 16:41 27th December 2012
TiggerLavros says...
Very strange goings on, making no sense whatsoever. Sale's start to the season was disgraceful - characterised most clearly by being out-muscled, at home, by London Welsh. They have the worst scrum by some distance in the premiership, which has been a constant source of opposition penalties all season. However the club do have good players - Gray, Vernon, Seymour, Gaskell and Powell are regularly excellent; with Leota, Tuitupou and Miller (last season's AP top try scorer) impressive in the backs.
The return of Diamond to the coaching ranks actually saw the team's performances improve markedly, however his decision to bring in Mitchell on an apparent 3 month contract has shaken fragile confidence and generated uncertainty and embarrassment in equal measure as fellow commentators have testified. The performance of Sale away last week and at Wasps today, in a game that was clearly there for the taking, reflect this all too clearly.
Before today, despite the perilous position the club were in, I had no doubts given the quality of the players that Sale would get themselves out of trouble - having watched the game today I am really not so sure. What a disaster....
Posted 18:17 23rd December 2012
lawynd says...
John Mitchell isn't, as far as I'm aware, head coach. He's sandwiched between that position and Steve Diamond, on a short-term contract, to try and help the team salvage something of their season. If you're not happy with that, then again, I ask you to question your so-called management; by that, I of course mean Steve Diamond, who isn't shy of a sound-bite or too, you might have noticed.
He's only telling everyone what we already know. Richie Gray aside (maybe Gaskell and Miller if I'm feeling generous), the players at Sale have simply decided to collect their wages and do the absolute minimum necessary of them. This was apparent long before Mitchell arrived and, I rather think, will be prevalent long after he leaves. Redpath and Diamond don't cut the mustard IMO, so I'm not sure what you're expecting? I don't think even someone like Graham Henry would have anything else to say about this sorry bunch of chaps you're fielding every week. Perhaps Mitchell might have been better served keeping his cards close to his chest but the damage was done long before he arrived.
Steve Diamond and half your players think they're bigger than the club. Think on that one.
Posted 10:20 23rd December 2012
sirtidychris says...
lawynd
Mitchell has handled the situation terribly from the word go, as soon as he was linked to Sale he started giving media interviews saying how bad the team were and saying if he were in charge he would turn things around with nowhere to hide. There was then this very public merry go round of will he wont he join the team completely undermining the players and coaches and leaving them in limbo not knowing where they stand. He then finally takes over the team and loses every game and after every match he slags the team off to the media, which shows a complete lack of respect for the players and acts to undermine and humiliate them publically instead of having these conversations in the dressing room. Now after all this nonsense and circus he may be going after only a few weeks !!! He comes across as an unloyal, self obsessed, ego maniacal prat, in each interview he doesn't refer to the team as we but them, he offers to take no responsibility for the team losing games. John Mitchell has none of the class, honour and respect which you find in most players, coaches and mangers, he thinks he is bigger than the players and the club and he will probably be the big bald nail which seals Sales premiership coffin this year.
Posted 20:23 22nd December 2012
lawynd says...
@sirtidychris - what has Mitchell done to upset you? If you're a Sale fan, I'd be more angry at Steve Diamond and Brian Redpath - two bully boys and the latter with no loyalty to his employer whatsoever. Oh, and all those terrible journeymen players who clearly aren't committed to the cause.
Posted 14:48 21st December 2012
APV1 says...
This is an absolute joke and I stand by my previous thoughts on the debacle:
"APV1 says...
...and you do the Hokey-Cokey and you turn around...
Posted 14:27 23rd November 2012"
"APV1 says...
And the saga continues.
In next week's episode, Steve Diamond discovers that he and John Mitchell are brothers, separated at birth by the evil Witch of Wookey Hole. Now reunited, their firce loyalty to their adopted parents causes a rift between them. Can Redpath faciliate a reconciliation? And will John Mitchell stay with Sale Sharks, or realise he actually meant the KwaZulu-Natal Sharks..?
Tune in to find out.
Posted 10:39 28th November 2012"
Posted 14:03 21st December 2012
sirtidychris says...
I have no respect for Mitchell what so ever...what a total plank this guy is!
Posted 13:21 21st December 2012
daibok says...
Give me strength. What can a coach do in a couple of months. Mitchell is a good coach but needs to sort things out root and branch. I believe he would have got the Lions going in Super Rugby once the personalities were sorted but what on earth is the point of this short expedition to Sale?
Posted 12:58 21st December 2012