John Mitchell won't extend contract with Force

[Lee Grant]

Western Force coach John Mitchell has confirmed he will step down after serving out his current Super 14 contract.

Mitchell, who coached New Zealand for two years before taking over at the Force in time for their debut season of 2006, is contracted to the Perth-based franchise until the end of the 2011 season but won't seek reappointment when that deal expires.

The Force are yet to win a game this year and are rooted to the bottom of the table with just one bonus point to show from five games.

But Mitchell's management, The Fordham Company, claim their client made the decision before the season started.

"Because of the circumstances of the Force's injury-plagued start to the year, John's focus recently has been squarely on the team and not on himself,'' the agency's chief executive John Fordham said in a statement.

"But because Vern (Force chief executive Vern Reid) has been keen for some time to have a chat about John's future plans, I decided this morning to be totally transparent with him.

"The Force now has ample time to recruit a replacement and John always wanted to give them the courtesy of a long window.''

Mitchell said he remained committed to seeing out his current contract.

"Admittedly, the club has had a tough time this year, having lost a number of current Wallabies and a marquee Springbok international through injury,'' Mitchell said.

"But I must say the resolve and commitment of the players remains particularly strong, as they comprehensively demonstrated in our gutsy narrow loss to the Waratahs last weekend.

"The Force has achieved a lot in the short time it's been competing in one of the toughest rugby tournaments in the world.''

[Happy]

is this a joke ?

[Lee Grant]

It's the end of next year; so it's a non-joke joke. Mitch did a good job for the Force in establishing the team, and with all the injuries they have had and no wins in 2010, they'll have time to get a new coach to re-establish things.

It probably would have been better for him to leave after 2010 really.

Do they have Jake White's phone number?

[zimeric]

Whoah! big news.. but not entirely unexpected. i wouldve thought he'd wait until next seasons start before announcing something like this.. Just hope he remains focussed and the playing group continue to see him as "coach" and not "that guy thats leaving..

[Timbo]

Well - we have a fair indication that EWF have an eye on what is said in this site- the largest single collection of voices of their supporters.

The fact that Vern Reid came out with his statement following a fair bit of anti-Mitch sentiment from some in here - and now this...... coincidence? I don't think so!

[zimeric]

id dare say we wouldve been a very minor influence on the outcome..

[Sheikh]

If they're coming out with this, is it because there's already a successor lined up?

Although, given RWA's track record of announcing news before they've sorted out the implications...

[tragic]

Well, he'll want to go out on a high note. 2011 is going to be very interesting!

[The EnForcer]

Something smells

[tragic]

In what way, TEF?

I can understand that Mitch doesn't want to extend, fine. I can understand that he might have already decided this for whatever reason and wants to give the Force a decent amount of time to find someone who might not be easy to find.
I'm not so sure about why it had to be so public. Transparency at any cost?


(Can I just add that while I'm not happy about the news or the timing, I am very encouraged by the fact that it's the lead story at the moment on watoday, when we've been pummelled by pre-season gAyFL nonsense for week on telly? )

[travelling_gerry]

Mitchell's time in the sun over long ago
TIM CLARKE
March 24, 2010 - 7:24PM

John Mitchell's departure will be the longest farewell tour since Frank Sinatra - but Tim Clarke has suspicion it will not last until 2011.

It will be the longest farewell tour since Frank Sinatra, or Elvis, or John Farnham.

But that is what John Mitchell and the Western Force have apparently agreed to, with the announcement the former All Black coach will leave the club at the end of his current contract.

That deal, brokered before the team launched a mutiny in the build up to last season, runs out in 2011.

So that gives the team the rest of this year, and the whole of next year's Super Rugby season, to impress a bloke who is not going to be there.

A strange situation indeed.

Mitchell's time in Perth should be remembered fondly for the immediate boost he gave WA rugby and the Force by choosing to take on a new franchise.

Anyone who has coached the All Blacks, particularly with significant success, is a big rugby name. And for him to come to Perth without an established culture, or any players, was a brave and forward thinking move.

He arrived in WA with a reputation of being single-minded, at times ruthless, and not universally well liked in his home country.

Given the fervour New Zealand rugby operates under, it is understandable how he might have rubbed some people up the wrong way.

But as Mitchell's tenure has gone on, his communication with fellow coaches, fans, WA rugby staff and the media has deteriorated, and those following rugby closely in WA saw some of the traits so disliked across the Tasman.

That reached its nadir in the build up to last season, when the relationship between players and coach got so bad Mitchell was told to take some gardening leave and let his offsiders do the hard yards before Christmas.

Thirteen games later Matt Giteau and Drew Mitchell were gone.

The communication issue was evident again today, when the announcement that the only coach the Force has ever had was leaving came not from the club, but from Mitchell's manager John Fordham – and the club had no-one immediately available to comment.

Where Mitchell will go next will not be the greatest concern of the Force support, although a role in South Africa would look the likeliest.

Where the Force go in the meantime, with a coach leaving and a team in transition, is anyone's guess.

But the best move might be to suggest to Mitchell his departure happens a lot sooner than the end of next season, so both parties can plan for the future rather than draw out the finish.

http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-union/un...0324-qwl1.html

[slomo]

this is very good news for the club as a whole, mitchell is now in the same boat as drew, gits and valentine, you can say what you want, but hes another one that came with a big reputation..... and failed to deliver...... paid well inexcess of $1,000,000 in the time hes been here and still never got us to where we the supporters and the man himself expected us to be in the competition standings.........forget all this im force through and through BS, ive moved my family over here and perths the best place in the world (no doubt he'll say the same the next place he coaches)....out with the old and in with the new onwards and upwards i say....

[robyn <3]

I'm pretty sure I'm more devastated about this than I was about anyone else leaving this club. That man is a freaking legend and I don't want him to GO!

[zimeric]

Thats a very short sighted emotive comment Slomo...
a fair few supporters might agree with you but by no means are they a majority
there are a number of factors that challenged Mitchell and i can list them if you like

1) Perth being in the Rugby wilderness
2) Being vilified by the eastern states press on numerous occasions (as above)
3) the committee
4) injuries virtually eliminating our chances this year after so much hope pre-season that this might be the year
5) the committee
6) certain nameless rugby commentators publicly criticising Mitchells choice in where JOC should play despite the very clear and valid reasons put to them why he made that choice.
7) living up to his first season promises
8) the committee


im not saying he is a saint but i dare say that any other coach would have been able to do any better than he has done with the group he has had to work with...
remember the Force are known as the side that produced the MOST wallabies in 2008 and 2009... thats no mean feat considering they started off with maybe 2.

I will also stand by the fact that it very much would have been his time to go in 2011 regardless of the controversy, my only concern is the timing of his announcement...

I support JM and wish him well for the rest of 2010 and 2011!

[slomo]

Thats a very short sighted emotive comment Slomo..

not short sighted at all Zim, whilst i appreciate im very much in the minority here, ( but the beauty of what coach started here at TWF, was the ability for all force fans to have their say, on any issue without fear or favour)...ive been questioning mitchells coaching reputation for a couple of years now so im certainly not jumping on the anti mitch bandwagon, just because weve had a poor start to the season...