Gold admits Falcons face a tough task to avoid relegation (From The Northern Echo)

Gold admits Falcons face a tough task to avoid relegation

8:00am Saturday 21st January 2012 in Rugby News By Scott Wilson

INCOMING Newcastle Falcons director of rugby Gary Gold has admitted his side face an uphill battle to avoid relegation from the Aviva Premiership this season.

But despite the nine-point gap that separates them from safety, the South African remains confident his new employers can turn their season around to retain their top-flight status.

Gold will be in the stands this afternoon as Falcons complete their Amlin Challenge Cup campaign with an away game in Lyon.

Newcastle retain a mathematical chance of reaching the competition's quarter-final stage, but that would need Pool Two leaders Toulon to lose in Padova, something that is extremely unlikely.

With forwards coach Paul Moriarty taking charge of Falcons for the second game in succession, Gold will take an opportunity to assess his players without the pressure of being in the dug-out.

He will then take charge of LV=Cup matches against Sale and Leicester before the real business resumes with a Premiership trip to Bath.

"I am not in a position to make promises and get expectations sky-high by saying we can create miracles here," said Gold, who was the assistant manager of the South African national team before he answered the call to replace Alan Tait at Kingston Park.

"I have never taken this position with a guarantee of avoiding relegation, and that is not a promise I can make.

"I could not honestly come here and say that to the Newcastle fans, but my objective is to show improvements as quickly as possible.

"If those improvements are big enough then that is great, but with being nine points adrift there are factors which are out of our hands.

"If the teams above us are winning games at the same time as us then that is the reality, and I cannot offer false hope to the supporters by promising them Premiership rugby next season.

"There are not enough games to be able to guarantee that, but what I will say is that I believe the squad is good enough and everybody is up for the challenge."

Gold's contract expires at the end of the season, and given his pedigree as a former head coach of both London Irish and South African Super 14 side Western Province, it is hard to imagine the 46-year-old remaining in the North-East if Newcastle drop into the Championship.

His task is to ensure that does not happen, and with nine league matches still to play, the experienced campaigner is refusing to look beyond the end of the current campaign.

"At the moment I am just here until the end of the season," said Gold. "That is all we have discussed, and there are obvious issues in the short term with the games we have got over the next few months so it would be premature to be getting ahead of ourselves about anything else.

"That is what has been agreed at the moment, and I don't think any of us are worrying beyond the issues we have right here and right now about improving in the Premiership.

"No discussions have taken place about what happens after that. I do not have an expectation that I will be here beyond the end of this season, but then I do not have an expectation that I will not be either. It is just not a discussion at the moment."

The immediate priority is this afternoon's game in France, and injury concerns, coupled with the squad restrictions imposed in European competition, have restricted Newcastle's options for their final Challenge Cup pool game.

Jimmy Gopperth skippers the side, but starts at full-back in place of Tom Catterick, who has a hamstring strain.

Jeremy Manning is out with a medial ligament strain, so hard-hitting centre James Fitzpatrick replacing the New Zealander.

An ankle injury sidelines Taiasina Tu'ifua, while regular captain James Hudson is continuing his recovery from a pectoral injury.

Ally Hogg returns to the second row, with Michael Mayhew getting the nod at hooker ahead of Joe Graham, who drops to the bench.

"I only landed on Tuesday afternoon and we've only had one training session since then, so it's all in Paul's hands," explained Gold.

"He did a great job against Padova, the confidence is high and from my end I am just going over to observe.

"It's going to have to be one step at a time, and that starts in earnest on Monday morning when we have our first full week together."

NEWCASTLE FALCONS: Gopperth, Pasqualin, Eves, Fitzpatrick, Shortland, Hodgson, Pilgrim; Wells, Mayhew, Hall, Hogg, Swinson, Mayhew, Pennycook, Wilson.

Replacements: Graham, Fearn, Murray, Vickers, Welch, McGuigan, Shiells, Chudley.