Neil Back will 'thrive' under the pressure of fighting for Premiership survival according to Leeds chief executive Gary Hetherington.
Leeds chief executive confident Back will handle pressure
Leeds head coach Neil Back will 'thrive' under the pressure of fighting for Premiership survival according to chief executive Gary Hetherington.
Back was left in sole-charge of sole charge of first-team matters following the departure of rugby director Andy Key on Thursday.
Leeds, who remain rooted to the bottom of the table with just one league win this season, parted company with Key as part of a management restructuring at
The Yorkshire club are three points behind 11th-placed Newcastle and Back now has 10 games to keep his side up.
But Hetherington believes the 66-cap former England flanker, a World Cup winner in 2003, can handle the pressure.
"We are thinking ahead about where we are going and how we are going to get there," he told a press conference.
Momentum
"Andy and Neil came to us as a pair and if we look at the progress we have made in the last two and a half years Andy can look back on many achievements with pride.
"But this next nine or 10 games needs a single-minded focus, and Neil has got that sole responsibility and I think Neil will thrive with that responsibility."
Hetherington said that the club would not bring any new coaches in to help Back and insisted that morale remained high in the squad despite their difficult situation.
"We are mindful we have 10 games to go and need to get some wins," he continued. "Changes were already evolving within the coaching department and we sought to accelerate those changes.
"It's a judgement call and we would have made the same call at the end of the season, and with our need to win matches we felt now would be a better time.
"The directors want to see some forward momentum and that means occasionally there are casualties, that's the industry we are employed in.
Optimistic
"While it's not a part of the job that anyone enjoys, you have to make decisions and you are constantly thinking of what is in the best interest of the team going forward, it does not come down to what is best for any individual.
"We are optimistic we will be in the Premiership next year. Our goal had been to make more progress this season but we are realistic enough to know the aim is to finish above one other team and we are confident we can do that.
"We look at the strength of the team and the competitiveness of the team and the fixtures going forward. The morale and spirit is normally lacking in a team at the bottom but Leeds Carnegie are not lacking in that with what is almost half of the season left."
