Steve Diamond, the Director of Rugby of the Aviva Premiership Rugby Football Union club the Sale Sharks has stated that the club will have no room for excuses for a disappointing season come the 2013-14 season of domestic rugby. The Sharks lost the first seven games of the 2012-13 campaign before recovering in the end to finish the season ahead of the Worcester Warriors and the London Welsh.
Speaking about the season that is on the verge of concluding after the play-off final at Twickenham Stoop between the Northampton Saints and the Leicester Tigers, Diamond stated that the club cannot give any excuses about a new stadium, a new coach, new players coming in because the club will have six or seven players from this season leaving and six or seven new players coming in to take their place. He mentioned that all the people who make the decisions are staying at the club and hence, the Sale Sharks will have no more room for excuses and have a job on their hands.
Diamond also mentioned that the club had a top six worthy performance in the second half of the season but their performance in the first half of the season was worthy or relegation as well and the club will have to find a way to balance their performance. Sale had a tumultuous season with Bryan Redpath fired in the middle of the season, the short stint of John Mitchell before Diamond returned from his position of chief executive to take up coaching duties.
Following the return of Diamond, the Sale Sharks saw an upsurge in their performances and reached the final of the LV=Cup as well, narrowly losing out to Harlequins FC and all this has given hope to Diamond for a good show in the new season.