When any sporting team is successful, and that means it wins matches, the credit quite rightly is given to the players.

The same players are blamed when the team loses, but eventually the finger gets pointed at the coaches and managers.

Why else do we see the huge turnover in football managers every season, and this problem is now being seen in rugby, with Brian Ashton being chopped, despite taking England to a World Cup Final.

There is a valid argument that says coaches are no different to players in that they have a definite shelf life, unless of course you are Alex Ferguson or Arsene Wenger, who are a breed apart.

West Norfolk have been lucky enough over the past couple of years to have their senior teams coached by Chris Bird, and now have returned to London NE4.

There were huge improvement in skill and fitness levels brought about by the devotion and inspiration of the coach.

The situation last January wasn’t anything like as happy as it was by late April with West Norfolk having suffered a couple of silly defeats, and the chairman questioning the desire of the players to push themselves to a higher level.

Chris Bird himself began to look closely at the validity of what he was doing and the sacrifices he was making on behalf of the players.

Hours of preparation need to be put in before running a training session, and Chris was not only running two per week for the 1st XV, and preparing for the Saturday fixture, then again on Sunday with the under 17s.

When you add to this running a successful dental practice in Lynn, and a full home life, and you get some idea of his workload.

His rugby brings him not a penny in income, so it is all done for the love of the game.

Chris would be the first to thank his trusty sidekick Keith Ware, whose punishing fitness regime will be remembered forever by the players.

They are one of the main reasons the 1st XV achieved promotion, because in almost all of their matches West finished the stronger of the sides.

The players may hate the fitness work, but they do enjoy winning, and you can’t have one without the other.

John Moses is another vital cog in the coaching wheel, in that he brings with him first-class rugby experience at Bedford. He has now added a Level 2 RFU coaching certificate, with a request from the authorities that he went straight on the Level 3, such was his knowledge of the game.

John’s great vision of game situations is second to none in the club.

With this coaching structure firmly in place, and a proper selection committee, which could well consist of Mark Ballman, ex-West Norfolk and Oxford University, John Moses, and Ian Smith ex-London Scottish, with skipper Mike Skinner, and Chris Bird, there should be no errors in selection.