Criticism on Leicester Tigers unfair - Richard Cockerill

Leicester Tigers rugby director Richard Cockerill has urged the critics to judge the club on a measured approach ahead of their Aviva Premiership clash against Saracens on Sunday.

It has been a mixed month for Leicester Tigers after they were thrashed by Munster 38-0 in the European Champions Cup and also faced a heavy defeat of 31-10 against Exeter Chiefs in last week's Aviva Premiership clash.

Currently they are placed fifth in the Aviva Premiership table with 31 points from 11 games and will have to upstage one of Saracens, Wasps, Bath Rugby or Exeter Chiefs to make it to the play-offs. In the European Champions Cup they are placed third with eight points from four matches in Pool 1 behind Glasgow Warriors and Munster.

Cockerill said it will be tough to judge the side in a middle of a season and urged the critics to delay the judgement on the club.

"You have to take results in context and take a measured view of the season," said Cockerill, responding to a disgruntled body of supporters in wake of recent losses.

"But how many times have we had this conversation? On a measured view? Most seasons.

"All we can do is keep on working hard at what we're doing.

"Having character and continuing to work through the issues is part of it.

"We're still a very consistent side that's in the mix for silverware every year, and we're looking to do that again this year.

"The reality is we'll see where we are after round 22, and we'll do our best to get there.

"I understand that at a club of this quality you have to be in the mix to win things.

"If we're not there's always going to be questions asked."

Leicester Tigers will take on the double champions Saracens at home next and they will be missing the services of South Africa international JP Pietersen, who has undergone a surgery to repair a torn pectoral muscle, exacerbating a back-line injury glut while Mathew Tait, Telusa Veianu and Matt Toomua are also sidelined.

Earlier Leicester Tigers removed assistant coach Scott Hansen while the likes of Northampton Saints and Bristol have sacked backs coach Alex King and rugby director Andy Robinson respectively. Cockerill believes it will be unfair on administrators to take all the blame for poor performances of the club.

"You look at the core values that rugby union sends out, and one of them is, 'Winning is important but it's not everything'," said Cockerill.

"That's interesting, when winning pays the mortgage. There's a really fine balance, and you're seeing it.

"There's casualties of this season in coaching set-ups, we had Scott Hansen here, Alex King and Andy Robinson, there's been speculation around David Humphreys at Gloucester with new ownership.

"It's becoming more commonplace isn't it?

"The reality is that if we lose two or three games, I'm assured that the reaction on social media indicates I'm not overly popular at times. That's life.

"Supporters demand results, and then your head on a stake when you don't get them.

"But I think rugby as a whole has quite a measured view to it.

"And generally it takes a relatively long period of poor results for you to get to that point.

"Exeter are a great club, they are out of Europe - but nobody's asked Rob Baxter if he's going to lose his job have they?

"Whereas we lose two away games, we haven't even lost at home, we've lost once in Europe in about five years, and we lose an away game and I should be gone.

"Harlequins haven't been in Europe for a while, but nobody's asked for anyone's head on a plate.

"We've never not qualified. Can you imagine not qualifying for Europe?

"They want me sacked if we lose a game in Europe. That's just the nature of it.

"We played on Christmas Eve and I spent four hours on the bus on the way back from Exeter doing my work.

"Christmas morning I watched the game again, so I could then do the review with the players. It's all consuming, but that's just what you do."