Gunning for glory

"We love the fact that we play for a club that is successful and we're desperate to get it back there again in our lifetimes."
David Flatman Quotes of the week

The Recreation Ground outfit were a dominant force throughout the '80s and '90s, winning six Premiership titles, 10 Anglo-Welsh Cups and the 1998 Heineken Cup.

Bath have had a pretty barren time since then - their 2008 Amlin Challenge Cup triumph is the only silverware they have won in 14 years - while they are languishing in the lower reaches of this season's top flight.

But Flatman's team have won their opening two matches in the LV= Cup and a victory against Northampton on Saturday will take them one step closer to the semi-finals.

"There is a big carrot hanging at the end of the LV= Cup," said prop Flatman.

"Along with Northampton and lot of other teams, we'd love to win it.

"We love the fact that we play for a club that is successful and we're desperate to get it back there again in our lifetimes.

"I understand the fans' frustrations when we don't play as well as they want us to. We're desperate to give our fans victories to come and watch and to talk about in the pub.

"When you underperform like we have in the last couple of months, a huge amount of pressure comes on; not the sort of pressure that makes you go into your shell but a real desire to perform.

"There are fewer guys in the physio room because people are desperate to help and get what should be a high-achieving club back on track."

Experience

Bath's forwards coach, Martin Haag, was a pivotal figure for the West Country outfit during their trophy-laden years.

And the former lock says he hopes to instil the winning mind-set and camaraderie that he and his team-mates enjoyed into the club's current generation.

"I was in a group many years ago along with Barnesy (Sky Sports pundit Stuart Barnes) who had that desire to want to win trophies and once they got one, they wanted to win another one," he said.

"I don't live in the past too much but what I do want is for these guys to experience the same sort of thing that I experienced: playing with your mates week in, week out and winning trophies at the end of it.

"After the all the hard work throughout the season, they are things that can't be taken away from you."