Steve Diamond has angry reply for Mark McCall and Sarries.

Mark McCall wrote:We don’t know how motivated Sale will be for their visit to Exeter for when they went out of Europe, they lost their next game by over 50 points

Steve Diamond wrote:Mark McCall should just concentrate on motivating his own team really,

It’s ridiculous - but what happens is that when people are at their most desperate they say the most desperate things.

And he’s obviously disappointed that his own motivation isn’t good enough to get his Harlem Globetrotters team to beat a really good workmanlike team like Exeter.

The one thing about us is that we never lack for motivation. Sometimes skill or game understanding lets us down, but never endeavour.

Half a dozen of my players have come to me about his comments but what we’re keen on here is that we don’t make it like an end-of-term week at school.

We may be at the end of a tough season but everyone wants to play on Saturday.

And if we get beat by Exeter it will be because they are a better team than us - not because of any lack of motivation.

More from Diamond wrote:I think the reference was made in regards to the European Champions Cup and our 65-10 defeat at Munster in January.

But if you run with a squad like we do and you have lost five games in the group and you are out of the competitions, as we were, then you give your kids an opportunity... that’s how we breed them.

We were getting beat 13-10 at half-time and Munster put 40-odd points on us in the second half - that’s what the top sides can do to your kids.

But Mike Haley, Sam James, Mark Jennings and all the other lads who played there will be better for it.

If you have a super squad that sings songs that they are going to win the league year in, year out they can afford not to do that.

We have to cut our cloth accordingly but we don’t take kindly to comments like that.

Mark McCall seems a decent guy but I think he should just worry about his own team.

beshocked wrote:To be honest I agree with both Mccall and Diamond.

Mccall quite rightly wants Sale to try as hard as they can - if he feels that his comments will motivate them so be it.

As for Diamond - don't blame him for wanting to defend his team from criticism. Also he is right that Mccall should get his own team motivitated as the team has slumped to 3 losses in a row.

The good thing for Mccall- if Sale are smashed by Exeter, he can say - " told you". If Sale put up a big fight - he'll say - my plan worked.

beshocked wrote:FES if Diamond did that then Mccall would say "told you that Sale would roll over".

no 7 & 1/2 funny you talk about comments about a strong ref - I feel that JP Doyle has definitely fallen in quality of his reffing in the last year or so.

Irish Londoner wrote:I don't see why McCall s bothered, Chiefs will get in when Saracens are deducted 40 points for breaking the salary cap in the summer anyway