NRL: Warriors back McClennan

Brian McClennan says although the board and owners are unhappy with the results he believes he still has their full support. Photo / Greg Bowker

Brian McClennan is safe as Warriors coach despite the increasing likelihood the club will miss the finals in his first season in charge.

Saturday night's loss to Manly leaves the club probably needing to win all five of its remaining games just to sneak into the playoffs - an unlikely scenario for a team whose longest winning streak this season is just two matches.

Failure to make the eight would represent a significant reversal for a club that reached last year's grand final after finishing the regular season sixth.

In the latter years of Ivan Cleary's reign making the top eight was considered a minimum expectation, however it appears McClennan will be granted more leniency.

"Ivan had seven years, Brian hasn't even finished his first yet," chief executive Wayne Scurrah said. "People need to keep that in perspective."

As head of the football department, Scurrah said he was "totally accountable" for this season's performances and "I'm not flying the white flag and saying we have got it wrong this season with Brian at all".

Scurrah pointed to the pre-season injury toll that destabilised the early weeks of the campaign and the number of young players blooded as factors in what had so far been a disappointing season. He also said McClennan would have learned a great deal in his first season as an NRL coach.

McClennan also appears to have the backing of the club's ownership. Co-owner Owen Glenn recently described himself as "no Abramovich", a reference to Chelsea Football Club owner Roman Abramovich's fondness for hiring and firing coaches.

"As long as we are on the right track and as long as we have a positive view of where we are going and as long as we have the right people ... we are employing a strategy and that is to look for home grown product instead of buying experienced footballers and I am buying that," Glenn said. "I am saying okay, let's do it, let's see if we can prove our point.

"But I always like to win. As far as I'm concerned we should go out there and kick the arse of the Australians every week."

McClennan conceded the club's board and owners were unhappy with results but he believed he had still had their full backing. "They have assured me they have been pleased with some of the things that I am introducing into the team but they are obviously not pleased about the results," he said.

While he fully believed the club would still make the finals this season, McClennan accepted he would be on a short leash if that failed to happen.

"I understand this business. I know that I have got to get results and I am confident I can.

"I trust in the players totally. I believe in them and I know we are going to get results. If we don't and that carried on next year, well, I'll suffer the consequences.

"But I am an optimistic type. I'll crack on and keep telling the boys what I think we can do to get better. I'll keep working as hard as I can with them and the staff. I am a believer. I believe our team can do great things.

"I am still optimistic that we can get the job done this year, I really am. I know we'll have to win five but let's just play Cronulla [this Sunday] first."