Former Bath star David Flatman feels the club is in excellent hands and has a great chance of finishing in the top four.

The south-west outfit finished fifth in the Aviva Premiership last season and so just missed out on a spot in the play-offs.

They will begin their league campaign against Leicester Tigers on Sunday at Welford Road, looking to make it a stage further over the coming 10 months.

Whether or not the men in blue, black and white are able to achieve their aim only time will tell, but Flatman believes that most things are now in place for success at the Recreation Ground.

"They’ve had a bit of bad luck with injuries but from what I’ve seen, picked up and experienced myself, they’ve got a couple of great people in Todd Blackadder and Tabai Matson running that team," he told the Chronicle.

"Although your director of rugby and head coach need a lot of rugby knowledge, need to be good coaches, technically good and all that, I’m a massive believer that in pro sport, especially pro rugby where there are a zillion variables, it’s about getting the best out of people.

"In rugby and the real world, I always think the best bosses are the bosses who concentrate on getting the best out of people."