PREMIERSHIP-winning coach John Lang has been linked to a coaching consultancy role at South Sydney.
It is understood Lang is poised to be appointed to a senior advisory job to mentor coach Jason Taylor, whose side lost their ninth match of the season against Melbourne in Gosford on Saturday night and are rooted to the bottom of the ladder.
"I'm not commenting about that," a tight-lipped Lang said last night. "I've been linked to so many jobs in the last 18 months … I'm sick of it."
The former Dally M coach of the year, who steered the Panthers to the premiership in 2003, has a close and long-standing relationship with Souths director of football Shane Richardson dating back to the 1980s, when they started at Brisbane Easts before linking up at the Sharks and Penrith.
While Lang hasn't coached since Penrith replaced him with Matthew Elliott at the end of the 2006 season, it is believed he would be used as a consultant and act as a sounding board for Taylor.
It was evident yesterday that the side's form was the least of its worries amid reports of a rift between co-owners Peter Holmes a Court and Russell Crowe and serious concerns about the club's future.
Crowe's representative, Grant Van Den Berg, said the Hollywood actor was not available for comment, while Holmes a Court refused to say anything when contacted last night - although it is understood the pair spoke over the phone yesterday.
Their relationship and concerns about the direction of the club are certain to be discussed at a board meeting tonight.
Holmes a Court's comments last week that he could not guarantee the club's survival have sparked fears he wants to withdraw his financial backing of the club.
The Herald has been told some of South Sydney's high-profile supporters will approach Souths Juniors this week about whether they could help support the club financially if Holmes a Court and Crowe refused to inject more money.
But Souths Juniors president Keith McGraw, who quit the football club board in December over Holmes a Court's controversial proposal to ban poker machines from the leagues club, has quashed those thoughts immediately.
"We are in no position to help other than what we do already," McGraw said. "We're in the same boat as everyone else because of the poker machine tax. Apart from the $2.8 million we put into junior league in the area, there's nothing more we can do. We're not in a position of strength to help them."
Former Souths Juniors president Henry Morris, who ran on the ticket alongside former chairman George Piggins opposing Holmes a Court and Crowe taking a 75 per cent stake in the club, said the club's demise was "disturbing".
"I'm not into bagging the club when it is down, but these guys were going to be the saviours," Morris, who is still considered by many as a key powerbroker behind the scenes, said. "They were going to come in on their white horse and save the club."
Morris said he feared for the club's future with Holmes a Court and Crowe having majority ownership. "We should never had allowed them to buy 75 per cent," Morris said. "We should have allowed them to buy 49 per cent and the other 51 per cent should have stayed in the hands of the members. They bought this great club for $3m and now they cannot guarantee the club's future."
