Opinion Matthew Nicks: Adelaide's Coach (Part 2) - Full Support of the Board

[Bob Neil]

Nicks appears to have created a positive culture and environment in which most players are happy (as evidenced by our younger players re-signing over the past 1-2 years).

However a positive culture is not necessarily the same as a high performance culture in which (1) we have elite standards (2) people at all levels are held accountable to those standards without fear or favour and (3) there is a strictly team first mentality.

Remains to be seen whether Nicks can cross the chasm from positive to high performance but I don’t like his chances.

 

[Sanders]

If all that is true then why are you so anti Nicks, if you think he doesn't have the cattle?

Doesn’t matter the cattle, Nicks’ job is to get the most out of whatever he has

 

[relapse]

Nicks appears to have created a positive culture and environment in which most players are happy (as evidenced by our younger players re-signing over the past 1-2 years).

However a positive culture is not necessarily the same as a high performance culture in which (1) we have elite standards (2) people at all levels are held accountable to those standards without fear or favour and (3) there is a strictly team first mentality.

Remains to be seen whether Nicks can cross the chasm from positive to high performance but I don’t like his chances.

Last year I made a point that after looking through historical coaching records that history suggests that no coach that hasn't made the finals after four years has ever made the finals after that.

Normally rebuilding coaches don't survive longer than 3-4 years max, Nicks along with Dew have been exceptions to the norm.

I think it's safe to say that Nicks won't be crossing that chasm.

 

[Sanders]

In NFL terms there is a common saying about high performance culture

THE STANDARD IS THE STANDARD

You train to a level, you prepare to a level, you play to a level; the standard doesn’t drop because your nose is running, because you have hurty feelings, because your horoscope said take it easy.

There is only the standard, and nothing else is ever acceptable. Ever

Loser teams have conditional buy-in, conditional standards, and conditional culture

We are conditional

 

[Slime Roy]

In NFL terms there is a common saying about high performance culture

THE STANDARD IS THE STANDARD

You train to a level, you prepare to a level, you play to a level; the standard doesn’t drop because your nose is running, because you have hurty feelings, because your horoscope said take it easy.

There is only the standard, and nothing else is ever acceptable. Ever

Loser teams have conditional buy-in, conditional standards, and conditional culture

We are conditional

also, you know rather...Standard

 

[Sanders]

also, you know rather...Standard

Proper noun “the standard”

 

[adelaidecrows]

We have stopped the exodus of players wanting to leave the club, the young players are happy to sign long term contracts to stay. They all seem to be enjoying their time at the club now. You can never really tell exactly what's happening inside club land but it seems to be miles better than what it was before Nicks arrived.

Obviously this year there may be cracks starting to appear due to our terrible start, but prior to this year he seemed to be doing well in that regard.

Culture is only one aspect. It was an area we neglected for 3 decades up until the rebuild.

 

[rocket18]

I remember Walsh being very clear at one point with a point blank "If the guys in the AFL team don't get it done then I'll go find some in the SANFL squad to take their place". Wasn't a threat or an empty promise, he just had his set expectations and it didn't matter who you were, if you didn't perform he'd find someone who did.

Same with Brandon Ellis talking about Hardwick. He doesn't care if you're young or old, he'll pick you for a role and your spot it determined on how well you do. It feels like we walk into team selection with every bloke over the age of 25 already pencilled in cause we pick experience first over form.

We never got to see if it was an empty threat or not - he certainly talked the talk, unfortunately we never got to find out.

Walsh picked the 3 senior stooges for every game he coached despite how they performed.

Understandable we look back with fondness and with 'rose tinted glasses' at Phils short time with us but the reality at the time was some baffling selections that didn't line up with his mantra.

Rumour was he was finally going to drop the underperforming trio for our next game but we sadly we never found out.


I went back and searched my posts to see if my memory was around the mark, I posted this in the changes thread for round 13 2015, seems a very similar sentiment to what we have now.

This is one of the problems wih rookie senior coaches, it is too easy for them to keep the experienced guys in who train really well, give it their all, are nice blokes.

It takes more guts to roll the dice with the inexperienced guys even if they are performing well, the rookie coach in the short term has more to lose playing the inexperienced guys.

Next week if no more injuries wih hendo and crouch coming back will be the ti e to stamp some cards - no excuses.

Just wait for the vb and mackay played well thread after we beat the bottom side this week.

These are the first two posts from the same thread, there was fairly widespread bewilderment with Walsh's selections not aligning with his "man talks' and 'I'll find somebody else" philosophy - it just didn't translate to team selection.

.Out:
Nathan "I am a useless bastard" van Berlo
Matthew "5 head" Wright
David "Freebreeze" Mackay

In:
Who ******* cares, anyone with a speck of potential. The above 3 spuds aren't going to get any better, their form line is flat.

Van Berlo is our Vandenberg.

Walsh wont drop Mackay, guaranteed. But with VB's clanger count rising he will be forced to make that change next week.

 

[Slime Roy]

Proper noun “the standard”

Nicksy decided to drop the, the.
Thought it sounded cleaner!

 

[Crows I Am]

He's tried but I think the club's cultural issues and philosophies are almost beyond repair at this point.

We're as bad as the Redbacks.

Your probably right with that. The point I was trying to make was that his strength when he came in appeared to be improving the culture and building good relationships with the players. Which it did seem like he had made some progress in.

He just doesn't have the tactical nous to take us to the next level.

 

[Macka_321]

Playing the same old players unwilling to play the young ones.

 

[1970crow]

We never got to see if it was an empty threat or not - he certainly talked the talk, unfortunately we never got to find out.

Walsh picked the 3 senior stooges for every game he coached despite how they performed.

Understandable we look back with fondness and with 'rose tinted glasses' at Phils short time with us but the reality at the time was some baffling selections that didn't line up with his mantra.

Rumour was he was finally going to drop the underperforming trio for our next game but we sadly we never found out.


I went back and searched my posts to see if my memory was around the mark, I posted this in the changes thread for round 13 2015, seems a very similar sentiment to what we have now.



These are the first two posts from the same thread, there was fairly widespread bewilderment with Walsh's selections not aligning with his "man talks' and 'I'll find somebody else" philosophy - it just didn't translate to team selection.

He was very clear in his presser after the Brisbane game that he was going to look to the SANFL to improve the side.

 

[Burtonsgottago]

Actually, I hope he sticks to his guns. Minimal changes = selecting same underperforming seniors = losses = new coach. Back the boys in Nicks.

 

[Jcpdragonx]

AFC still refuse to make hard calls, only chance it happens is when sh hits the fan like 18/19 where the whole joint implodes. Hardwick has made more tough selection calls in 4 weeks than Nicks has made in 4 years.

Tell Rory he’s not required
Send Smith to the sanfl
See what we’ve got with Nank and Cook
Stop playing Parnell, Hamil, Murphy, McHenry
Play Laird off HF
Make a serious leadership group

 

[Crow_68]

Always want to see us win, but if we are going to lose this week, then I hope it’s an absolute shellacking and not another ‘honourable’ defeat. Just need to keep the pressure on.

 

[Crow_68]

AFC still refuse to make hard calls, only chance it happens is when sh hits the fan like 18/19 where the whole joint implodes. Hardwick has made more tough selection calls in 4 weeks than Nicks has made in 4 years.

Tell Rory he’s not required
Send Smith to the sanfl
See what we’ve got with Nank and Cook
Stop playing Parnell, Hamil, Murphy, McHenry
Play Laird off HF
Make a serious leadership group

You are going 0-6 there.

 

[woofsson]

What makes you think we have a good culture?

Daniel Jackson

 

[FR0GGY]

You are going 0-6 there.

So is nicks

 

[CryptoCrow]

He certainly did.

 

[Pugsley]

When his hair went, the brain cells did too.

 

[Southerntakeover]

In NFL terms there is a common saying about high performance culture

THE STANDARD IS THE STANDARD

You train to a level, you prepare to a level, you play to a level; the standard doesn’t drop because your nose is running, because you have hurty feelings, because your horoscope said take it easy.

There is only the standard, and nothing else is ever acceptable. Ever

Loser teams have conditional buy-in, conditional standards, and conditional culture

We are conditional

Yes.

Celebrating nearly making finals is not the standard, or the culture of a program built to win. And lo and behold- we haven't.

 

[Eagleboy2011]

Yes.

Celebrating nearly making finals is not the standard, or the culture of a program built to win. And lo and behold- we haven't.

Just thinking on that, when the AFL went to the final 8 system, I thought at the time the AFC would be forever a finalist and it would be a springboard to the premiership. How wrong I was.

 

[maxlilly]

In NFL terms there is a common saying about high performance culture

THE STANDARD IS THE STANDARD

You train to a level, you prepare to a level, you play to a level; the standard doesn’t drop because your nose is running, because you have hurty feelings, because your horoscope said take it easy.

There is only the standard, and nothing else is ever acceptable. Ever

Loser teams have conditional buy-in, conditional standards, and conditional culture

We are conditional

But sometimes, Tex needs to pick up the kids

 

[DJ75]

Well that's it. Nicks has signed his own termination papers. He's done.
To come out now and publicly declare there will only be one or two changes (and reluctant changes at that) after the disaster of a season so far is crazy. That he thinks the senior players are untouchable is unforgivable.

He's cooked.

He's done.

He's a dead man walking.

And it's his own fault.

He gets what he deserves.

It's amazing how many coaches fall into the same trap.

 

[skam85]

Always want to see us win, but if we are going to lose this week, then I hope it’s an absolute shellacking and not another ‘honourable’ defeat. Just need to keep the pressure on.

Yep, St Kilda 2011 at Marvel style.