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

[adelaidecrows]

Wasn't it shown that Shaw at least had an eye for talent?

Might be making up history here, but I thought he'd drafted or traded well.

yes, fairs fair. His young players played a huge part in our Blight success.

 

[Scorpus]

One of the things I've really hated about our coaches over the years is how they disempower players

If you're a high draft pick vying to play AFL in the position you dominated juniors, at the Crows you're shoved away into some shitty role

If you show skill and flair you're taught to abandon that and grind defensively

If you're dominating the lower level you won't be picked because we're preferring some mediocre experienced hack

If you make a mistake you're punished, but only if you're new

If you play well in the game you might still get subbed, because that was the plan

Nicks did exactly this when he changed our game plan. He decided the players didn't deserve the free flowing offense. He took it away. He punished them. He disempowered them. He chose not to give them what they required to succeed, because he is laser focused on a perceived deficiency.

A coach that isn't interested in empowering players to play to their strengths is a hack and one destined to fail

 

[Sanders]

It’s ******* unbelievable. How the * did they think this was a good idea? So there would be noise, who cares? I’d rather noise than have signed up a dud.

Graeme Cornes on this topic was unbearable. “It’s exactly why we signed him, can you imagine if we were 0-3 and hadn’t signed him”

Um yeah I can, I’d be thinking thank * we haven’t signed him yet.

“Rowey did you expect our start to be any better? Gold Coast, Geelong, Freo, did you really expect to beat Geelong?”

Rowey “yeah I did, we beat all those teams last year and we beat Geelong at home”

Senile ambassador rumblings followed

At this rate he’ll be gone at year end and I don’t think it will cost much

Bigger question is how did we convince ourselves to drink the kool-aid for 5 years

 

[Samcro24]

Just our luck Melbourne will play badly and we’ll sneak over the line and he’ll be the messiah again.

He’s never been the messiah. Hes just a very incompetent boy.

 

[George Kramer]

At this rate he’ll be gone at year end and I don’t think it will cost much

Bigger question is how did we convince ourselves to drink the kool-aid for 5 years

He’s a good bloke and he smiles a lot.

As a player if I had to listen to him every day I’d want to puke. I can’t stand listening to him

 

[Samcro24]

At this rate he’ll be gone at year end and I don’t think it will cost much

Bigger question is how did we convince ourselves to drink the kool-aid for 5 years

They were always going to give him some time. There were some signs last year.

This should have been the year of judgment. Build on last year, make the 8, you have your extension. Go backwards, and you’re clearly not the guy. Regress to 2020 standard and you get shot out of a cannon.

But no, we had to Adelaide it.

 

[Firewalker]

I can’t recall, were Kingsley and McRae actually in the running for head coach? Did we interview them?

McRae ruled himself out very early from applying for any senior job that year as he said he wanted to continue in his role at Richmond & didn’t want to leave Victoria due to family.

Kingsley was 3rd in the running behind Nicks & Yze but was cut from the race a couple of weeks prior to the announcement from memory.

I remember personally when Pyke announced his departure I wanted McRae immediately he just had the best resume & experience, after he made it clear he didn’t want any of the available senior jobs I was keen on wanting a senior coach with experience so was very keen on Brad Scott - who was available and think could’ve been convinced to do it, he would’ve done a much better job than Nicks but that’s not saying much.

 

[Scorpus]

One of the things I've really hated about our coaches over the years is how they disempower players

If you're a high draft pick vying to play AFL in the position you dominated juniors, at the Crows you're shoved away into some shitty role

If you show skill and flair you're taught to abandon that and grind defensively

If you're dominating the lower level you won't be picked because we're preferring some mediocre experienced hack

If you make a mistake you're punished, but only if you're new

If you play well in the game you might still get subbed, because that was the plan

Nicks did exactly this when he changed our game plan. He decided the players didn't deserve the free flowing offense. He took it away. He punished them. He disempowered them. He chose not to give them what they required to succeed, because he is laser focused on a perceived deficiency.

A coach that isn't interested in empowering players to play to their strengths is a hack and one destined to fail

And to continue from this, why is our club allowing this man, this hack of a coach, to punish our players? Our most prized assets, the assets we have spent loads of money on and years acquiring?

The club's leadership has stood there while Nicks flicks his good cop into bad cop. They've watched, nodding their heads, clapping their hands, handing over a new contract. They are complicit in allowing Nicks to carry out his childish removal of the toys. They are allowing Nicks to burn our players to the ground in his quest to get them playing to his singled minded punishment game plan.

They should be demanding answers, starting with "why did you change our game plan away from what worked last year?"

 

[adelaidecrows]

One of the things I've really hated about our coaches over the years is how they disempower players

If you're a high draft pick vying to play AFL in the position you dominated juniors, at the Crows you're shoved away into some shitty role

If you show skill and flair you're taught to abandon that and grind defensively

If you're dominating the lower level you won't be picked because we're preferring some mediocre experienced hack

If you make a mistake you're punished, but only if you're new

If you play well in the game you might still get subbed, because that was the plan

Nicks did exactly this when he changed our game plan. He decided the players didn't deserve the free flowing offense. He took it away. He punished them. He disempowered them. He chose not to give them what they required to succeed, because he is laser focused on a perceived deficiency.

A coach that isn't interested in empowering players to play to their strengths is a hack and one destined to fail

Fogarty was a midfielder I believe.

 

[FR0GGY]

He’s a good bloke and he smiles a lot.

As a player if I had to listen to him every day I’d want to puke. I can’t stand listening to him

What if you were a water bottle?

 

[adelaidecrows]

McRae ruled himself out very early from applying for any senior job that year as he said he wanted to continue in his role at Richmond & didn’t want to leave Victoria due to family.

Kingsley was 3rd in the running behind Nicks & Yze but was cut from the race a couple of weeks prior to the announcement from memory.

I remember personally when Pyke announced his departure I wanted McRae immediately he just had the best resume & experience, after he made it clear he didn’t want any of the available senior jobs I was keen on wanting a senior coach with experience so was very keen on Brad Scott - who was available and think could’ve been convinced to do it, he would’ve done a much better job than Nicks but that’s not saying much.

The crows job was not an attractive offer. bad list, just come off a review. Nicks was a coach best suited to rebuilding culture within the playing group. So thats who we got. We have out grown him and he has already been in the job a season too long. Should have been moved on at the end of 2022 for a coach who didn't continue to make rookie mistakes game after game. It should have been recognised. The fact it wasn't and still not acknowledged is a huge concern as to the quality of our decision makers at West Lakes.

I don't understand, as Sanders put it, why we are concerned with Nicks 'hurty feelings' and had to re-sign him?

 

[BunjiMac]

Nicks is still pretending. He's still trying to imitate because he hasn't really found his unique voice.

He's going around repeating what he's heard others say and deep down he doesn't really believe it.

Once he gets over this, he will find his unique voice and there might be a coach there, but at the moment everything he says sounds like a coaching cliche.

This team does not need a Nicks like coach right now. It needs someone who knows genuinely how they want to play and what they want to say. They also need to know exactly how to get there. Not someone who knows deeper down they are an imitation a d hence lacks any genuine belief as a coach. Without this belief you fall into playing the percentages whilst hoping the things you repeat might actually work one day.

This is not the level of coach the team needs.

 

[Sanders]

They were always going to give him some time. There were some signs last year.

This should have been the year of judgment. Build on last year, make the 8, you have your extension. Go backwards, and you’re clearly not the guy. Regress to 2020 standard and you get shot out of a cannon.

But no, we had to Adelaide it.

If we were so certain he was the right guy, what’s the problem? He’d show that in the first couple of months of the season

 

[Viva la Mattner]

Regression from teams before they take the step to finals is common

Geelong 06
Collingwood 21
Richmond 16

Etc..

But this feels like a complete 180 turn

Image from one of the first games - Nicks coaching from the bench looking as if he was trying to reprimand Rachele sitting next to him , Rach just looked away disinterested, probably because the message was pathetic

Recall seeing this from Brad Crouch

5

Brad Crouch

Age

31

Ht

186cm

Wt

86kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

26.1

5star

K

12.1

4star

HB

14.0

5star

M

2.7

3star

T

5.5

5star

CL

5.0

5star

D

20.3

5star

K

11.1

4star

HB

9.1

5star

M

1.5

2star

T

3.9

5star

CL

4.6

5star

D

21.6

5star

K

10.0

4star

HB

11.6

5star

M

3.4

4star

T

4.2

5star

CL

2.6

5star

and others too during that Amazon doco

Nicks is slowly losing the players

Fair chance we go 0-7 then maybe just maybe we’ll be rid of the snake oil salesman, legit Robert Shaw levels of inept coaching
Pay any salary clause and get an actual coach , not a wannabe motivational speaker

 

[ABAB]

Regression from teams before they take the step to finals is common

Geelong 06
Collingwood 21
Richmond 16

Etc..

But this feels like a complete 180 turn

Image from one of the first games - Nicks coaching from the bench looking as if he was trying to reprimand Rachele sitting next to him , Rach just looked away disinterested, probably because the message was pathetic

Recall seeing this from Brad Crouch and others too during that Amazon doco

Nicks is slowly losing the players

Fair chance we go 0-7 then maybe just maybe we’ll be rid of the snake oil salesman, legit Robert Shaw levels of inept coaching
Pay any salary clause and get an actual coach , not a wannabe motivational speaker

When did this happened? Rachele had a shit 1st half like the entire team but he responded with 3 excellent goals in the 2nd half.

 

[Viva la Mattner]

When did this happened? Rachele had a s**t 1st half like the entire team but he responded with 3 excellent goals in the 2nd half.

Geelong game I believe, although the first 3 weeks of dross are a blur
Had his back to him with a look of “whatever” my wife who barely follows the footy these days even noticed it

Just drank his Gatorade watching the play in front of him

 

[Slippery Pete]

Graeme Cornes on this topic was unbearable. “It’s exactly why we signed him, can you imagine if we were 0-3 and hadn’t signed him”

I’ve been staring at this quote for about ten minutes.

 

[ABAB]

Geelong game I believe, although the first 3 weeks of dross are a blur
Had his back to him with a look of “whatever” my wife who barely follows the footy these days even noticed it

Just drank his Gatorade watching the play in front of him

If it was the Geelong game then it does explain why he didn't get any CBA this week despite making it public he wants to be in the midfield. Definitely tension there.

 

[Pugsley]

I’ve been staring at this quote for about ten minutes.

View attachment 1945834

Graham is senile.

 

[AFC979810]

Regression from teams before they take the step to finals is common

Geelong 06
Collingwood 21
Richmond 16

Etc..

But this feels like a complete 180 turn

The key difference is that those sides made the finals first and then went backwards before rebounding to a flag.

Geelong 4th in 2004, 6th in 2005. Regression to 10th in 2006 - flag in 2007.
Collingwood 4th in 2019, 8th in 2020, 17th in 2021, 4th in 2022 - flag in 2023.
Richmond 5th in 2013, 8th in 2014, 5th in 2015, 13th in 2016 - flag in 2017.

Freo looking a little like that now - 12th in 2020, 11th in 2021, 5th in 2022, 14th in 2023.

Whats different about us under Nicks is we have never had a spike. 18th, 15th, 14th, 10th and now 0-3.

 

[Redline]

At this rate he’ll be gone at year end and I don’t think it will cost much

Bigger question is how did we convince ourselves to drink the kool-aid for 5 years

The club and Nicks will blame injuries. Last year with Tex at his best and a good injury run was our chance and Nicksy blew it.

The Coaches press conferences will go something like 'I don't want to make excuses but the reality is we are down on key personell'. Probably also reference the old failed coaches line of 'we need to be playing the key moments better and we are not far off.'

Then he will make some joke about our bad injury run and walking under a ladder or seeing a black cat and all the media will laugh.

 

[Crow till I die]

It’s ******* unbelievable. How the * did they think this was a good idea? So there would be noise, who cares? I’d rather noise than have signed up a dud.

Graeme Cornes on this topic was unbearable. “It’s exactly why we signed him, can you imagine if we were 0-3 and hadn’t signed him”

Um yeah I can, I’d be thinking thank * we haven’t signed him yet.

“Rowey did you expect our start to be any better? Gold Coast, Geelong, Freo, did you really expect to beat Geelong?”

Rowey “yeah I did, we beat all those teams last year and we beat Geelong at home”

Senile ambassador rumblings followed

Imagine an unsigned nicks at 0-3. Do we think it would be steady as she goes or is it more likely he'd be thinking sh1t, its not working and i am going to be out of a job if things don't change so change happens..gameplan, playing personel etc.

If senior heirachy couldn't handle a bit of noise and learn how to deal with it for the best interests of the club, they should be nowhere near running it.

 

[Crow till I die]

At this rate he’ll be gone at year end and I don’t think it will cost much

Bigger question is how did we convince ourselves to drink the kool-aid for 5 years

We were sold the bigotry of low expectation..simple

 

[FullyBigKPro]

The club and Nicks will blame injuries. Last year with Tex at his best and a good injury run was our chance and Nicksy blew it.

The Coaches press conferences will go something like 'I don't want to make excuses but the reality is we are down on key personell'. Probably also reference the old failed coaches line of 'we need to be playing the key moments better and we are not far off.'

Then he will make some joke about our bad injury run and walking under a ladder or seeing a black cat and all the media will laugh.

What injuries? Murray aside the rest of our injured group are borderline best 22.

Burgess has done as much as TT would have so far given our horrendous game plan and forward entries.

Milera wasn't showing much at all and at least may mean we get a proper look at Nank or Hamill.

Agree though, Nicks will desperately try and use any excuse to deflect from his own inept performance.

 

[1970crow]

What injuries? Murray aside the rest of our injured group are borderline best 22.

Burgess has done as much as TT would have so far given our horrendous game plan and forward entries.

Milera wasn't showing much at all and at least may mean we get a proper look at Nank or Hamill.

Agree though, Nicks will desperately try and use any excuse to deflect from his own inept performance.

Sloane. Will be great to have him back.