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

[FR0GGY]

Just a random fact that I found out today that I strangely didn’t believe, Matthew Nicks is a year older than what Malcolm Blight was when he coached the Crows to the 1998 flag and the same age as what Malcolm was when left the club in 1999.

Hopefully he’s a year younger when he gets sacked than Malcolm was when he quit.

 

[LoBu]

View attachment 2062594

This is interesting, and poses that "There's enough talent to be a better side".

Thinking of the loss to Hawthorn, which I was there at, there's not doubt that I had had enough of Nicks at the end of the game. And I am coming around to the point that he is not performing, and getting outcoached more often than not.

I think he struggles to get clear messages through to the group, and that the gameplan may not be good enough anyway, so a double loss.

However, as Monday rolled around, I was a bit calmer, and in reflection never expected us to win, so it wasn't the loss that was bad, it was the way we played.

But I see a lot here have dismissed our injuries, but I don't think they can be. Now I don't want to be a Nick apologist, and Mitchell is clearly a better coach, but the injury list is awful.

Mid: Dawson, Crouch, Rankine
Def: Murray, Butts, Worrell and Milera
Fwd: Pedlar

So that's the best of the mids, the best defenders, and just our forwards were close to full strength. Compared to Hawthorn, it was just:

Fwd: Lewis, Wingard

Our depth got shown up big time, so going back to the first comment, the talent may be good enough, but our depth isn't.

The good thing is we are finding out. The argument that we haven't played enough players to find out is more relevant to 2021-2023, and I'd agree, but we are finding out now and hopefully continue to the end of the season to work out the true list position.

Injuries are a huge part of AFL win loss, like it or not. Good teams have better depth, but are also better coached. But on the weekend, our forwards got nothing from our mids.

We had very ordinary players, Cook is either out of position or just not at the level. Murphy I don't need to say. Hinge is up and down and was very down, as was Keane. Berry was poor. Borlase ineffective. Our defence, pretty much a SANFL defence, was woeful. Laird clearly trys, gets the ball, but just doesn't help the forwards when he wins the ball, and more often it comes straight back.

What i loved is that Curtin played as a midfielder, but he seemed to be tied up close checking either Day or Worpel when Worpel spread back from the forwards line off Laird, rather than be freed to play aggressively. But he got the run, and I want to see more.

I loved that Soligo played well, that Taylor and Dowling are continuing their improvement. But they missed experience and class in the mid mix.

I don't know about Nicks, he had not much to work with, makes poor decisions, bad selection decisions (the club makes these too), and is not able to clearly communicate a game plan in the first 5 games of any season. So everything they do over summer just doesn't work except fitness.

I've pretty much changed my mind, but again, not surprised we lost (and badly), given 7-8 of our best 18 are out of the side, so can't lay the loss all on just the coach.

 

[tinman]

This is interesting, and poses that "There's enough talent to be a better side".

Thinking of the loss to Hawthorn, which I was there at, there's not doubt that I had had enough of Nicks at the end of the game. And I am coming around to the point that he is not performing, and getting outcoached more often than not.

I think he struggles to get clear messages through to the group, and that the gameplan may not be good enough anyway, so a double loss.

However, as Monday rolled around, I was a bit calmer, and in reflection never expected us to win, so it wasn't the loss that was bad, it was the way we played.

But I see a lot here have dismissed our injuries, but I don't think they can be. Now I don't want to be a Nick apologist, and Mitchell is clearly a better coach, but the injury list is awful.

Mid: Dawson, Crouch, Rankine
Def: Murray, Butts, Worrell and Milera
Fwd: Pedlar

So that's the best of the mids, the best defenders, and just our forwards were close to full strength. Compared to Hawthorn, it was just:

Fwd: Lewis, Wingard

Our depth got shown up big time, so going back to the first comment, the talent may be good enough, but our depth isn't.

The good thing is we are finding out. The argument that we haven't played enough players to find out is more relevant to 2021-2023, and I'd agree, but we are finding out now and hopefully continue to the end of the season to work out the true list position.

Injuries are a huge part of AFL win loss, like it or not. Good teams have better depth, but are also better coached. But on the weekend, our forwards got nothing from our mids.

We had very ordinary players, Cook is either out of position or just not at the level. Murphy I don't need to say. Hinge is up and down and was very down, as was Keane. Berry was poor. Borlase ineffective. Our defence, pretty much a SANFL defence, was woeful. Laird clearly trys, gets the ball, but just doesn't help the forwards when he wins the ball, and more often it comes straight back.

What i loved is that Curtin played as a midfielder, but he seemed to be tied up close checking either Day or Worpel when Worpel spread back from the forwards line off Laird, rather than be freed to play aggressively. But he got the run, and I want to see more.

I loved that Soligo played well, that Taylor and Dowling are continuing their improvement. But they missed experience and class in the mid mix.

I don't know about Nicks, he had not much to work with, makes poor decisions, bad selection decisions (the club makes these too), and is not able to clearly communicate a game plan in the first 5 games of any season. So everything they do over summer just doesn't work except fitness.

I've pretty much changed my mind, but again, not surprised we lost (and badly), given 7-8 of our best 18 are out of the side, so can't lay the loss all on just the coach.

Fair enough LoBu, there’s bound to be a lot of supporters still behind Nicks, but for a lot of us, it’s not about Sunday. It’s his “body of work”.
What’s clear is that more and more people are having doubts, he’s lost the confidence of a lot of people, and the number appears to be growing.
Can he turn it around? Personally I really hope that he does. But I’m not confident that he can.

 

[adelaidecrows]

This is interesting, and poses that "There's enough talent to be a better side".

Thinking of the loss to Hawthorn, which I was there at, there's not doubt that I had had enough of Nicks at the end of the game. And I am coming around to the point that he is not performing, and getting outcoached more often than not.

I think he struggles to get clear messages through to the group, and that the gameplan may not be good enough anyway, so a double loss.

However, as Monday rolled around, I was a bit calmer, and in reflection never expected us to win, so it wasn't the loss that was bad, it was the way we played.

But I see a lot here have dismissed our injuries, but I don't think they can be. Now I don't want to be a Nick apologist, and Mitchell is clearly a better coach, but the injury list is awful.

Mid: Dawson, Crouch, Rankine
Def: Murray, Butts, Worrell and Milera
Fwd: Pedlar

So that's the best of the mids, the best defenders, and just our forwards were close to full strength. Compared to Hawthorn, it was just:

Fwd: Lewis, Wingard

Our depth got shown up big time, so going back to the first comment, the talent may be good enough, but our depth isn't.

The good thing is we are finding out. The argument that we haven't played enough players to find out is more relevant to 2021-2023, and I'd agree, but we are finding out now and hopefully continue to the end of the season to work out the true list position.

Injuries are a huge part of AFL win loss, like it or not. Good teams have better depth, but are also better coached. But on the weekend, our forwards got nothing from our mids.

We had very ordinary players, Cook is either out of position or just not at the level. Murphy I don't need to say. Hinge is up and down and was very down, as was Keane. Berry was poor. Borlase ineffective. Our defence, pretty much a SANFL defence, was woeful. Laird clearly trys, gets the ball, but just doesn't help the forwards when he wins the ball, and more often it comes straight back.

What i loved is that Curtin played as a midfielder, but he seemed to be tied up close checking either Day or Worpel when Worpel spread back from the forwards line off Laird, rather than be freed to play aggressively. But he got the run, and I want to see more.

I loved that Soligo played well, that Taylor and Dowling are continuing their improvement. But they missed experience and class in the mid mix.

I don't know about Nicks, he had not much to work with, makes poor decisions, bad selection decisions (the club makes these too), and is not able to clearly communicate a game plan in the first 5 games of any season. So everything they do over summer just doesn't work except fitness.

I've pretty much changed my mind, but again, not surprised we lost (and badly), given 7-8 of our best 18 are out of the side, so can't lay the loss all on just the coach.

The issue is our development is rubbish because Nicks threw games into average players. Nankervis, Cook, Dowling, Curtin, Bond, Berry, Gollant, Worrell, Himmelberg, Stachan all should have played 10+ extra games than they have. Yet we have serious plebs that got a great deal of game time who are no longer in the side. Schoenberg and McHenry got way too many games. Then you have the great Murphy. The biggest waste of game time in the history of the club. He wouldnt have got this games at West Coast. And theyve been worse than us.

Fact is Nicks shit the bed and panicked over his job so he selected mature bodies so he could hide behind honourable losses and close results. He hasnt developed for the future.

Yet we are magically playing better with the new kids in the side he had no intention of playing this year. Thats incredibly embarrassing.

 

[Jarman3]

This is interesting, and poses that "There's enough talent to be a better side".

Thinking of the loss to Hawthorn, which I was there at, there's not doubt that I had had enough of Nicks at the end of the game. And I am coming around to the point that he is not performing, and getting outcoached more often than not.

I think he struggles to get clear messages through to the group, and that the gameplan may not be good enough anyway, so a double loss.

However, as Monday rolled around, I was a bit calmer, and in reflection never expected us to win, so it wasn't the loss that was bad, it was the way we played.

But I see a lot here have dismissed our injuries, but I don't think they can be. Now I don't want to be a Nick apologist, and Mitchell is clearly a better coach, but the injury list is awful.

Mid: Dawson, Crouch, Rankine
Def: Murray, Butts, Worrell and Milera
Fwd: Pedlar

So that's the best of the mids, the best defenders, and just our forwards were close to full strength. Compared to Hawthorn, it was just:

Fwd: Lewis, Wingard

Our depth got shown up big time, so going back to the first comment, the talent may be good enough, but our depth isn't.

The good thing is we are finding out. The argument that we haven't played enough players to find out is more relevant to 2021-2023, and I'd agree, but we are finding out now and hopefully continue to the end of the season to work out the true list position.

Injuries are a huge part of AFL win loss, like it or not. Good teams have better depth, but are also better coached. But on the weekend, our forwards got nothing from our mids.

We had very ordinary players, Cook is either out of position or just not at the level. Murphy I don't need to say. Hinge is up and down and was very down, as was Keane. Berry was poor. Borlase ineffective. Our defence, pretty much a SANFL defence, was woeful. Laird clearly trys, gets the ball, but just doesn't help the forwards when he wins the ball, and more often it comes straight back.

What i loved is that Curtin played as a midfielder, but he seemed to be tied up close checking either Day or Worpel when Worpel spread back from the forwards line off Laird, rather than be freed to play aggressively. But he got the run, and I want to see more.

I loved that Soligo played well, that Taylor and Dowling are continuing their improvement. But they missed experience and class in the mid mix.

I don't know about Nicks, he had not much to work with, makes poor decisions, bad selection decisions (the club makes these too), and is not able to clearly communicate a game plan in the first 5 games of any season. So everything they do over summer just doesn't work except fitness.

I've pretty much changed my mind, but again, not surprised we lost (and badly), given 7-8 of our best 18 are out of the side, so can't lay the loss all on just the coach.

He's had 5 years now, and is the second longest serving coach we've ever had, despite having the worst win-loss percentage of any coach in our history (35.78%, just behind Robert Shaw on 38.64%). Enough is enough.

Part of the reason we lack experience in the mid mix is because Nicks hasn't been developing mids. He keeps going back to the same players. It's great that Taylor and Dowling are improving, but they'd be further ahead if he'd played them earlier. The only reason guys like them and Curtin are even getting a game is because Dawson, Crouch and Smith were all injured. The fact that they're even talking about rushing Crouch back in from injury for the last few dead rubber games of the season rather than spending those games on giving experience to a younger player speaks volumes about just how lacking in anything resembling a clue our coaches have.

While it's good that Nicks seems to have finally put a line through McHenry's name, you have to wonder what he thinks he's getting from playing Murphy that he couldn't get from a young player who would benefit more from the experience. I'm sure Ryan or Edwards could probably have got pretty close to Murphy's 9 touches last week, and would have benefited a lot more from getting the game under their belt. You can't rebuild if you don't actually put the games into the younger players.

 

[GreyCrow]

The irony ( to me ) is Nicks has a guaranteed contract - its not like he is coaching to get a new one

Yet he still fills his bucket up from the same stale algae ridden well

 

[George Kramer]

The irony ( to me ) is Nicks has a guaranteed contract - its not like he is coaching to get a new one

Yet he still fills his bucket up from the same stale algae ridden well

In his defence on that one, the club would be placing a lot of focus on winning the remaining games. They need to deflate the pressure on themselves and give hope to the members in time to renew.

 

[adelaidecrows]

In his defence on that one, the club would be placing a lot of focus on winning the remaining games. They need to deflate the pressure on themselves and give hope to the members in time to renew.

Even if we lose every match from here we cant drop lower than we are now. So winning in this case doesnt matter. We are likely to only swap places with St Kilda if we win more matches. However, Geelong, Western Bulldogs, Sydney and Port should beat us. Honestly, with the side we have now, I suspect we will lose by at least 5 goals in each of these matches. We are cooked.

This is why Curtin should be playing. We have nothing to lose and we should be preparing him for next year. Id even bring in Edwards and Ryan for some games. Maybe even throw a game at Murray and Gallagher.

 

[George Kramer]

Even if we lose every match from here we cant drop lower than we are now. So winning in this case doesnt matter. We are likely to only swap places with St Kilda if we win more matches. However, Geelong, Western Bulldogs, Sydney and Port should beat us. Honestly, with the side we have now, I suspect we will lose by at least 5 goals in each of these matches. We are cooked.

This is why Curtin should be playing. We have nothing to lose and we should be preparing him for next year. Id even bring in Edwards and Ryan for some games. Maybe even throw a game at Murray and Gallagher.

Ladder position might not change but losing 5 games and if there are some bad ones is a completely different picture to winning some games against quality opposition.

The issue is they have no idea that playing mediocre spuds like Murphy over kids doesn’t actually help.

 

[adelaidecrows]

The irony ( to me ) is Nicks has a guaranteed contract - its not like he is coaching to get a new one

Yet he still fills his bucket up from the same stale algae ridden well

He is a coach who is coaching for a career not for success. In other words he coaches and develops only for the next game. This year he has been forced to change slightly into preparing for next year but he is still reliant on Tex, Laird and Smith. Which means all he is interested in is the appearance of doing a good job. I think he is clearly being advised by someone to make these decisions. Maybe an ex Coach etc who probably found a way to manipulate the club they were at into accepting mediocrity.

 

[GreyCrow]

People say Shaw was a shit coach but they also add '' but he developed our kids who played in 2 GFs''

 

[Pugsley]

People say Shaw was a shit coach but they also add '' but he developed our kids who played in 2 GFs''

Knowing an ex-Crow quite well, he said Shaw was lost at times on match day but added in fairness to him he didn't have the resources that coaches these days have.

 

[adelaidecrows]

Ladder position might not change but losing 5 games and if there are some bad ones is a completely different picture to winning some games against quality opposition.

The issue is they have no idea that playing mediocre spuds like Murphy over kids doesn’t actually help.

There is a categorical certainty that Nicks knows playing kids will get him greater success long term over playing the likes of Murphy and McHenry. But as I mentioned in a previous post, it really does look like he is being advised to coach this way as its entirely different to how he coached in 2020-2023.

He wasnt a great coach but he played all the kids. I am wondering if someone like an ex senior coach has advised him to avoid setting the squad up for the future at the expense of his coaching career. In other words dont give kids games until you have to type mentality. You give kids games, you lose by bigger margins and it makes you look bad. Like North Melbourne, West Coast and even Hawthorn for a time.

If I am correct it would explain why he sticks with the same group of players every week. Why he was disinterested in bringing in new faces at all, why he scapegoated fringe players and why he refused to punish poor form.

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

Blaming injuries now doesn't really stack up when we were also poor when we had few injuries

 

[Pugsley]

Scott Pendlebury

10

Scott Pendlebury

Age

36

Ht

191cm

Wt

86kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

26.5

5star

K

13.2

5star

HB

13.3

5star

M

4.1

4star

T

4.9

5star

CL

4.9

5star

D

25.1

5star

K

12.3

5star

HB

12.9

5star

M

3.4

3star

T

2.3

3star

CL

3.6

4star

D

12.4

4star

K

7.6

3star

HB

4.8

4star

M

5.8

5star

T

2.6

4star

will be retiring soon. Would be a massive upgrade on VB. Make it happen Roo.

 

[adelaidecrows]

People say Shaw was a shit coach but they also add '' but he developed our kids who played in 2 GFs''

I dont think Shaw was as bad a coach as we think. He was a victim of our mentality at the time. We had the clear expectation of finals every year. He wanted to build a new team. He played 18 premiership players over the 1995-1996 era and most of his list played a critical role in the 1997 team that took us to the finals.

What I think happened was first he was Victorian. This was a slap in the face to everyone and I dont think the senior players accepted the need for change. Old School mentality was that you played your best side 100% of the time, you dont gift games to kids. This would have rubbed the senior players the wrong way. Especially since most of them were still around from 1993. The media turned on him as we werent playing finals and well that turned everyone against him.

Had he stayed old school, did a Nicks and played the most senior guys he could all the time, sure he may have made finals. But then Blight would have been the one throwing kids a game and that would have seriously changed the 1997 season.

The house hold names that stood for naught narrative was nothing more than media beat up like the Nicks rebuild narrative. Completely false. They were all retirement material and all suffering from old men injuries.

1996
Andrew Jarman 17 Games 30yo
Chris McDermott 9 Games 33yo
Tony McGuiness 18 Games 32yo

All of them played like shit in 1996 regardless of injuries, they were all cooked.

Was Shaw a great coach, no. But rightly so, he should be credited for having the balls to turn the list over from the originals to the list that won us the premiership. The media owes Shaw a monumental apology because they got it wrong and crucified a coach for really no good reason than he didnt win all the time. He must look at the Nicks narrative and think WTF, now the media accept not winning all the time and not developing the kids.

 

[Jarman3]

Knowing an ex-Crow quite well, he said Shaw was lost at times on match day but added in fairness to him he didn't have the resources that coaches these days have.

Yeah but the other coaches he was coaching against back then also didn't have the resources that today's coaches have.

 

[adelaidecrows]

Blaming injuries now doesn't really stack up when we were also poor when we had few injuries

Blaming injuries is what happens to poorly prepared coaches. Weve had no where near enough injuries to blame injuries. Blight had 15 players injured at one stage during our 1997 premiership season and again in 1998. Our depth stood up. Weve had like 5 injuries to some good players and the world caved in for Nicks. He got exposed.

When he only plays the same 25 players and 5 of them get injured, that means he had to ask players he ignored for 12 months to come in and perform. Then when some of them dont immediately he ran to media blaming our recruiting and the players. Then as some of them got injured he had to run to the next 5 players who he spent no time on and had no intention of playing only for them to actually perform with such little game time.

There is no way Nicks should be blaming injuries. He is an ill prepared coach who only is interested in playing a set group of players. He would have been sacked from any other coaching role by now because he would have done the same at any other club. Hinkley got exposed too but they trade in missing pieces all the time it hides the lack of depth.

 

[adelaidecrows]

Knowing an ex-Crow quite well, he said Shaw was lost at times on match day but added in fairness to him he didn't have the resources that coaches these days have.

Yeah but the other coaches he was coaching against back then also didn't have the resources that today's coaches have.

He was never really given a chance by the media nor the SA public. Could have contributed to him perhaps trying too hard. But he got a lot of injuries to key players that didnt help and he rubbed senior players the wrong way by selecting kids who probably werent seen as deserving. Just rubbed a lot of people the wrong way. The mentality by fans for a long time was finals every year. That was the expectation. He didnt do it and well the club had no choice. But the senior players acted like fools during that period and were every bit to blame and some of them deservedly so got shown the door like Shaw did.

 

[Pugsley]

He was never really given a chance by the media nor the SA public. Could have contributed to him perhaps trying too hard. But he got a lot of injuries to key players that didnt help and he rubbed senior players the wrong way by selecting kids who probably werent seen as deserving. Just rubbed a lot of people the wrong way. The mentality by fans for a long time was finals every year. That was the expectation. He didnt do it and well the club had no choice. But the senior players acted like fools during that period and were every bit to blame and some of them deservedly so got shown the door like Shaw did.

Exactly what this player said.

 

[CrowBloke]

Gustavsson's sacking might not seem relevant, but bear with me, please?

Early this morning I sent the following to my soccer-mad Pommie mate in Adelaide after the Matildas got beaten by USA:
"1) The Matildas can never-say-die all they want, but without a game plan they're ****ed.
They have no game plan.
They're ****ed.
That's on the Coach.
2) No amount of never-say-die will work based on 28% possession and one, lonely shot on goal in the first half.
3) Heyman is their best striker, more opportunistic than Fowler and a better finisher. Gustavsson doesn't bring her on until half-time, or even later.
Dumb Coaching.
4) They are clueless as to how to defend against set-piece free kicks, from which oppo teams score.
Often.
That's also on the Coach.

Gustavsson has gotta go. ".

Sure enough, later today, Gustavsson's contract was not extended, even after he Coached them to 4th in the last World Cup. Football Australia have done absolutely the right thing.

The Crows have no Game Plan.
They're clueless about how to stop punishing runs of goals against, because Nicks is clueless.
Player selections are cactus.
Like the Matildas, the Crows have not improved.

If only the AFC had the nous/cojones to sack Nicks.

 

[rocket18]

Nicks is a moron.

Bit rich to use injuries as an excuse when for the previous 4 years we had a great run with injuries and Nicks prioritised spuds.

"We have no depth, our youngsters don't have enough experience"

Well, durrrr.

That's what happens when you don't rotate through players for four years.

Our worst coach ever.

 

[George Kramer]

Can’t recall who I was arguing with that Buckley would be considered for coaching positions. Of course he would be.

 

[King Elvis]

Can’t recall who I was arguing with that Buckley would be considered for coaching positions. Of course he would be.

Might've been me - I thought his family situation with the young lads might prevent him from moving from Vic.

 

[adelaidecrows]

Exactly what this player said.

He said senior players acted like fools?

I think it only has dawned on people through the experience around modern football that Shaw actually did do some things really well and development was key and as such, over time he has been credited with developing a lot of the young talent. Jarman owes Shaw an apology. Through Sanfl culture Jarman was correct through his semi pro experience but in AFL professional terms, Jarman was incredibly wrong and lacked the understanding required about development. Not to mention he should have been sacked by the club as soon as it was found out he refused to play when selected and then his public comments. Like told to clear out his locker sacked then next day. Inexcusable that behavior. Really would have been a kick in the guts to Shaw.

Not to mention his run in with Modra. Hate to say it, but the club should have suspended Modra too for his altercation with Shaw. Sign of the times back then I guess. One incident went unpunished and other players probably felt they could openly disrespect the coach too and the media back the players. So on it went.