Opinion Matthew Nicks: Adelaide's Coach (Part 3) - The Biggest Loser

[adelaidecrows]

Or you know he didn't at all. He did deliver us our first ever spoon though after the playing group took the piss during the Covid shutdown. Culture!

A culture shift does occur when an influx of new talent comes in. So its safe to say some cultural change occured. How much Nicks had to do with it can be questioned. But there was a noticeable change. In 2020 to 2022 Nicks was heavily involved in rookie debutes, with feel good PR videos surfacing almost weekly of the group having fun. Like the time when Worrell had his car moved to the goal square as a prank and there was the note of getting his first game.

Interestingly he has done nothing in the last 2 years. Which does bring me and many others to the conclusion he doesnt want to play rookies anymore. He wants to make finals. For example, he did nothing for Nank, Curtin, Dowling, Taylor and Bond. He couldnt look more disinterested and looked like he spent more time planning ways to get them off the ground during games then actually coaching.

But everything he did has been thrown out now. He has all but killed any good work he had done.

 

[AFC979810]

Have you heard of the search function ....your answer lies there

Trouble is people refuse to read properly....they see what they want to see

If you go through life thinking everyone you meet is an A$$hole - then just maybe.....

 

[Crow_68]

Might head down to Unley on Saturday with a ‘Sack Nicks’ banner

 

[Rotayjay]

Resetting the poll has gotten rid of all the legacy votes from people who aren't active on the Crows board anymore (or who won't show their faces). The updated results are stark.

 

[Gtowncrow]

Despite all the losses people claim Nicks deserves to keep his job because "he rebuilt the culture!"

If this is how it ends and Rachele is traded in the off-season it's just proof that Nicks hasn't done jack.

Nicks has been granted lots of time for the rebuild. Fair enough too as it was pretty deep as it turned out.
We have, however, failed to better our "bottom club" status after any hypothetical grace period has expired. Bottom 4 after 5 years of rebuild is North Melbourne levels of ineptitude.

A contracted Rachele and a contracted Keane seeking to break their contracts and be traded away is a look inside the locker room. And what do we see? Coach killer stuff. Team killer stuff. Club killer stuff.

The club must act. It's desperate times again.

Coach sacked on Saturday night after the game would finish the season with the best news the club could produce leading into the off season.

This year we have had confusing game plans, confusing selections, confusing messaging resulting in a locker room revolt.

Better still.... play Rachele this week and sack Nicks tomorrow.

 

[Rotayjay]

We bag the club for being mediocre. But historically we haven't been that bad.

In the club's first 29 seasons prior to 2020, we played in 8 preliminary finals - a prelim appearance once every 3.6 years. The 3 grand final appearances averaged out to a granny every 9.7 years, which I think is pretty reasonable in a 15-to-18-team competition.

So how the * has a club that made a prelim every 4th year accepted missing finals 5 years in a row with a coach who has a deteriorating win percentage?

 

[CrowBloke]

I think if no Finals next year, Nicks will be shown the door. Or he will walk. There can be no more excuses now.

Worst case scenario, we finish 7th or 8th next year and get knocked out in an EF.
OR
finish 9th or 10th which is an improvement on 15th (not hard to do, let's face it).
Nicks will have a case that 2026 will be better and our dumb-as-**** Board might go along with what he sells them.

I might not have to worry.
Keane has yet to speak up and I hope he throws Nick under a bus.
Rachele will be re-thinking his contract and would be wanted by several other Clubs.
Once Nicks loses the players, he's gone, hopefully sooner than later.

 

[MarcusP2]

We bag the club for being mediocre. But historically we haven't been that bad.

In the club's first 29 seasons prior to 2020, we played in 8 preliminary finals - a prelim appearance once every 3.6 years. The 3 grand final appearances averaged out to a granny every 9.7 years, which I think is pretty reasonable in a 15-to-18-team competition.

So how the * has a club that made a prelim every 4th year accepted missing finals 5 years in a row with a coach who has a deteriorating win percentage?

We were good up to 2006 (first 16 seasons, 6 prelim finals).

In the 18 seasons since, 2 (also the only times we've finished top 4).

We are mediocrity trending towards futility.

 

[Interloperer]

The only reason Nicks won't move up to equal second on the games coached list for Adelaide (aside from the elephant in the room of missing the finals) is the one game he missed due to Covid in 2022 (which was a loss)

 

[Anzacpaul]

Do you reckon it's a crime to buy a rubber turd and send it to the club addressed to Nicks?

Rather have Nicks flying rubber dog shit out of Hong Kong.

 

[ams4crows]

A senile Malcolm Blight is a better option than Nicks currently

 

[PeterSalt]

Resetting the poll has gotten rid of all the legacy votes from people who aren't active on the Crows board anymore (or who won't show their faces). The updated results are stark.

lol .. i just voted again .. and didn't read the options

soz .. not much care about it though

we can't change our fuxck ups

 

[feenix67]

Yep, I was keen to write a letter to someone, then thought what's the point?

They're all part of the problem and it's an echo chamber.

Imagine trying get up to do a ****ing podcast week after week... that takes some mental gymnastics these days I can tell you.

"Support the players, dislike the club... support the players, dislike the club... support the players dislike the club..."

 

[Brett Cummings]

Geelong and patrick dangerfield has completely exposed this fraud. After the stengle nightclub incident they stood by and supported their player. They didn't have teamates bagging him in the media either.

Danger also said this publicly:

"We're going to support stengle and treat him like an adult."

Go **** yourself nicks.

 

[King Elvis]

Quiet a legacy our Matty is building for himself at the Crows. I wonder if he truly believes in his heart of hearts that he is fit to the job asked of him. Any rational person would look at the state of our club right now and feel some sense of responsibility for what is going on. Why you would be trying to scapegoat young players is beyond belief.

I honestly don't know how you could feel like you were the right man for the job, and deserved to continue in it.

And if that's how I felt - I would stand aside.

 

[CrowBloke]

2020 18th
2021 15th
2022 14th
2023 10th
2024 15th

105 games coached.
Won 37.
Lost 67.
Drawn 1.
35% win rate.

That's a disgraceful record,
Doc, doc, doc, doc, Doctor B. <== FINALLY got my chance to use it!

 

[CrowBloke]

A contracted Rachele and a contracted Keane seeking to break their contracts and be traded away is a look inside the locker room.

Keane, I can see that happening, but Rachele?
Is that your take on what might happen or insider intel?

 

[King Elvis]

I have no more energy King. They've broken me down.

My anger is the main engagement factor at present.

 

[AFC979810]

Btw, I’m not a blind supporter of Nicks. I think if no Finals next year, Nicks will be shown the door. Or he will walk. There can be no more excuses now.

Yeah... Not a blind supporter at all.

Just a shame that all that data about our remarkable improvement in scoring shots hasn't translated to win.

 

[Dangerousfield]

Swans have got absolutely nothing to play for tomorrow night, their players will be looking to avoid injury and thereby missing finals. I can't see Swans getting enthused enough to actually give us a Nicks damaging margin.

A win or honourable loss against Swans is possible and unfortunately would validate in the boards mind their staggering decision to give Nicks two more years. I can just imagine the smug post match presser if we do win or it's close.

The club seems to be writing off this season as an abberation due to the dreadful injury toll, although we know the actual league wide stats don't support that.

I will never forget being beaten by the wooden spooners at AO, THAT is the mark of Nicks coaching ability

 

[Rotayjay]

We were good up to 2006 (first 16 seasons, 6 prelim finals).

In the 18 seasons since, 2 (also the only times we've finished top 4).

We are mediocrity trending towards futility.

This is one of the most depressing things I've read on Bigfooty - but perfectly true.

 

[Geoffa32]

We were good up to 2006 (first 16 seasons, 6 prelim finals).

In the 18 seasons since, 2 (also the only times we've finished top 4).

We are mediocrity trending towards futility.

Bill Sanders CEO and then Chairman, retired 2008.


No coincidence the club has had issues since then.

 

[Geoffa32]

Swans have got absolutely nothing to play for tomorrow night, their players will be looking to avoid injury and thereby missing finals. I can't see Swans getting enthused enough to actually give us a Nicks damaging margin.

A win or honourable loss against Swans is possible and unfortunately would validate in the boards mind their staggering decision to give Nicks two more years. I can just imagine the smug post match presser if we do win or it's close.

The club seems to be writing off this season as an abberation due to the dreadful injury toll, although we know the actual league wide stats don't support that.

I will never forget being beaten by the wooden spooners at AO, THAT is the mark of Nicks coaching ability

Swans will pump us.

They are in Finals mode after taking a few weeks off for injury prevention/recovery around their Port game.

 

[Gtowncrow]

Keane, I can see that happening, but Rachele?
Is that your take on what might happen or insider intel?

No specific intel. Only fan reaction.

But if a passive fan feels the outrage, the frustration and...to be honest, the hurt and pain of seeing his club once again in disarray, then my thoughts go to the young man involved.

He would feel isolated. He would feel betrayed. He would feel humiliated. He would harbour genuine dislike for those who have humiliated him in front of the nation. He's being made an example of. He's being publically admonished by those who he could have trusted to always have his back. He and his family have been let down by the promises the club would have made him from the outset of his Adelaide journey.

The club has failed in it's promise to a young man that we have a supportive environment, a friendly environment, a promising environment, somewhere worthy moving interstate for. It's all proven to not have come true.

Under what circumstance is it possible that he isn't wanting to get out? He has real value to another club and his contract is not insurmountable. He can easily make a fresh start elsewhere. And it will all be the failings of our coach. The public executioner...and coward.

 

[robboaustralia]

Imagine trying get up to do a ****ing podcast week after week... that takes some mental gymnastics these days I can tell you.

"Support the players, dislike the club... support the players, dislike the club... support the players dislike the club..."

I reckon this week's podcast will be a doozy!