I thought Ernies first season was Lia's best. Still he's done well the last couple of years.
I agree with that, and i am not one to blame Lia all the time either. But Lia is not getting any younger and Hicks would be a good backup for him, especially when we also had Rodriguez fading in the last few rounds of the season.
Mind you, Hicks is not a proper playmaker, at least not yet, but could be developed into a McGlinchey type player with time. He would be a useful non-visa player to keep in the squad and put on the park often.
While Ernie used him mostly as impact sub (same as with Kenny), I think Hicks needed more time to get going on the park, while Kenny would simply start tearing up the pitch with his explosive (and occasionally wayward) runs.
Yes I know this is all too late, and Hicks is gone, but I have not seen promising replacements for him. While it is commendable for the Nix to bring up younger players through the system, I am already seeing all the usual signs of a "transitional season", come next month.