The Great 2016/17 Coaching Saga

“We have a really good squad and Des and Chris impressed with their views on what needed to change and how to get the best from the squad."

We've heard publicly that it's just tweaks to the existing setup the coaches want to implement.

There has been no marked change in output from the team while these two have been in charge. The game plan has been to feed the wide men earlier but the pattern of the matches have been similar from the start of the season with an inability to assertive ourselves, looking disorganized and seemingly without a clear plan on how they want to create a goal.

Yes its like Buckingham's just bought a lawn mowing business.

How old is he? He looks younger than Hudson.

Given the underwhelming tactical performance last night, I suggest their preferred candidate is not available till the end of season.

Double brown/post

This

Predictable choice but totally totally underwhelming.

Every season in every competion around the globe underperforming clubs get in new coaches....statistically they most often get a bump in performance. A new coach, new ideas, new tactics, new motivation.

Sometimes assistant caoches get the job.....but most often this is a temporary setup intil the new guy arrives.

The problem I have with the Greenacre and Bucks is they have been part of a coaching setup that has not been working. Since Greenacre has been on board the club has finished at the arse end of the comp(what is it...10th 9th, 4th 8th and currently 8th????? correct me if I am wrong) He is not the solution......he is part of the problem.

The  Boards statement that they had some high powered applicants but have gone with the incumbents is a cop out IMO. Why go through the whole joke of advertising the position? surely there is a more strategic approach in the club than seeing if we can do well in a couple of games before making such an important decision.

The big danger now is that the fans will just shrug and give up. The fans are not stupid. They can see that they are being dished up the same failed crap under the current coaches. They know that if we can't beat duds like the Jets and Adelaide then we have little hope against the top sides. A new coach would have sparked the interest of the media and the fan base.....that dickhead Bozza was correct...UNDERWHELMED!!!

A lot of negativity in the comments on the announcement on Facebook.

Ten minutes or so of the press conference is on the Phoenix periscope.

Basically they put together a plan that impressed the board, they also now have the freedom to make larger tactical and formation changes rather than just tweaking things as they have been.

The target for this season was top two, that's been revised to top four.

Maybe it was a case of... we are paying that guy a lot of money so don't drop him, keep giving him a chance. Could apply to a couple of our players.

I'd say Morrison is sick of spending his time on all of this. He has enough on his plate outside of this hobby.

Honestly, that sounds like one of the late George Michael's hobbies.

In that case, I don't want your freedom 

The Coach set in his was and not tried other styles has not worked. 

These 2 bring a chance to develop their own style and pattern of play. 

Go Batman n Robin 

Sounds like an Undertakers!

They also said that what we're playing now with the central striker is plan A, but now they have the time to do plan B and C. Although with international flights to Perth for Thursday I doubt they will have too many training sessions so I'd expect more of the same in Perth.

Yeah I find it worrying that we haven't seen the likes of Rufer and only limited glimpses of Ridenton, not to mention the rest of the squad, since the coach change.

personally as a massive believer of promoting youth in football I find it troubling when discussion happens around giving people like Ridenton, Rufer and Rogerson a shot in the team.  On one hand yes I would love to see them given a shot but I also understand that the needs of the team should be put first and most of the time throwing a young guy into the deep end is not in the best interests of the team.

One of the coaches i have worked with had a pretty sound philosophy around introducing youth players to First Team football - he always said when a team is playing well is the best time to introduce players, they don't have as much pressure on them so it's a bit easier for them to transition, as opposed to when the teams backs are up against the wall as the Nix currently are.  He also didn't want youth players to yo-yo between first team football and reserves or youth football as that negatively effects their development.

So there are two things to consider here - being competitive at First Team level and continuing to develop players.

One would think that while games here and there might give players like Ridenton and Rufer a chance to show their stuff that training is actually where the development would be happening and that players are picked for the first team based on merit only.  There have been calls for someone else to be given a chance in the first team due to the perceived under-performances of certain players in the starting lineup - but if they are training better than the other options then surely they deserve to keep being picked.

One last thought - is it possible for players who are in the Nix contracted 23 to be loaned out during the season?  because i think Ridenton and Rufer would benefit from this if they can get first team football somewhere ( better than playing Reserves the SS Premiership)

Where would you loan them to?

weren't they talking about having a link up with North Queensland Fury for this purpose?

Or a 70s soft-rock duo

Or a suit maker on Saville Road. Or Lawyers in the same place

Lack of ambition, lack of brains, you have just killed the club, you fudgein idiots

Fudge you wellnix

Wouldn't do this to one of your own companies would you?

I'm off to hold hands with Junior 

Over and out

Will you consider eating your words if the new coaches make the playoffs?

I'm just curious as I understand you being disapointed by the appointment but what if on the off chance Welnix have made the correct call?

Even if they make the play-offs, I don't think this is the right long-term decision. 

We've already lost basically all support we had over in Australia from the SaveTheNix campaign - we need to show something, and this just looks like we're treading water.

Do we want a club in 4 years or not?

I just had the 'opportunity' to watch the replay of the Adelaide game.  What I saw was largely a disorganised shambles where the players looked like they had never met, and where the 'shape' often resembled a 10 year old school match where everyone chases the ball. Plan A, B or C? Forget it, for starters Id just get the players to pass to that other guy in the yellow shirt, cos whatever they were doing they were overthinking it. I swear we had 11 players lined up down the middle of the pitch for much of the game.

Set yourself up with a shape to play attacking and passing football with some width. Stop passing back to Durante all day. That seems impossible with Merrick and Greenacre teams. Finklers free kicks were largely rubbish. Why continue with dead wood when we are clearly sharke, so in that respect I disagree with the earlier poster about 'young' players - put them in and let them learn. There is no damn relegation, and clearly no-one wants to watch the crock we were dished up yesterday!

Pot, Kettle, Black.

I cant help but feel there was another coach being eyed up and Welnix couldn't get it across the line, it may have been out of their control.

If it was Greenie and Des being courted the whole time I feel like they would have hit the before Christmas deadline. 

Oh well, We're gonna win the league, We're gonna win the league.

Does the North QLD league run in the summer?

Domey looked mega stressed. Like that song "You're getting sacked in the morning"

One pundit has said the Phoenix offer nothing to the league, he was previously a supporter of the Phoenix being in the competition, and has said on Twitter that he wants to be proven wrong. One guy having a bit of a soundbite for ratings doesn't equal a loss of support for the Phoenix.

Want's more troubling is the amount of negative press over the last month or two, it's going to take a lot of positive press to undo that.

They're hardly guys that need to be introduced. Rufer has had 215 minutes, Ridenton has had 1,550. Merrick also said when he was departing that both players are pushing the first team and should be starting but the stakes have been too high to do it.

But we have our first team underperforming so why not?