Expect something tomorrow!

Time and time again threads are posted about this subject in some form or another. Sure, fans are entitled to comment, but does anyone SERIOUSLY believe that Mal or anyone at the 36ers will take any notice of what they say (and I don't believe they even bother reading this site anymore). Mal is a businessman with extensive experience and business acumen. He will no doubt make a decision based on facts and not conjecture or knee jerk comments from fans/whoever on an open forum. As I said it's fine to post a thread but don't exepct anyone to take any notice. And NO I'm not involved with the 36ers, just a fan who actually lives in the real world.

So many different headings. You go into them expecting to read something new and all you get is the same "Sack Phil" stories. I would like Mal to act quickly this week and that is to sign on the players we want to stay and actively seek replacements for those we don't. Please, no more "Sack Phil" threads regardless of which heading it appears under because it has been done to death. It is obvious that from what has already been written, there are mixed opinions on this. Just accept everyone's opinions as their own and respect that instead of trying to convince everyone to get on the "Sack Phil" bandwagon.

No doubt Philbert would have performance targets and objectives associated with his position. Based on whether these targets are achieved forms the basis for remuneration etc. I would suggest that one of these targets was to reach the finals this season. Now, he would claim that certain circumstances have prevented this (eg injuries to BM, BD: hard away games etc), however, a poor general blames his soldiers.
There were several games this season where losses were incurred where we should have won. In most of those games, it appears that poor coaching decisions in the critical last five minutes contributed to the loss.
I would suggest that Philbert has had his day, not because he is a bad coach, but because the other coaches know exactly how he will move, and the fact that players do not develop under his coaching. As a club, we need to develop players, not just rely on talent coming in.

All that matters is we need change. I'd be happy to keep the coach provided the dead wood like Sutton, Dodman, and Dench don't let the door hit them in the ass on the way out. We need some descent young players.

ANON12..."Mal or anyone at the 36ers will take any notice of what they say (and I don't believe they even bother reading this site anymore)"

if they dont read it..prhaps i can just write the word
"Smytt, Smieth, Smeith, Smiith, Smeyeth.

NUP...Voldemort it is.

This is a fans forum, people should be free to write what they want, the title is pretty clear, if you dont want to read about it...DONT CLICK IT.

BTW, i heard...definitly down to voldemort or stacker for the Dragons.

sorry the point re, reading the posts, should have been referred to EC

me, please explain?

Anon12 and EC we love our club and want it to progress both on the court and support . Mal has to do something and fast for all incl. coach, as no doubt we would have made 8 if Chappel had been replaced weeks quicker instead of waiting for him to improve as he got worse. Look what Hodge has done to club. Of 12 close supporters I know at least half wont renew long term season tickets if coach returns these are facts not talk or waste time posts.
The club and N B L cant lose more supporters

bretts the man, who do you suggest is to blame for the delay in releasing Chappell, coach or owner? Had it been done any earlier, Hodge would not have been the replacement. You can't say that holding on to Chappell has resulted in lost games to Hodge. Also you say you love our club but 12 close supporters you know will not renew long term season tickets. I will renew mine regardless. There has to be a question about passion there.

Remember that Hodge was their second preference and if they'd made a move earlier, they probably would've got the first preference. I doubt Pace would've had a bigger impact than Hodge (now that we've seen what he can do), but I am confident that Pace would've given us a lot more than Chappell did (actually would've been a similar player to Hodge IMO).

As for "blame", I think probably a bit of both (at least initially). Phil gave Chappell a lot of chances to come good.

Mostly Hodge has really shown those doubters who said "Don't cut Chappell, what if we get a dud?" - and there were a few.

"Voldermort not even on Dragons radar.

Voldemort is the only one spreading that."

Agreed......Phil is not even in consideration for the Dragons job.

At the moment, they have a one man shopping list and they will not look at otehr options until all chances of getting him are exhausted.

Well said EC. And you too Isaac.
Maybe we could blame Maher for tearing his calf? Maybe we could blame Ng for cramping?
Maybe we could blame Ballinger for having a sore back last night?
Maybe we could blame Davidson for injuring his abdomen?
Maybe we could blame Cooper for not taking open shots?
Maybe we could blame Cooper for taking stupid open shots?
Maybe we could blame any player who shot less than 90%.
Maybe we could blame a bad call from no other than Andrew Philmer?
Maybe we could blame the court wipers for taking so long that they ruined the 'flow'?
Maybe we could blame the crowd for not cheering?
Maybe we should just blame David Hicks?

I guess it will be after cairns beat sth dragons on wednesday, then we are not in the finals, so decisions can be made. We've heard Phil say that he won't stand in the way of change and may not want to go on losing.

shane heal gets a lot of blame even though he had two struggling imports and players missed shots and the team were not good at defense.

EC, My comment was in reference to your distaste for the "sack coach" topics.

I enjoy the debate and conversation on the forum, and whilst i agree that there have been many of such topics, no-one has to read them.

Its pretty obvious what a topic is going to be about if it says "sack coach", in the headline, so if you dont want to read it...just dont, but IMO every poster has their right to make a topic/comment.

EC and Isaac, I'm glad other people have the common sense to reason that if Chappell had been cut earlier, we may not have even gotten Hodge. As I recall, even after Chappell was cut Hodge hadn't been released from his Italian club?

I do however agree with the OP that a decision has to be made soon (not before the season's over, but a couple of days after no less) about the coaching staff. Player negotiations should come second as it's gonna be hard to sign people if they don't know who they're playing for.

#171095.

Shouldn't you be at school???

James W - any decision either way should be made as soon as possible now that the season has been more or less decided. I think teams start indirectly approaching players quietly before the finals have even begun.

Hodge might want to test the NBA waters, but Ballinger must be locked up before other teams start making him offers (they probably already have) - there's a Ballinger-sized gap in Gold Coast's roster if he likes Brendan Joyce.

me, its true what you say, but you don't have much choice as to whether you want to read a topic or not when its disguised with another heading. This particular one headed "Need to act this week Mal" did not indicate it was another sack Phil topic until you opened it and read it. This is where I see that it is not necessary to do this. I too love having a good debate on this forum, its because it talks about the subject I love to talk about the most and it shows the passion that people have for the sport and their team. Whether you agree or disagree with anyone does not take away from the fact that you and others are passionate about it.

Dana, do you think Corey Delaney (Worthington) might have been to blame with his loud attire, his loud entourage and booze?

Hodge should sign with an NBA outclause, atleast if he doesn't go to the NBA, he will belong to us. Having said that, there should be an expiry date for this outclause, one that allows plenty of time to find an alternative import.

LOL. Corey maybe... OR ... as Kylie Mole would say:

"Dolly did it."

Get used to it E c as I and others will keep on posting on this issue until he is gone, with pure laziness and indifference that is costing us qlty local players , supporters and a team that can consistently perform under pressure and has some sort of structure.
As Isaac has said all we are now saying for everyones sake including current coach make the move now to get the right replacement and sign the ballingers etc and find some potential young plyrs for the future from U.S college etc.
Dana I am having a stressful day can you tell me what pills you take. Talking sense is not working today.

If phil is not going to be coaching next season for the 36ers then the decision should be made quickly (before this saturday's game). It would be nice that he gets honoured on his final game, rather than coaching this saturday and not to be seen again.

Brett the man, you are entitled to your opinion but you need to realise it is only an opinion. Not everyone shares it and telling me to get used to it because you are going to keep posting about it suggests you are trying to push your opinions on to others. I am not interested in making a major recruiting move to get young college and local kids for the future. I pay my money to be entertained and I want the players now that will entertain. I will not sit through 3 to 4 years of young players developing and pay $25 per game for that privilege. Nor will I sit through 3 or 4 years waiting for them to develop enough to win a championship, if they ever do. In the meantime, there is also the risk of putting work into young players and then losing them before you get the benefit out of them (Holmes and Forman). I get my fair share of young players by going regularly to ABA games. I do not pay $25 to go and see these. I expect more when I attend NBL games. I expect the best imports that money can buy and the best experienced Australian players that will come and play in Adelaide for the money offered. Mix in 2 or 3 development players and thats it. As for losing young Australian talent, we had Newley if he hadn't opted for Europe, Ingles did absolutely nothing for me so I do not lament this loss (again a matter of opinion), we have Dodman and Burdon. What else do you need? As for talking sense, I have had a good day today. And no I have not taken a single pill.

EC, haven't you just paid $25 a game for the past 3-4 seasons to watch a team with no chance to win a championship? The Forman/Holmes thing was tough to swallow, but Adelaide should never have let these guys come out of contract. Our preference was to make Mark Nash a priority. Come to think of it, why the hell wasn't Ballinger signed to a contract extension two months ago? You might not think much of Ingles, but most of the country does. He wasn't even deemed worthy of a spot in our top 12, a 12 that included Nash, Majstrovich, Sutton.... Do you think any of these guys will be in the NBL next year?

Personally, I don't think many changes need be made (Dench out, Sutton out), and the potential for Ballinger to play as an Australian is key. Hodge here for a full season would be magnificent. But that said, for us to be consistent and to give a Brisbane game-type effort EACH night, not one night in three, then we need some new faces on the sidelines, as clearly the ones who are currently in residence are incapable of motivating/extracting that type of effort.

I think Voldemort is the greatest coach we've ever had, but he has become stale and so has our programme as a result. And that malaise has spread from the sidelines onto the floor. If you haven't noticed that it has been getting progressively worse for the last 4 years then you must have been literaly asleep at the games.

The decision will be controversial either way, but a new face will bring a much needed change of approach. You want to be entertained at games, well so do I. Personally I find winning pretty damn entertaining. If we make that change and return this club to the upper part of the league ladder where it belongs then I guarantee that you will forget all your objections to these type of threads. If you want proof of that, when was the last time anyone mentioned Chris Lucas?

Mal and Phil to talk about his future tomorrow. (Channel 10 Sport News)

EC are you saying that if someone decides to vote with their wallet and not purchase a season ticket next season due to either a half baked team being put together or the tired and worn out coach being given another run (or quite possibly both) it somehow makes them less of a supporter of the club ?

Get real. If things stay the same it might be the only way to force some real change.

If Mal is such a good business man then he should be on here reading what his clients (and yes as paying fans we are clients) are saying. If the fans stop comming, the sponsors soon dry up and the 36ers become the next Hunter Pirates, Canberra Canons e.t.c.

Check out some old 36ers footage from 10 years ago, then compare it to say 5 years ago and then finally compare it to now. Appart from smaller crowds the biggest noticable difference is just how many sponsors the club has lost in the last 10 years.

The downward spiral has well and truely taken hold.

I've heard reports that the club has lost big bucks this year, and not just because they won't get any home finals.

This is simply not sustainable.

Mal needs to make some big changes if the club is going to survive in the long term.

It's that simple.

Commonsense, How can you be a supporter and not renew your season tickets? That is exactly what everyone needs to do to ensure the demise of the 36ers. Where is the support in that. The reason I would continue to renew mine is because I still believe this club will get back to its glory days. I will make sure that I stick around to show support by renewing my tickets and that's what everyone needs to do. You dont turn your back when they need you the most. The sponsors will come back when that success comes back.

In the pre season everyone was excited about signing Chappell and the recruitment as a whole. The club was praised on this forum for the good job they did. Who could see at that stage what problems there were ahead? Injury to Chappell which never saw him come good, injury to Maher (a little more predictable but everyone still wants him), injuries in general, tough schedule, under par officiating. Who do you blame for this when even us the fans did not see it coming? I put this season down to pure bad luck. Last season, no one had any expectations in view of circumstances at the time.

I think its still premature to blame the coach and call for his sacking at this point in time. A lot of the attitude that people have witnessed from him this season, could merely be a cover up for the frustration he has been feeling in the way the team has panned out. I would be the first one to call for his sacking if he had a quality team and injuries were few and yet he still failed to make playoffs.

EC who will replace Brett Maher as the face of the 36ers ?
Back when Mark Davis was Mr Adelaide 36er the current coach at least had the foresight and forward planning to have someone lined up to eventually replace him.
The only thing Phil looks forward to is pay day.

I don't recall saying that I wasn't going to renew my tickets either.

The only way Phil will win another championship or get past the first finals round would be for Mal to completely ignore the cap and throw a bucketload of cash at big name players.

I don't think Mal has the resources to do that, so the only option is to nurture young local (cheap) talent, something the current coach has no interest in.

How many ABA games do you see Phil at ?
Bugger all !!

I rest my point.

Oh and another thing, Mal has to prove himself still too in my book.
2 years of ownership and 2 lacklustre seasons without a finals appearance.
I'm pretty sure we were promised he'd put the 36ers back on top at the start of the season, and what happened to the new scoreboard that was to be in by Christmas ?
Not that I give a toss about the scoreboard, it's still better than many other NBL venues (when it works), but if Mal was such a good business man as many people on here say surely he would know not to make promises he can't keep.

Common sense really.

Coach said on Channel 2 News that even if job was offered to him he may not take it.

PHIL......if you read this......YOU STILL HAVE THE SUPPORT OF MANY FANS. VERY FEW OF THEM WOULD BOTHER TO POST ON HERE.

I think we should blame Dana

Clearly Dana and EC are happy with mediocrity, followers not leaders.
Why bother getting out of bed each day if you set the bar too low ?

Clearly Dana & EC have been supporters for long enough to know that there are both good times and bad times.

Commonsense, you don't know me. You also don't know what I have achieved in my life time. It was certainly not based on mediocrity. No I don't accept mediocrity. I said previously that I want to be entertained. Yes, being entertained means winning. I have had the most boring 2 seasons of basketball ever the last 2 seasons but I am optimistic that it will change. This whole saga of arguments have derived from whether the coach has done a good enough job to stay or if he should be sacked. May I quote you on what you said only a couple of hours ago...

"The only way Phil will win another championship or get past the first finals round would be for Mal to completely ignore the cap and throw a bucket load of cash at big name players." You've just admitted that Phil is not entirely to blame for the lack of success. He has no control over how much money the owner can spend. Would you say the same about the success of Joey Wright or Brian Goorjian or Al Westover?

I love Dana and EC's passion and belief, and understand their support of a man who has brought us so many good times.

IMO the time is up, but we still need to to find a very very good replacement.

(BTW apologies EC, point taken re the topic title)

I think you might be taking what I said out of context, or perhaps I didn't explain myself properly.
The mediocrity comment was aimed more at Dana's blind support of Phil, not you EC, and it wasn't supposed to come accross as a personal attack. - Don't get me wrong, I think it's great that you and Dana will continue to fork out hard earned each year no matter what sort of recycled crap is being put up for a team, but you (and Dana) are the exception not the rule.

What I meant in my previous post was that I don't believe Phil can win another championship unless he has a superstar lineup as he is not a developer of talent.
Give him a stacked team (much the same as the Lightning) and I'm sure he'll win games and more championships, and most likely they'll be fun to watch.

As a business though, throwing bags of money (outside of the cap too remember) is unsustainble which I'm pretty sure Eddy is just beginning to realise and Sydney discovered some time ago.

That's why it is important that the guy (or gal ?) that gets the gig can develop local talent.
What would you rather see, a court team full of locals, or a team full of interstaters much like the Lightning ?

Commonsense, I think it is important that people continue to support the team for it to get back on its feet. It won't happen if people give up now and walk away. A fan's support now is also an investment in the future of the club.

Go get em tiger, always have to have the last word :)
I agree with you in principal EC, but that support comes with the expectation that a lot of things need to change within the club.