Very interesting . Would've liked to have heard that.
5aa had Weigh and Warren in the studio , probably about the same time.
Warren ; " Today was the first time the whole team was on the court together , either thru injuries or availability or general soreness and that's a whole lot better going to Perth and by the time we get to NZ
we'll be going pretty good , all together. "

Weigh ; " The Coach is marvelous . "

Cornesy : " We really wanted the Coach to be coming in for the hard questions the fans want answered.
I reckon they might get one of these away games , against the top 2 teams. "

Thats pretty interesting, as it also eludes to a bit of what Phil Smyth was going on about in the adelaide now article: http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/sport/basketball/four-key-win-formula-broken/story-e6frect3-1226175637781

he states the four keys to be successful in virtually all sports, if it is as Phil states and the board has done everything, then why wouldnt they look to axe Marty if he is the reason the team isnt performing?

also sounds like Phil stating why he lost his role once new management came in as they didnt give him what he needed. although i wont pretend to know the truth there.

mike McKay, Mark davis and maybe Darryl pearce was mentioned not sure about the last name-mentioned- sounded like they were blowing smoke from you know where...... total conjecture.

they also said things went downhill after smyth left .. i thought they were going downhill clearly while he was there..... hence the change.

Might be worth bringing the general back then? if it was management at the time, and now we have good management, then he could bring back our championship winning ways?

With these players we have, ironically i think they would work very well under Phil Smyth, he would let the stars be stars. I think one thing Smyth did well was have a good eye for genuinely engaging performing imports. I never thought it at the time, but compared to what has come along since his time, the proof is in the pudding.

We gotta get 0 - 6 yet.

Its not being sucked in if it happens though right? I have said for a while to friends now, i dont see Clarke seeing the season out, he lacks the coaching style needed at NBL level.

Its funny though, everyone on here was bagging out Smyth at the end of his coaching and the imports he had at the time, and look what has happened since, sometimes a new coach isnt always the best.

Guys like Charles Thomas, Willie Farley at the end of his stint were seen to be bad imports but are both better than most we have had since.

I guess many of us didnt always realise and/or appreciate what we had at the time.

Not sure if getting rid of Clarke during the year is the best solution, personally i think he will end up being ok in the long run if we push through this current situation, people bag him for being stubborn and things like that but Goorj, Bevo, Stacker, Joyce, etc all seemed pretty stubborn to me and they all took a year or 2 before they started winning regularly. Then all had pretty successful careers in the end.

Smyth was bagged for being too relaxed, and not recruiting young guys, Clarke is basically the opposite and still gets bagged, i guess thats the world of coaching its basically no win, unless your in the top 2 teams.

It would be interesting to see who the legend replacement was, do any of the above mentioned names have any decent coaching experience, if not i dont see it being a great move, as atleast Clarke has a very solid coaching reputation at the AIS and with guys like Ingles for being a good coach and teacher of the game, i hope if they do replace him the replacement has atleast some decent level experience of coaching and is not just a Maher or Davis big name who have little or no coaching experience, sure it would be exciting to have someoone like that at the club and both are good leaders but i think coaches need to learn the trade at other levels ie assistants, AIS, ABA/SEABL before stepping into the chair. A combo of a star plus an experienced head like a Smyth as an assistant would be interesting though if they were to go down that path. A bit like Hird and Thompson in the AFL.

I called it during the 1/4 time break of the Kings game last Friday.

Sixers will lose the next tonight (being last friday) and the the next two, and if they lose to the Kings in Round 6, Phil Smyth will be coaching the sixers by Round 7.

No solid information that I have, simply looking at the options. For me it all fits pretty well.

I just as much as the next guy want this squad to work, and want this coach to find the right formula, but in the dog eat dog world of sport, its the W's that count, and 9 wins and 22 losses since the start of last season is not good enough - 29% winning ratio.

In the last two years under Smyth:

06/07 07/08 25 Wins & 38 Losses - 39%

Thanks for the info Skud. I feel a bit unconvinced by the idea of Davis, Green, McKay or Pearce being brought in to coach though. As far as I know, none of these guys have really been pursuing a serious coaching career, have they? Even Maher hasn't really shown any interest to my knowledge.

We could do worse than go back to Smyth if Marty can't get results this year. He has a proven record when he has the cattle. Very much doubt it would happen though - SOS and Smyth would both have to swallow some pride to make it happen!

Other than that, its really got to be someone like Goorj who has a proven track record of success in the NBL. Do we really want to see Marty sacked for another unproven coach who could struggle just as much?

I'm just gonna cross everything and hope the players can give us something to believe in against Perth and NZ at this point!

the problem with keeping the coach if we are 0-6 Jonno is the fans wont be coming in to watch, and in the end the attendance figures is what decisions are based on. Look at Neil Craig, if the fans lose faithin the team, management will do what they have to to please the fans. people can sit there and say in the long run he will be ok but the long run doesnt solve the case of the lack of numbers here and now that is required to bring the club into the long run, otherwise it will just fold.

im not against your idea, im just trying to show that marty does not have time on his side at the moment. SOS can have faith in him but in the end the fans will truly make the decision.

it makes me wonder if Ninnis would have been better off if management had given him the flexibility that marty has had, however ninnis did make some seriously poor coaching decisions. regardless though it is a very difficult decision.

it's interesting getting that comment from Weigh...I mean if somebody give him the green light and literally have a love affair with him why wouldn't it be "marvelous"

imo not as a 36ers supporter I'd get rid of him or somehow get him onto assistant role. from the time he was signed I never thought it was a good choice. he has no experience as a coach in the senior's program, but think he's probably pretty good with youth development etc.

I just hope that if this happens Brett stays the hell away from it, i know he has said he does not want to coach but be better not be forced into it. The last thing you need is a legend getting a tarnished rep if its does not work out. Look at the Saints and Harvey atm, not nice.

Who out of the ex players going round is coaching at the moment at a decent level?

We need to be very pro-active and go and get Ian Stacker!!! One of the 2 best coaches to not be in the NBL right now.

if i'm correct, Boomers gig came after the 36ers job? and other than that he has not served his time as an assistant for a sport club. and i think his inexperience really shows

Very true with the fans, i hope we can keep the faith and keep supporting, if nothing else to ensure the club is alive, it doesnt matter who coaches if the club isnt around long term.

Very tough decision, i defiantly see both sides of the argument, but my main question is who out there is experienced enough to be guaranteed to do better, id rather stick with Marty than go for an inexperienced coach.

Who else could we look at, i guess we could give Smyth another go, or look at a Stacker, Molloy, Joyce, all who have had some success but all have been proven to have their flaws also, so may not really be a huge upgrade.

Radford would be another option, as he would likely do at least a few things different to Clarke and has coached SEABL successfully and under Bevo so is probably one of the more experienced assistants out there, so for me since there is no real name that jumps out at me to get, id stick with Clarke, but if forced to make the change by the fans which possibly could happen id go for either Molloy who has experience building a team from scratch pretty successfully or a Radford type with a senior assistant, maybe a Smyth type?, mentoring him.

I guess it gets to the point when the team is in the bottom 2 or looking to be yet again where the fans just want change to see if someone else can do better as the current set up isnt working.

Anyway interesting times ahead, personally i hope we get the upset in Perth or NZ and win the next few home games, to put all this to bed atleast for the short term and keeping moving forwards, with our young and fairly talented group.

Well, we either take a risk on getting a new coach regardless of their experience in coaching at NBL level or continue with the same crap. Its not just the losses that's a problem with Clarke, its the decisions he makes with rotations that don't seem to make much sense. Its his choices of imports that has been a failure for him. He has not changed his coaching style one bit since he started in the job. Even though he has a 3 year plan, surely he should have seen by now that what he is doing is not working and change it. No, on second thoughts why would he see that what he is doing is not working when he can't even admit any responsiblity for the poor results. The only change he has made this season is in the playing group. I am not convinced we have a bad playing group, but I would like to see these guys under a different coach to see what they can really do. If Smyth was approached to take over, I would be the first to put out the welcome mat.

I'm with Achtung Baby. Get Stacker.

How about Rupert Sapwell. He has coached a lot of ABL and can get guys to buy into a system.

Good point EC, Clarke needs to learn and adjust his style accordingly or it may not be a bad risk trying someone else, i personally would like to see him given a bit more time, but as said by others dwindling/disgruntled fans will force the decision sooner rather than later.

if we do make the change i would also welcome Smyth back, he seems to be the best available to me, but would be sort of funny after the bagging he used to cop, hindsight is a funny thing, his coaching style would also suit Weigh, Warren, Johnson also IMO.

i wonder if we could go back to the future if we would have kept Smyth on given him the roster Ninnis started with ala Bruce, Maher, Hodge, Ballinger, Schenscher and let him push us through a new successful time, as that is more talent than Smyth finished with for sure, and the Hodge saga would have been less likely under Smyth as those 2 seemed to really get along. Anyway just funny how things/thoughts of the past change over time,

We never really appreciate what we have til its gone,

Smyth would actually be a really good fit with this team and the current situation. Smyth's game plan.....hehe....Doesnt need a huge pre-season to learn. He will get the best out of the team without actually having to wait 6 months for his efforts to become reality.

Even if he was spoken to for this season with the thought to consider next year.

Any other coach would need alot of time to commit the players to their game plan. A TIME TO GEL:)

knowing Stacks personally, I think he'll be a big upgrade to Clark. imo Stacks is as good at players development but a much better game coach.

in saying that 36ers will be very lucky to get him cos he's loving the job at AIS, there's no pressure nothing. he just need to make sure the kids develop well and don't have to worry about getting his ass burnt by owners.

at the end of the day, AIS is a government job which has much more stability than any pro job. even the so-known 'loyal' Melbourne Tigers club is no guarantee. so i would highly doubt Stacks will be interested to take the job.

and I probably wouldn't mess with Molloy, I personally don't see him as big upgrades.

btw like I said earlier I think Clarke might become a good head coach 1 day but 1 thing I've noticed possibly why lot of fans want him out is cos of the dumb things he say and endless excuses he make for under performing.

if 6ers gonna keep him I think somebody need to tell the dude to just admit his flaws and work on it, I think people's gonna appreciate that much more. and NEVER be trying to have a go at the fans!

Agreed MK, it seems as though Clarke spends more time planning his excuses rather than his plays. We have already heard this season with Williamson being injured but in all honesty its more than just the one player. i too hope Clarke comes good and snatches a road win over the next 2 games. i feel another coach swap mid season will just further increase stability, but if we end up in the same position as last season on the ladder, i would hope SOS dont wait for the conclusion of Clarkes 3 year plan.

one other thing, i find it interesting how we dont really hear anything about Smyth but now more and more fans are getting upset with the current coach, and there is Smyth giving his two cents worth. and in the article he even states how the management seems to be doing a good job on there part.

Someone said earlier pride would need to be swallowed from both parties if Smyth was to come back, but is that true? current management had nothing to do with Smyth when he was running the joint, they came in with ninnis, unless someone knows something else im missing?

sorry to be post whoring, but what about Kevin Brooks. when he was at the games he said he was coaching and was interested in getting into it. then again as others are saying, is there much point replacing one inexperienced coach with another.

What about Bogut?

haha..

but seriously if you do get rid of Clarke you should give Radford the gig.
The problem with bringing in a new coach is you start again, you lose the pre season and however many games into the season it is when the axe swings. May aswell write off this season and/or let Marty see out the season.

MAYBE instead of just giving him the chop give him a stern kick up the ass and get a consultant in to tell him how to rotate a professional team. Play for the wins not the development etc.

And to the optimists saying Adelaide might beat Perth or NZ? really? maybe if they play their development squads? 20 point head starts?

how bout Brooks with Smyth as his senior assistant?

Would give us a combo of a young coach, who always seems to be at the games and enthusiastic about the game and the 36ers, with his former coach whom he appears to get along well with, who coached the team in its most successful period. They both seem to be very easy going people and would work the media and fans well also. Also doesnt give us our old coach who many fans wanted to get rid of a few years back, some may see that to be a backward step, he will mentor KB but KB will be his own man.

If they do make the change this is a combo i hope they look at, even if its Smyth as coach and KB as assistant, they are probably the next best options.

Could you go a coaching team of Smyth, Ninnis, Brooks?? Ninnis also seemed to be a very good assistant under Smyth back in the day. With either KB or Phil as head coach. They seemed to get along well on Inside the game.

Anyway i hope we get a few wins and we dont need to make the change and we end up pushing for or making the playoffs, as i think our roster is heading in the right direction with talent, balance, youth, etc. Obviously some improvements to be made but we are heading in the right direction IMO.

The problem with radford is if he gets the gig he will hire clarke as his assistant so it will be more of the same. the original article when clarke got the gig was about how them two grew up together and made a pact that if either of them got a gig they would get the other in as assistant hence why radford left the wildcats

Do you really think if Clarke was sacked as head coach he would stay on as assistant?

no, im more inclined to think if one goes both will go.

Go with somebody that has never coached NBL before? At least Clarke has AIS, junior international and now senior international coaching experience! Who else could we get that has that?

Like listed above, we have barely had our newly recruited team together since preseason, with Williamsom, Ballinger and Crosswell being injured and Simpson joining a week into the season. I think a lot of fans are unhappy with a few losses so off with everyones head! Give it some time people....

Changing now means you probably pay out a portion of the remaining contract for both coaches, and then appoint up to 3 new ones (for how long? 1.19 years?) and completely write off this year because a whole new system and style would be implemented.

Im as passionate as the next guy, and having our team losing hurts. But there is too much negative, knee-jerk reaction to a bad start to a season. To get to the peak, you have to push through the trough!

All IMHO.

I can't believe people are saying that we should keep onto Clarke as we will do worse with a new coach. HOW could we possibly do ANY worse?!?!?!?

Will teams beat us instead of by 30 by 50-60? That is not happening! Will the players come out and play with less heart and less effort? That is not possible!

"At least Clarke has AIS, junior international and now senior international coaching experience! Who else could we get that has that?"

I don't care if he had NBA experience as well as all that means NOTHING if he can't get the job done!

He said his 3 year plan was to instill a winning culture at the club. I would say getting the clubs worse season record in history, the clubs worse loss at home and about to start the season with a 0-5 record is hardly getting the job done.

I also don't buy the excuse that this team has had players out so that is why we are going poorly. Most teams have had some sort of adversity:

Perth - Knight out, Martin out and one import also.
Townsville - Schenscher, Hinder out.
Cairns - Crosswhite, Loughton out.
Gold Coast - Harvey out, Petrie coming back from injury, One import
Wollongong - One import

It is professional sports it is how you deal with it that matters. Cairns dealt with it by beating Gold Coast. Townsville dealt with it by competing with Perth. Wollongong competed with NZ (Before they had to foul). Adelaide got spanked by Perth, lost a game they should have won against the Hawks and then got spanked by Sydney.


If we were to get a new coach now I doubt it would be Smyth and I wouldn't want it to be either. He hasn't done anything to do with the NBL or ABL since leaving as far as I know and one of the reasons he lost his job is because he couldn't continue to adapt as the game had surpassed his coaching abilities.

I would go with someone like Al Green as he has been coaching. You know he will give his all and do the best he can to get the best out of his players. You could pay him on the very low scale and tell him that if he can do well this year then they will more then likely give him the job next year with a more reasonable salary.

I doubt Radford would go if he is a professional. If he does then the Sixers don't have to pay out his contract and that could help to get a former NBL coach.

It is a shame that Clarke has not lived up to the expectations but SOS need to make decisions before the fans make the decision of not turning up.

i cant imagine current ownership buying in to an open cheque book coach- so that limits a certain past coach previously successful and currently fueling this situation. The game has changed and imports role has changed so i wouldn't assume past success translates to current.

Management did not stuff Smyth around with Newley and Ingles (Management spelt Ingles name wrong but that wasn't the reason he didn't play here).

Smyth didn't even bother trying to get Newley (I think it was due to a dislike in his family. I could be totally wrong with that one? Either way he didn't try to get him for some reason).

With Ingles, Smyth wanted to put him in the development squad and couldn't guarantee he would get any playing time. The person that got the back up shooting guard position ahead of Ingles was Ng whom was 3 inches shorter and never had the junior potential of Ingles.

I would be concerned with a lot of the names thrown around in this discussion.
When you have been involved with basketball at a certain level you do tend to hear a lot of things, yes some of them are not always true but when you hear them from players who have played under them generally where there's smoke there's fire.
Mark Davis- Was not successful at ABL level and was not a good communicator. Just couldn't put a sentence together without stuffing up.
Sapwell- As much success as he had, a lot of murmours from the players saying they weren't happy with him as coach. Was not a good game day coach and they were lucky they had such a talented side.
Ninnis- A lot of Sixers players just simply said he couldn't coach. From a spectators point of view it did seem like he would allow Flynn and Hill do do a lot of the coaching for him. A former player stated, worse coach he's ever had.
Al Green- Has coached a lot, but majority of it with Torrens Valley who really are about of street kids. Yes he took up the reigns of Woodville this year but did not take them any higher up the ladder. With the additions of Pilkington, Blight, Graves, Reeves and an import I would have thought they should have improved.
He also looked like he struggled to manage the ego's he had in his High Stakes Hoops team and Andy Simmons was forced to step in.
Maher- Has never coached before, but I actually believe Maher could be a very good coach. From listening to him commentate he knows his stuff, is a good communicator and is not shy to hold back, hence him and Hodges clashing. He was a great Captain for the club and shows great leadership.
Stacker would definitely be an obvious choice, but like someone posted earlier, he's probably enjoying the less stressful role as AIS coach.
As sad as it is, I don't see a lot of options out there at the moment. Is Smyth a better option, I don't think so. We all hated this bloke towards the end of his stint, why go backwards? We may as well look at Ken Cole as well!

Phil is a good coach for a veteran team. In terms of Clarke, I think the judgement should be made on how the team plays in the next three games rather than just results.

If they are playing good ball but just lose to NZ and Perth on the road you need to give him more time. But if they serve up more of what they have been a change is probably due.

Forgive my forgetfulness, Stacker would be silly to take on an NBL job at this part of the season, an interim job would not be ideal...

I know as Sixers fans we got stuck into Brendan Joyce a hell of a lot, but his record speaks for itself at NBL level. I would be happy with his in ya face defensive style game.

We have all heard how good Marty Clarke is technically and his development of players at a technical level. Having seen the whiteboards, he seems to have all the stats down pat as far as who took what shots, where they took them from, who farted and how many times did they scratch themselves.

Is his biggest issue that he is not a strategic thinker?

Some coaches are good developers of players skills, some are like master chess players able to checkmate their opposition in 3 moves. I look at some of the NBL coaches going around and some like Gordie seem as resourceful on a game night as McGyver with a stick of chewing gum and a paper clip.

Surely, if Marty adds value to the club during the week, but executes poorly on the night, then this needs to be confirmed and is the area to work on.

I shutter to think how the next two games are going to go. Perth are going to make a Sturt press look like a Centrals defence and New Zealand in Auckland, well have we ever got close - can you go for the 20-0 in NBL and save % ?

If the trigger gets pulled, then it should be pulled for the right reasons and not because it can. Obviously, he was considered to be capable of the gig when appointed, what is preventing him from being that same capable coach?

I can recall a 3 year plan with Brad Hill and now that he has left and departed the building, at his new club he has some solid figures. Funny that!
With Marty Clarke, he might be a marvellous coach like Stephen Weigh says, but we all know that is the coach's pet speaking. Who else gets 35 minutes game time for poor output?

What I would do is say this, if you can get a win out of any of the two away games, you keep your job (for now!). You lose by under 20 in both games, you keep your job because lets face it, Perth and NZ are still the benchmarks of the comp. Lose by more than that and cya later.

In 2 home games, twice I have considered walking out,more so in the last game against Sydney. And while I dont blame the coach entirely, he runs the ship and this ship has been sinking faster than the titanic. Id prefer the RENA anyday but that aint gonna be now is it.

Last call: he wont survive past round 6.

Paul I agree that if Clarke can get the team to really compete against Perth and NZ and then come home and beat Sydney he can keep his job for the mean time. If he can't then that should be it.

King James you are totally wrong on Newley and Ingles Smyth gets on very well with the Newley family and he used his own money on several occassions to take them out for lunches to try and convince Brad to play here.Brad in fact says he likes Smyth as does Ingles they had better offers and thought management sucked just ask either of them.

Brett Maher and Andrew Gaze co-coaches!

@facts don't believe that for a second
Players dont play for management, they play for the coach, themselves,the fans and their team mates. When Newley was in hospital with his ankle Stacker went and visited him. Newley then signed with Stacker and the Crocs.
Mute point either way because neither are in the League any way.

Stacker and Joyce interviewed here to replace Ninnis
While Smyth said he'd replace Ninnis if asked to.
Cole said he'd give Ninnins another year but go Stacker as the replacement for Ninnis.
Down the hallway..footsteps ..are coming for Clarke.

oh and @anon has nailed exactly what is going on.

Someone who is looking for a job, muck raking and calling on old mates to support his hair brained dreams. If they had done their job at 100% they would probably still be employed.

They know that the past player is well regarded in the public eye so are trying to leverage that to relive past glory.

Unfortunately more than one "journo" will give them support with their cause.

Here's an idea; if there's hints about Smythe coaching if Marty tips the boat, why not bring Phil in as an assistance coach and help mould Marty at the same time as the players.

Hell, you can have Marty solely responsible for player dev as the head coach and have Smythe be there to draw up plays.

Worst case scenario, you swap them over; have Marty assist to Phil.

I think generally there are two types of coaches, those who have played the game at a high level and they are generally good game day coaches and just wing it from readingthe play and the situation and then there are the technical coaches. Those that were never very good players so they have studied the game so much to try and make up for it. They live basketball, and I think Marty is that type of coach. He is a very good technical coach but shite come game time, just can't read the game very well (rotations being very structured regardless of how a player is going). Would make a very very good assistant in my opinion. I always thought Neil Craig was in the same mould. They generally do very well with juniors because of their precise technics, but you get a player who has been around a little while and they don't respond well to the "robot" style of play.

because Newley is a professional and when you are offered $xxxxxx amount WITH a Europe out clause you take it.

If Smyth originally got Newley he would have been rated a 1 point player. However to my knowledge barely any effort was made to entice him here. Surely if you see an absolute star player that Newley was always going to be you would at least get him to come train with us as a junior.

Ingles should not have had better offers. He should have been in the 10 man team not a development player. I know it seems I am using the advantage of hindsight but even at the time comparing Ng's junior career potential vs Ingles (as well as him being 3 inches taller) junior career you could have seen Ingles would have turned out better.

I don't think the problem was Smyth/etc not recognising Newley's ability once it was proven in the NBL.

Lol anon #336298 I love it when idiots talk...30 points NOT a blowout??? WTF do you want us to lose by before we call it to much!
Anyway you clearly dont watch the games so stfu

Just for Info Smyth really wasnt considered by the news show. Im fairly confident while his name was mentioned during the show it was not mentioned during the "people who may coach" segment.
I wouldnt be upset if Smyth took over but I do think its more doubtful him doing so that Maher..who I think is a LOOOONNG hope

Anon you sound very sensitive over this issue. I dont what the deal is there. But to say we havent been blown out of the water this season, kind of makes me wonder if you truly know what you're on about. Im not going into the Smyth/Ingles/Newley stuff, but as for this season following on from ALL of last season, its clear things are nearly due to be shaken up in Adelaide. Fans dont need titles although they are a beautiful thing, but we do require a competitve team that has an ounce of intimidation about them. I know for a fact teams love playing the 6ers at the dome now days, its a great arena, and poor team, what else could an opposition team ask for?

anon #336298 = Marty

Isn't it interesting, a player plays a couple of bad games and he is dropped. Thinking the coach has been there 2 years now and still not far off the bottom.
How can management say he is still there when you look at how quickly they drop a player?
Interesting concept.
Player not doing well over several games dropped
Coach does not bring team off bottom of ladder. Is there a new top to the ladder. I know we are down under but the top of the ladder is at the other end.
Wow it takes three seasons to sack a lack lustre coach but several games or less to sack a player.
I smell a rat

"Skud, your a tool and everyone knows it, so be careful"

Lol did I just get threatened...

Anybody that is not screaming out loud about how bad it has got .
Is not a passionate Sixer fan
-- Did not attend matches last year
-- Did not think from signings start thinking things were going to get better and then sit through Sat. game against btm team to see that peformance.
Something has to change but change of coach at this early stage wont solve anything .
And you cant expect SOS to outlay any more money to this team at this stage
Change in attitude from both coach and players is a must.
I will be there supporting team but dont expect me not to vend my frustration if we put in peformances like Sat.