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"Matt Gidley is the problem at Newcastle", says Paul Kent

undertaker

Coach
Messages
10,816
http://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nrl...-ceo-matt-gidley/story-fn2mcuj6-1227460763216

NRL 360 host Paul Kent is adamant the problems at Newcastle run much deeper than the search for a head coach.

Although Rick Stone’s axing was as swift as possible to give the club enough time to find a replacement, Kent said the club needs to get out of its ‘Newcastle’ frame of mind and simply find the best person for the job.

On NRL 360 on Tuesday night, Kent alluded to Gidley’s position as CEO as being given to the former Knights star regardless of a lack of experience, because he is a Newcastle man.

“I think Newcastle are in a deeper hole than they realise,” Kent said.

“I think Matthew Gidley is the problem at Newcastle. He had no experience but he was seen as a Newcastle boy and he was put in a job that he was not trained to do.

“Having said that, he’s now the boss so he’s also the answer.”

While he and fellow co-host Ben Ikin discussed Newcastle’s poor form and Stone’s sacking, Kent said the Knights need to stop thinking of themselves as the underdog, because it promotes a losing culture.

“It’s not about finding Newcastle people, it’s about finding the best coach. Newcastle need to change their thinking and the way they go about things,” he said.

“We all look back now and we see the genius of what Wayne Bennett was trying to do, because he tried to change what he saw was a losing culture. And they didn’t want to change.

“All those inbuilt qualities about hard work and being the underdog, that’s good. But if you always see yourself as the underdog, you’re always going to be the underdog, which means six times out of 10 you’re going to lose.”

Ikin agreed and said the Knights were lucky in their formative years to have some of the great players and coaches in the game.

“I think it was just luck more than anything that the best people that they had in the organisation happened to be Newcastle people,” he said.

“Buderus, Johns, Harragon.

“They just need to find the best people to bring into this joint so that they can get back on a path and on their way to greatness.

“As a fan, if you’re shelling out your hard-earned, the return you want is more ‘W’s than ‘L’s and every five or 10 years the odd premiership.”

I don't know if good old PK has been reading threads on this forum, but it seems like he has shed light in the public domain on Gidley's incompetence as CEO and was interesting to see him go on the front foot on NRL360 with this issue whilst co-host Ben Ikin looked on very surprised.

And 100% agree with the parts in bold. Well said:clap:
 
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Burwood

Bench
Messages
4,769
Did Gidley sack Stone to take the heat off himself, the board and the players? I guess we'll know soon enough after the club investigate themselves. :sarcasm:
 

Swarzey

Bench
Messages
4,165
The third bold point is completely useless. The club has already stated they're not going to limit themselves again like they did with Stone and I feel that reflects not just Gidley but the board moving from the "locals first" idea. Furthermore as incompetent as Matt Gidley has been over his time at the Knights he's handled this well; you can see his passion and love for the game when he spoke to the media yesterday after sacking Stone. He's obviously going to learn from that.

I'm not saying he should remain as the CEO of the club, if there's someone else better then put them in however, he's not doing the worst job in the world.
 

Joker's Wild

Coach
Messages
17,894
All good points besides the underdog one

Qld have made being the underdog into a point of rally for their team and supporters for 30+ years now and it works. The trick is to use it to your advantage to win, not as an excuse you lost
 

Zoidberg

First Grade
Messages
6,154
All good points besides the underdog one

Qld have made being the underdog into a point of rally for their team and supporters for 30+ years now and it works. The trick is to use it to your advantage to win, not as an excuse you lost

I think in this day and age there's not too much between teams on paper. The main reason for underdog status is how you are performing on the field. We don't want that.
 

Knightmare

Coach
Messages
10,716
All good points besides the underdog one

Qld have made being the underdog into a point of rally for their team and supporters for 30+ years now and it works. The trick is to use it to your advantage to win, not as an excuse you lost


The difference is that even most Qlders in this day and age realise it's a bit silly to imagine themselves as the underdogs with the players they have in their midst.

Back in the 90's/ early 2000's it still felt valid to them, but an essential part of believing you are the underdogs is having a team that reflects that underdog status. The greatest irony of the Knights is that from the very beginning they fashioned themselves as the underdog- and made numerous finals appearances and won two Premierships in their first 15 years off the back of it. The last decade has seen the club well and truly be an example of 'underdogs' if people ever wanted to use it- but none of the results...
 

Joker's Wild

Coach
Messages
17,894
Which is exactly my point. Qld know they arent underdogs but they play it up as so and its part of the motivation to win

Newcastle have used it as an excuse for the last decade plus and the results reflect the attitude
 
Messages
3,329
On 2KY Mids admitted he might be the next to go. Also mention of Ben and Shane Walker putting their hands up to coach the place. That is pretty left field. Sounds like the board is about to put the cleaners through. One thing the board does have is a business first mentality. I am truly stunned Matt would say that publicly. Tonight's meeting could be interesting.
 
Messages
17,035
I wouldn't be against Ben and Shane walker, but not as first grade coach, bring them in through the 20s or assistant roles.
 

perverse

Referee
Messages
25,828
I really want to see how the Walker Bros unorthodox coaching strategies pan out in the NRL... but like a few others, I'm not sure I want us to be the guinea pig. It could be really fantastic if it works out - and with the interchanges dropping next year it would be perfect timing... but it's very high risk - and probably not the level of risk that a smart business would take on.
 
Messages
3,663
Midley has to go.
I'm not going to question his passion or ability as a manager.
Sometimes when things are broken you replace critical parts.
 
Messages
3,329
If Mids goes Hagan has to go too. They signed off on Stone and it has become very questionable just how much input the players were given. I am not privy to the internal workings but I think most players know whether they want to play for a coach or not. If the senior players went behind stoney's back that is pathetic. Absolutely woeful really. Cowardly act and they should have just told him the boys do not support the way he does things. Give him the chance to address it and if he fails then he goes. Noone has the balls anymore to be the one who pulls the trigger. It is always passed down the chain of command.
 

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