Athelstone Soccer Club is pleased to announce the appointment of Nick James as Senior Coach and Spiros Dimas as Assistant Coach for the 2008 season. We look forward to a successful season in 2008.
Our pre-season will kick-off on Monday 21st Jan 2008 at the Athelstone Recreation Reserve at approximately 7pm. All players welcome. Athelstone will be looking at submitting teams in the A, B, C, 35+ and Women’s competitions.
TheGreek wrote:ASC and Nick James must have a love hate relationship. How many times has he left (or been sacked) and then come back?
lol. Yeah he's been down here a few times for sure! I guess the results speak for themselves tho - he's been very successful with Athelstone in the past
TheGreek wrote:
Perhaps you guys should have saved the heart-ache of an ordinary season and just kept him!
Well, I dunno about ordinary ... Considering the number of players we lost so close to the start of the season, the playing group really pulled together and we ended up a respectable mid-table.
This year everything can be different - sure, its the same coach, but there's a new committee and I'm sure there will be some new faces in the playing group.
TheGreek wrote:
Was he the only application?
No. There were 3 people we spoke seriously to. Either one would have been an excellent coach for Athelstone, but Nick got the nod because of his excellent team preparation and track record.
nerdherd wrote:No. There were 3 people we spoke seriously to. Either one would have been an excellent coach for Athelstone, but Nick got the nod because of his excellent team preparation and track record.
Not my mail - he only got the job because someone else turned it down!
not from the coach, although he is disappointed that a great bunch of players left and went to several other clubs. they have all been playing at a higher level and hopefully they will stay and be successful with their new clubs.
still, if unhappy , they know where to go where the training will be interesting and enjoyable, in a relaxed atmosphere and will be made welcome.
The personality clashes which caused the problem at the start of this year have been resolved due to other people leaving the club. Despite what many on this forum were saying or implying, we didn't want Nick to leave.
Fred Goldstone wrote:Nick is a great bloke and is almost an institution at the 'Stones'.
The club should just save time and give him a 3 year appointment so he can build a team with players knowing they will be settled for a while.
Yeah, agree - this was a consideration not only for stability but to give him a chance to reap benefits of developing of the team.
Realistically though, what does a multi year appointment mean? If NJ is unhappy at the end of the year (which he won't be), he should be able to walk away - and the same goes for the club (which it won't be). Hopefully, it will just be a case of sitting down together towards the end of the season over a beer and doing it all again!
and then it should be Modbury Jets turn, then Athelstone, then out in the wilderness for a season, back to Brahma and the back to Athelstone....once again!
it is certainly a weird feeling reading all these posts about myself. many are obviously written without the writer being aware of the facts. perhaps i should post the facts, or would that spoil the fun.
anyway it keeps things interesting during the summer.
thank you mr goldstone for the kind words. ( ps your son would be most welcome next season )
ok. the facts.
after twenty years coaching in the federation, state youth sides and state womens sides . i took a break. then athelstone contacted me, said they had been languishing in div. five for years and asked me to coach them . we won div 5 then 4. it was a great club, a friendly club and i enjoyed my stay there . after SIX years the club thought it was time for new ideas and i agreed . and left.
brahma had just been relegated and lost all their players, and asked me to coach them. we played the first game of the season with only eight players, that's all we had. but the club recovered and we got promoted. the following season we missed out on promotion again by one goal in the last game. from halfway in the season a new faction at the club wanted me out, they had their new coach in place well before the end of the season.
athelstone meanwhile had got relegated twice . back in div 5 and asked me back. we won div 5 again although i had a few problems with a couple of committee members. they asked me to coach again last season , i said i would if we didn't have the same problems. after doing most of pre season the same problems were there, so i resigned.
a couple of weeks before the season , modbury jets asked me to coach them in sat div one. they had virtually no pre season, are a very laid back side. very talented players who play for the fun of it. we finished third. a great committee and great players. usually if a club wants a coach to stay, for another year they ask him before the season finishes. nobody asked me. they definetely do it before presentation night , so players go away for the summer knowing what's happening next year. nobody asked me. i saw committee members at the cup final several weeks later. nobody asked me, so i assumed they didn't want me.
athelstone contacted me . said comittee members i had problems with had left. as had the whole of my first team, would i go back and start again. it wont be easy , but here we go.
sorry this has been so long winded . i got carried away.
i guess in summary i could say, i always stay if i'm wanted.
Thanks Nick, good honest summary. Without insulting the lower div teams can I ask why you don't aim or want to coach again at either Fed level of Div 1-2 Sundays?
Anyway good luck at ASC next year, hope it goes well for you.
usually if a club wants a coach to stay, for another year they ask him before the season finishes. nobody asked me. they definetely do it before presentation night , so players go away for the summer knowing what's happening next year. nobody asked me. i saw committee members at the cup final several weeks later. nobody asked me, so i assumed they didn't want me.
Just to clear this up we (Modbury Jets) never appoint a coach before the next season as the decision of the coach for the next year is the committees and the new committee does this after the season has finished and this is usually around November-December after advertising the position annually. The reason for this is that there is no point in the previous year’s committee appointing a coach as it is the responsibility of the new committee.
All you had to do was ask the question and you would have been advised of the process. Anyways all the best for the new season and thanks for your efforts last year.
TheGreek wrote:Perhaps then you should review your process. I would have thought that the current practice limits your choices
No need to review as for me the current process makes sense in the fact that what's the point in the old committee appointing a coach which the new committeee don't agree with or more importantly can't work with.
As i said no sour grapes just explaining where we come from as a club and if the question was asked then assumptions would not need to be made
Yes Gabon you do need to reassess the situation. It is not up to the coach to approach the committee and ask how he goes about being kept on. Sounds like yourselves and Gully need to restructure a few things. Gary Burgess wont wait around either, i suggest if he does a good job that you let him know that he will be reappointed........ Nicky babyyyyyyyyy i luvs ya, these bloody clubs that show little respect for the Nicky legend.... Anyway mate, has the doctor said its ok to keep wanking????? (Private Joke) LOL