Greenacres coach Chris Glacken resigns after club loses first four games by at least 150 points

A NORTHERN suburbs football club has parted ways with its coach after losing its opening four games of the season by an average of 198 points.

Chris Glacken has resigned as coach of Adelaide Footy League club Greenacres. Picture: Stephen Laffer.

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A NORTHERN suburbs football club has parted ways with its coach after losing its opening four games of the season by an average of 198 points.

Chris Glacken stepped down from his role as Greenacres’ coach on Tuesday – three days after the division six cellar-dweller’s 27.15 (177) to 1.3 (9) home defeat to Salisbury West.

That result followed losses by 259, 187 and 179 points in the first three rounds.

Chris Glacken. Picture: Campbell Brodie.

Glacken, who was appointed in September, said he reluctantly resigned because his views on the club’s future did not match those of Greenacres officials.

“I was forced into making that decision, which is a shame because I was truly in for the long haul,” Glacken said.

Glacken, an ultra-marathon runner, said Greenacres president Duncan Tilley last month told him he was “riding the players too hard”.

“I know I had the full support of the players and I had a game plan I thought worked, but I wasn’t allowed to put that in place,” he said.

Greenacres – nicknamed the Dragons and based at Edward Smith Reserve, next-door to Yatala Labour Prison – finished with a 2-16 record in division five last season and was relegated.

Glacken said there had a “mass walk out” of players from the club during the off-season and recruiting had proven difficult.

Greenacres’ division six reserves team has also lost all four opening matches – by an average of 166 points – and has twice been kept goalless this year.

“When I went into and interviewed for the job I wasn’t given the full picture about how down and out the club really was,” he said.

“There’s no culture – the mentality is it’s a social club rather than striving to be a football club.”

Greenacres secretary Simon Arnold would not comment about Glacken’s departure but in a statement said the club was moving on and searching for a new coach.

“We will ... continue to work hard to maintain a good family culture and introduce junior football programs to set our club on the right path,” Arnold said.

Greenacres’ next two games are against the sides immediately above it on the ladder – eighth-placed Brahma Lodge away this Saturday and winless ninth-ranked side Adelaide Lutheran at home on May 12.

GREENACRES IN 2018

Round one: 4.5 (29) lost to Fitzroy 32.16 (208)

Round two: 5.7 (37) lost to Para Hills 36.8 (224)

Round three: 3.2 (20) lost to West Croydon 44.15 (279)

Round four: 1.3 (9) lost to Salisbury West 27.15 (177)