Malcolm Blight launches scathing attack on his former club, describing it as ‘the weakest’ he has ever seen it
Dual Adelaide premiership coach Malcolm Blight has blasted the Crows’ external review process as “stupid” and showing a lack of leadership at the club.
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Dual Adelaide premiership coach Malcolm Blight has launched an extraordinary attack on his former club, saying “this is the weakest’’ he has ever seen it.
Taking aim at the Crows’ decision to have an external review following consecutive seasons without finals, Blight said: “you can talk about coaching, you can talk about player recruitment, you can talk about list management.
“But to actually do this, to have an external review on what a lot of people are getting paid internally to actually make those decisions, I think this is the weakest I’ve seen the Adelaide Football Club.
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“An external review, on a football club, on the players, no, because they are all on holidays.
“So how are they going to judge the coaching fraternity, from (senior coach) Don Pyke down?
“How are they going to judge what they do with the players, which is the business of the football club when the players aren’t there?
“It is stupid, mediocrity at its best, it is a lack of leadership.
“I’m telling you now, it is one of the worst decisions I have ever seen, and I don’t care who says what, because how can you judge a coach when the players aren’t there to see what they do?’’
Adelaide on Monday announced an external review into its football operations following its disastrous season ending with a whimper — a 34-point loss to the Western Bulldogs in Ballarat.
One of the pre-season flag favourites after making the 2017 grand final and entering the year with a fit playing list, it finished 11th with a 10-12 record after losing seven of its last nine games.
The review could cost senior club figures, including Pyke and football manager Brett Burton their jobs.
A fired-up and angry Blight, who led the Crows to their only premierships in 1997 and 1998, went on a rant on his Sportsday SA radio program, saying any review should be kept internal and be ongoing.
“That assessment is made every week, every match committee you go there and discuss everything about the football club, the CEO, the football manager and board should all come into it,’’ he said.
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Blight said the Crows were at their lowest ebb, pointing out that they’d had only two “spikes’’ in the past decade.
“That is the most disturbing thing and I’m as disappointed as anyone, that over a 10-year period, other than a couple of little blips, they go straight back down again,’’ he said.
“This is the last 10 years of Adelaide — 11th, 14th, third, 11th, 10th, sixth, sixth, second, 12th and 11th.
“Two years of spike in 10 is mediocre, it’s terrible. This is a mediocre football club and until someone actually grabs it by the throat and changes it, it’s going to continue.
“It was a strong football club that has gone backwards 100 miles an hour and now they call for an external review, you’re joking.’’