Is it time to call time out on the Caps

Wannabe2

Well-Known Member
Thread starter #1
Now firstly I don’t ever want to see any team struggle, and certainly don’t want to see any team drop out of the league, and therefore deny their fans of watching their team. We are only too familiar with that scenario in Cardiff, but tonight the caps turned up with 15 players, 2 netminders and 13 skaters to play Sheffield. Now think about this scenario, Devils and Belfast are joint top of the league, or 1 point separate them, with 1 game left, Devils play Steelers in their last game, Giants play Caps in their last game with their 13 skaters, we lose Giants win, and therefore win the league.
Would that be a professional way to decide the league champions. What’s your views guys, I know what mine is.
 

Wannabe2

Well-Known Member
Thread starter #3
Big No! Change then rules and reduce the no of imports by 3 per team. Give the younger brits an opportunity which will reduce costs and eventually make GB a stronger team!
So because one team is struggling the standard of the league has to drop, When teams are announcing sell out crowds, we now should reduce the standard of the product, okay.
 

RedDevil17

Well-Known Member
#4
Unless Scott Neil can sort things out and get that club going then it’s a yes. They’re dragging the league down. You only need to listen to Finnerty’s comments to decide your answer...joke of a club. Feel sorry for the fans more than anyone
 
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Ocko

Well-Known Member
#7
I'd get rid of them. They're a waste of time; Scott Neil has proven time and time again he isn't capable of putting a competitive team out.

As long as he is there nothing will change. Get rid of the Caps as we know them and let someone else have a go, and it will need them to fold so get someone else.
 

Wannabe2

Well-Known Member
Thread starter #8
Just been told 5 of those forwards are young Brits with barely any points between them, not being funny, but is this value for money.
 
#9
This has been going on for years, I remember the Caps turning up at the BBT for a Wednesday game, and having to use local lads to get to the minimum number of players. So nothing new.
 

Have Hope#35

Well-Known Member
#10
Just been told 5 of those forwards are young Brits with barely any points between them, not being funny, but is this value for money.
True... they are essentially playing two line hockey! Both up top and on D.
I personally think you could amend the rules to suit the Caps (i.e. Reduce roster/Reduce imports) and they'd still end up playing short on both fronts whilst they have this ownership in charge! Edinburgh need to make changes drastically otherwise they will likely pull out imo... Lets hope they get lucky like we did!?
 
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#11
I suggested this last year on a Facebook group and got flamed for it. It's sad to say but they really do drag the league down considerable amounts. They have lost over 90% of their league games and are in easily the weakest conference. One of their 4 wins this season was against Belfast who had their 3rd choice netminder in - GAA 8.27 SV% 0.727. Also they are always guaranteed to lose half of their team by Christmas which has an unfair effect on the league outcome. They're an absolute joke. I feel really sorry for their fans because it must be difficult supporting a team game after game, season after season pretty much knowing you're not going to win.

Just a very rough example of how annoying it would be to support Edinburgh ...based on league games, and taking into account silver seating is £17+ 10% booking fee = £18.70 and assuming 50% of their wins have been at home, it would cost the average walk up fan £374 to see a win in Edinburgh

...Personally I would have got rid of them ages ago. Only a change of ownership could save them imo.
 

august04

Well-Known Member
#12
Time to get rid of them. In my opinion, they bring the league into disrepute year on year. Nothing ever changes. Always bugged me that the Scottish teams threatened to throw their teddies out of the pram if they didn’t get their own conference this season, when others wanted a straight league or a more even split of games. I would have called their bluff and if meant separating the wheat from the chaff, then so be it.
 

ASHIPP

Well-Known Member
#14
We are playing them twice again before this season ends. From a purely selfish point of view, would say it's a relief to know that this means potentially 4 very important points to strengthen the Devils' league position in a very congested and difficult run in.

Longterm, surely the Capitals can't survive at this level with their current low crowds, lack of sponsorship and their financial difficulties. Very sad - they are a long established team but the NIHL/SNL is the level for them now. Some teams in a similar situation have managed to rebuild and consolidate at that level (Telford, Hull).

Standard of EIHL won't have to drop. Other leagues can manage with buoyant crowds and little change in import levels. Our league, like others, can cope with an odd number of teams....they would need to make changes/tweaks to the conference annd Challenge Cup systems though.
 
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Foxy

Well-Known Member
#15
Dont know how true this is but there is a post on THF where a caps player has stated that players wages are being covered by Neil Black
 

wildthing74

Well-Known Member
#16
Scott Neil for a guy who is a UK hockey legend is the issue.He knows more than anybody how big hockey could be in Edinburgh as he was a player whe they used to get 3000 crowds but he seems to refuse to do the things the team needs to make itself better.

Edinburgh for me is the best city in EIHL and has a huge student population yet no marketing seems to go on to either attract new fans or bring the old ones back.When a group of us were there in November we got chatting to a waiter who was a Eastern European hockey fan and though lived in the city for 4 years had no idea they had a team!

I used to love and fear going there in equal measures as it was such a hostile place to go and they had good teams and it's so sad to see what they have become.The league definitely needs Edinburgh but with a new forward thinking owner who will drag the club back to a level it needs to be in EIHL.I wonder if Scott will ever let go but he is the the one holding it back.

You look down the road at what Fife are doing and it's night and day yet when you compare the 2 cities I know where I would rather live and play if I was a player.

With the right people there that club is a sleeping giant that could sell itself to the local community.Poor old Bonnie works her socks off but seems to be the only one that cares.

I agree it's embarrassing when a team like this is treating the competition with contempt at times icing so few players but I am glad for once we play them later in the season as we have dropped too many points there in recent years when we went there while they were at full strength.

Maybe one last chance but needs to be with a different approach and longer commitment by the management.
 

Imp

Active Member
#17
Would that be a professional way to decide the league champions. What’s your views guys, I know what mine is.
Yes. Unfortunate, but realistically you don’t get to point to a single fixture from 50+ during a season and blame the final standings on that alone. Sure, it sucks to fall at the final hurdle, but it didn’t actually count against you any more than two carelessly dropped in any other fixture.

I can’t begin to imagine what is going on in Edinburgh, but I’m developing a real soft spot for Capitals just from staring at the bottom of the EIHL table every week. Hell, the 662 people behind that average attendance statistic might be my favourite people in all of hockey.

We’re a tiny sport. I just looked up a few football attendance figures and there are teams in the ‘Vanarama National League, Step 1’ (whatever that is) with a bigger average crowd than Devils and, depressingly, all 24 teams in that league get bigger crowds than Edinburgh! Any Premier League football crowd is likely bigger than all of the EIHL attendances on that day combined. That what ice hockey is in the UK, less interesting than a goalless draw between West Brom and Southampton on a wet Wednesday in February. :(

I’m really starting to look at this in terms of, “What can I do to help the Capitals?”, because they are clearly the weakest link in the league... and that hurts all of us.
 

BostonBart22

Well-Known Member
#18
Yes time to call it a day in the eihl , it amazes me that the imports they sign want to play for them. the players should look at the last 8 to 10 seasons how many they release mostly around xmas time before signing for them, the league need to have a quiet word with the owner, either improve or OUT you go, bet there are other teams chomping at the bit to join the eihl...
 

d20

Active Member
#19
I remember them from the old days ( murrayfield) with support but they bring nothing to the league now ,barely win and players leave regulary plus easy points for their conference ,you'd be better getting rid of them and bringing say the likes of Swindon in who get a crowd and with the team they have now would be more competitive,something needs to be done.
 

Wannabe2

Well-Known Member
Thread starter #20
It really is a sad state of affairs, Edinburgh is also my favourite city in the UK. Like others I remember when they were a real powerhouse in the league, they beat you with goals, and would beat you up on the ice. There was a time when the top three goal scorers in the league all played for Murrayfield Racers, with a rocking 3,000 patriot fans, they were a Scottish version of us. As Wildthing has already rightly stated, they are a sleeping giant for sure, but today they are a real embarrassment to the league, wonderful fans who are treated like crap, surely this can’t be allowed to continue, it’s nothing more than a very sour joke. Scott Neil was a very good player, cousin of Tony Hand and from a hockey family, but is one crap owner time to sod of mate.
 
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