Stars v Devils - 19 Jan 20 - League

[jimmy snels]

Thanks Rich. I agree joey being injured throughout has been hugely detrimental. thats probably why i look at the lack of scoring from some and an undersized dman playing 3rd line wing with such annoyance. Others should step up to the plate in his absence imho they haven't.
I also remember the year not long ago where it was awful. totally get you with that

 

[jimmy snels]

The only other thing I feel we have missed is a gamer like Hotham. But Hothams are hard to find, in my opinion one of if not the best we have ever had. We are maybe a bit clinical at times, not enough passion and we don't have a player who will grab a game by the scruff of the neck and pull everyone else forward.

massively missing him or someone like him. guy was a winner.

 

[CornwallTaffy]

We are maybe a bit clinical at times, not enough passion and we don't have a player who will grab a game by the scruff of the neck and pull everyone else forward.

Quite right. Where is VOTHER anyway ? Ha ha!

 

[Rich Best]

massively missing him or someone like him. guy was a winner.

Faryna could grab a game by the scruff of the neck also. We have really missed him.

I guess my feeling is that we have got a great team, and we 'could' win everything. When we play like we can, we are the best in the league. But we are lacking that intangible 'something'.

I just have a feeling it will all come good this year. I think this last weekend will be the kick in the b*lls we needed. Players will start to stand up and lead now.

 

[kingmo19.1]

I think there is a very fine line between winning and losing. We are playing pretty well in my opinion, even though some players are not in 'great' form. A lot of it is between the ears. I just feel we will come good, and it is not in fact 'broken'.

Losing Joey Martin this year has been worth 6 points. If he is out for a prolonged period we should bring in a goalscorer to (some extent) replace him. Other than that let's stick with it, play our hearts out and try and bring back some silverware.

I am just happy to be competing each year, it wasn't like that for many years...

I admire your hope and optimism Rich, but there is no guarantee hope and optimism works - it didn’t last year for us in the league.

Not sure anyone (even Lordo) knows the answer to getting this years team to perform consistently - I just think the ‘comfort zone’ nature of life in Cardiff doesn’t help keep players ultra focused and on their toes! We seem to have created a somewhat pampered environment for players and I can’t help thinking that the re-assurance that you’re not getting gassed however you perform isn’t a motivator.

 

[Gisland]

"I guess my feeling is that we have got a great team, and we 'could' win everything. When we play like we can, we are the best in the league. But we are lacking that intangible 'something'."



To be fair, when you play like you can, you are only better than the team on the ice with you. Steelers at the moment are the only club that can make any firm claim to being the best in the league. Everything else is wishful thoughts and sentiment.

Devils still have legs in this campaign as do Nottingham but it's going to take Sheffield falling into a run of bad results. Currently no one else appears capable of putting a run together.

All the talk of Belfast, Cardiff etc during the summer and start of the new season, who thought Sheffield would be the team to beat !

 

[Mooney#16]

I’m not sure I list last year as a failure but a disappointment. Belfast fans will turn on this but if Joey Haddad had been fit we would have threepeated. People seem to think we’re on some sort of decline but against my opinion of last year and where we have got to this I just don’t buy into it. Yes the current squad has some performance issues that I believe are down to psychology and not talent as some believe but we’re not a sinking ship as some would have us believe either. It’s not hugely broken and doesn’t need a huge amount of fixing. The league has changed. It’s hard to boss it for a whole year. The grind takes its toll. But the challenge for Devils players is to now step up to the challenge. I’m not sure calling out owners, Lordo, individual players etc etc is at all a fair reflection of reality. Saying we have created a comfort zone is tosh based purely on a lack of player overhaul. You don’t know what the accountability is like behind closed doors. What Lordo’s reaction is to loses. Your building your own reality to then be annoyed about based on a lack of information. That’s crackers. I get frustration makes people lash out and that’s human nature but you also have to moderate yourself to try and be fair and objective.

Sheffield are currently on fire. No getting away from that and well done to them as they are clearly a good team and showing a winners mentality. However as a hopeful fan I think Devils can become the team their potential allows them to be and given the destiny of the league currently sits within Devils control they can achieve. Steelers are the competition and a damn good one but if we as fans don’t back are own with an element of blind faith and optimism what hope do we really have.

 

[Rempel16]

I’m not sure I list last year as a failure but a disappointment. Belfast fans will turn on this but if Joey Haddad had been fit we would have threepeated. People seem to think we’re on some sort of decline but against my opinion of last year and where we have got to this I just don’t buy into it. Yes the current squad has some performance issues that I believe are down to psychology and not talent as some believe but we’re not a sinking ship as some would have us believe either. It’s not hugely broken and doesn’t need a huge amount of fixing. The league has changed. It’s hard to boss it for a whole year. The grind takes its toll. But the challenge for Devils players is to now step up to the challenge. I’m not sure calling out owners, Lordo, individual players etc etc is at all a fair reflection of reality. Saying we have created a comfort zone is tosh based purely on a lack of player overhaul. You don’t know what the accountability is like behind closed doors. What Lordo’s reaction is to loses. Your building your own reality to then be annoyed about based on a lack of information. That’s crackers. I get frustration makes people lash out and that’s human nature but you also have to moderate yourself to try and be fair and objective.

Sheffield are currently on fire. No getting away from that and well done to them as they are clearly a good team and showing a winners mentality. However as a hopeful fan I think Devils can become the team their potential allows them to be and given the destiny of the league currently sits within Devils control they can achieve. Steelers are the competition and a damn good one but if we as fans don’t back are own with an element of blind faith and optimism what hope do we really have.

I agree with this 100%

 

[osh]

Sorry Mooney, disagree with your opinion that our problems are Phycological and lie “between the ears’ of our team members etc. That’s far too simplistic. I’ve always respected your views on tactics and analysis of games, however, I can’t accept that poor form is simply down to what’s on the mind of players. Our players looked jaded and certainly not as fit as they should be at the time I decided I didn’t want to watch them any more. I’d seen too many underperforming players, players that really were taking advantage of Lord‘s ethos and belief in his team. I know nothing of what goes on behind the scenes or how Lord coaches the team, what I did see however was far too many players not doing the business for a club that is so good to them. It’s not between the ears with them in my opinion, at times it’s almost a couldn’t care less attitude and it’s only a handful of players who seem to put in 100%.

 

[Wannabe2]

Think the difference at the moment between us and Steelers are consistency, and confidence. One team play for 60 mins, and one for 40ish minutes, one team all give everything, where some of ours give everything. Talent wise we are as good as anyone, we have already shown that, but skill is not everything in a team sport, passion and pride is lacking occasionally and that weakens a team hugely, plus we give the puck away so often it’s untrue, and we don’t shoot enough. We have a chance to amend these things tomorrow against a very good team, we either show we mean business and play for 60 mins, or we show a lack of caring and prove the doubters right.

 

[Mooney#16]

Hey Osh. If you are saying it’s therefore an attitude issue then surely that is a between the ears psychological issue. I get you would build that opinion watching some players out there on face value. But contrary to over simplifying I’m potentially making it more complicated. If a player has self doubt this can then lead to pressure which leads to confusion which leads to being less effective which leads to more self doubt which leads to apathy. So a player could be struggling through all those stages and it’s only at the end they end up not caring. Hence sometimes I think it’s a harsh tag line. If a coach can grab that player and fight the self doubt then they are a recoverable asset hence I’m not regularly in the fire em camp. If you can then flip it for the player where they actually play with confidence and raise their game and that confidence is very ingrained and hard to budge then all of a sudden you have a player playing to their fullest potential. Far from being done I’d love to believe Devils are just getting started with this process. That’s the challenge for the players at least. Reaching that potential consistently.

 

[osh]

Hey Osh. If you are saying it’s therefore an attitude issue then surely that is a between the ears psychological issue. I get you would build that opinion watching some players out there on face value. But contrary to over simplifying I’m potentially making it more complicated. If a player has self doubt this can then lead to pressure which leads to confusion which leads to being less effective which leads to more self doubt which leads to apathy. So a player could be struggling through all those stages and it’s only at the end they end up not caring. Hence sometimes I think it’s a harsh tag line. If a coach can grab that player and fight the self doubt then they are a recoverable asset hence I’m not regularly in the fire em camp. If you can then flip it for the player where they actually play with confidence and raise their game and that confidence is very ingrained and hard to budge then all of a sudden you have a player playing to their fullest potential. Far from being done I’d love to believe Devils are just getting started with this process. That’s the challenge for the players at least. Reaching that potential consistently.

Thanks for the response Mooney, however, once again - and its very rare I have to say - I have to disagree with what you post. First off, I’m not saying it’s an attitude problem, I’m saying it’s more a fitness problem and teams constantly look quicker and more physical than our team. I don’t get the physiological aspect at all, and the reason being is that it’s something I or anyone can‘t physically see, therefore it’s an assumption or guesswork only on your part. I’m looking at what I see on the ice and I’ve been disappointed enough not to have attended a game since around November time. I ever see one player either on the ice or on the bench geeing the team up, it can’t always be down to the coach.

 

[voth26]

Don't agree with the statement regarding talent in Sheffield. Don't get me wrong, I don't think there is much difference between the two teams but I think we just have the better scorers. The league stats suggest that to be a fact too. Now that we have also sorted ourselves out defensively and in goal our gaa is better than yours too.

As regards adversity, we've spent the whole season fighting injuries and injuries to top line players. Dowd, out for the season. DeLuca a month or more. Vallerand has missed big games. Davies a 6 game suspension. Yet we keep scoring goals, we keep finding a way to win games. We played Belfast with two of our top liners missing yet brushed them aside quite easily in fairness.

Consistency is going to be key. Us and Panthers have it right now. Can you jump on the boat too? Forget Belfast, just don't rate that team at all.

You definitely have scoring consistency with your guys this season and they are flying high with confidence, we have scorers as well but for what ever reason not all of them have confidence. If steelers go behind it doesn't seem to faze them their mind set seems to be ok we need to score, I've noticed you seem to score 2 quick goals to get back in the game. Last few season Devil's had the same kind of mentality but not this year for what ever reason!

 

[voth26]

Thanks Rich. I agree joey being injured throughout has been hugely detrimental. thats probably why i look at the lack of scoring from some and an undersized dman playing 3rd line wing with such annoyance. Others should step up to the plate in his absence imho they haven't.
I also remember the year not long ago where it was awful. totally get you with that

I think Reddick has done ok up front to be fair to him, at least he gives 100%. I agree with your other point though it feels like some players for what ever reason have given up and therefore don't contribute or get fully involved in the game.

 

[Mazzoak]

Faryna could grab a game by the scruff of the neck also. We have really missed him.

I guess my feeling is that we have got a great team, and we 'could' win everything. When we play like we can, we are the best in the league. But we are lacking that intangible 'something'.

I just have a feeling it will all come good this year. I think this last weekend will be the kick in the b*lls we needed. Players will start to stand up and lead now.

Yes we’ve messed up not replacing Farnya with an equal or better. That could be well argued and defended for a few of the current squad.

We‘ve got a team that a few seasons ago would have seriously challenged and potentially got the treble. That’s the missing ‘something’, we’ve taken the safe route. The evidence of how good this team is and where we are is found in the post match reaction from Lord, that’s not a coach confident in his teams ability to compete.

Great, you’ve got a feeling, you may well be gloating come the end.
Even if we do win, this season wouldn’t be one you‘d look back at and say this is the way a coach should run a team and how a team can win. No this would be the one you’d look back at think “how the fluck did we win that”.

 

[Mazzoak]

Sorry Mooney, disagree with your opinion that our problems are Phycological and lie “between the ears’ of our team members etc. That’s far too simplistic. I’ve always respected your views on tactics and analysis of games, however, I can’t accept that poor form is simply down to what’s on the mind of players. Our players looked jaded and certainly not as fit as they should be at the time I decided I didn’t want to watch them any more. I’d seen too many underperforming players, players that really were taking advantage of Lord‘s ethos and belief in his team. I know nothing of what goes on behind the scenes or how Lord coaches the team, what I did see however was far too many players not doing the business for a club that is so good to them. It’s not between the ears with them in my opinion, at times it’s almost a couldn’t care less attitude and it’s only a handful of players who seem to put in 100%.

This is why people are performance measured & monitored and spoken to when said performance falls below expectations and abilities. Generally speaking a lot of those decisions on a persons capabilities & retention are made by people who may well not have done that roll. Lords in a unique position as a coach, yet seems reluctant to follow his peers in Ice Hockey around the world who do gas players and turn consistently poor performances back into expectations & ultimately success. You don’t need to be in the know or an expert in any particular field to spot these issues you can easily observe similar issues and how others react and perform, it’s been demonstrated most seasons in the EIHL. It’s demonstrated in most peoples lives, it’s pretty similar rules and solutions in most working environments.

 

[Mazzoak]

Think the difference at the moment between us and Steelers are consistency, and confidence. One team play for 60 mins, and one for 40ish minutes, one team all give everything, where some of ours give everything. Talent wise we are as good as anyone, we have already shown that, but skill is not everything in a team sport, passion and pride is lacking occasionally and that weakens a team hugely, plus we give the puck away so often it’s untrue, and we don’t shoot enough. We have a chance to amend these things tomorrow against a very good team, we either show we mean business and play for 60 mins, or we show a lack of caring and prove the doubters right.

So it is top players not scoring, our defence not defending, in fact scoring more than our forwards, an over worked genius nettie & the coach who put the team together and messed up.

 

[CaldicotDevil]

Yes we’ve messed up not replacing Farnya with an equal or better. That could be well argued and defended for a few of the current squad.

We‘ve got a team that a few seasons ago would have seriously challenged and potentially got the treble. That’s the missing ‘something’, we’ve taken the safe route. The evidence of how good this team is and where we are is found in the post match reaction from Lord, that’s not a coach confident in his teams ability to compete.

Great, you’ve got a feeling, you may well be gloating come the end.
Even if we do win, this season wouldn’t be one you‘d look back at and say this is the way a coach should run a team and how a team can win. No this would be the one you’d look back at think “how the fluck did we win that”.

I think Riley was the replacement for Faryna. He's just been unlucky with injuries this year however he's starting to produce decent numbers.