20/21 Squad

BostonBart22

Well-Known Member
Just noticed, we’re 12 pages into this ‘20/21 Squad’ thread ........ and not a single signing has been announced :)
To do with budget and with the uncertainty of the up and coming season going ahead, not a lot of things happening at the other clubs tbh.. some clubs still to announce returning coaches including ours...
 

Temme

Well-Known Member
I’m curious why everyone keeps focusing on the unplayed games and what “could” have happened. All of that is completely irrelevant. The season ended. We were in first. That debate is now the equivalent of saying “I bet my team would have won if the season went an extra two weeks” In any other year. Everything else is a moot point because the rest of the games were cancelled. So the only point of contention is whether it is fair and sporting to award the trophy based on the season that was played. Very hard to justify that it isnt fair and sporting when teams had played 85-91% of their games and it seems there are some other leagues that agree with that. The fact that we are one of the very few leagues that awards a champion based on the regular season and not a playoff, the rationale for not awarding it becomes even more difficult to justify. I think the league and it’s fans are poorer for the decision.

I don’t expect anything to change. We drive on with the knowledge that we finished first and we look forward to doing it again next year. As I’ve said, the decision of men in suits that own teams that lost to us does not change anything. Certainly more important things in the world but fun to debate to take the mind off of things.
Sorry Steve, this is going to go down like a lead balloon on here as you're a popular figure, (and rightly so), but with that being said, i'll try and put together a rational response so that people don't turn up at my door with pitchforks... :)

The season was not complete unfortunately, it's not so much what 'could' have happened, as looking as last year we know how our final run in went, not that we want to remember that. We were top at the time the season was cancelled with games in hand, to my knowledge (pretty much football only) no other league titles have been awarded (happy to be corrected here though as i genuinely haven't looked.

HOWEVER, i understand the rationale, Formula 1, Speedway... are just 2 sports off the top of my head that will award a result as long as X% of a race is complete - however, would this translate to an entire season being awarded? OR, is that not similar to a hockey match being awarded X% of the way if there is a reason the game can't continue?

I also agree to a point that the league PR (link: https://www.eliteleague.co.uk/article/731-eihl-cancels-all-matches-for-rest-of-season ) they did indeed cancel the GAMES for the remainder, and not the league as a whole, however, as anyone that competes in any sport should hopefully say, winning on a technicality is not winning at all.

Yes we finished in 1st, yes that deserves it's place in the record books, but I can't agree with awarding a league title.
Awarding an entire season based on %played cancelled games is 100000000% something that should be agreed upon by all teams at the start of the season (maybe there's a lesson there moving forward), unfortunately Cardiff are the team that are bringing this unlikely issue to the forefront due to unforeseen circumstances. But if there are other leagues that are awarding championships - is this not something that would have been pre-agreed before any knowledge of any crisis?

Once again - I apologize to the inferno for putting this forward, this is purely for the purpose of discussion on the most unusual of issues, I know the vast majority back Steve and his loyal point of view, and most importantly, i hope the league can learn from this and not "decide to not award the title" and put clarity on the issue if this ever happens again (a clear % of games must be paid overall for a league title to be awarded".
 

august04

Well-Known Member
I agree, how can you award a league title when it’s not a mathematical certainty that we would have won it? For me, that would have been the only way that a league champion could have been confirmed when the season hasn’t been completed. I’m sure we would have but anything could have happened in the run in, as we know all too well from last year.
Same reason why I don’t think Liverpool can be awarded the Premier League title as things stand also.
 
If you were a Steelers or a Blaze fan then I could relate somewhat to your argument - as those teams were our likely rivals for the title.

You’ve got to accept that the Giants made a right shambols with their recruitment and we’re never really in it! You were rank outsiders and likely to finish 5th (mid-table). Dupay & Wronka were shocking signings and others were a major disappointment for you.
never once did i infer that Giants would have won anything.
As it stood Cardiff were 1pt ahead with 3 games on Steelers, 2 games on Blaze (61pts) & Giants (60pts) and same games played as Panthers (58pts), simply based on this you could not say that Devils would have won.....yes the topped the pile when season was cancelled, but would you have handed Steelers the trophy is the friday league game had gone against Cardiff?
 

Wannabe2

Well-Known Member
Thread starter #245
But the Friday game didn’t go against the Devils, in fact they won convincingly, so that statement is just pie in the sky.
 

kingmo19.1

Well-Known Member
It would be interesting to see what a finalised league table would look like on a ‘law of averages,.

For example, for all remaining unplayed games’ the league looks back and averages out the outcomes of the results previously this season. For example, if we had 1 unplayed game remaining against team x then we look at the prior away games and average out the point(s) to apply to the unplayed game and so forth.

That method would at least give an indication of how the league might have ended up - by no means an exact science but would be interesting to see.
 
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osh

Well-Known Member
It’s not pie in the sky, it’s a decent and valid question in my opinion, and No I wouldn’t have wanted Steelers to have been awarded a league title, just like I don’t think we should be awarded the title either. There were plenty of banana skin games before the season finished. I’ll just settle for knowing we were number one at the end and with games in hand, may well have gone on to be outright champions, but that didn’t happen unfortunately.
 

KaneDevils

Well-Known Member
It's a very tough thought process isnt it? Especially without being biased. What I think is a little pointless, however, is comparing it to the football situation. Rightly or wrongly, football will not return to help raise morale in these unusual times but it will return for the revenue it generates. Even though a return seems likely and there will no doubt be empty grounds, there are still plenty of very wealthy people within the game and vasts amounts of money to be gained from the seasons conclusion. The government can and will use this to their advantage.
On the flip side, if it wasnt to return, can you imagine the amount of claims and appeals going on. One very good example would be sacked managers. Men that have lost their jobs for bad results during a season that never was? If it cant be finished, there must be some sort of outcome. Not awarding liverpool the title would be ridiculous. 25 points with 9 games to play. Come on.
 

Earnie

Well-Known Member
Can someone shed light on what happened with the Bookies on this unfinished business.
( well I suppose it is finished albeit in an unsatisfactory manner)
 

Wannabe2

Well-Known Member
Thread starter #251
It’s not pie in the sky, it’s a decent and valid question in my opinion, and No I wouldn’t have wanted Steelers to have been awarded a league title, just like I don’t think we should be awarded the title either. There were plenty of banana skin games before the season finished. I’ll just settle for knowing we were number one at the end and with games in hand, may well have gone on to be outright champions, but that didn’t happen unfortunately.
It’s pie in the sky as far as I am concerned towards the statement if the Friday game had gone agains us, due to the fact it didn’t go against us so it’s pie in the sky.
 

osh

Well-Known Member
I’m very often complimentary to you, however we can’t always agree, and when I don’t agree with you, you don’t like it. You didn’t answer the question Claretgiant asked though did you ? so, whilst I know they didn’t beat us on the Friday night, if they had of beaten us, and the following day the season came to a premature end, would you have agreed that the league title Be awarded to Steelers, I don’t think you would, and neither would anyone with sense.
 

Wannabe2

Well-Known Member
Thread starter #255
Obviously not because we still had 3 games in hand, and that’s a opinion with sense, as for agreeing with me I couldn’t give a fig, your just one voice amongst plenty.
 
I’m very often complimentary to you, however we can’t always agree, and when I don’t agree with you, you don’t like it. You didn’t answer the question Claretgiant asked though did you ? so, whilst I know they didn’t beat us on the Friday night, if they had of beaten us, and the following day the season came to a premature end, would you have agreed that the league title Be awarded to Steelers, I don’t think you would, and neither would anyone with sense.
It's good to see not everyone is blinkered..... Wannabe says my question is pie in the sky because it didn't happen, but then says if the game hadn't gone in your favour Steelers shouldn't be awarded top spot because Devils had 3 games in hand on them. Then there is also the question of the unplayed games the he may have thought (rightly or wrongly) would have be victories for the Devils.... Surely using the same logic would have been "pie in the sky"
 

SteveKing

Well-Known Member
Every league who has declared anything, including the NHL who are considering who should be in the playoffs should they choose to go straight to that, have used points percentage when teamS have played unequal games. It is the only logical way of doing it. So yes, the Devils would have still been champions if we lost on the Friday.

no pies in the sky. Just facts. The facts are that we were well clear of anybody at the end of the season. In fact we were more clear of second place than the Steelers were of fifth place Belfast.

people have asked why I bother with this. The thing is that we as fans ask the players to give everything they’ve got to win. Sometimes I would even say we put unreasonable expectations on them to win every game. So our boys went out and did that and put up the fifth highest winning percentage of any hockey team in any of the seven biggest leagues In the world. They’re pissed off and I don’t blame them. So how can I just sit there and not fight for them when I continually ask them to fight for us? Winning is the number one priority for all of us and may that always be the case.
 

Wannabe2

Well-Known Member
Thread starter #258
Even with my blinkered view, the others were just that others, only two other teams were capable of being 2nd, Steelers love them, and Blaze who were playing out of their skin to be in the top 3. Panthers really were never there, and Giants were the only ones who thought they were there. The season finished with Devils on top say what you like, you can’t alter that, the Devils finished on top, FULL STOP. Stay safe guys and feel good about supporting the best team in the UK. Happy Hockey Days.
 
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