Devils Vs Stars - 2 Dec 18 - League

Wannabe2

Well-Known Member
#61
Watch the first 1 minute of the highlights and you can see Dundee set the early tempo and were far more aggressive that us - that should never happen in our own rink.

Makes me wonder if we really wanted it, they did and MK did the week before!

Not sure if our team is one you’d want with you in the trenches. A very soft underbelly as somebody alluded to earlier - can’t disagree.

I think we’ve been worked out - we’re non-physical, non contact and to coin a phrase Cardiff don’t like it up them!

Apart from wanting to score pretty goals and overplay everything we’re not doing much!

The team on-ice personality is directly opposite the on-ice personality of the coach!

Boring to watch and the whole on-ice experience appears to have been sterilised.
Very difficult to argue with this post, hate to say it but it’s pretty much spot on unfortunately.
 

Mazzoak

Well-Known Member
#63
This might be the wrong post to quote but.... are we really in a slump? We are a corrected second in the table, and despite not being at our best, we are still picking up points by the bucketload. I am trying to work out our form and I think if we keep going at the rate we have since the Belfast game, we should win the league reasonably comfortably.

I also seem to be one of the few who is thoroughly enjoying this season. Linglet is a joy to watch and when he is on the ice with Martin, it is as good a spectacle as I have seen in almost 30 years. In addition we have Louis back to his best, Faryna being Faryna and the emergence of Duggan, Ruttkis and Moore have given us a glimpse into the future. We do struggle to be at our best for 60 minutes but frankly 40 minutes at the level we often hit is not bad at all. Looking at how competitive the league is, I don’t think anyone will be blowing out teams week in and week out.

Sorry for being so positive but I am struggling to work out the doom..... there are things to work on but if dropping two points in eight games is a slump then I fear for every other team as they must be at Armageddon ....
I’m with you, I’m preferring the hockey this season. I don’t enjoy paying money for a game that only a fool would bet against, l like the uncertainty, the fact we may loose. Don’t get me wrong, we’ve waited long enough for success and when it finally came who wasn’t going to love it. I just don’t believe having one team dominate year on year is entertaining, ultimately it is bad for the sport.
I also don’t believe we are that bad, some teams are getting the better of us, so what, that’s life, certainly is in sport.
I get that some want a return to tough, physical hockey. That isn’t Cardiff Devils at the moment, from what we see season on season it isn’t going to change either. Someone is obviously suppressing that style within the team, maybe what I’ve heard is way off, but I’ve heard Blood was invited to leave and others have been told too cool it down, it would certainly explain the lack of effort at this moment in time.
 
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august04

Well-Known Member
#64
Nobody wants an easy route to winning everything, couldn’t think of anything worse but we do want to be entertained, win or lose - particularly in front of the home faithful. Kingmo’s post is spot on. We’ve become boring and sterile for the most part, with occasional glimpses of brilliance from Linglet and Martin to lighten the gloom - and the entertainment I’m afraid is sadly lacking. Never mind being told to tone it down, I just don’t buy that - but I’m seeing more and more empty seats week after week, we are running dirt cheap promotions for midweek games because we can’t get anywhere near sell outs for those and I’ve seen more disgruntled people leaving early this season than I have for some time. The club need to re-evaluate the way this team is playing and give us a little bit more of what this Cardiff crowd wants. It’s OK strutting your stuff on the road but don’t leave thousands of home fans dissatisfied with what’s on offer. Ignore that at your peril.
 

Rich Best

Well-Known Member
#66
I am glad our slumps are so un-slumpish these days! We are playing well, business end of the season is where it matters after Xmas.
 

Rich Best

Well-Known Member
#69
playing well rich?! we are not playing well at home by any stretch
Watch Lord's interview, I think it sums it up in a very level headed way. There is a lot of good in our play.

I think if we compared our shots on goal and offensive zone time to previous seasons we would be at record levels. Our finishing (shot conversion rate) is up and down this year, but again I expect we are well ahead in terms of goals this season than any recent season.

Our defence has been a bit unsettled due to circumstances (parisi, blood), but will settle as we go into the new year, and that will make a big difference.

I think our expectations are so high that we as fans over exagerate a 'slump' or what is perceived as poor play. I think that is such a great place to be as a club in many ways, we have such a winning mentality now that will surely continue to breed success.

We're second in the league, plenty of good play has and is being shown and we are a team that I am certain has the potential to win everything.
 

Slartibartfast

Well-Known Member
#71
Maybe we haven't given Dundee the credit they deserve. They are a frustrating team to watch and probably play against. Camping in front of the net and rarely getting any possession seems a boring way to play but it seems to be working. Im surprised to see them score 6 as they seemed to lack any offensive here scoring only scrappy goals or capitalising on defensive errors. I think I have recorded this game on Freesports. It might be worth a watch. to see how they managed the win. I see all their goals were even strength so penalties were not a factor.
 

Slartibartfast

Well-Known Member
#73
Just watched the Dundee Belfast game. It was very different to the game against us. Again Dundee were very good defensively but they had a lot more offence in this game. The possession and SOG also looked quite even.
I can't say Belfast played particularly bad thought they got caught out 2 on 1 for four of the goals. Keefe admitted some responsibility for playing with his lines to give his top players some rest.
If Dundee keep playing like this we should see them climb the table.
It all makes for an exciting season.
 
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