Expectations

Ocko

Well-Known Member
Thread starter #3
Absolutely. It is good to see honesty and a relative amount of transparency in what to expect next year. I expect a Hull/Fife type team. Toughness, speed and a gritty team that will be hard to break down. I don't think we will have the depth in terms of scoring of the top teams but I would happily trade that off to be entertained for a season and develop some new players, like Bowns, for a strong first season in the new rink.
 

DevilDom

Well-Known Member
#4
A conscious effort to lower expectations when they were raised artificially too high by the hierarchy in the lead up to last season.

For many years G overachieved on a mid-range budget. He was given a slightly bigger budget and even though this was still well below the big 3 was expected to be challenging for the league and getting close if not winning a trophy. When this didn't happen straight away he was put under immediate pressure and the rest is history.

This is a sensible approach by Whistle. Hopefully the only way is up from last season, but with a reduced budget from last year and in our conference we should not be expecting to finish above 7th overall, so stating a top eight finish is the target is realistic.
 

Mooney#16

Well-Known Member
#6
My only reservation is even if the club conduct itself in the most professional fashion possible with the happiest set of players in the land and a steady season culminating in 8th will an element of fair weather fans drift further away and the gates drop further forcing finacial tightening and a return to erratic behaviour. I hope that along with the club and more importantly Paul having reality thrust upon him the fans who have been over endulged for quite a while grasp the current environment a support the longer term view with attendance.
 
#7
Ocko said:
Absolutely. It is good to see honesty and a relative amount of transparency in what to expect next year. I expect a Hull/Fife type team. Toughness, speed and a gritty team that will be hard to break down. I don't think we will have the depth in terms of scoring of the top teams but I would happily trade that off to be entertained for a season and develop some new players, like Bowns, for a strong first season in the new rink.
Whilst I completely agree with you in terms of appreciating Whistle's honesty and the type of team we are likely to end up with, the obvious question therefore is how can PR justify such a hike in season ticket prices?! The Hull early bird price is a mere £300! I don't think this includes so many games, but still...
 

Wannabe2

Well-Known Member
#8
Looks like a 7th position is what it's all about then, to me the signing of Kurka good as he is has taken up too much of the budget, myself I would have preferred two £500 players to one £1000 player, but that wasn't a Whistle signing. This is the first year that expectations have been so low in a long long time, and goes against the grain of us being in a very stable position. No one expects us to keep up with the Jones,es be it Panthers, Steelers, and Giants, but surely the others should be in our reach, or at least I would have thought so. Brent's departure is surely saving the club a fair bit isn't that going towards the coaches budget. Anyway time will tell, don't look too good though, not to me anyway.Lets hope things can change some how.
 

Chris

Administrator
#10
DevilDom said:
A conscious effort to lower expectations when they were raised artificially too high by the hierarchy in the lead up to last season.

For many years G overachieved on a mid-range budget. He was given a slightly bigger budget and even though this was still well below the big 3 was expected to be challenging for the league and getting close if not winning a trophy. When this didn't happen straight away he was put under immediate pressure and the rest is history.

This is a sensible approach by Whistle. Hopefully the only way is up from last season, but with a reduced budget from last year and in our conference we should not be expecting to finish above 7th overall, so stating a top eight finish is the target is realistic.
What DevilDom said really.

If the club can maintain the honesty in the press releases they're issuing then it'll start to repair some of the damage caused by the absurd, and sometimes ******* ridiculous actions last season by the 2 men at the top.

It's going to be an interesting season, but it sort of reminds me of the second season in the BBT, Burge had taken over and a lot was made of the budget being very low and it being a rebuilding year, but the team we signed included MacIver and Derek Campbell (I think?) and I always thought that was a pretty entertaining season.

Provided Whistle can stick to his "they must be right for the Devils" ethos, hopefully it's going to be a better season both on and off the ice...
 

Gazza272

Well-Known Member
#11
I think two things to be taken into account are that Whistle doesn't come cheap. There was a reason G had to play for so many years if he wanted his budget increased. I would guess if G had gone the bench role earlier in his time with us then we would have seen a very similar article.

Whistle knows what it takes to get the most out of guys, and if we can get a little engine that could I believe he can make it perform.

A Brit core of Bowns, Davies, Batch, Jones, Richardson, Piggot would be my priority. Would love Myers, but I feel we could sacrifice him with Bowns coming in.
 

ASHIPP

Well-Known Member
#12
A good corps of British players is the foundation of a team Whis has been honest enough in a previous article to accept that we may lose a couple of those names just mentioned. He's a proven recruiter....hopefully he'll have several scenerio options depending on what happens.
 

Foxy

Well-Known Member
#13
Sorry but with season ticket prices as high as they are i would hope the budget is far more than for an eighth placed team.......... i dont expect silverware but do expect a competetive team for a mid table finish at least
 

Finny

Well-Known Member
#14
Have I missed something?

Last season our target was a top 4 position and a trophy. Sponsorship and season tickets were up to record levels and we were in the best financial position ever. Adams was sacked for not being in the top 4.

Whistle is signed to bring the club a return to success. Season ticket prices are increased a lot but still get a remarkable number signing up.

But now suddenly we are aiming for a 7th-8th position? Though nothing officially from the club other than interviews with Pope and Whistle in the SW Echo.

I have no problem with the club trying to run at a level that is financially viable, but this should have happened last year and makes the decisions made last season even more ridiculous.
I can't help but feel that Ragan no longer believes he will be taking the club into the new Arena and the coming season will be a cost-cutting exercise to make back some of the money he has lost.
 

Wannabe2

Well-Known Member
#15
Foxy said:
Sorry but with season ticket prices as high as they are i would hope the budget is far more than for an eighth placed team.......... i dont expect silverware but do expect a competetive team for a mid table finish at least
And that statement is very hard to argue with, we are expected to pay over the odds for a mediocre team, purely because we are a fanatical lot. In other words fuck that lot they love there hockey and will pay through the nose for any old shite. Think again brother.
 

Ocko

Well-Known Member
Thread starter #16
Highest ever ticket price in club history and most expensive in the league + best ever position = lowest budget for years? Something doesn't add up.
 

Wannabe2

Well-Known Member
#17
Want to say so much more, but hate saying anything against the club I lLOVE, how pathetic is that. Devils fans deserve so much better, come on Mr Ragan either deliver what you say is a healthy future, or please move over.
 

Mooney#16

Well-Known Member
#18
I don't want to be a constant club excuser but when they are looking at a potential average gate of 1300 on the year they have to boost the income. Only way is people pay more and sponsorships increase. The controversy of last season has probably affected sponsorship so the bill falls at the supporters door. I can excuse one season for long term stability. You are paying for a product. The product also has costs attached that need covering so the money won't solely be represented on the ice but if the club breaks even and has stability and a solid performance then for the last BBT year that would probably be classed as a success.

Moving into the new arena though I would like to see an initial outlay from the owner as a capital investment. This to be used for marketing and advanced budgeting. It's then on him to recoup that investment from promotion and on ice success not levy it on the fans. The arena means the excuses stop. It works or you sell. Recoup your money via sale or long term stability but short term profiteering in that trading environment will draw me of the fence.
 

Wannabe2

Well-Known Member
#19
It's a double edged sword though isn't it, the majority of fans are not ST holders, and if the product isn't there and we are not winning regularly, paying top dollar won't be a option to many that's what I believe anyway. Marketing this club has been very poor for a number of years now, and some recent manouevres hasn't helped, treatment of customers and sponsors has been pretty dire, there hasn't been a togetherness in this club for a long time, that feeling of it's your club has gone. I also believe a number of people only go to see old friends that they might not otherwise see, the love of the game is probably still there, but the passion has been erased. It's a habit to many I believe and that's very sad, plus unfortunately when you lose fans it's very difficult to get them back. This isn't said to have a pop at the club we all love, it's a very big concern to many good people who deserve so much better. The Cardiff Devils is a massive part of people's lives, obviously not as big as family, but it comes a close second to many, it's a mystery to me that people at the top can't see that and act accordingly. We live in hope.
 

KaneDevils

Well-Known Member
#20
I recall many on here saying that they would rather watch entertaining hockey and finish 7th/8th than play like Dull (Hull) and finish 2nd or 3rd?

Is that now not the case?

I'd say announcing that it's going to be a long hard season, (no more than any other really) and the realistic aim is to finish 8th and make the P/O, would be what they call 'reverse Psychology'

Why don't we wait and see eh? Didn't every season start the same under G? He got us punching above our weight, maybe DW can too?
 
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