Mooney#16 said:
I have to interject. Paul Sullivan's accusations were correct of that we can agree. However I still question his timing and methods. Having read Dan Lacosta statement it is even more obvious to me that the upheaval harmed his chances of a beneficial outcome as it drove Ragan to more and more desperate measures. His actions harmed the club and it's reputation also. Whether that statement makes people un easy or angry due to their locality to Paul then I'm sorry but it's true. Paul Sullivan alienated people within the fan base with his line in the sand and it is quite obvious after a fashion it is not what the message was but who was saying it.
His friends and admirers now call for calm and let the guys do their jobs. A sentiment that was labelled happy clappy by the militia. I'm afraid for some a new era would see the main pratogonists of the whole affair no longer associated with the Devils in any form of official capacity. That being Paul Ragan and Brent pope along with the leading figures of the militia. The militia took it upon themselves to be the voice of moral fibre within the fan base but some didn't want their voice being sounded in the way it was but they were along for the ride anyway. People were dragged into a situation they neither agreed with or wanted from both sides.
The question would therefore be was Paul Sullivan's drive for change out of a moral compass swing or that he required regime change to be back on the inside of Devils again. I do not question Paul's commitment or previous contribution to the Devils. This is not personal but I think via his actions Paul has made any follow up position with the Devils untenable and even if requested to be a member of the devils organisation going forward having been such a polarising character in the whole situation as illustrated by this thread maybe it best Paul didn't actually take up that role anyway. Sacrifice for the greater good.
A percentage of fans rate their commitment to the Cardiff Devils above the rest of the fan base and demand all else fall into line. We are all fans. It's an opinion based exercise. I can agree or disagree with what ever I choose. But to have the policies of the entire fan base dictated by a vocal percentage is what also drives the division in the fan base not just previous crappy ownership.
Shout me down. Call me a miserable bugger etc etc. This thread is chock with irony and hypocrisy. It's got nothing to do with hockey or the Cardiff Devils. It's got to do with people's conduct, actions and attitudes and that is why people are still passionate about it. Demand better from people and hold them accountable for their actions.
I suppose the exact opposite could be said of 'the clappies' should they not be part of it because they ignored the actions of Ragan and Pope? No it should be one club in the future, the result of the Militia campaign has been getting rid of the people in control who have caused and created divides in the fan base.
If Paul puts on the best Match night and the ownership want that then he should get the gig. If Francine can promote the club in the way the new ownership requires then she should be retained in her position. If the ownership want Whistle they should have him
Whatever positions were held in the past there was a lot of meddling by the management and the full potential of staff may not have been realised, as we know by the statements from players they felt ttheir positions were always under threat so one can assume it was the same for all employees.
To be fair the so called militia have been proved right, the true damage to the reputation of the club was being caused by the ownership/managment and not by the people pointing it out.
