Giants Vs Devils - League - 18th & 19th March 23 - Double Header Baby!
- Thread starter James
- Start date
As with most things the truth always sits somewhere in the middle. Clearly the team hasn’t performed up to their capability and the answers for that is for TK and Brodie to come up with. Some of the players have absolutely mailed it in this season and should be sent packing for a sheer lack of professional performance. However things are not as broken root and branch as many on here would believe. That’s frustration talking and coming out. To be where the team are in the league table they have to have also done some things right. You read some comments on here and you’d think Devils were 10th. Yes 7 points of Giants isn’t what anyone wants but 7 from top, 5 from second and 2 from third isn’t reflective of a complete disaster.
The forwards need a lot of working out in the summer as running one line all year ins’t sustainable for a championship push. I’ve also spoken out about the lack of engagement from the club which needs a lot of work. But as far as building a gallows and bowing to the court of public opinion based on the comments on here then the club are no where near that level.
It’s been a below expectation season for a team that wants more. It’s what makes winning good because losing sucks so you have to appreciate the bad to enjoy the good times. I just think if you lean towards being a manic depressive or happy clapper if you throw objectivity into it you come out with a more measured and accurate outcome.
The forwards need a lot of working out in the summer as running one line all year ins’t sustainable for a championship push. I’ve also spoken out about the lack of engagement from the club which needs a lot of work. But as far as building a gallows and bowing to the court of public opinion based on the comments on here then the club are no where near that level.
It’s been a below expectation season for a team that wants more. It’s what makes winning good because losing sucks so you have to appreciate the bad to enjoy the good times. I just think if you lean towards being a manic depressive or happy clapper if you throw objectivity into it you come out with a more measured and accurate outcome.
The frustration isn’t just our current league standing, it’s the manner in which we’ve repeated previous seasons mistakes, predicted and feared by many fans before the season started. Had those mistakes been addressed by those who are there running the club, add the inconsistency of everyone else, we easily could've been sitting at the top.
This all comes down to performance Vs reasonable expectation. Given the resources this club has, it can reasonably expect to be in the top 3 and completing for trophies each year. A possible 5th place is disasterous in that context. But it's not just the league position. I can't remember such awful special teams or tactical ineptness in a devils team.
Similarly if you compare players position in the depth chart and their actual performance to that, is clear how badly underperforming some players are. Simply put, had they been playing for Belfast or Sheffield instead of the Cardiff country club, they would have been gone long ago.
As many people on here have said, it's not necessarily losing that's the problem. It's the apparent lack of effort, commitment, and any kind of clue about how to fix things.
Similarly if you compare players position in the depth chart and their actual performance to that, is clear how badly underperforming some players are. Simply put, had they been playing for Belfast or Sheffield instead of the Cardiff country club, they would have been gone long ago.
As many people on here have said, it's not necessarily losing that's the problem. It's the apparent lack of effort, commitment, and any kind of clue about how to fix things.
I’ll honestly counter your first statement there. Based on resource alone Devils should be no where near top three. It should be Giants, Steelers and Panthers every year. But then the intangibles of sport kick in.
Devils this year have i’ll grant you flattered to deceive with horrific inconsistency and a good few players not achieving the required standard. However Steelers and Giants have too but had the resource to fix it. You assume Devils lack the ideas to fix it but perhaps more lacked the resource to. I see people get an absolute love in with Keefe on here but I think people misjudge Steve Thornton’s impact in Belfast and how good he is at pulling the strings but when supported by the Odyssey budget he’s playing a fantasy hockey GM game.
It’s not been a good season for Devils as compared to previous high standards and that sucks but I don’t doubt the determination will be there to correct some of the issues but it will again be a roll of the dice as concerns success or not. I accept however the minimum bar has to be 100% commitment to play at the top of your ability for an entire season. I just think Todd’s style is to trust and support his team rather than throw it to the wolves. You can argue we have seen both sides of this strategy over his time as GM both succeed and fail so the optimist says it can work again. It’s a matter of opinion. Some want root and branch surgery, others a more measured response but it’s important to remember there’s no way of saying whose opinion is actually right or wrong.
Devils this year have i’ll grant you flattered to deceive with horrific inconsistency and a good few players not achieving the required standard. However Steelers and Giants have too but had the resource to fix it. You assume Devils lack the ideas to fix it but perhaps more lacked the resource to. I see people get an absolute love in with Keefe on here but I think people misjudge Steve Thornton’s impact in Belfast and how good he is at pulling the strings but when supported by the Odyssey budget he’s playing a fantasy hockey GM game.
It’s not been a good season for Devils as compared to previous high standards and that sucks but I don’t doubt the determination will be there to correct some of the issues but it will again be a roll of the dice as concerns success or not. I accept however the minimum bar has to be 100% commitment to play at the top of your ability for an entire season. I just think Todd’s style is to trust and support his team rather than throw it to the wolves. You can argue we have seen both sides of this strategy over his time as GM both succeed and fail so the optimist says it can work again. It’s a matter of opinion. Some want root and branch surgery, others a more measured response but it’s important to remember there’s no way of saying whose opinion is actually right or wrong.
All sensibly argued however I'd takes issue with panthers being top 3 material. In terms of arena capacity, then yes. But as we know the ownership there has it's issues, and I'm not convinced they have the playing budget they should have.
Over always felt that the best hockey coaches have passion. Keefe certainly has that and great devils coaches have too. Dupont by comparison could be replaced with a cardboard cut out.
Over always felt that the best hockey coaches have passion. Keefe certainly has that and great devils coaches have too. Dupont by comparison could be replaced with a cardboard cut out.
Precisely. That’s poor. But Devils also have a series split with Giants across the year. That’s a bit better.
This team lacks the mojo of champions. The drive and tenacity to maintain standards for a full season. But is that a learned skill and culture developed with time and investment or manufactured by airdropping in resource. Differing philosophies. Some on here want instant change and results. Others invest in a longer term process. Again differing opinions and hard to say which is right. Real question for most is will you still support the team if they go for the one you disagree with.
This team lacks the mojo of champions. The drive and tenacity to maintain standards for a full season. But is that a learned skill and culture developed with time and investment or manufactured by airdropping in resource. Differing philosophies. Some on here want instant change and results. Others invest in a longer term process. Again differing opinions and hard to say which is right. Real question for most is will you still support the team if they go for the one you disagree with.
I’m on the fence. Without actually witnessing how Brodie goes about business it’s impossible to say accurately. However my concern would be the special teams and their performance. They are not effective and for such an important facet of the game it’s surprising these haven’t been able to be solved. Is that player execution or crappy tactics is hard to know but to make a genuine stab at a championship you need a potential league leading PP and PK so this for me is the defining area that I think decides Brodie’s future with the Devils.