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I really tried to do a grown-up piece for this one, but still suffered the editors censorship, so here it is in full, cos all of my humour seemed to end up on the floor. My last meet the visitors bit, I'd appreciate any feedback, good, bad or indifferent.
Allez allez up for the challenge cup semi final 1st leg tonight. Here come the Belfast Giants intent on making their second leg business easier by ensuring a tight match here tonight to take back to the O with the intention of running riot over us. Looking at their recent form that could be a distinct possibilty as they lit the bulb 11 times against the vipers last week. Blimey Charlie, don't fancy their leccy bill much! As current holders of this trophy, they will be determined to retain it, so we must bring our A game out tonight and I am quite sure that G will have his team in the right place to meet this challenge. Could we have harder opponents? Probably not, however the old sporting analogy that to win anything you have to beat the best will be typified by this tie, so the devils might as well get them out of the way now.....
So what are we looking at here? Let's start with coach Thornton, the man with golden phone, who has pulled together a formidable mix of muscle and magic. Just when all of us armchair coaches agreed that this league has seen off the need for out and out enforcers, in comes Sean McMorrow to prove that the armchair knows nothing. Then as if that wasn't enough, once George Awada was diagnosed long-term sick, Thornton only goes and signs Jeff Szwez another bloke who can not only make goal nets bulge, he can do it to yer eyeballs an all if he feels the need. I think it fair to say that Steve-o thinks along very similar lines to our own coach G, as the Giants have gone with a brit netminder to allow for an extra import out-skater and overall team toughness mixed with some seriously skilled feisty forwards. All of his roster know their roles and they play to them and their strengths exceptionally well. Some of us old uns will remember Thornton as a member of the invincible devils black line of the superleague era and as we brought him over here we can pretty well lay claim to him as ours, so the Giants should be glad to benefit from a bit of satanic wisdom and foresight. I am sure they are too!
Much has been made of Sean McMorrow, most of it probably tinged with some envy-shaded green and most of it uncomplimentary too, well outside of Northern Ireland anyways. Whatever our perceptions of him may be, they probably miss his point. He is used sparingly on the ice but his presence is immense and that allows his team-mates the freedom of expression they currently enjoy. He knows his job inside out and, as a consumate professional, he performs every night, every shift he plays and even the ones he doesn't. Who mentioned pantomime dames? Not me. Oh yes you did! Oh no I didn't......errm well yes maybe, seemed a good idea at the time ahem, still he's a lovely bloke off the ice and I cannot skate, so I'm safe enough........
It's the Brits in the team which have made a massively under-rated contribution to the Giants success this year in my opinion. In Colin Shields they have another import-grade player. Crikey he's deadly isn't he? Tim Peacock is another to trouble the scorers, where did he come from? Ok Peterborough I know, but his transition into our top league has been nothing short of meteoric. Will the tidy lad from Merthyr back stop them tonight? It is the Craze(y) cup after all. Here's another gift to the Giants from us devils. We are too generous, perhaps we should re-name ourselves the "Ambassadors" after the ferrero rocher advert when he spoils his guests with that chocolatey thingy. See how I manage to get a cheap chrimboh reference in? Only 9 more sleeps kids........
Rolf
Allez allez up for the challenge cup semi final 1st leg tonight. Here come the Belfast Giants intent on making their second leg business easier by ensuring a tight match here tonight to take back to the O with the intention of running riot over us. Looking at their recent form that could be a distinct possibilty as they lit the bulb 11 times against the vipers last week. Blimey Charlie, don't fancy their leccy bill much! As current holders of this trophy, they will be determined to retain it, so we must bring our A game out tonight and I am quite sure that G will have his team in the right place to meet this challenge. Could we have harder opponents? Probably not, however the old sporting analogy that to win anything you have to beat the best will be typified by this tie, so the devils might as well get them out of the way now.....
So what are we looking at here? Let's start with coach Thornton, the man with golden phone, who has pulled together a formidable mix of muscle and magic. Just when all of us armchair coaches agreed that this league has seen off the need for out and out enforcers, in comes Sean McMorrow to prove that the armchair knows nothing. Then as if that wasn't enough, once George Awada was diagnosed long-term sick, Thornton only goes and signs Jeff Szwez another bloke who can not only make goal nets bulge, he can do it to yer eyeballs an all if he feels the need. I think it fair to say that Steve-o thinks along very similar lines to our own coach G, as the Giants have gone with a brit netminder to allow for an extra import out-skater and overall team toughness mixed with some seriously skilled feisty forwards. All of his roster know their roles and they play to them and their strengths exceptionally well. Some of us old uns will remember Thornton as a member of the invincible devils black line of the superleague era and as we brought him over here we can pretty well lay claim to him as ours, so the Giants should be glad to benefit from a bit of satanic wisdom and foresight. I am sure they are too!
Much has been made of Sean McMorrow, most of it probably tinged with some envy-shaded green and most of it uncomplimentary too, well outside of Northern Ireland anyways. Whatever our perceptions of him may be, they probably miss his point. He is used sparingly on the ice but his presence is immense and that allows his team-mates the freedom of expression they currently enjoy. He knows his job inside out and, as a consumate professional, he performs every night, every shift he plays and even the ones he doesn't. Who mentioned pantomime dames? Not me. Oh yes you did! Oh no I didn't......errm well yes maybe, seemed a good idea at the time ahem, still he's a lovely bloke off the ice and I cannot skate, so I'm safe enough........
It's the Brits in the team which have made a massively under-rated contribution to the Giants success this year in my opinion. In Colin Shields they have another import-grade player. Crikey he's deadly isn't he? Tim Peacock is another to trouble the scorers, where did he come from? Ok Peterborough I know, but his transition into our top league has been nothing short of meteoric. Will the tidy lad from Merthyr back stop them tonight? It is the Craze(y) cup after all. Here's another gift to the Giants from us devils. We are too generous, perhaps we should re-name ourselves the "Ambassadors" after the ferrero rocher advert when he spoils his guests with that chocolatey thingy. See how I manage to get a cheap chrimboh reference in? Only 9 more sleeps kids........
Rolf
