Next years team.

[Electro]

Whilst l support Lord as a future coach, l have to say that whilst the management support him going forward l wouldn't bet money on him staying if people stop watching in the numbers the club need.

Maybe I'm too cynical, in my experience of employee/employer relations everyone expendable. If fact when owners defend a manager, it's a sure sign to either improve or leave before we sack you.

It's actually starting to show a crack, I'm only going by recent comments but the ownership group are stating winning Championships is the only goal and we'll make any changes necessary. The next day later stating their 100% faith in Todd & Lord. Steve has also only congratulated Ben on twitter.

Obviously twitter is limited and context issues etc etc. But l get the impression Todd has full faith in Lord and has calmed the owner group down.

The cynical side of me is noticing behind the scene issues that obviously are not going to be admitted to in public and nor should they. It's the club's responsibility to treat their staff and run the club as they choose.

I expect plenty of statements supporting Lord going forward, how long that continues we will all have to wait, next year will be interesting. I'm not so sure Lord is fully prepared for it and it would be harsh to expect his 3rd year to improve too much.

 

[Milky]

Whilst l support Lord as a future coach, l have to say that whilst the management support him going forward l wouldn't bet money on him staying if people stop watching in the numbers the club need.

Maybe I'm too cynical, in my experience of employee/employer relations everyone expendable. If fact when owners defend a manager, it's a sure sign to either improve or leave before we sack you.

It's actually starting to show a crack, I'm only going by recent comments but the ownership group are stating winning Championships is the only goal and we'll make any changes necessary. The next day later stating their 100% faith in Todd & Lord. Steve has also only congratulated Ben on twitter.

Obviously twitter is limited and context issues etc etc. But l get the impression Todd has full faith in Lord and has calmed the owner group down.

The cynical side of me is noticing behind the scene issues that obviously are not going to be admitted to in public and nor should they. It's the club's responsibility to treat their staff and run the club as they choose.

I expect plenty of statements supporting Lord going forward, how long that continues we will all have to wait, next year will be interesting. I'm not so sure Lord is fully prepared for it and it would be harsh to expect his 3rd year to improve too much.

Given that Todd is one of the owners as well, your comments make little sense.

Also, I read Steves message as a shot across the bows to the players.

 

[Electro]

Really. You surprise me.

 

[Milky]

Please elaborate.

 

[Electro]

On which piece makes little sense too you?

 

[Finny]

On which piece makes little sense too you?

You said that Kelman calmed the owners down. But Kelman is an owner.

 

[Tyke Devil]

Whilst l support Lord as a future coach, l have to say that whilst the management support him going forward l wouldn't bet money on him staying if people stop watching in the numbers the club need.

Maybe I'm too cynical, in my experience of employee/employer relations everyone expendable. If fact when owners defend a manager, it's a sure sign to either improve or leave before we sack you.

It's actually starting to show a crack, I'm only going by recent comments but the ownership group are stating winning Championships is the only goal and we'll make any changes necessary. The next day later stating their 100% faith in Todd & Lord. Steve has also only congratulated Ben on twitter.

Obviously twitter is limited and context issues etc etc. But l get the impression Todd has full faith in Lord and has calmed the owner group down.

The cynical side of me is noticing behind the scene issues that obviously are not going to be admitted to in public and nor should they. It's the club's responsibility to treat their staff and run the club as they choose.

I expect plenty of statements supporting Lord going forward, how long that continues we will all have to wait, next year will be interesting. I'm not so sure Lord is fully prepared for it and it would be harsh to expect his 3rd year to improve too much.

Given that Todd is one of the owners as well, your comments make little sense.

Also, I read Steves message as a shot across the bows to the players

The cynical side of me is noticing behind the scene issues that obviously are not going to be admitted to in public and nor should they .

How can you see behind the scene issues? By definition they are behind the scenes therefore not seen.

 

[Devil May Care]

You can drag out all the stats you like,they don't tell the whole story. And the story that matters is the business end of a season where a coach really has to show up.

There are plenty of fans I know who agree with me. If you don't agree, hey that's fine with me we will never agree. I'm no happy clapper!! However there are people on this forum who believe it is theirs to perpetrate their personal opinions, and shoot down any descenting voice, well your wrong. I WILL voice my opinion

And to the child who said get back to playing on NHL16. Well, he needs to get out more!!

:lol: oh dear, somebody is a little precious! Voice away, that is your privilege just as it is mine. I'm just a fan that disagrees with you. It's not about perpetuating my opinion, it's about having one and being able to deliver it.

I'm no happy clapper either but the point I made is still valid.

In case you missed the NHL16 comparison, let me put it another way. I get the implication from a number of peoples posts they don't think Lordo is up to the task because (choose any number or all of the below);

1) We don't play entertaining hockey every game
2) We haven't won every game
3) We haven't played everyone off the ice every game
4) We haven't checked every opposition player all game every game
5) Players haven't had their best game ever every game
6) We didn't win every trophy
7) We should never get injured
8) The coach should get 100% of his calls right..... all the time
9) The coach hasn't personally explained to you his choices on selection and tactics and asked for your feedback because as an armchair 'I've been a Devils supporter for x years' fan you are eminently are more qualified than him or the GM to make those decisions
10) We haven't played at 110 mph every shift, every minute of every game.

Well tough luck, this is the real world. If thats what you're after I suggest you play a console game. (incidentally for your benefit, I've read that its a more accurate version on the PS4, though you should do your own research).

Am I happy we came away with nothing this season? Of course not.
Do I think we made mistakes? Of course we did.
Is everything perfect? Of course not.

I've never felt so deflated in my life as I did in Nottingham after that semi final defeat on Saturday. But one game does not define a season. Yes our form from Feb onwards was a lot worse than it was up to then and we need to assess why that was the case. You reflect, review and improve in every aspect of life.

I've heard people say Lordo is too friendly with the players? Why? You know that how? Is it because he doesn't come out on TV and rip his players apart. Thommo did that after a loss at the BBT on IceTime TV and we all flamed him for it and called him unprofessional. I've heard from staff that Lordo has covered both ends of the spectrum this year; arm around shoulder approach and smashing things up in the dressing room, hairdryer approach. Go speak to the guy, don't think I've met many more intense people. Greatest football manager ever Sir Alex Ferguson (hated him and his team) kept everything behind closed doors. It's called being professional.

I love armchair fans with their 'expert knowledge because I've been a fan for years' and 'I've heard this or that rumour so it must be true'. I appreciate we don't know all of the facts (and neither should we), but I genuinely cannot relate to the reasoning behind the criticisms levelled at the coach and players without all of these facts. How many of them have played sport at an elite level and understand the intricacies of man management, tactics, motivation, managing injuries, team dynamics etc?

That I guess is what annoys me so much on this forum. It's great having a debate among fellow fans and I appreciate peoples opinions but a lot of the time I'm scratching my head trying to figure out where people get their views from.

According to some of the players I spoke to last night, Hotham has been playing with a screwed wrist for the last three months and Marty has had a really bad ankle for a while as well. I guess as an organisation we don't stand in front of the TV and make excuses enough then WD

Let's not forget, this isn't the NHL so it is naive to think our Coach and players should be perfect and get everything right all of the time. I think maybe well all need to manage our expectations a bit.

No, I don't play games, but you seem to know all about them!! And...where on earth do you get your drivel about 1 to 10 from. I have never advocated any of them , and you will find that if you read y posts again. All this comes from is someone has a different opinion from your and its made you angry. Not everyone shares your opinion, remember that. I mentioned that it is a reasonable discussion topic to look at a full time bench coach, who could help Lordo in his coaching education. Quite a reasonabe thing to bring up I believe.

So Hotham has been playing with a screw in his wrist...does that mean scews in wrists results in bad coginive thinking, I.e. bad decision making??

People like you and Finney need to stretch the facts of what I've said, because it's a conflicting opinion. And by the way, can't you and Finny write a post without insults to other members of this forum? Obviously not!! WD

However, you

 

[Milky]

Whilst l support Lord as a future coach, l have to say that whilst the management support him going forward l wouldn't bet money on him staying if people stop watching in the numbers the club need.

Maybe I'm too cynical, in my experience of employee/employer relations everyone expendable. If fact when owners defend a manager, it's a sure sign to either improve or leave before we sack you.

It's actually starting to show a crack, I'm only going by recent comments but the ownership group are stating winning Championships is the only goal and we'll make any changes necessary. The next day later stating their 100% faith in Todd & Lord. Steve has also only congratulated Ben on twitter.

Obviously twitter is limited and context issues etc etc. But l get the impression Todd has full faith in Lord and has calmed the owner group down.

The cynical side of me is noticing behind the scene issues that obviously are not going to be admitted to in public and nor should they. It's the club's responsibility to treat their staff and run the club as they choose.

I expect plenty of statements supporting Lord going forward, how long that continues we will all have to wait, next year will be interesting. I'm not so sure Lord is fully prepared for it and it would be harsh to expect his 3rd year to improve too much.

Given that Todd is one of the owners as well, your comments make little sense.

Also, I read Steves message as a shot across the bows to the players

The cynical side of me is noticing behind the scene issues that obviously are not going to be admitted to in public and nor should they .

How can you see behind the scene issues? By definition they are behind the scenes therefore not seen.

Errrrr, the last line in my quote above has been added (in bold) by someone else. It's not mine, check my original post.

 

[Tyke Devil]

Hi Milky

Apologies...Wasn't aimed at you. The quote thing went wrong....it was a question asked to the fountain of all knowledge. A legend in his own head who has seen stuff that is behind the scenes. They will remain nameless of course.

 

[Rich Best]

Lord is being kept on and given a vote of confidence because he is an outstanding coach who I have heard is tipped as being a future AHL coach. He coached the team to best power play best penalty kill best net minder top points scorer and top scoring defence man. Losing out on a trophy was a huge pity and very very fine margins lead to that. Let's hope next year we get the same level of achievement but just manage to finish the right side of the line and fill the trophy cabinet.

#lovethelord

 

[Milky]

No, I don't play games, but you seem to know all about them!! And...where on earth do you get your drivel about 1 to 10 from. I have never advocated any of them , and you will find that if you read y posts again. All this comes from is someone has a different opinion from your and its made you angry. Not everyone shares your opinion, remember that. I mentioned that it is a reasonable discussion topic to look at a full time bench coach, who could help Lordo in his coaching education. Quite a reasonabe thing to bring up I believe.

So Hotham has been playing with a screw in his wrist...does that mean scews in wrists results in bad coginive thinking, I.e. bad decision making??

People like you and Finney need to stretch the facts of what I've said, because it's a conflicting opinion. And by the way, can't you and Finny write a post without insults to other members of this forum? Obviously not!! WD

However, you

Insulted you? Can't see that anywhere in my post. Surely you don't construe somebody disagreeing with your point of view as insulting?????

I'll accept your point about Hothams cognitive thinking, but if his wrist was screwed (and by that I meant injured, not that it had a screw in it) do you not think it affected the execution of skills? I'm not saying it's the sole reason for his dip in form but alluding to the fact it must be a contributing factor. Surely you can see that?

My points are not drivel, they are a fair representation of many of the posts on this forum. You say Finny has stretched the facts. I'm sorry but what a misleading comment that is. His very long post was pretty black and white to which your response was 'they don't tell the whole story'. So as a set of facts they are true then?

And again, in case you I didn't manage to get my point across, the whole purpose of this forum is to air our different views. I have no problem with that, that's why I bother posting.

What I don't understand, as nobody has given a decent, well thought out and reasoned explanation, is why people think Lord can't be both a Coach and Player next season. For me, the facts to date suggest he is doing a good job. Is he perfect? No. He can improve and I believe he has the capacity and drive to be a brilliant coach that will eventually outgrow this league.

I would definitely agree that he perhaps needs some more support from the bench at times. That's a fair point.

As regards playing games, my son has NHL16 on his X-Box. All jokes aside, it's great fun. Going coast to coast with Trevor Hendrikx and roofing it back hand past Henrick Lundqvist at The Garden will bring a smile to the most cynical of Devils fans

 

[Milky]

Hi Milky

Apologies...Wasn't aimed at you. The quote thing went wrong....it was a question asked to the fountain of all knowledge. A legend in his own head who has seen stuff that is behind the scenes. They will remain nameless of course.

hahaha no problem

 

[Ocko]

If you're suggesting that an injured wrist will not effect Hotham's thinking you have clearly never played sport, particularly hockey.

Of course it would effect everything you do, from confidence, power in execution of passes and shots, the selection of those shots and passes might make you second guess your ability to carry it out - leading to alternative lesser plays and also a time delay, the physical game you might chose to play would also be in doubt. Almost every injury effects you to some degree.

It's probably no coincidence that Hotham had about 5 fights in the first two months or so; one of his attributes was his physical game. This randomly stopped.

 

[Electro]

My bad l should have realised some may have misunderstood the context or failed to read the full text, l should have stated "Owner Group" of which of course Todd has a percentage stake.

 

[august04]

If you're suggesting that an injured wrist will not effect Hotham's thinking you have clearly never played sport, particularly hockey.

Of course it would effect everything you do, from confidence, power in execution of passes and shots, the selection of those shots and passes might make you second guess your ability to carry it out - leading to alternative lesser plays and also a time delay, the physical game you might chose to play would also be in doubt. Almost every injury effects you to some degree.

It's probably no coincidence that Hotham had about 5 fights in the first two months or so; one of his attributes was his physical game. This randomly stopped.

Well if his wrist was injured (and clearly effecting his game), he shouldn't have played and should have rested up until recovered, especially when we were leaving out a fully fit D man who never let anyone down and played solid, no nonsense D every time he took to the ice. Makes it even more baffling!

 

[august04]

Lord is being kept on and given a vote of confidence because he is an outstanding coach who I have heard is tipped as being a future AHL coach

By who? A rookie coach of 2 years duration, who is still playing. A bit early for tipping him for the AHL! Saying that, I hope he does make it, good luck to him.

 

[KaneDevils]

If you're suggesting that an injured wrist will not effect Hotham's thinking you have clearly never played sport, particularly hockey.

Of course it would effect everything you do, from confidence, power in execution of passes and shots, the selection of those shots and passes might make you second guess your ability to carry it out - leading to alternative lesser plays and also a time delay, the physical game you might chose to play would also be in doubt. Almost every injury effects you to some degree.

It's probably no coincidence that Hotham had about 5 fights in the first two months or so; one of his attributes was his physical game. This randomly stopped.

Well if his wrist was injured (and clearly effecting his game), he shouldn't have played and should have rested up until recovered, especially when we were leaving out a fully fit D man who never let anyone down and played solid, no nonsense D every time he took to the ice. Makes it even more baffling!

Exactly. Why scratch a healthy player who's playing well and play one with a screwed wrist. Which incidentally, I haven't heard until now. hotham put up very good numbers but as a defender was pretty poor. And milky, those of us who play nhl 16 probably know more about hockey than those who don't. You learn a surprising amount.

Lord for the AHL, easy tiger!

 

[Earnie]

Maybe that's why Tommo is going to North America - looking for a job?

 

[KaneDevils]

Also, how come hothams wrist injury only affected his defensive skills and not his point scoring? ;:|