Nitra Vs Devils - Continental Cup Final #3 - 15th Jan 23 - 13:00 FO
- Thread starter James
- Start date
Totally agree, unfortunately the void left by Coughler and Jardine could never be filled by Fournier, Herrmann.
Arguably, we should’ve called up Kelly sooner and more often if possible to add much needed depth on the back end but the fact remains that to make like for like replacements for these two high calibre players just before Xmas and within the available budget was in all honesty, near impossible!
My expectations (along with a few others on here) didn’t need managing as I believed the roster already lacked balance and with the loss of #18 & #86 we became even more unbalanced.
Arguably, we should’ve called up Kelly sooner and more often if possible to add much needed depth on the back end but the fact remains that to make like for like replacements for these two high calibre players just before Xmas and within the available budget was in all honesty, near impossible!
My expectations (along with a few others on here) didn’t need managing as I believed the roster already lacked balance and with the loss of #18 & #86 we became even more unbalanced.
How did you come to that conclusion?
Ranking individual European leagues is very difficult. But most leagues have less imports than the EIHL and so more reliance on national players. And the current IIHF rankings are:
8th: Slovakia
13th: France
17th: Italy
18th: UK.
As I explained in a previous post, Slovakia are the most successful nation in this competition. Even when EIHL teams were spending big pre-COVID we only won it once. Once in 25 years.
I do wonder how many of the people disappointed we didn’t win built up their expectations due to their lack of awareness of other leagues.
Remember someone once posted “This Devils team could hold its own against an NHL team”. Well sadly there are a lot of people doing similar again.
Ranking individual European leagues is very difficult. But most leagues have less imports than the EIHL and so more reliance on national players. And the current IIHF rankings are:
8th: Slovakia
13th: France
17th: Italy
18th: UK.
As I explained in a previous post, Slovakia are the most successful nation in this competition. Even when EIHL teams were spending big pre-COVID we only won it once. Once in 25 years.
I do wonder how many of the people disappointed we didn’t win built up their expectations due to their lack of awareness of other leagues.
Remember someone once posted “This Devils team could hold its own against an NHL team”. Well sadly there are a lot of people doing similar again.
Sometimes finny I wonder if you make these comments just to wind people up. The international rankings have very little to do with the quality of clubs, for a variety of reasons. Are you really suggesting that that asiago team were better than the devils, because Italy are better placed in the rankings than GB. (I'll ignore for the moment the issues with those rankings themselves.)
It was quite reasonable to expect us to beat ducs based on what we saw in Cardiff. They played us with a plan to contain us and maybe get a lucky break. That plan worked.
If we'd have had the pp and defence we've had in previous seasons, we'd have beaten nitra. That's before we even mention the duff line change for the second nitra goal. How leagues have performed in the past is irrelevant, and as others have said nitra are far from the best team in the slovak league this season.
The bottom line is, with what was against us this year, we had a massive opportunity, which we blew.
It was quite reasonable to expect us to beat ducs based on what we saw in Cardiff. They played us with a plan to contain us and maybe get a lucky break. That plan worked.
If we'd have had the pp and defence we've had in previous seasons, we'd have beaten nitra. That's before we even mention the duff line change for the second nitra goal. How leagues have performed in the past is irrelevant, and as others have said nitra are far from the best team in the slovak league this season.
The bottom line is, with what was against us this year, we had a massive opportunity, which we blew.
My conclusion of a weak final group goes as thus:-
Devils - GP-31 W-22 L-6
HK Nitra - GP-34 W-11 L-23
Angers - GP-29 W-20 L-9
Asiago - GP-34 W-12 L-22
We had already beaten Angers who had the second best record to us.
The Italian league isn't great standard and Asiago are at the bottom end of that league.
The Slovakian league is the strongest league from all 4 teams BUT Nitra as they are this season are no better than one of our top 5.
Going in to the comp:-
Devils had won 8 from 9
HK Nitra had won 4 from 9
Angers had won 6 from 9
Asiago had won 2 from 9
Slovakia may be the most successful nation in the continental cup that doesn't mean every season all the teams in their league are good strong teams.
Spain are the most successful country in European football tournaments but they still have teams like Cadiz and Elche in their La Liga.
So to sum up, looking at all 4 teams as a whole the opponents I believe made a weak group, 2 bottom table teams and a team we had already beaten and out of that group Devils looked to be in the best place to be the favourites in my opinion but it is what it is and we ended up third in the group.
Devils - GP-31 W-22 L-6
HK Nitra - GP-34 W-11 L-23
Angers - GP-29 W-20 L-9
Asiago - GP-34 W-12 L-22
We had already beaten Angers who had the second best record to us.
The Italian league isn't great standard and Asiago are at the bottom end of that league.
The Slovakian league is the strongest league from all 4 teams BUT Nitra as they are this season are no better than one of our top 5.
Going in to the comp:-
Devils had won 8 from 9
HK Nitra had won 4 from 9
Angers had won 6 from 9
Asiago had won 2 from 9
Slovakia may be the most successful nation in the continental cup that doesn't mean every season all the teams in their league are good strong teams.
Spain are the most successful country in European football tournaments but they still have teams like Cadiz and Elche in their La Liga.
So to sum up, looking at all 4 teams as a whole the opponents I believe made a weak group, 2 bottom table teams and a team we had already beaten and out of that group Devils looked to be in the best place to be the favourites in my opinion but it is what it is and we ended up third in the group.
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i don't care if we win or lose, so long as the effort was put in. that 5min power play was really bad. there doesn't seem to be any hunger in the team , and i don't think the effort was there. im not impressed with the coaching, the players are hit and miss and need motivating, im not a believer of bringing back players on name and reputation. if they don't perform they out end of. nobody gets a free pass. i believe the core of players is good. but for whatever reason, them the players or coaching is not working right. and as for the league we don't deserve to be in the top 2 personally i see us ending up 4th sorry all.
I’m over my feeling annoyed about this weekend now.
The reason I was negative was not borne of a sense of entitlement, but rather that we actually had the capability to win and we’re entirely to blame for not doing so.
We looked half asleep against Angers. And our D against Nitra was truly horrendous for their goals, along with our general inability to score goals.
On a positive note, even in adversity there can be progress. This team clearly needed something, and perhaps a few beers in Angers and the trip itself will bring them closer together. We’ll need it come the weekend’s games, and I hope a push for the league title.
(Also, those of you who hate Todd - it’s pretty weird and very personal)
The reason I was negative was not borne of a sense of entitlement, but rather that we actually had the capability to win and we’re entirely to blame for not doing so.
We looked half asleep against Angers. And our D against Nitra was truly horrendous for their goals, along with our general inability to score goals.
On a positive note, even in adversity there can be progress. This team clearly needed something, and perhaps a few beers in Angers and the trip itself will bring them closer together. We’ll need it come the weekend’s games, and I hope a push for the league title.
(Also, those of you who hate Todd - it’s pretty weird and very personal)
I have always found TK to be friendly and engaging whenever I’ve spoken with him, focused and maybe a little too single minded or outspoken sometimes perhaps but hey, that’s something we can all be guilty of from time to time!
I find it hard to believe anyone actually hates any of our management team let alone TK as hate is a very strong expression indeed.
As for the misguided individual who a few years back claimed the Devils were NHL class, well that post was widely ridiculed by our own fans as much as fans of our rivals.
Last weekend is behind us let’s take the positives and move forward to hopefully beating Belfast on Friday.
I find it hard to believe anyone actually hates any of our management team let alone TK as hate is a very strong expression indeed.
As for the misguided individual who a few years back claimed the Devils were NHL class, well that post was widely ridiculed by our own fans as much as fans of our rivals.
Last weekend is behind us let’s take the positives and move forward to hopefully beating Belfast on Friday.
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I don’t think anyone hates Todd, you would have to be really stupid to do that, someone may be jealous of him because of his great success in Cardiff. Todd and our owners are the best thing to happen to this club since Johnny Lawless, we all know that and appreciate that we are in the best position we have ever been.
Who could hate Todd, he and the owners and backroom staff have got this club back on its feet after the doldrums we were in, he is 100% a devil through and through, be thankful for what we got otherwise the current management will walk and we will be back to the dark old days, and nobody wants that do they..just saying...
There have been quite a few comments about Todd’s ego, Todd’s inability to do things right etc.
Perhaps hate was too strong a word to use.
As several of you have now highlighted, I just wouldn’t want us to pull a Charlton and to lose sight of where we are and where came from.
Glad to see the players home safely. Let’s annoy the Belfast fans some more this weekend.
Perhaps hate was too strong a word to use.
As several of you have now highlighted, I just wouldn’t want us to pull a Charlton and to lose sight of where we are and where came from.
Glad to see the players home safely. Let’s annoy the Belfast fans some more this weekend.
