Official Club Statement

[scottydoesntknow]

At the end of the day, G's job title was PLAYER coach, so all of the people out there saying he should be given a chance at just coaching need to look at this realistically. He was on an increased wage to take up BOTH roles. Offered the chance to step down as player to focus on coaching and take a pay cut, but chose not to (which is fair enough). He then still failed to deliver as a coach, and was pushed out (and rightly so) it's as simple as that. If you can't do your job, you get replaced, what is so hard to understand? I just wish all the people that think G can do no wrong will wake up!

Okay we've had injuries and what not, but we've clearly been playing terrible as well, and you can't blame injuries for that. As much as I hate to say it, I feel far more comfortable with Pope in control as tactically we seem to be much more organised!

 

[buzzwagon]

At the end of the day, G's job title was PLAYER coach, so all of the people out there saying he should be given a chance at just coaching need to look at this realistically. He was on an increased wage to take up BOTH roles. Offered the chance to step down as player to focus on coaching and take a pay cut, but chose not to (which is fair enough). He then still failed to deliver as a coach, and was pushed out (and rightly so) it's as simple as that. If you can't do your job, you get replaced, what is so hard to understand? I just wish all the people that think G can do no wrong will wake up!

Okay we've had injuries and what not, but we've clearly been playing terrible as well, and you can't blame injuries for that. As much as I hate to say it, I feel far more comfortable with Pope in control as tactically we seem to be much more organised!

Gets my vote for... Post of the year! WD

 

[jodysstillagirlsname]

At the end of the day, G's job title was PLAYER coach, so all of the people out there saying he should be given a chance at just coaching need to look at this realistically. He was on an increased wage to take up BOTH roles. Offered the chance to step down as player to focus on coaching and take a pay cut, but chose not to (which is fair enough). He then still failed to deliver as a coach, and was pushed out (and rightly so) it's as simple as that. If you can't do your job, you get replaced, what is so hard to understand? I just wish all the people that think G can do no wrong will wake up!

Okay we've had injuries and what not, but we've clearly been playing terrible as well, and you can't blame injuries for that. As much as I hate to say it, I feel far more comfortable with Pope in control as tactically we seem to be much more organised!

Taken from my post on the other thread

I was talking to Ragan and he said 'Let me tell you something, G and Franny will be here next season but they will be running the team and dressing room my way'My reply to him was I don't want to watch that and that was the moment I decided not to renew our 2 season tickets

If he was true to his word then the blame for the current fiasco lies firmly at his door, because his way has had a worse effect to the start of any season when it was G's way. end


I just wish that all of the people who think Ragan and Dope can do no wrong would wake up before they totally destroy this once great club. Is it going to take another liquidation to realise it ? There are other people at the club not capable of doing their jobs but still in post and even taking on other peoples roles. G has been trying to do a job with one hand tied behind his back whilst the other has been trying to stop the knives going in to his back.

 

[Paul Sullivan]

It is known that the Devils performance over the last 14months has been below par.

Claptrap.

Funny but I seem to remember the heroics of G and his team being widely praise last season, as just 7 imports and an inexperienced bunch of British guys (along with two veterans) took us to the playoff finals against incredible odds.

In fact, those with an agenda against G (and they on here, waiting like cicadas to emerge) had nothing to say then. But now it's glossed over as a 'bad 14 months'.

I hate how the posters who go beyond saying they just want to support their team (nothing wrong with that) keep saying this. One might think there is some persuasive force urging them to do so. It's bizarre.

There are three reasons why this season hasn't met expectations.

1) The team has not performed as well as they could. Part of this is under-performance as players and they have said that. A very large part of this was, and cannot be ignored, the injury to LaCosta. Another is the environment that was created for them has been uncertain, stressful and inconsistent. Unless you are telling me having 5 different named or actual coaches on the bench inside of two months is good for team performance?

2) The expectations of the fans were wildly mismanged in the offseason (conveniently the Season ticket selling part of the year) with talk of big budgets and trophy expectation. Our budget may be high for our standards, but it is way off those teams who can legitimately be talking about trophies. I am pretty certain PR would not allow G or Franny to sign contracts for the club. If he's signing them and can't use a calculator then HE is the one creating the high budget and should have reigned in the spend.
Of course there is a school of thought that says if you planned on having 10 imports soon after the start anyway, and figured you could gas a higher-earning Brit, then you could save once the ST payments are rolling in.

3) Pretty much since the start of the year there has been a lot of Club noise about not being good enough. That is if you can hear it above the 'There's no ultimatum / we support G / we're not going to make Brent Coach' drivel of course.

 

[Paul Sullivan]

At the end of the day, G's job title was PLAYER coach, so all of the people out there saying he should be given a chance at just coaching need to look at this realistically. He was on an increased wage to take up BOTH roles. Offered the chance to step down as player to focus on coaching and take a pay cut, but chose not to (which is fair enough). He then still failed to deliver as a coach, and was pushed out (and rightly so) it's as simple as that. If you can't do your job, you get replaced, what is so hard to understand? I just wish all the people that think G can do no wrong will wake up!

Okay we've had injuries and what not, but we've clearly been playing terrible as well, and you can't blame injuries for that. As much as I hate to say it, I feel far more comfortable with Pope in control as tactically we seem to be much more organised!

Great username Scotty. QED.

 

[scottydoesntknow]

I have been all for G in the past and thought in previous seasons he had done amazing with the resources given to him. However, I think he has taken us as far as he can. I just don't understand how some people on here are so madly in love with him that they are blind when it comes to his performance! Ok, he has performed miracles in the past, and I'm sure he's a lovely guy, but that was then and this is now! Forget the excuses, there is no way a team like this should be 2nd from bottom in the league! Let's forget the usual dump and chase, it's time for a change and to get some fresh ideas on board. I can completely understand the owners frustration, so why wouldn't he want to explore other options?

All that being said, I would still absolutely hate it if a team like Coventry picked G up for next season!

 

[Wannabe2]

I have been all for G in the past and thought in previous seasons he had done amazing with the resources given to him. However, I think he has taken us as far as he can. I just don't understand how some people on here are so madly in love with him that they are blind when it comes to his performance! Ok, he has performed miracles in the past, and I'm sure he's a lovely guy, but that was then and this is now! Forget the excuses, there is no way a team like this should be 2nd from bottom in the league! Let's forget the usual dump and chase, it's time for a change and to get some fresh ideas on board. I can completely understand the owners frustration, so why wouldn't he want to explore other options?

All that being said, I would still absolutely hate it if a team like Coventry picked G up for next season!

Why would you hate it if Gerad went to Coventry, because I can see that happening, or Sheff.

 

[Sheincar]

At the end of the day, G's job title was PLAYER coach, so all of the people out there saying he should be given a chance at just coaching need to look at this realistically. He was on an increased wage to take up BOTH roles. Offered the chance to step down as player to focus on coaching and take a pay cut, but chose not to (which is fair enough). He then still failed to deliver as a coach, and was pushed out (and rightly so) it's as simple as that. If you can't do your job, you get replaced, what is so hard to understand? I just wish all the people that think G can do no wrong will wake up!

Okay we've had injuries and what not, but we've clearly been playing terrible as well, and you can't blame injuries for that. As much as I hate to say it, I feel far more comfortable with Pope in control as tactically we seem to be much more organised!

When was he just a coach? IIRC he was on the bench with Dope for the 1 game before he was un-retired. He should have been given a reasonable run of games without Dope's interference to show what he could do. I would love G to be given the opportunity at another club in EIHL to show PR exactly what he can do.

 

[scottydoesntknow]

Why would you hate it if Gerad went to Coventry, because I can see that happening, or Sheff.

It is no secret that G is a good coach! I think the new surroundings would do him a world of good and the fact that he will not be playing next year will only make him a stronger coach! It is also worth noting that Coventry are about our level and I fear that if they replace a novice in Sodastrom with an experienced EIHL coach like G is will instantly improve their setup. Add to that the fact that I think G could convince a couple of our fan favourites to go along with him, then it is a scary thought.

When was he just a coach? IIRC he was on the bench with Dope for the 1 game before he was un-retired. He should have been given a reasonable run of games without Dope's interference to show what he could do. I would love G to be given the opportunity at another club in EIHL to show PR exactly what he can do.

I never said he was just a coach, I said he still failed as a coach because at the end of the day, he is still the coach even though he is playing. The fact is that he was offered the chance to drop solely to the bench but in turn sacrifice the increased wages he got for playing as well. He didn't want to do this as he had a contract (can't blame him for wanting to get as much money as he can) and that is what ultimately led to PR making changes in order to improve our performances. PR is not the type of person who would pay for a service he is not getting (i.e. player coach). I know people will say why should G have to take a cut? The answer is he shouldn't. The fact is that G wasn't performing and PR was obviously looking to see where improvements could be made, if he wanted to save his job it would have been the right move, and by being stubborn it made sure that no improvements could be made, which ultimately led to his downfall. For example if he had accepted the cut, we could have brought in a top defenceman and have G focusing on coaching, and I do not think anyone would dispute that would have improved us incredibly!

 

[Wannabe2]

Why would you hate it if Gerad went to Coventry, because I can see that happening, or Sheff.

It is no secret that G is a good coach! I think the new surroundings would do him a world of good and the fact that he will not be playing next year will only make him a stronger coach! It is also worth noting that Coventry are about our level and I fear that if they replace a novice in Sodastrom with an experienced EIHL coach like G is will instantly improve their setup. Add to that the fact that I think G could convince a couple of our fan favourites to go along with him, then it is a scary thought.

When was he just a coach? IIRC he was on the bench with Dope for the 1 game before he was un-retired. He should have been given a reasonable run of games without Dope's interference to show what he could do. I would love G to be given the opportunity at another club in EIHL to show PR exactly what he can do.

I never said he was just a coach, I said he still failed as a coach because at the end of the day, he is still the coach even though he is playing. The fact is that he was offered the chance to drop solely to the bench but in turn sacrifice the increased wages he got for playing as well. He didn't want to do this as he had a contract (can't blame him for wanting to get as much money as he can) and that is what ultimately led to PR making changes in order to improve our performances. PR is not the type of person who would pay for a service he is not getting (i.e. player coach). I know people will say why should G have to take a cut? The answer is he shouldn't. The fact is that G wasn't performing and PR was obviously looking to see where improvements could be made, if he wanted to save his job it would have been the right move, and by being stubborn it made sure that no improvements could be made, which ultimately led to his downfall. For example if he had accepted the cut, we could have brought in a top defenceman and have G focusing on coaching, and I do not think anyone would dispute that would have improved us incredibly!

You really are in cuckoo land.

 

[Marty]

I have been all for G in the past and thought in previous seasons he had done amazing with the resources given to him. However, I think he has taken us as far as he can. I just don't understand how some people on here are so madly in love with him that they are blind when it comes to his performance! Ok, he has performed miracles in the past, and I'm sure he's a lovely guy, but that was then and this is now! Forget the excuses, there is no way a team like this should be 2nd from bottom in the league! Let's forget the usual dump and chase, it's time for a change and to get some fresh ideas on board. I can completely understand the owners frustration, so why wouldn't he want to explore other options?

All that being said, I would still absolutely hate it if a team like Coventry picked G up for next season!

Agree. I don't want it to be the case as G is the heart if the team, would loved G to have stayed but the results weren't happening so can't see how anyone cannot understand the decision.
It's a club yes, but it's also a business.

 

[danhall76]

Did I miss when the paycut went from rumour to fact?

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Wannabe2]

Did I miss when the paycut went from rumour to fact?

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2

Think we all did, those of us keeping up.

 

[Bill W]

You really are in cuckoo land.

Maybe without belittling the gentleman it would be prudent to answer his queries pointing out which of his assertions are incorrect.

Now I myself have not heard the account he puts forward but that is not to say there is no truth to it. And indeed if he is correct it would cast a very different light on this situation.

The poster was more than willing to put his posts down in a coherent and respectful manner, I do not think it is much to ask that you do the same.

 

[bluedevil]

If G needed to take a pay cut in order to fund a new Dman, how come we can afford one now?

 

[James]

If G needed to take a pay cut in order to fund a new Dman, how come we can afford one now?

We were told we wouldn't be getting a new d man when g returned to the ice. Then it's down to import numbers.

 

[bluedevil]

Scotty said G returned to the ice as he needed to take a pay cut to fund a new import, if that was true we wouldn't be able to afford one now.

 

[Skippy]

Scotty said G returned to the ice as he needed to take a pay cut to fund a new import, if that was true we wouldn't be able to afford one now.

Yeah but Scotty doesn't know.. that for sure :grin:

 

[scottydoesntknow]

You really are in cuckoo land.

Maybe without belittling the gentleman it would be prudent to answer his queries pointing out which of his assertions are incorrect.

Now I myself have not heard the account he puts forward but that is not to say there is no truth to it. And indeed if he is correct it would cast a very different light on this situation.

The poster was more than willing to put his posts down in a coherent and respectful manner, I do not think it is much to ask that you do the same.

Thanks Bill, at the end of the day we are all here because WE support the Cardiff Devils. It's not nice writing up pretty detailed post airing your view on the current affairs to be met with abuse. I am not here to troll, but just because I don't agree with certain individuals I am being treated unfairly.

If G needed to take a pay cut in order to fund a new Dman, how come we can afford one now?

It was more a case of taking a cut because he was not playing, therefore meaning ragan wouldn't be paying Adams for something he is not doing (playing) and therefore enabling him to focus on coaching. Being a very business minded individual, this is something I imagine Ragan would have tried to re-negotiate weather we were going to sign a player or not just out of principal. The fact is that Ragan wanted changes, and that meant that G couldn't have it all his way by not playing, being payed the same, and getting a new player in. For someone who is not producing, that is simply too much to ask in my opinion. The fact that Adams decided to stick to his contractual agreement and carry on playing meant that we were not able to bring anyone else in due to the import limit but also that he would still be player-coach; meaning nothing had changed when Ragan wanted changes.

With Hills wages we have some money there to bring in a new player, and Ragan is more likely to back Pope and let him have his mark on the team so to speak in order to prove himself. In regards to finance and bringing in new players, If you had a choice to back someone who isn't producing, wants more money and refuses your negotiations and suggested improvements, or someone with new ideas looking to prove themself to you, who would you honestly back? I don't think it's necessarily a case of the money not being there, more a case of principal and educated decisions.


EDIT:

Scotty said G returned to the ice as he needed to take a pay cut to fund a new import, if that was true we wouldn't be able to afford one now.

He returned to the ice to stick with his contractual obligations. Mainly so he could stick to his contract, get his paycheck and be within his rights.

 

[jodysstillagirlsname]

You really are in cuckoo land.

Maybe without belittling the gentleman it would be prudent to answer his queries pointing out which of his assertions are incorrect.

Now I myself have not heard the account he puts forward but that is not to say there is no truth to it. And indeed if he is correct it would cast a very different light on this situation.

The poster was more than willing to put his posts down in a coherent and respectful manner, I do not think it is much to ask that you do the same.

Yes Glynne I think cuckoo land should be known as Raganland going forward