Maybe I'm being a little short-sighted or possible seeing what I want to see, but.....
I don't see the problem with this move. Paul Ragan's quotes have not said he is done with the Devils, merely that he's taking over another team in the league to run in conjunction with his current team (us).
The budget's handed out will be the same I'm sure, as the extra revenue picked up in Sheffield can make up for the shortfall in the Devils capacity.
It's fine for him to set both coaches targets as the league title. It simply means that one of them (if not both) are going to fall short. I think with the history of both teams in UK hockey, and our re-emergence as a force this season, he would be foolish not to have the championship as his target.
With regard to off-ice decisions made through the league (fixtures, bans etc) it can only be a good thing as it seems that we are always shafted by Sheffield. At least now, any decisions made should come from a neutral perspective.
We shouldn't forget too quickly that Paul Ragan has shown his committment by sanctioning the signing of Craig Weller. Surely he'd have been going through the takeover process as far back as then, yet still committed to us.
The loss of tendership for the arena is a drawback and certainly makes us a less attractive asset, however, Coventry have been the most successful team of the Elite League era and they operate out of a Planet Ice facility so we can make it work too.
I like that Paul Ragan hints towards the enforcing of a wagecap in the Walesonline article. Good for the stability of the sport. This is a big advantage of less owners for more teams also, as it's not in Paul Ragan, Neil Black, Buxton/Cowley etc interests to smash a wage cap when it could affect another club under their ownership.
To be honest, I would personally like to see less owners over all of the teams, perhaps even one owner for all 10! Whilst not being the sensible option for other sporting leagues, it could be the catalyst to take ice hockey to the next level in this country. Here's why:
The 1 owner would be profit driven of course, therefore he/she would have a vested interest in ensuring that marketing models are in place for all teams to bring fans through the doors.
It would also significantly level the playing field. The revune could be collected from all rinks/arenas and divided equally back into each club. Each club then has exactly the same budget, ensuring that the best rescruiting coach wins the title race. But imagine the excitement generated by every single team having a chance to win the elusive league trophy from the outset. Every game would be determined by who wants it more on the night and literally any team could beat any team, without a lot of the 'foregone conclusion' games we have at the moment.
How many sports/leagues throughout the world can boast that?
So ideally, I'd like to see all the teams brought under one ownership (even if it means 6 owners having equal share over 10 teams).
Perhaps Paul Ragan is thinking in similar terms.
Bit of rambling in there, sorry!!!!
i trust Paul and the Cardiff team to keep us moving forward.
