If we don’t bring in a spare import forward and it’s down to finances then fair enough. At the end of the day we are still paying Mosey’s wages so money might be tight for another import. But if the money is there but we’re choosing to not sign a spare import then I’ll be disappointed about that. And this is why
I agree with you, we are only 2 games into pre season so in no way am I basing form and fitness on the 2 matches against Fehervar. What I’m talking about is trends that we saw last season and even the season before that.
First of all let’s talk about the elephant in the room when it comes to this seasons returnees - Matt Pope. And before I carry on let me say that I 100% hope that Pope has a great season and makes me look like a fool. This has got nothing to do with Matt Pope the person, I don’t agree with some of the comments he made in the offseason but if he’s performing on the ice I couldn’t give a damn what he says. And in no way do I agree with the abuse he’s received on social media.
I’ve given Pope a bit of stick about his performances in the second half of last season so I looked back at his stats to see if he struggled as much as I thought he did. To be honest the results were more brutal than I was expecting. In his last 28 games for the Devils in all competitions Matt Pope has scored in 1 game. Yes that’s ONE game! And that game was our penultimate league game of the season against MK. I found that stat astonishing. Since January the 20th Pope has scored in one match for the devils and that was against a team that was on its knees. Remember this is not Batch/Duggan/Rutkis this is a player that was re-signed for the 2018/19 season as a top 6 forward.
My main issue with the return of Pope is that he’s coming back because it’s the second year of a 2 year contract. Why on earth did we offer him a 2 year contract after his first year?! In my opinion there are 3 devils imports in the last 5 years that have merited a 2 year contract. Martin, Fournier and Hotham. For some reason we felt Pope deserved 2 years and that’s why he’s back. I appreciate people will say we could have cancelled his contract but Lordo isn’t a Thompson or a Barrasso, he’s as loyal as they come.
The other player is Haddad. I absolutely love Joey Haddad but in my opinion he’s now a player that you have to look after and maybe rest him every so often. How many games do we play now in all competitions? 80? I think Haddad’s body has shown that he cannot cope with that. It would be nice to have an option of a spare import for that reason.
I appreciate people will feel this post is too negative for this stage of the season and to be honest it probably is. But I’m tired of some fans criticising other fans for saying they’re not convinced that we are as strong as we could or should be. In my opinion it will come down to fine margins between us Belfast and Sheffield. My frustration at the moment is we are already running the risk of carrying one or two players before the season has even started. I’m very happy with our new signings but have we been too loyal with one or two?
I agree with you, we are only 2 games into pre season so in no way am I basing form and fitness on the 2 matches against Fehervar. What I’m talking about is trends that we saw last season and even the season before that.
First of all let’s talk about the elephant in the room when it comes to this seasons returnees - Matt Pope. And before I carry on let me say that I 100% hope that Pope has a great season and makes me look like a fool. This has got nothing to do with Matt Pope the person, I don’t agree with some of the comments he made in the offseason but if he’s performing on the ice I couldn’t give a damn what he says. And in no way do I agree with the abuse he’s received on social media.
I’ve given Pope a bit of stick about his performances in the second half of last season so I looked back at his stats to see if he struggled as much as I thought he did. To be honest the results were more brutal than I was expecting. In his last 28 games for the Devils in all competitions Matt Pope has scored in 1 game. Yes that’s ONE game! And that game was our penultimate league game of the season against MK. I found that stat astonishing. Since January the 20th Pope has scored in one match for the devils and that was against a team that was on its knees. Remember this is not Batch/Duggan/Rutkis this is a player that was re-signed for the 2018/19 season as a top 6 forward.
My main issue with the return of Pope is that he’s coming back because it’s the second year of a 2 year contract. Why on earth did we offer him a 2 year contract after his first year?! In my opinion there are 3 devils imports in the last 5 years that have merited a 2 year contract. Martin, Fournier and Hotham. For some reason we felt Pope deserved 2 years and that’s why he’s back. I appreciate people will say we could have cancelled his contract but Lordo isn’t a Thompson or a Barrasso, he’s as loyal as they come.
The other player is Haddad. I absolutely love Joey Haddad but in my opinion he’s now a player that you have to look after and maybe rest him every so often. How many games do we play now in all competitions? 80? I think Haddad’s body has shown that he cannot cope with that. It would be nice to have an option of a spare import for that reason.
I appreciate people will feel this post is too negative for this stage of the season and to be honest it probably is. But I’m tired of some fans criticising other fans for saying they’re not convinced that we are as strong as we could or should be. In my opinion it will come down to fine margins between us Belfast and Sheffield. My frustration at the moment is we are already running the risk of carrying one or two players before the season has even started. I’m very happy with our new signings but have we been too loyal with one or two?
