IMO we are just a few players away from being a good enough team to be amongst the top half. I think our biggest problem this year was not replacing Stuart Macrae. Adding a 60-80 points a year player to this team would make a world of difference, although 9th the gap between us and Nottingham isnt massive and just a few points one big point scorer and we'd be right up there.
Losing Chris Blight was huge for me, we weren't the same team after. We lost Chris Blight the very good player and Chris Blight the popular guy on the team.
Imports I'd keep (in that order too):
Marsh,
Lord,
Kurka,
Faulkner,
Max,
Smith,
Kosowski,
Plumton,
I'd also keep all the British guys as a priority. The rest of the imports are easily replaceable with better quality. I'd add a Macrae type centre, Brad Voth type tough guy and a Jon Pelle type sniper.
Why on earth we signed Martin Gipters I'll never know, he played hardly any games and certainly wasnt deemed good enough. Just like Litmaneanen, why?! Rama, whilst I appreciate he tried his best was definitely not up to EIHL standard. It's just ridiculous that we could have not signed these 3 and kept Blight or got someone decent. Those stupid decisions cost us the play offs, and ironically were not made by the coach.
The majority of the players I wouldnt be too hard on. If we think it's been a crap year as a fan it is probably even worse as a player. We just have to get the motivation to come every week, they had to every day with trying circumstances that may not be limited to; working for someone I doubt they had any respect for (I do not mean Whis), just sacked their mate without reason, maybe owed money, divide between fans, protests outside their games. It just wasnt healthy.