Neil Francis Interview

17th May 2013 | Posted by The Inferno

Inferno - What is the dynamic of the team that we are looking to sign for next season? Fast and skilled? Gritty? Tough? etc

Franny - You have to have a balance. We will definitely be more physical than last year but there is no point being one dimensional so we will have guys who play with energy, finish their hits but can also skate on the big ice pads. There is a big difference between playing a physical game and gooning it up.

To me 'Cardiff Devil' hockey is playing physical, working hard each and every shift and when the need arises, sticking up for yourself or your team-mates. For one reason or another we got away from that a bit last season so we'll be looking get back to our style.

Inferno - Do you feel that we need to have a better starting aggressive D man in place for the start of the season? Last season this didn't seem to be the case?

Franny - We are on the lookout for a physical d-man but the player has to be able to play also. It's not as easy as it seems as most of the big, physical d-men who can play and fight are in the AHL or higher. Someone like Lepine would be ideal but they are few and far between.

Inferno - Looking at the Brit players, it would seem that we could go with 4 forward lines, is that something that will be possible after a strong showing last season?

Franny - Yes that is a realistic possibility. We got hit hard with injuries last season and the likes of Rupe, Piggsie, CJ and Harding stepped up fantastically and matched up against all the top lines in the league, barely conceding anything. They have earned the right to play next year.

Piggsie also did a great job on the penalty kill last year so we plan to use him there more as well as maybe CJ which will enable us to keep the scorers fresher for when we need them to get us a goal in the last few minutes of the game. We over-relied on certain players last year and it was unfair to expect them to produce when they had already played 30 minutes that night.

Inferno - What are your views on the perception that British players in the EIHL are paid artificially high wages because of the import limit? Is there a solution to this, enabling the smaller teams in the league to sign better players?

Franny - That perception frustrates me to be honest. The truth is there are only a handful of Brits earning the top end money, another bunch earning middle of the road money and plenty of Brits playing for a lot less. And by top end money I’m not talking life changing money, far from it - especially for the short career that hockey is and the risks involved.

Those at the top end have earned the right to earn what they earn by working hard and getting themselves to that level by producing year in year out. If there wasn't that opportunity to earn that money there would be no motivation for those earning low-end money to push themselves up the ladder.

If you took away the top end opportunities for the Brits you would have far more players giving up the game early to pursue careers outside hockey and in their place would be faceless, low end imports who would still be costing much more that the developing Brits are prepared to play for to prove themselves.

Inferno - We saw the Steelers sign a whole boat load of expensive Brits last season only for the import limit to then change. How much warning did you get that the import limit would be increasing?

Franny - Sheffield signed their Brits really early so they did get caught out as the rule was agreed after the season had ended. It was unfortunate on their part but they still had the money available to strengthen throughout the year so it can't be used as an excuse.

Inferno - The 2012/2013 season has been a tough one with injuries and players moving on, as a coach just how much has the NIHL programme Cardiff decided to keep helped the team?

Franny - It has been a key reason on why we have been able to compete over the last couple of years despite the numerous injuries. We aren't in a position to keep a spare import or keep bringing in guys when we have injuries.

It costs approximately £2000 BEFORE the extra wages, accommodation and car when you bring a new player in as you have to pay for visas, flights and ITC cards before they even arrive! So we are very fortunate to have the NIHL team to call on and to be honest it should be like that as it allows local players development opportunities.

Look at the best teams in football like Manchester United and Barcelona, they have great youth policies that have paid off by complimenting their imported talent to make them successful. It's great to see guys get rewarded with a full Devils contract after taking their opportunity well.

Inferno - Do you and G highlight players you feel would be good for the team individually and then sit down to discuss them at a later date, or do you tend to sit down together and discuss/look for players who might be suitable for Cardiff?

Franny - G and I are really close and speak very regularly (too regularly if you ask Nina and Laura!). So we know what we are looking for, which allows both of us to reach out to players separately and then, if there is interest from that player, discuss it further together. Sometimes one of us may be over optimistic that a player we have in mind will be better than they actually are so it's good the other is always there for a reality check!

Inferno - With G announcing that next season will be his last as a player, do you know what role you will have? Have you considered looking for a coaching position at other clubs?

Franny - I haven't really thought about it but G and I work well as a team and trust each other a lot so I couldn't see it being a problem if there were 2 of us on the bench. In fact most teams have at least 2 coaches on the bench as it's useful to bounce ideas off each other. I know I have benefited when injured guys like Faulks, Max, Marshy etc have been there to provide a sense check on game time decisions.

Inferno - Another playoff series over and it seems to have been even more Panthers-centric this season, less stalls around the arena, more Panthers music during the game etc. Do you feel the league should do more to make the event more neutral, even if the playoffs do have to stay in Nottingham?

Franny - Yes I do. Ok, the venue is the best facility and location and is the most feasible as it is already used for hockey, but I do feel that Panthers treat it like their home during that weekend rather than a venue hired by the Elite League that the Panthers also happen to play in.

With the exception of this year when they earned the right to be first seed, it's been ridiculous that they have had the comforts of their own dressing room and the familiarity of their usual end of the ice all the other years.

Do they have an advantage? I tell you what, if the playoff weekend had been held in Cardiff for the last 10 years I’d be surprised if we did have at least 7 or 8 Championships.

Inferno - There have been a few comments about the 3rd/4th place playoff game this season. Most fans seem to think it was a complete waste of time and should never have been brought back in the first place, what are your views of the game?

Franny - I think it was best summed up by one of our most respected players who, having heard the criticism the team were getting after the game, said "It's difficult to get up for the game when you've just given absolutely everything and had your heart broken".

I can see the commercial reason for having the game but I do feel it's an unfair situation to put the players in and it's fair to say I didn't enjoy one second of that game.

Inferno - Do you and G have much say in the way fixtures are arranged, and if so, surely we need to ensure that we can play 3 Scottish fixtures away at one time to save on travel costs etc? e.g play a game on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday?

Franny - We haven't done in the past but at least one if not both of us will be there this year. It is a very difficult thing to arrange as there are 9 other teams all vying for the best dates and Arena teams saying they have limited availability of dates but hopefully we will be able to learn the lessons of the past and contribute to a better fixture list for the Devils.

The Scottish travel is very tough especially if we have to play the next night as you will have been cooped up on a coach for near enough 24 hours, so a chance to get 3 of those games out the way in one go is something that I would support.

Inferno - Is there anything we've missed or you'd like to add?

Franny - Great questions and thankfully no-one asked me any questions that might see me hit with a social media fine! If this Q&A has made anyone think of any burning questions you want answered then I'm happy to do another one.

Thanks for all the support, it really does make a difference when potential new guys do their research with players that have played here in the past. We've made a great start on the recruitment and we are working hard to finish the team with hopefully some returnees and definitely some new faces.

There is a great togetherness in the Club at the moment and we all have a part to play in seeing off the BBT with a trophy in our hands.

We'd like to thank Neil for taking the time to speak to us and look foward to seeing him sign soon.