It's time once more to have our hockey soapbox where the panel of the week start talking about the burning issues. On the panel this week are your co-editors Mark and Tony as well as Nathan and Eric.
On your soapboxes then gentlemen...
1. Five words on Saturday
Well that was a disaster
Disgraceful on and off ice
What An Absolute Rip Off
Pathetic performance for home fans
2. Five words on Sunday
Thank goodness for the MOOSE
Don't Care About Challenge Cup
Out-classed. Out-coached. Out-thought. Congratulations Cardiff
And the jinx goes on
3. What's your take on the "mind games" before the Challenge Cup Final?
Nathan: The whole competition has been a farce and is totally pointless. From a
boring and predictable group stage to the abomination that was the
reschedule and unreschedule of the Saturday night 'let's not bother
about this game so we can have a chance of winning on Sunday' borefest
that was apparantly one of the 25 'competitive' games our season ticket
price is based on! So any mind games were null and void for me as I
couldn't care less about the tinpot cup.
Tony: I'm
not sure mind-games work for anyone other than the media and fanbase.
We're two of the top three teams this year, so there's unlikely to be
very much between the teams on the ice, but it doesn't stop the
respective media teams pumping up the rivalry. Remember when the
Panthers were our biggest rivals, and before them the Storm? Nothing new
and nothing to see here.
Mark: It reminded me of two boxers trying to out-psych the other one before a massive fight, one blaming the other. It's certainly given both sides a decent rivalry for a number of years to come. Come to think we needed one since the Bears certainly have less interest and intensity these years. So long as it does not tarnish the game where "fans" adopt the football mentality then I think it's great even if this time it was for a competition hardly anyone cares about.
Eric: I don't get all the mind games. To me it was oneupmanship by both teams.
Having to play 2 games in 2 days, and Thompson feels we were hard done
by. Rubbish, playing 2 in 2 is done week in week out. Just muddying the
waters in my opinion..
4. Was Ice Arena Wales the best venue for the CCF?
Tony: It's
a nice new shiny arena, so it was good to see the EIHL award it to
them. I think they are living rent free, so it was probably done to
minimize costs too as the NIC or Sheffield Arena would have cost much
much more. Hope those who travelled enjoyed it, but it was just too far
for me on a Sunday.
Mark: Unlike football where they decided in the past where to hold FA Cup semi-finals as soon as the sixth round was completed, you can't do that here in hockey because different venues have differing availability. IAW was probably the option the Elite League had. It's a shame the competition takes so long to get to the Final stage, perhaps if they revamp it then the negativity I have for it will diminish.
Eric: Given the ticket allocation problems and Steeler fans complaining of
still having Devils fans sat amongst them then maybe not. However, I do
feel that the competitions such as the CC should be played at other ice
pads.
Nathan: IAW is a fantastic arena. Was it the correct venue for the
Pointless Cup? Perhaps, although to hold it in Sheffield again would
risk it looking 1/3 empty again so where else do you hold it?
Nottingham? Not with the P/O weekend being held there. Belfast? Too
expensive for fans. Scotland? No arena big enough. Coventry? Dump.
So probably yes it was the best place to hold it.
5. If you could improve the off-ice product, what would you do?
Eric: What would I change.. Well most of it really. The opening is to long,
the music is stale and needs changing, the puck shooting for the car is
simply a waste of time and as for the kiss cam. CRINGEWORTHY... The
opening needs to be a video as the players enter the ice. Get rid of the
music and change it every month.
Tony: Remove
David Simms from his media role but keep him in the business somewhere -
his 1970's views on the world, and reliance on the old 'standards' to
entertain the crowd (an 18 month old intro video, or 'that' song, for
instance) have been superceded. Let's cut the cord and move into the new
world with JJ Fearnley and the Dows leading from the front
uninterrupted. The off-ice backroom staff seem to have taken a step
forward in the last few years, with training plans and secondary coaching -
let's help that continues.
Nathan: Get rid of the following.
Simms. Perv Cam. Rubbish Cheerleaders. Shoot for a car. Sweet Caroline. The entire playlist.
Introduce the following.
A
better media person. Someone to handle the in game microphone duties
who is slightly less annoying than a wasp at a picnic. A far superior
playlist.*
* see me for more details.
Mark: I really don't see the point of shoot for the car, really I don't. Shoot for loot like they do at Braehead would have been a better option. Kiss-Cam is like my fellow panel members say, embarrassing and wanting you to reach for a sick bucket, playlist doesn't seem fresh, the intro is dated and needs revamping. Get the fans involved and ask what them what they think will improve the product, a think tank so to say. Until we do this, things will grow more stale each passing season and people will be more and more bored.
6. Are you going to renew the season ticket next year if you hold one? If not renewing, why not?
Mark: I want to but there's a few things that might change my mind. One: the firm I work is a corporate sponsor of the team so it might be beneficial for me to take them up on the deal they have, if I had done so this season then I'd have saved a bit since it's only like £10.00 a game every time. Secondly, and most importantly - my actual lifestyle could be changing if I get my job transferred to NI where my partner lives and where I spend a lot of my free time. It won't stop me being a Steeler, I'll just become an exile who comes back home from time to time. I've got a long hard summer of thinking to do.
Tony: Yes
I'll be renewing, but after Saturday am considering if it would be at
the Storm shelter or the Sheffield Arena - but I'll probably return
sheep like re-energized and excited as always next September. I'd also
expect me to go to the IAW or NIC for some early-season CHL too.
Plus I may be in the minority at the moment, but I think Thommo is doing OK.
Second / Third in the league, and CC cup finalists, is about right for
our club (not great, but not pathetic either), and much better than we
got 10 or so years ago, or even back in 2010. The club has shown itself
incapable of winning close important games in the recent past, but think
that's down to team dynamics and poor secondary recruitment, and also
Cardiff tooling-up, rather than us underperforming. It was predicted
that IAW and the new ownership group would pump money into south wales
and we might have to accept being second best for awhile. Give it
another year before we do anything rash Tony.
Nathan: Ah here is the 50/50 question. This season has been to
be perfectly honest, boring. The games against the Panthers have been
average at best and very rarely have i gone home thinking ive seen some
great hockey tonight, win or lose. Thommos brand of hockey does actually
make me want to get up out of my seat though. Up and out the door! We've
been found out big time this season and the 'Best Coach in the League'
hasn't got a bloody clue how to change it. His constant messing with the
lines and poor recruitment has made this a season to forget. He seems
to have coached the excitement out of his roster and the criminal under
use of Luke Ferrara and the inability to detect when to use a time out
have been a particular pain to behold.
The atmosphere at the House of Steel 
is flat at the best of times and add this to the price of renewing a ST
you have to ask yourself, "Am I getting value for money?" No.
I'm not. Add also to that the owner the coach and the estate agent
having a go at the fans for daring to have an opinion of the team when
things aren't going so well and I'm starting to think our £700+ would be
better spent and better appreciated elsewhere next season because my
overall enthusiasm for this team is so low at the moment if it were in material
form there wouldn't be enough to cover a small water biscuit.
Eric: Not renewing my season ticket next season, and I'm trying to persuade my
other 3 to do the same. Why? Well the on ice product is poor, the
organisation seem to think more of the 50/50 (although we won) than the
product on the ice. The food is crap and the parking charge is scandalous. I
feel we need to pick and choose what games to watch next season. In
fact the money I will save will be put to watching the team play away.
Seeing as they play better away.
And that's your soapbox for this week...
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