There is little point in bragging about a £6000 50/50 prize when we are seeing performances like tonight. Priorities Mr Smith. Fox, Vallerand, Leavens, Balmas , Guimond and Huttula well past their sell by date.
There is little point in bragging about a £6000 50/50 prize when we are seeing performances like tonight. Priorities Mr Smith. Fox, Vallerand, Leavens, Balmas , Guimond and Huttula well past their sell by date.
Unless there's a Paul Thompson level disaster I expect Mr. Fox will be here for the next couple of seasons. Dining out on the slam to justify his position.
Fox deserves the rest of this season and next to put it right. I created a thread on here for a “Fox Out” thread before the grand slam season and was spectacularly proved wrong with a grand slam the next season. He deserves time to recruit new players in the summer for me.
I’ve said before, historically each Steelers team that have won a grand slam have only managed to win one trophy the season after. It’s hard to win further silverware when each and every team up their game, just ask Belfast last season who won nada. Only the playoffs remain then for us, as the league was gone at Christmas.
Whilst the CHL can be blamed for some of our performances, that was months ago and we certainly didn’t turn up for this game. Credit to the refs who I thought officiated very well and I’m not sure what all the who arr was from Fox at the end but if it was for the penalty on Cormier towards the end, it was an interference penalty all day long. In fact Whistle got away with one when we were on the PP.
Have a go at your players Fox for this one not the refs.
Fox is fine as coach, that would just be daft to get rid of him. We've had injuries galore after the CHL and we've been trying to claw back from that ever since. Unfortunately the players just haven't been good enough as a group to do so.
There's players who do look to have gone on one too many years - Vallerand and Ciampini. There's those who've struggled to replicate form of last year - Balmas, Watling, Diffley as prime examples (although injury may be the reason). Some just haven't been good enough - Leavens (although definitely had injuries), Guimond, and unfortunately Whistle. I like him, but he's just too lightweight and turns the puck over way too much.
There's a couple that are also playing too high up the line up but that's an issue of not having another high quality centre.
But all of them tonight made horrible individual errors - that's not on Fox. Poor turnovers, poor reading of plays, losing men - that's 100% on the players.
I suppose one question that needs asking is was last season the start of a dynasty or merely a blip. The latter looks more likely now. I like Fox. His recruitment for our triple season was brilliant but I fear that he allowed himself to believe too many of them could replicate it. I don’t buy the injuries excuse. Several other teams have had worse than us. I get the feeling that the CHL performance was a swan song for many. Names have already been mentioned and I don’t like doing that. We all know there is a substantial group who couldn’t last the season. Once we had to play so many catch up games after the CHL the die was probably cast. Tonight is just the result of all that. I can’t see us making it in the playoffs now. I fear the season is effectively over. I’ve been very ill this year and had to pay for streams as well as our two season tickets. I’ve watched every game. Right now I don’t feel like paying out over £30 per week to watch this slide into mediocrity. But like most here I’ll be buying another couple of season tickets in due course. Up the Steelers ! Come on Faxy you can do it!
As one of the fans in block 104,, and there were many more , who definitely heard that whistle in the first leg, it was inevitable we would lose by that weird decision goal.
Of course Shudra and Fearnley didn't hear it , they were wearing earphones ! You cant hear it on the replay because of crowd noise , the mikes are not placed near the ice, but you can see the ref put the whistle to his mouth .
Ok , I know, let it go , but it rankles when the Cardiff Commentator , who wasn't there , can say it was a good goal. If you weren't there you don't know.
Cardiff played well, they did have the same number of players as us I am told. We played like we were 2 goals up when in my opinion we should have played like we were 2 goals down. Like so many games after xmas we had poor passing , a lack of skills controlling the puck and shooting at the goalies chest or wide didn't help.
I have no idea why players who hardly put a foot wrong last year and in the CHL should suddenly do this and I don't think Foxy does either.
People talk about him not having a plan B but frankly, if you can't pass, trap the puck or shoot then any number of plans aren't really going to help you.
I feel a bit sorry for some players, especially Greenfield who is doing little wrong but finds himself working with a defence he doesn't recognise. I agree though that there will have to changes but we must be careful not to throw the baby out with the bathwater. This team still contains extremely good players. The trick will be in recognising them amongst the others.
With an upturn in form we can still win the playoffs. In one off games as we showed last week we can still beat anybody. We just have to get to Nottingham.
Foxy still has unspent credit in my book for that fantastic last season. I wish him well, and disappointed though we are, he will need us behind him.
Having warched the steelers from their start there is nothing i have not seen before . In ice hockey it is nothing new for one team to dominate one season and then do nothing the next its all part and parcel of the game. Most of these players have done what we wanted of them [treble ] so have done their part. For me now next season i would like to see a total turnover of import players, all part of the sport seeing new players and what gems we may pick up. This season has proved that keeping all or a core of players does not always pay off. Foxy i have no issues , but i would like to see more character players, players who play with an edge to their game and definitely someone who is willing to stand up more for the team in certain situations. All the great players we have had were once new to the club so lets see whats out there and look forward to what comes in time,,,
The thing that disappoints or even angers me the most is that they have gone down with no fight, aggression but with a week whimper in all the big games this year.
Tansey and Watling my two favourites last year. Watling has lost his mojo whereas whilst Tansey may be Tansey smashing the merchandise he's been far from replicating his form and physicality from last year. The two big disappointments for me amongst many.
The big puzzle has been the big drop off in form for most of the players retained from last year.
I do think we have a coaching issue-when things aren't going well the main (only) solution seems to be bench the fourth line brits.
