A merged topic.. new title - what needs to change @Sheffield Steelers

[Joesteeler]

I was there, the last 20 mins were shockingly poor, starting with their first goal which Petgrave gifted them.
I could take the loss tonight if it meant we might get the 4 points this weekend, but I doubt we will.

I reckon Belfast have the Challenge Cup, and most likely League sown up, probably the playoffs as well.
I don't know whats happened at the Steelers this past 5 years but they are no longer the powerhouse they used to be.
Maybe its just that other teams in the league have got better.

That was Fife, in a semi-final, at home for christ's sake, we threw it away.

Steelers have accepted being second best as long as the money comes in and the off ice entertainment is keeping fans happy. Its as simple as that.

I’m not so sure this is correct

Tony Smith has always gone above and beyond to give this club everything they need to succeed. For a recent example, we’ve just gone and brought Vallerand back and signed Ackered.

The owners are doing everything they can in their power to give us what we need to succeed, but something is going wrong somewhere.

EDIT: I’ve just read the rest of the thread and seen your further posts about players etc. Apologises

[Jayboy]

I've just been asked by a Steeltalk member over on FB a very good question.

So maybe we can expand on that here as I feel this undercurrent of money or profit being generated within the club being a bad thing is a trend that seems rather bizarre.

Robert Mansell asked: Jay Smith, does the club attract fans to watch hockey or just people for a night out ?

My answer: Both I imagine, in my personal circumstances that's the case.. As you know I am an out an out hockey fan, but I have a family that includes kids and a wife and they (especially the kids) need entertainment too to be happy, otherwise I couldn't bring them and therefore wouldn't attend either. I guarantee the club wouldn't survive on the attendance numbers of the hardcore hockey fans alone.. It's a minority sport in the country for a reason.. And you have to have bums on seats and that includes the kids, the future fans...

[paul johnston]

I was there, the last 20 mins were shockingly poor, starting with their first goal which Petgrave gifted them.
I could take the loss tonight if it meant we might get the 4 points this weekend, but I doubt we will.

I reckon Belfast have the Challenge Cup, and most likely League sown up, probably the playoffs as well.
I don't know whats happened at the Steelers this past 5 years but they are no longer the powerhouse they used to be.
Maybe its just that other teams in the league have got better.

That was Fife, in a semi-final, at home for christ's sake, we threw it away.

Steelers have accepted being second best as long as the money comes in and the off ice entertainment is keeping fans happy. Its as simple as that.

I’m not so sure this is correct

Tony Smith has always gone above and beyond to give this club everything they need to succeed. For a recent example, we’ve just gone and brought Vallerand back and signed Ackered.

The owners are doing everything they can in their power to give us what we need to succeed, but something is going wrong somewhere.

EDIT: I’ve just read the rest of the thread and seen your further posts about players etc. Apologises

No problem.
I see the Steelers as a collective (not just Tony, but the coach, fans and players).
I think a lot of fans and seems the players get swept up in the showbiz razzmatazz more than purely hockey-the game and results.
I'm sure Tony and Foxy are frustrated with results, let alone performances, but Tony will-has tolerated it so far as the crowds and finance are OK but I'm sure he will be looking for better form and results. Home showings have been pretty bang average for most of this season despite some wins.
The question remains does our coach have it in him to get what we need ? I'm not sure year on year that we have improved to suggest that yes we will get there with him.

[smbmetal]

I do think we’ve debated this quite a bit over the years.

As I’ve said recently I was very much sat in the camp of, as long as there’s bums on seats and Sweet Caroline is playing, we could lose every game and the Management Team would be happy.

However, I completely accept that if the club doesn’t make any money, then we won’t be playing out of the arena, have a fancy scoreboard and great budget for players. Ice Sheffield would be the best we could hope for.

Recently Smith (according to the local Sheffield Rag) pulled Fox in just after the Belfast double header to tell him that the performances were not good enough. Which then changed my mind. For me, those two Belfast games were some of the best games of the season, as everything was left on the ice.

Historically the Steelers were built on success, many of us know what the dark days were like under Norton Lea with parts of the arena shut off etc. I still maintain the standard of hockey was much better though.

Now, it’s more of a great night out, with a bit of hockey on the side. I don’t have kids, but a few of my friends do and they as you say Jay absolutely love it. I really do think for kids and families the Steelers have done brilliantly I really do.

Unfortunately for me, I don’t go for that and would be quite happy with a big crowd with no music and all that razmataz. The hockey quality though not just under Fox for me isn’t very good. The Steelers never say die attitude has been lost under Tony Smith’s ownership over the last 5 plus years and we’re a team of vanilla hockey players with the odd game that I would consider a barnstormer. I keep getting told that the game has changed in favour of speed and skill…..well there isn’t much of that either.

I have no issues with the club making money or the arena, my issue is in the past more successful coaches than Fox have been fired for being more successful than he is. We’ve improved off the ice tremendously, on the ice, we’re no better than we were under PT and factually less successful when it comes to wining trophies etc.

[Nottonsteeler]

I have been a season ticket holder for 32 seasons. I have experienced some fantastic highs and some terrible lows supporting my team but I do not think I have ever felt as embarrassed and low as I was walking out of the Arena on Wednesday night. Take nothing away from Fife, they played well, their heads didn't go down after going 3 - 0 down. However let's call a spade a spade, this is a team that is 9th in the league with probably a very much lower budget than ours and they put us to shame. Whilst it is great to have bums on seats we demand success as well. Some people think it is an either or situation but I don't. We can have full arenas and win trophies as well. This now a team fully down to Fox's recruitment and it is just not good enough. Some of the players seem to be along for the ride and don't appear to care about losing. Time for changes (IMHO) to coaches and players.

[Nathan]

It doesn't matter.

The sun came up and we go again.

[rnewbolt1]

As i said on twitter i used to think it was all about big attendances but now believe a team any team needs success to maintain good crowds so i wonder what will transpire

[mark]

I can't argue with the amount of financial support offered to the coach by Steelers management so judgement is going to be purely down to whether or not the coach can produce the trophies at the end of the season, if not then it's fair to ask if he should remain in post for next season. I will wait until the end of the season to make my own judgement, no point in changing the coach with so little time left in the season. That decision might have already been made and enquiries started of course but we'll not find that out until and unless it happens.

[ekt]

I was there, the last 20 mins were shockingly poor, starting with their first goal which Petgrave gifted them.

I just wanted to correct this from my previous post.
From where I was sitting, Live it looked like Petgrave batted the puck down straight to the Fife player in front of the net.
But on watching the replay in the "Highlights" he actually tried to deflect it.

[Clowne57]

All sport, whether a national favourite or minority is results driven. Being a fan or management favourite, be it player or coach, is no guarantee of retaining your place if you don’t produce. I think this seasons results will be a make or break for Fox. Tony Smith is a business man and a successful one, he gave Paul Thompson a chance to improve but then cut him, I‘m sure Fox will be under the microscope now and rightly so.