Glasgow Clan and Corey part company

[Jayboy]

Something worked...

Clan just beat the Panthers 4-1

https://www.eliteleague.co.uk/article/5 ... der-sirant

Mike Sirant took charge of Glasgow Clan

[kivo1889]

I'm surprised CN didn't take the Clan up a notch in 2 years. Last night they got over 3100 in their 3,800ish arena. Pretty good for a midweek game for a 3rd from bottom team.
They should be averaging more than the devils with their 3100 capacity, and competing in the top half of the table most seasons, with the odd trophy won. Not making getting into the playoff quarters a typical season.

[DiscoRay]

Something worked...

Clan just beat the Panthers 4-1

https://www.eliteleague.co.uk/article/5 ... der-sirant

Mike Sirant took charge of Glasgow Clan

It was night and day, like the players just learned what forechecking and hustle was, didn't give Panthers a second to settle and get their passes/shots setup. Even the bench was lively with chat between players and also the coaches speaking to guys at various points. (Corey and assistants stood back arms folded all the time.) I know it's only one game, but noticing things like that occurring so quickly very much tells me Corey's coaching style was quite ineffective.

I'm surprised CN didn't take the Clan up a notch in 2 years. Last night they got over 3100 in their 3,800ish arena. Pretty good for a midweek game for a 3rd from bottom team.
They should be averaging more than the devils with their 3100 capacity, and competing in the top half of the table most seasons, with the odd trophy won. Not making getting into the playoff quarters a typical season.

That's the point fans were making, we're 4th for attendances in the league. We're not after being in the mix for grandslams every season, we want to be in the top-half and look to do something in either of the cups, but Corey wasn't even offering us some hope on those fronts either.

Has anyone else seen this?

A chap on our forum penned it, I contributed a couple of minor tweaks. I've noticed since it's went out some teams other fans feel kinda the same that there is too much pushing on the "sideshow" element of things. I don't think that's strictly true, rather more a lack of emphasis for the on-ice element, but I think most clubs are scared doing so as it risks setting/raising expectations from people.

[Brian]

I can certainly see a correlation between the clan's reference to the pushing of the commercial side in regard to the hockey side. The night out element at the arena has become rather boring for me. First we have a Steeler Dan dance then first interval a Norma and Wave Those Flags. Dance Cam, Dancing Charlie God bless him, The t shirt gun with the waving arms of the girl helpers , Loudest Fan? Over there, no ,over here , there , here over there ad infinitum.etc.
It's like Groundhog Day.
The announcements encouraging you to buy something far outweigh those about the actual hockey game.

[Jayboy]

I keep trying to tell Some people 'Profit' isn't a dirty word...

Just to be clear. I have absolutely no problem with the match night sideshow as its been penned and the (some say) in your face selling of merchandise, 50/50 and raffle etc.. if fact long may it continue, if it wasn't for the income generated on match nights most of us wouldn't have hockey to watch at all... and lets face it you can never have enough.. where i do have an issue is when (and i am talking generally across the league here) the clubs lose sight of their primary business and the customers it is catering for and I do think that is easy to do. I have to say its hard for every club to run in such a way that the hockey is first and foremost in an owners mind.
I say this based on some experience in my own club and a few other coaches and owners I have spoke to over the years gone by. Its a rare person that can turn his love of hockey into a successful model and its just as rare to find a business owner that can turn to a sport franchise based business and make that a success, while forgetting what makes his other businesses successful.

Ultimately for anyone to succeed in the sport club business especially UK Ice Hockey you need bums on seats converting into pounds spend per paying customer once inside the venue also.
to get that you have to get them in the building, that normally starts with the hockey and to keep them their its an mix of atmosphere, entertainment and value for money... getting that recipe just right is very very hard.

because without income and plenty of it you can never hope to win anything so you in some part must turn to entertainment to generate the atmosphere. once you keep the fans coming in, you must them feed the money back into producing a successful team. Its the ultimate paradoxical situation, you cant have one without the other.
This is why as a club you often hear them say you're damned if you do and damned if you don't.
A scenario where every possible outcome is negative. so they stop trying so hard in one element, usually sadly the playing side, that is till the bums on seats start to slide and somebody wakes up to the crap they got themselves in...

This is normally when the fans start shouting how easy it is and sack the coach etc...

[greeny]

I keep trying to tell Some people 'Profit' isn't a dirty word...

Just to be clear. I have absolutely no problem with the match night sideshow as its been penned and the (some say) in your face selling of merchandise, 50/50 and raffle etc.. if fact long may it continue, if it wasn't for the income generated on match nights most of us wouldn't have hockey to watch at all... and lets face it you can never have enough.. where i do have an issue is when (and i am talking generally across the league here) the clubs lose sight of their primary business and the customers it is catering for and I do think that is easy to do. I have to say its hard for every club to run in such a way that the hockey is first and foremost in an owners mind.
I say this based on some experience in my own club and a few other coaches and owners I have spoke to over the years gone by. Its a rare person that can turn his love of hockey into a successful model and its just as rare to find a business owner that can turn to a sport franchise based business and make that a success, while forgetting what makes his other businesses successful.

Ultimately for anyone to succeed in the sport club business especially UK Ice Hockey you need bums on seats converting into pounds spend per paying customer once inside the venue also.
to get that you have to get them in the building, that normally starts with the hockey and to keep them their its an mix of atmosphere, entertainment and value for money... getting that recipe just right is very very hard.

because without income and plenty of it you can never hope to win anything so you in some part must turn to entertainment to generate the atmosphere. once you keep the fans coming in, you must them feed the money back into producing a successful team. Its the ultimate paradoxical situation, you cant have one without the other.
This is why as a club you often hear them say you're damned if you do and damned if you don't.
A scenario where every possible outcome is negative. so they stop trying so hard in one element, usually sadly the playing side, that is till the bums on seats start to slide and somebody wakes up to the crap they got themselves in...

This is normally when the fans start shouting how easy it is and sack the coach etc...

This is true,,,, being a minority sport a balance has to be reached in respect of getting numbers in and being profitable ie entertainment/results ,,,,, Unlike say football which is results based[ managers come and go based on results] but that is where the money is. We can all moan but a least we have the ice hockey to moan about,,,,, be a sad day if we did not have it

[ginger]

Gotta remember as well, along with minority sport status, there's generally not a huge understanding/appreciation of the more technical/systems aspects of playing the sport compared to say your average football crowd.

Don't get me wrong, it's better than it was in the past, but you're still selling probably 50% of tickets to those without even mid level knowledge.

Another reason why the 'show' is important

[jas]

Has anyone else seen this?

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIp ... A/viewform

Some of it definitely sounds familiar..

Open Letter to the Management Team of the Glasgow Clan
To the management team of the Glasgow Clan.

We are writing to you today as loyal supporters who want nothing more than for the Glasgow Clan to be a powerhouse of British hockey. We have stood by the Clan through every power play, every penalty kill, and every era of the club’s history. Our commitment is undeniable: over 10,000 of us signed the petition to save our arena during the pandemic. We have invested our time, our money, and our hearts into this crest.

However, we feel that we can no longer remain silent on a range of issues which we feel are holding the club back from continuous improvement and success.

Our primary concern is that the Glasgow Clan is drifting away from being a professional hockey team and toward becoming a "family entertainment venue". While we appreciate the effort to create an inclusive game-night experience, there is a growing fear that the organisation is now more focused on a "good night out" than on building a winning culture.

Power-downs, Clangus, and interval games are a supplement to the sport, not a substitute for a competitive roster and winning culture. Currently, the "show" feels like a distraction from a lack of direction on the ice. We are fans of ice hockey; we come for the grit, the speed, and the pursuit of silverware. For long time fans, the atmosphere itself has become stagnant—the same music and the same announcements at the same times have made the experience feel choreographed rather than organic and driven by the play on the ice.

The Glasgow Clan was built on a foundation of competitive hockey. In our early years we were a serious hockey club. We had an identity. By year five that professionalism was cemented both on and off the ice, a second place finish in the league and a CHL campaign our rewards. We didn’t have the "spectacle" we have now, but we had a product we could be proud of.
In recent years, as attendances have risen and merchandise sales have grown, we feel the hockey has become secondary. We have moved away from being a "proper" hockey club. We have seen a cycle of coaching appointments that range from disappointing to disastrous and a club without a top half league finish since 2019, or a chance to play in the Play-Off finals weekend.

When the club's focus shifts toward marketing the mascot and merchandise more than the players' performance, the competitive standard begins to slip. This "entertainment-first" approach sends a message to the players, the staff, and the fans that winning is secondary to "engagement".

This is most evident following a losing weekend. When the team suffers heavy defeats, the social media activity on Monday morning often carries a tone of "never mind," quickly pivoting to the next sales pitch. To a fanbase that spends their weekends travelling and their Mondays reeling from a loss, these posts feel dismissive. It creates the impression that the club is content with a losing season as long as the arena footfall remains steady.

Nothing sums up the current state of the club better than the contrast between our facilities. We have a state-of-the-art video scoreboard for "dance cams" and mascot features, yet we cannot seem to keep the plexiglass fixed in place for sixty minutes of hockey.

We feel that club has forgotten what product they are selling. In pure business terms (and we appreciate that the club is a business) the hockey is the 'product' you provide and the game night experience, the 'packaging' and we long for a time where the value of what is inside the box is given more focus than how brightly wrapped it is.


Respectfully
Your loyal fanbase

Quick, scribble out Glasgow Clan and insert Sheffield Steelers