Cup final

[Bryan]

I wonder what everyone thinks? I feel it’s good that a team like Coventry can get through. It’ must encourage the middling teams to see success is possible. Of course as long as it’s not at our expense. Well done Blaze.

[Keith Sheppard]

I wouldn’t necessarily class the Blaze as a middling team, they have a similar capacity to Cardiff, and have certainly had great success in the EIHL, just look at their banners. As for the final, the biggest controversy is the venue, I thought the highest ranked team had home advantage? Now it’s being played in Notts, but giving Blaze first Chang’s etc. if they wanted to have ot in a big venue, then surely Sheffield would be the best neutral venue?

[lovedenisvial]

Think you will find the Blaze selected Nottingham over Sheffield due to it being closer to their home,

[Brian]

I don't think the Blaze selected Nottingham. It was chosen for them by the EIHL to maximise seat profits. It's supposed to be Coventry's home game but Panthers supporters can get their own season ticket seats, strange for a “ neutral venue “ .

[Doom]

I'd be fuming if I was a Blaze supporter.

I certainly was expecting Blaze to be the home team if they beat Belfast.

In future the league should be much clearer. The highest seeded team gets the final, as long as it's one of the arena teams.

I've always felt the integrity of this competition is questionable with the big advantage Belfast get over the other big boys, but now this. The EIHL really don't do themselves any favours.

Regards

Doom

[DiscoRay]

I'd be fuming if I was a Blaze supporter.

I certainly was expecting Blaze to be the home team if they beat Belfast.

In future the league should be much clearer. The highest seeded team gets the final, as long as it's one of the arena teams.

I've always felt the integrity of this competition is questionable with the big advantage Belfast get over the other big boys, but now this. The EIHL really don't do themselves any favours.

Regards

Doom

The ultimate problem is "the league" are the 10 clubs. They as a group decide what happens in regards to everything with it, from fixtures, to format, officials etc. and so on. I would say that has far more downsides than up, as I believe if the league was ran to at least an arms-length degree of independence from the clubs, it would already have things in place like TV deals, headline sponsor, officials improvement program, and a different play-off format. (Not any series, but at least a round-robin to replace the 2 leg QFs.)

As a group, the majority decided to have this final at Nottingham, and as everyone is collectively responsible for each decision the majority makes, that means backing (or not speaking against) the decision in public even if you voted against it in private. That will be why above anything, the Blaze have said nothing in all of this. Because they either voted for it perhaps with the carrot offered of a much bigger pay-day, or they voted against it and lost the vote overall.

The league's PR from the start of the season is very clear in black and white that the highest seed plays the final at home. So frankly I don't believe their PR this week one bit, they banked on the highest seed being an arena team, and lost. Though curiously, Cardiff were "fine" to host the final a few years ago, and they can only take around 150 fans more than the Skydome. While I appreciate the Skydome may not be "the best" venue out there, at the end of the day it's got a track-record hosting some pretty high profile hockey events. Which include the EPL/NIHL PO weekend, and various GB international tournament/matches, including friendlies for the top senior mens team.

Whatever the issue when it comes to the league, clubs would have to complain to themselves about it, and then mark their own homework on that situation. That's ultimately why so little changes, or takes so long when it does, and even then it's not often for the better. Just see when the Cup was "reformed" by them the year before last, which they claimed was based off "fan feedback". Which is of course nonsense, it was based off maximising revenue via more ticket-only matches against "rivals". Same with match officials, there isn't a set of fans of a club who don't complain about their standard every weekend, but the reason nothing is done is because club would have to pay for any improvements, which I'm sure they would claim if pressed in public, would need to be taken out playing budgets or yet higher ticket prices to fund. I would tell them take a bit out of playing budgets then, as it's pointless players getting faster/better/more physical if the officials can't keep up with them anyway. They aren't going to get better by magic all by themselves, and they also need the lure of better pay/travel expenses to be persuaded to travel UK wide. I'm sick of getting two of the same three referees every single week, if that means losing the money for a spare import or similar, then that's a sacrifice I think most would be happy to make.

[Brian]

Nail on head Ray. Couldn't agree more. Monetising is really all this league cares about.

[MLL79]

Yeah we were sat there last night saying “what?… but…” when they ran through the proposal - first time I’d heard about it.

My thought, for what it’s worth, surely they know this could be an issue at the start of the season lol - just pick set venues for the finals before the season and allocate the tickets for each team as per usual! Why not just play all at Nott or Sheffield as they’re most central(ish) and bigger capacities and have done with it? We all used to travel to Wembley at one (very dim and distant…) point. Then as others have said - highest placed team gets the home team rules benefits.

If only we could have that 16k capacity Manchester back again…

[smbmetal]

To avoid any controversy why not make the final over 2 legs, then there’s no one-off home advantage game.

It always makes me chuckle that a premier trophy event final is made a mid-week game. Should always be on a weekend IMO.

[DiscoRay]

It always makes me chuckle that a premier trophy event final is made a mid-week game. Should always be on a weekend IMO.

While I think most would agree with that, the problem shifting to a weekend is you can't then make it a "showpiece" match as the only game that day. The other clubs not involved would not be willing to give up a weekend matchday for it. Even just this season, clubs carried on playing when short 3 or 4 Brits when GB was playing prep matches. Perhaps if there was a title sponsor for the Cup and/or a TV deal, the income from those could more than offset the reduced revenue for the teams needing to shift games to mid-week to let the Final stand alone on a Saturday or Sunday.

That's just more of my crazy and dangerous thoughts though!