Best or Worst Supporters?

[kettdevil1]

This may turn into a rant, so apologies if it slides into incomprehensive nonsense...

I've always believed that we are the bext supporters in the league. The playoffs at Nottingham really confirmed this view. We outsung every other team's supporters, we turned up in large numbers and we had a thoroughly good time. At home (and away) our numbers are growing and the Tylor Michel's skates thread showed us at our very best. Hence, I sat in my seat at the NIC on Sunday night disappointed but, looking forward to putting things right next season.

However, there does appear to be an ongoing theme of being completely unforgiving when it comes to the team. Now high expectations are one thing, but this goes beyond that.

A few examples:
1) Matt Miller played the best game I have ever seen him play on Saturday. He scored two, put 100% into the game and was most peoples MOM. On Sunday he took one bad penalty, one debatable one and is completely slated. If I was Miller and read some of the comments I would be ringing my agent about a move as soon as possible.

2) Gerard - the club has a three year plan. This season we lost out in the two big finals by the narrowest of margins and showed improvement in the league whilst playing attractive hockey in front of ever growing crowds. Yet, still the main topic of conversation appears to be an attempt to get rid of him. Have people thought this through? Suppose Mike Ellis replaces him (to take the most commonly quoted example) we would have to start again - he would want to bring in his own players, his own style and in effect this would lead to another transition season rather than the chance to build on the solid foundations of this season.

3) Randomly picking on players - maybe I am just being hyper sensitive here but a vast amount of posts recently have been about players not performing, yet the posts have just been generalised "X played poorly" rather than containing much in the way of evidence. Why not balance this with an explanation as to why we did so well this year??

Anyway rant over. So, the question I am asking myself is this - are we the best supporters in the league or the worst?

 

[Finny]

I agree with you kettDevil, and would say it's a bit of both.

I watched yesterdays game on Sky and thought it was a great game between two very good sides and a great performance from our team. Nothing could split us and the giants without it going to penalty shots. The luck went against us, but we could take a lot of pride from that performance and I thought the players all did the club proud.

When I read some of the comments on here after, I was shocked, disappointed and in a couple of incidents - quite disgusted. Matt Miller has had an excellent finish to the season and has been one of the key reasons why we have improved. For him to get some of the abuse and accusations that have been aimed at him is very disappointing.

At times our fans are fantastic. Without them, this club would have died several years ago - you need only look in the history books for all the famous clubs that are no more to see how well we have done to keep the club going.
But at times we are our own worst enemies. Nobody is more frustrated than me at our lack of trophies in recent years. We were definately spoilt with success in our first decade and perhaps all of us have expectations that are too high. We are still a club rebuilding and until we get the new Arena we have no right to expect to be the #1 club in the league.
We averaged 1500 fans this season which we were all delighted at. However, that is still around 1000 a game less than we were in our heydays and what Coventry get now. Belfast and Nottingham get 3 ot 4 times as many fans as us. Gone are the days when we can buy ourself success and demand trophies.

We are improving season on season and I think Gerad deserves another season to see if he can continue to improve the team. We are only a couple of changes away from challenging for the league and then it goes down to whether we get the luck. If we keep making the final of every major cup competition like we did this season then you would hope we start to get the luck and now and again and the trophies will follow. You need only look at Coventry from 10 years ago. They too just kept missing out but once they got one trophy the floodgates opened.

 

[mazza03]

Well said as usual Finny.

 

[McCausland88]

well after yesterday i can safely say that yesterday the sheffield steelers fans are the best belfast giants fans in the world!

:roll:

 

[Anonymous]

Agree completely with Kettdevil and Finny, as Ive mentioned before and taken a bit of a slating in the process. I appreciate Finny is a respected member of the forum and rightfully so, but I wish people would back others up if they agree. Finny hit the nail on the head when he said that some fans have to look for a scapegoat rather than just accepting that luck was against us. Yesterdays game was all about bad luck in the end, ifs and buts. We played really well, better imo than Belfast, but thats sport. Thats how it goes sometimes.

As Kettdevil said also about Miller reading this and wanting away, completely agree and had a debate with Fubar about it last night. He/she claiming Miller wouldn't be as shallow to want away. I would argue, why would a player want to return to a club after so much criticism after the bloke plays out of his skin. If it was me I wouldn't, would you?

Totally disgusted with comments aimed at Tylor too. Perhaps he did have a quiet final, should that incite criticism? No, it shouldn't. The bloke cant play like superman every game, he is after all human, just like the others. Sometimes you lose out, there isn't always a reason. Someone has to lose.

My experience of games at the tent, Id say the fans are great. Always a top notch atmos, fun, friendly and at the same time passionate. Sometimes we get heated and angry especially after a defeat, its human nature and shows we care. But sometimes we need to stay positive and not always look to point the finger!

 

[DevilDom]

To answer the question - I think we are the best supporters but also the most fickle.

As I said on the game thread - I juts returned from the Nottingham and was amazed at the amount of negativity coming from some areas on here. G should go, Miller this, someone else this, where was Brad, tylor etc. GET A GRIP!

I even started to question whether I had seen the same games over the weekend. The one where we deomlished the league champions and then lost out to the league runners up in an incredibly tight game where the guys obviously gave everything.

We have over-performed this season. Yes its dissapointing but I for one was glad I got to watch my team get to the final and play in 2 fantastic matches. Ask a steelers fan how they felt or even a panthers fan.

Lets be glad about what we have achieved this year and not focus on what we haven't!

 

[Ger-Devils]

Can I have my voice back please? Getting them chants going all day Sat and attempting it on Sunday has ruined me!

I was the last but 1 row in Block 10. Quite a few turned round thinking who's this guy. Haha

 

[andydevils]

forum = open discussion

people are allowed to say what they want. If they werent then it wouldnt be a very good forum would it because everyone would agree with everyone.

miller took 2 stupid penalties. He should now better, especially after Hanson calls him for the first one.

 

[Eskarin]

The fact its open discussion is what allows us to criticise and debate what others say aswell as what happens on the ice.
I am of the opinion that Miller is being harshly judged, because whilst he did take a stupid penalty and called on a 50/50 chance penalty, he was also recipient of a few harsh calls the other way, he was intefered with or perhaps held on a good shooting chance to get no call from the ref, Hanson also missed some blatant boarding penalties, thankfully he eventually called one before anyone ended up seriously injured. That's not to say he didn't also miss a few penalties that should have gone against us, it just seems harsher because we watned that win so badly.
And the people criticising G's coaching must be crazy, only Thornton put a game out that we couldn't quite finish off, and he beat us by the skin of his teeth. And the Panthers in the cup final was a loss by one goal to a performing panthers team, and we got the victory at the NIC a tough place to play for away teams with ig umer for home team support.
Having seen the games live with my own eyes I can honestly say that no team outperformed us, when we were ahead we stayed ahead and when we were behind we came back. We were just the unfortunate recipients of losing in a penalty shootout which was less about the shooters, and more about the two best keepers in the league (and the two best British keepers). And it was luck more than anything which was against us.
I was proud to be a Devils fans as we outsang all other fans to the point that the announcer frequently made comment of the noise we made. When other teams chanted, we just chanted louder.
And Ger-Devils most certainly was noticable in the back of the block!

 

[Kipper]

Some Devils so-called fans are some of the worst I have come across in 40 years involvement in sport.Can't wait to have a whinge at the slightest opportunity. Sack the coach. This player takes dumb penalties. Player x is rumoured not to get on with player y. yadda yadda yadda.

It's a sport. Some teams are better than others for a variety of reasons. Some days you win some days you lose. The world doesn't stop spinning.If you can't handle that then stay at home and play NHL on the Playstation.

 

[ASHIPP]

From a supporter who had to watch the final on tv because I couldn't go to Nottingham, the support from Devils fans could be heard loud and proud above any other noise at the NIC - I'm sure it was the same in the semis. The passion of Devils' fans is legendary and the history of support for the club, in its darkest hours a few years back, is equally legendary.

The Guys completely played out of their skins over the weekend - the final was undoubtedly the best hockey I have seen them play, and they were certainly acknowledged as the stronger team (by the commentators) for a majority of the game. Only to be edged by a whisker by the Giants by ONE SHOT.

To deride G or any of the Devils players for their performance last weekend is nothing short of disrespectful. It's tantamount to blaming them for losing, which is completely not the case at all.
Matt Miller was penalised and then ripped apart by a few supporters for putting the Devils on an uneccessary PK. :roll: Yet if Killer had scored on the goal rush, what would the reaction have been then? People are very quick to forget that on Saturday, Matt and Phil were the two major players instrumental in getting the Devils to the final. Penalties happen in games.....and if people were looking closely, Killer was punched, poked, sticked and pushed many times in that final with no call on Giants.

I so hope that Matt, Tylor and all the Guys know how much they ARE appreciated - and that any derisory comments by individuals were simply down to the emotion of the game.

 

[W3LSH]

I agree with the general opinion of the best and worst

Some fans only seem to have a the memory of one game, one week a player is a hero, the next they make a mistake and should be gassed, for me its gone from laughable to 'I can't even be bothered to post a reply to some rubbish on here'. I've hoped a few times that the players don't feel some of the comments made are the general thoughts of the supporters

Then on the other hand we have a great atmosphere at the tent, and things like the whip round for Tylor etc. So best and worst for me

 

[James]

From a supporter who had to watch the final on tv because I couldn't go to Nottingham, the support from Devils fans could be heard loud and proud above any other noise at the NIC - I'm sure it was the same in the semis. The passion of Devils' fans is legendary and the history of support for the club, in its darkest hours a few years back, is equally legendary.

It was like a morgue in the finals compared to the Semis... I think most peoples voice had gone by the final

 

[TheStub]

Very true. I could barely speak by the final :lol:

It always amazes me how some fans seem to be watching a different game.

 

[Ger-Devils]

From a supporter who had to watch the final on tv because I couldn't go to Nottingham, the support from Devils fans could be heard loud and proud above any other noise at the NIC - I'm sure it was the same in the semis. The passion of Devils' fans is legendary and the history of support for the club, in its darkest hours a few years back, is equally legendary.

It was like a morgue in the finals compared to the Semis... I think most peoples voice had gone by the final

Yup

 

[osh]

We now have 811 members of the inferno forum. After last weekend a few members ( perhaps no more than 6 or so) voiced their personal opinions regarding certain players, as is their right to do so. What happens? Here are some of the comments levelled at them for expressing their opinions in what I would say was a fair manner ;-

They were accused of Quote ''being amongst the worst fans I have come across in 40 years of sport'';
Their comments were 'laughable'
Accused of being 'completely unforgiving'
They were told they were being 'disrespectful'
And another told them they were disgusted with the comment'

Opinions eh, that's all it is after all, but branding them as poor fans is uncalled for, still, less than 1% complain and 1.5% disagree, maybe the 98.5% of other members have got it right and say nothing Personally, I think G held on to his job based on perhaps the 4th quarter of the season. The decision has been made to stick with him and he now deserves a chance to justify the faith shown in him, I wish him much luck. It will be interesting to see who he can hold on to, and what sort of player he can bring to the club for next season.

 

[andydevils]

We now have 811 members of the inferno forum. After last weekend a few members ( perhaps no more than 6 or so) voiced their personal opinions regarding certain players, as is their right to do so. What happens? Here are some of the comments levelled at them for expressing their opinions in what I would say was a fair manner ;-

They were accused of Quote ''being amongst the worst fans I have come across in 40 years of sport'';
Their comments were 'laughable'
Accused of being 'completely unforgiving'
They were told they were being 'disrespectful'
And another told them they were disgusted with the comment'

Opinions eh, that's all it is after all, but branding them as poor fans is uncalled for, still, less than 1% complain and 1.5% disagree, maybe the 98.5% of other members have got it right and say nothing Personally, I think G held on to his job based on perhaps the 4th quarter of the season. The decision has been made to stick with him and he now deserves a chance to justify the faith shown in him, I wish him much luck. It will be interesting to see who he can hold on to, and what sort of player he can bring to the club for next season.

above is a good comment.

To all that have been under attack, its only because people think you are right in what you have said but just dont want to admit it...............long live the post season......................

 

[Anonymous]

If players can be attacked why cant those attacking be attacked. People in green houses .............

 

[osh]

If players can be attacked why cant those attacking be attacked. People in green houses .............

DT, You're quite right ( think the word attacked is a bit OTT ) but the point I'm making is that not one of those who were critical did so in the very aggresive manner of some of the replies that's all. People in green houses........ not sure what you mean (glass houses perhaps ?) We shouldn't discourage debate, and I'm all for free speech, but if every time someone posts something that we don't agree with, don't attack the poster in the personal way it was re this topic. My reply is in no way barbed towards anyone in particular just a general suggestion.

 

[DevilDom]

If players can be attacked why cant those attacking be attacked. People in green houses .............

DT, You're quite right ( think the word attacked is a bit OTT ) but the point I'm making is that not one of those who were critical did so in the very aggresive manner of some of the replies that's all. People in green houses........ not sure what you mean (glass houses perhaps ?) We shouldn't discourage debate, and I'm all for free speech, but if every time someone posts something that we don't agree with, don't attack the poster in the personal way it was re this topic. My reply is in no way barbed towards anyone in particular just a general suggestion.

Very right. I think there are number of people who have experienced how the forum can work in a bad way when they have an opinion that is not in line with the majority or in line with those who shout (or post) the loudest on this site. We all know who those people are - they post and effectively bully the dissenting voice or voices into submission with 5 or 6 people immediately feeling the need to quote them and agree strongly with everything they say.

I don't agree with targetting individual players after a great effort by the team over the weekend however, I also respect that some people feel strongly the other way and want to express there opinion about it. It would be a very dull forum if we all agreed all the time. People just have a different approach to expressing their passion for the Devils and I don't think we should stifle that.