Bottom line though, it's a big call for Todd to make. Let's say he gives Dupont another year and we see the same - the "same" for me is a lack of identity, confusing lines and confusing player signings with disappointing special teams and the usual rhetoric of "we started slowly" - Todd will get hammered. If he cuts Dupont, which I don't believe he will and we go down another route, and bring in may be a more established coach and he bombs then Todd gets hammered. Difficult one for him and probably explains why he's so involved in the team. It all falls on his head.
Devils Vs Flames - League - 18th Feb 23 - 19:00 FO
- Thread starter James
- Start date
I think there are 2 distinct points:-
1. Coach.
That’s a big decision for Todd and the ownership group and certainly a vitally important one to get right.
Do we go with a 3rd new coach in 3 years or stick with a coach who looks somewhat unproven. Neither really guarantees success but does familiarity give them comfort?
I think the acid test will boil down to patience. Are they willing to be patient and give DuPont more time or not!
2. Recruitment.
I’m not 100% sure who is totally responsible for this. Is it Todd? Is it Franny? Is it DuPont? Is it all 3 ??? Would Bowns, Martin and Jardine been DuPont appointments or was he influenced from elsewhere?
Personally, I feel the final say on any recruitment should always be with the coach. If he’s not 100% sure, he shouldn’t be swayed or influenced.
1. Coach.
That’s a big decision for Todd and the ownership group and certainly a vitally important one to get right.
Do we go with a 3rd new coach in 3 years or stick with a coach who looks somewhat unproven. Neither really guarantees success but does familiarity give them comfort?
I think the acid test will boil down to patience. Are they willing to be patient and give DuPont more time or not!
2. Recruitment.
I’m not 100% sure who is totally responsible for this. Is it Todd? Is it Franny? Is it DuPont? Is it all 3 ??? Would Bowns, Martin and Jardine been DuPont appointments or was he influenced from elsewhere?
Personally, I feel the final say on any recruitment should always be with the coach. If he’s not 100% sure, he shouldn’t be swayed or influenced.
In North America, unless I am wrong the coach don’t recruit the players, he is there purely to coach them and to get the best out of them, but that’s over there. If it’s your business then surely you want a big say in who you recruit, but then as a coach if you live or die by the players, then you also want a big say. We have had some really good players over the years, so something was going right, we seem to have gone off course quite a bit this season and it obviously shows. If the product was more entertaining, not necessarily winning every week, but entertaining that would be a big bonus, our last entertaining player to me was Faryna, and obviously Fournier appeared to be on the way to achieving that.
But whilst fans have no right to expect to win competitions at the moment, when buying tickets and attending games we do expect (and deserve)the basics from any group of players...commitment, passion, entertainment. Am sure the Ownership group would expect the same. Think many would rather our team lose a tight game where the players have focused for 60 minutes and left it all on the ice....than look bored, with no chemistry or go out with a whimper.
The quality of the League in recent seasons and the much speculated 'wage cap' will mean additional pressures for a club in rebuild mode.
The repeated observation that the same tactics and style seem to be used most games (resulting in poor special teams) does lead to speculation that no lessons are being learned, little development of coaching staff or team.
The quality of the League in recent seasons and the much speculated 'wage cap' will mean additional pressures for a club in rebuild mode.
The repeated observation that the same tactics and style seem to be used most games (resulting in poor special teams) does lead to speculation that no lessons are being learned, little development of coaching staff or team.
Welsh sport has always struggled gaining success, then came the Devils and it’s been a pretty successful sport. Having said that it is lacking coverage in the media, what drives fans in through the door week after week, year after year is players & the club trying & getting results and trophies. At the moment we struggle to even look motivated, basics glaringly missing, is that the coach, the team, individuals, budgets only they really know. What is missing is something & so far it’s either being ignored or not aware.
l look forward to seeing changes next season.
l look forward to seeing changes next season.
Am I missing something here?
We haven't been at our best this season, but we have clearly been hampered by off ice issues.
Injuries to our key forward and D man for long periods.
Fournier, irrespective of the reasons for going, has gone and was a key difference maker while here. He showed that some added net front presence all season would have massively helped our PP. He was a real spark plug and added impetus in the same way that Brandt did last year for us.
That said, if we had won on Saturday the table would look as follows:
Belfast p42 - Pts 65
Cardiff p41 - pts 62
Guilford p40 - pts 61
Sheffield p 40 - pts 61
What that should show is a few wins strung together and it is going to look very different, very quickly.
There are 13 games left this season, including two against sheffield, two against belfast and one more game against the Flames. These games are crucial now.
This isn't over and a few bad performances don't change that. It may be that we come out on the wrong side of those games, but let's not assume that just yet.
Regards Dupont... I'd personally keep him. Plenty of coaches don't deliver immediate success and it takes time to build a winning formula.
I sometimes think we are all guilty of forgetting our not too distant past and don't appreciate what we have right now.
Not a happy clapper post, not by a long shot, but a bit of perspective to the pessimism.
We haven't been at our best this season, but we have clearly been hampered by off ice issues.
Injuries to our key forward and D man for long periods.
Fournier, irrespective of the reasons for going, has gone and was a key difference maker while here. He showed that some added net front presence all season would have massively helped our PP. He was a real spark plug and added impetus in the same way that Brandt did last year for us.
That said, if we had won on Saturday the table would look as follows:
Belfast p42 - Pts 65
Cardiff p41 - pts 62
Guilford p40 - pts 61
Sheffield p 40 - pts 61
What that should show is a few wins strung together and it is going to look very different, very quickly.
There are 13 games left this season, including two against sheffield, two against belfast and one more game against the Flames. These games are crucial now.
This isn't over and a few bad performances don't change that. It may be that we come out on the wrong side of those games, but let's not assume that just yet.
Regards Dupont... I'd personally keep him. Plenty of coaches don't deliver immediate success and it takes time to build a winning formula.
I sometimes think we are all guilty of forgetting our not too distant past and don't appreciate what we have right now.
Not a happy clapper post, not by a long shot, but a bit of perspective to the pessimism.
There are some positives & yes Dupont is completing his first year. We’ve pretty much seen a repeat of last yr, with no improvement from the coach, the team or the management. Injuries are part of hockey, it’s a physical game and tough on bodies. That’s manageable by replacements. Players not grafting, that’s managed by motivation & binning. The coach, that’s managed by improving or binning. Everything has a solution.
.... and we have come back from 3-0 down to 3-3 thanks to goals when the NM was pulled..... I don't understand the view that we should just accept defeat if we are 3 down. I would always roll the dice rather than just accept losing.
Didn't go to the game on Saturday so difficult to comment other than it sounds like a poor performance. What I liked on Sunday was the attempt to try something different. It worked against a poor team, it will be interesting if it continues against better opposition
Didn't go to the game on Saturday so difficult to comment other than it sounds like a poor performance. What I liked on Sunday was the attempt to try something different. It worked against a poor team, it will be interesting if it continues against better opposition
As I say, I wasn't there on Saturday but from all accounts your description sounds spot on. I still standby my point though, as things stand you get zero points so I don't understand not rolling the dice as the worst case scenario is that you still get zero points.
As I said, it has worked against Guildford before in a game where we were dreadful up to the last 4 minutes
As I said, it has worked against Guildford before in a game where we were dreadful up to the last 4 minutes