This Devils team is displaying form this season that Cardiff City FC would die for, win one, lose one, win one, lose one. Unfortunately this form for the Devils is no real surprise given the team that we have this year is probably punching just above it's weight standings-wise.
Just a few weeks ago, after the extremely disappointing showing in the Continental Cup Final Group, Devils got into a position of only a few points off the top of the league standings in a 4 way shootout. I thought then, this is the time to sign an impact import, whether that be a powerful winger to replace naughty boy Fournier, or a no nonsense D man to give the option of Batch playing on the forward lines and screen the opposition netminders, or a point scoring forward. This didn't really happen and with all due respect to our new import announced this week, I feel as if we have done our shopping in a local corner shop that shuts at 5 o'clock and bought something for tea that will do instead of shopping in Asda or Sainsbury for the bigger and better purchases. I guess this is the level of recruitment we are currently at now.
Myself, I have been a Devils fan since '89 and a ST holder for the majority of that, but this year, like last, I am just not feeling the love and having given it a lot of thought I put it down to recruitment.
We have always had Devils teams that we get right behind because of the style of play, the great goaltending, big wingers who are feisty, leaders throughout the lineup that truly understand what it is to be a Devil and to be proud to wear the shirt, and throw themselves into their shifts. This year I am struggling to get excited about this team, a team that is pretty much the same as last year, too many small players who are not suited to playing a physical fore checking style, I thought we were meant to be changing to a more heavier down low, puck retention team able to cycle the puck in the opposition zone but I just don't see that with this team. Netminding has been erratic, the defence has just not been up to the usual standard of Devils teams past, errors leading to turnovers in our zone and goal.
There have been times this season where we have seen Sheffield absolutely dominate us in Cardiff, we can't get the puck off them. Then that absolute humiliation in Belfast, 9 goals! They only eased up in the 3rd period to save giving us an absolute mauling, it could have been 15 in the end! Yet, the club says hardly anything about it, move on to the next one. What was it TK said at the time? The sky has not fallen in? I think it actually did! Utterly unacceptable! The result, the performance and the reaction.
Frustrating to watch, I have just felt as if it has had a grinding down effect on me this year and since christmas I have missed home games because I just simply can't be bothered, instead choosing to spend my time on other things.
What is it with Nottingham away?? I would love to know the answer to that one! Before the team even boards the bus in Cardiff, you just know that they will come home with well smacked bottoms, courtesy of the Panthers, and even more galling is that this year's Panthers are on paper.......Sh*@! Yet, whatever the league positions of the respective teams, no matter how bad things are in Nottingham, they give us an absolute battering....every time. Very short odds from the bookmakers on that result!
I just don't understand why we are where we are this year, like I said it has had a grinding down effect on me, over the last 2 seasons watching for the majority time from my seat.......mediocrity.
As things stand, and I really can't see it changing, I will not be renewing my long held ST and instead I will pick home games to go to next season if the team that skates out next year is actually truly competitive. If they are not, then I wouldn't have invested any more of my money into the club.
This is strange, I have been a Devils fan all these years, yet the last 2 seasons have just been difficult to withstand. I am finding it difficult to get motivated by this team and it as the season appears to be petering out slowly to a 4th place finish I have lost the love.
See what happens.
Just a few weeks ago, after the extremely disappointing showing in the Continental Cup Final Group, Devils got into a position of only a few points off the top of the league standings in a 4 way shootout. I thought then, this is the time to sign an impact import, whether that be a powerful winger to replace naughty boy Fournier, or a no nonsense D man to give the option of Batch playing on the forward lines and screen the opposition netminders, or a point scoring forward. This didn't really happen and with all due respect to our new import announced this week, I feel as if we have done our shopping in a local corner shop that shuts at 5 o'clock and bought something for tea that will do instead of shopping in Asda or Sainsbury for the bigger and better purchases. I guess this is the level of recruitment we are currently at now.
Myself, I have been a Devils fan since '89 and a ST holder for the majority of that, but this year, like last, I am just not feeling the love and having given it a lot of thought I put it down to recruitment.
We have always had Devils teams that we get right behind because of the style of play, the great goaltending, big wingers who are feisty, leaders throughout the lineup that truly understand what it is to be a Devil and to be proud to wear the shirt, and throw themselves into their shifts. This year I am struggling to get excited about this team, a team that is pretty much the same as last year, too many small players who are not suited to playing a physical fore checking style, I thought we were meant to be changing to a more heavier down low, puck retention team able to cycle the puck in the opposition zone but I just don't see that with this team. Netminding has been erratic, the defence has just not been up to the usual standard of Devils teams past, errors leading to turnovers in our zone and goal.
There have been times this season where we have seen Sheffield absolutely dominate us in Cardiff, we can't get the puck off them. Then that absolute humiliation in Belfast, 9 goals! They only eased up in the 3rd period to save giving us an absolute mauling, it could have been 15 in the end! Yet, the club says hardly anything about it, move on to the next one. What was it TK said at the time? The sky has not fallen in? I think it actually did! Utterly unacceptable! The result, the performance and the reaction.
Frustrating to watch, I have just felt as if it has had a grinding down effect on me this year and since christmas I have missed home games because I just simply can't be bothered, instead choosing to spend my time on other things.
What is it with Nottingham away?? I would love to know the answer to that one! Before the team even boards the bus in Cardiff, you just know that they will come home with well smacked bottoms, courtesy of the Panthers, and even more galling is that this year's Panthers are on paper.......Sh*@! Yet, whatever the league positions of the respective teams, no matter how bad things are in Nottingham, they give us an absolute battering....every time. Very short odds from the bookmakers on that result!
I just don't understand why we are where we are this year, like I said it has had a grinding down effect on me, over the last 2 seasons watching for the majority time from my seat.......mediocrity.
As things stand, and I really can't see it changing, I will not be renewing my long held ST and instead I will pick home games to go to next season if the team that skates out next year is actually truly competitive. If they are not, then I wouldn't have invested any more of my money into the club.
This is strange, I have been a Devils fan all these years, yet the last 2 seasons have just been difficult to withstand. I am finding it difficult to get motivated by this team and it as the season appears to be petering out slowly to a 4th place finish I have lost the love.
See what happens.