Stars Vs Devils - CC 1/4F - 8th Dec 21
- Thread starter James
- Start date
About the most entertainment we’ve had from this Devils team all season and it’s an away game! Much rather see old school passion like that than the largely sanitised boring games we’re being served week after week, even if he does get a ban. Even banned he’s going to be no less effective than DuPont.
Said it all about the lack of fight and charisma in this team when the biggest cheer from the crowd last Saturday against our biggest rivals was the announcer telling people to put their masks on.
Said it all about the lack of fight and charisma in this team when the biggest cheer from the crowd last Saturday against our biggest rivals was the announcer telling people to put their masks on.
Thats a tough one to predict, he’s on a 50% ish win rate and second from bottom and they made him GM, so hmmm. In all seriousness, Lord left, maybe on great terms, maybe not, l always thought that if he’s gone on good terms, which publicly seems to be the case, he’d been told the doors open should it not work out. Skalde was always a punt, l said it before the season started that coaches with NHL experience failed to succeed here, we’ve seen Ex NHL’ers fail to shine. That’s sport, sometimes it works well, sometimes not. l also said the Devils without Lord & Lord without the Devils wont work. Skalde needs more time, simple as that, bets are off on whether he can get it back, assuming he’s the sole issue. l didn’t expect much from this season, can it be turned around, sure, will it, who knows. It’s a rollercoaster season.......
Changes should have been made weeks ago. You didn’t need to be a rocket scientist to see that some just aren’t up to it and that’s before you even consider whether the rest have got the balls to do the job. Recruitment this summer was not good enough and the management weren’t prepared to make the necessary changes that many were crying out for, to get us challenging for silverware. This is the most “un Devils like” Devils team I’ve seen. Even when we’ve been crap before, at least we had some fight in us.
If we finish 4th or lower and don’t win a cup I think Skalde’s gone. I’m not saying that’s necessarily what I would do but I think the owners will want a change. The problem Skalde’s got is there are zero signs that he’s building something. Absolutely zero. In my opinion 4 months is enough time to see signs that we are moving in the right direction. Let’s not forget as well he also had 12 months before the season started to study the British game and do everything possible to make sure the Devils were going to be a force. It clearly wasn’t the ideal situation but still we’re not talking about a coach that got the job in July of this year.
Of course a few individuals have been impressive but as far as tactics, team chemistry, team DNA there’s nothing there. And Recruitment has been mediocre at best. The fact we haven’t heard from Steve King for a while speaks volumes in my opinion.
The worry I’ve got is if Skalde isn’t our coach next season will Kelman go for Paul Thompson. It’s no secret that Todd is a big admirer of Thompson and they’re quite pally. I think Thompson is a better coach than some give him credit for but there’s too much history there for me. He’s got too much of an association with Sheffield and Coventry and a lot of fans will never take to him. It’s a risk Kelman and the owners never need to take in my opinion.
Of course a few individuals have been impressive but as far as tactics, team chemistry, team DNA there’s nothing there. And Recruitment has been mediocre at best. The fact we haven’t heard from Steve King for a while speaks volumes in my opinion.
The worry I’ve got is if Skalde isn’t our coach next season will Kelman go for Paul Thompson. It’s no secret that Todd is a big admirer of Thompson and they’re quite pally. I think Thompson is a better coach than some give him credit for but there’s too much history there for me. He’s got too much of an association with Sheffield and Coventry and a lot of fans will never take to him. It’s a risk Kelman and the owners never need to take in my opinion.
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