And it wasn't bad. 7-5 win over the Panties, who despite icing their back up nettie, still looked pretty threatening going forwards.
Big plus from tonight was that when the game got physical (and it did get fairly physical for a 'friendly') our new guys didn't l;ook like they would be pushed around too easily. Seriously, Jacobsen looked like it would take a mountain to move him if he gets set infront of the crease.
And Walker......well, if he carries this form into the regular season, he might get the Team GB call up he desires. Looks like last season has really lit a fire under his arse.
Bad points: The ice. Looked like shite, seemed to play like shite. Far too many odd bounces for my liking, and the patches looked amatuer. Real bush-league stuff. But it was cold in there. Which is good. Might mean the ice holds up better when it has been sorted.
The refs new kits.....oh dear. I can see all kinds of comical problems when teams are wearing black/dark jerseys. The tracky from JJB look just does not work.
Oh, and the Panthers coach parked right in the middle of the carpark. Not the best place to put it, but I'm sure they will be told for next time.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Predictions time......
Yes, everyone does predictions at this stage of the season, but I thought I'd do some that are a bit 'different'.......
Dumbest comment from a club spokesman: This is probably the easiest category to make a prediction for. In terms of 'dumb' comments, one man stands head and shoulders above the rest. He is a titan in the realm of inane banter. A leviathan of boneheadedness. Ladies and gentlemen, I predict that the dumbest 'official' comment will be uttered by none other than Dave 'I bleed teal and orange' Simms.
Most comedic player: This one is a bit tougher. I've narrowed it down to 2 players. And lets be honest, it could only be one of these two. So, take your pick from the 'Pasty' Jeremy Cornish, or the 'Donkey' Andre Payette.
Most irritating, ungrateful little shit: I predict the winner of this particular title will be Mark Thomas. He really is irritating. Seriously. He must have studied Vezio Sacrattini tapes for months to become as irritating as he has. And as for ungrateful, well, he has been known to pass, shall we say, uncomplimentary comments about the Phoenix and its set-up before now (allegedly- Ass covering legal rep). Twat.
Foregone conclusion: My prediction here is thus: Tony Hand to announce he still can't decide if he wants to retire or not at the end of season do. We all know he will 'consider his options', and we all know he will keep on playing.
And finally, a serious one:
League standings come end of season: Squeelers to win the league, Panties to choke, Giants to get off to a flyer then fade, Blaze to be there or thereabouts, Phoenix to improve, Vipers to underachive, Devils to stay pretty much the same, Bison to plod along, Capitals to do better than expected, Stingrays to lose (and fight) a lot.
Dumbest comment from a club spokesman: This is probably the easiest category to make a prediction for. In terms of 'dumb' comments, one man stands head and shoulders above the rest. He is a titan in the realm of inane banter. A leviathan of boneheadedness. Ladies and gentlemen, I predict that the dumbest 'official' comment will be uttered by none other than Dave 'I bleed teal and orange' Simms.
Most comedic player: This one is a bit tougher. I've narrowed it down to 2 players. And lets be honest, it could only be one of these two. So, take your pick from the 'Pasty' Jeremy Cornish, or the 'Donkey' Andre Payette.
Most irritating, ungrateful little shit: I predict the winner of this particular title will be Mark Thomas. He really is irritating. Seriously. He must have studied Vezio Sacrattini tapes for months to become as irritating as he has. And as for ungrateful, well, he has been known to pass, shall we say, uncomplimentary comments about the Phoenix and its set-up before now (allegedly- Ass covering legal rep). Twat.
Foregone conclusion: My prediction here is thus: Tony Hand to announce he still can't decide if he wants to retire or not at the end of season do. We all know he will 'consider his options', and we all know he will keep on playing.
And finally, a serious one:
League standings come end of season: Squeelers to win the league, Panties to choke, Giants to get off to a flyer then fade, Blaze to be there or thereabouts, Phoenix to improve, Vipers to underachive, Devils to stay pretty much the same, Bison to plod along, Capitals to do better than expected, Stingrays to lose (and fight) a lot.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Some pre season promo work....
Spotted this on my way home from work today.
Edited to add on 28/8/08: This poster was on Ducie St. There is also one on Station Approach (on the empty unit between CEX and Cafe Nero), and apparently one is also on Great Ancoats st (presumably on one of the many dereclict shopfronts).
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Wage caps.....
Yup, I'm still on a roll at the minute. Plenty of things for me to write about before the season starts.
So, onto the wage cap issue........
Since its inception, the EIHL has maintained a 'gentlemans agreement' regarding the amount of money its member clubs may spend on players. This has officially been a sum in the region of £210k per annum, give or take a few hundred here or there.
After it became increasingly obvious over the past few seasons that certain clubs were blatantly icgnoring this agreement (allegedly to the tune of 40%), during this summers hiatus, a new wage capping system was drafted and introduced. It should be noted that this was done after a number of EIHL member teams allegedly (that word again) threatend to resign from the league unless action was taken.
Anyways, the new system introduced was this: There are now 2 'tiers' to the wgae cap. Tier 1 has a weekly allowance of £7k and 10 imports. Tier 2 has a cap of £6k and 11 imports.
The idea behand this is that by running with 11 imports (obviously lower paid ), plus 6 or so Brits, the lower budgeted teams would have a roster allowing for '3 line hockey', thus giving themselves a depth of roster which should/would negate the higher budget teams more expensive players.
At least thats the theory. We won't know if it works until the season is done and dusted.
However, some people would like everyone to believe that this is another example of the EIHL trying to wreck British Hockey. And the rationale for this thinking? There will be approximately 6-7 more imports in the game than last season.
Well hold the back page! 6-7 more imports! Ye Gods, the whole of British hockey is doomed!
Not.
For sure, its not an ideal situation. But given that the big clubs were never going to bring their spending down to the level of the smaller ones (and seriously risk losing their grip on the games upper levels), as long as the EIHL is self governed, this compromise id likely to be as good as it gets.
The upshot of this action (which the anti EIHL brigade seem to ignore) is that it could make teams which ahve been essentially whipping boys into something a bit more substantial, which might help these clubs actually get arse on seats and some much needed cash into their coffers.
Got an opinion? Let me know.
So, onto the wage cap issue........
Since its inception, the EIHL has maintained a 'gentlemans agreement' regarding the amount of money its member clubs may spend on players. This has officially been a sum in the region of £210k per annum, give or take a few hundred here or there.
After it became increasingly obvious over the past few seasons that certain clubs were blatantly icgnoring this agreement (allegedly to the tune of 40%), during this summers hiatus, a new wage capping system was drafted and introduced. It should be noted that this was done after a number of EIHL member teams allegedly (that word again) threatend to resign from the league unless action was taken.
Anyways, the new system introduced was this: There are now 2 'tiers' to the wgae cap. Tier 1 has a weekly allowance of £7k and 10 imports. Tier 2 has a cap of £6k and 11 imports.
The idea behand this is that by running with 11 imports (obviously lower paid ), plus 6 or so Brits, the lower budgeted teams would have a roster allowing for '3 line hockey', thus giving themselves a depth of roster which should/would negate the higher budget teams more expensive players.
At least thats the theory. We won't know if it works until the season is done and dusted.
However, some people would like everyone to believe that this is another example of the EIHL trying to wreck British Hockey. And the rationale for this thinking? There will be approximately 6-7 more imports in the game than last season.
Well hold the back page! 6-7 more imports! Ye Gods, the whole of British hockey is doomed!
Not.
For sure, its not an ideal situation. But given that the big clubs were never going to bring their spending down to the level of the smaller ones (and seriously risk losing their grip on the games upper levels), as long as the EIHL is self governed, this compromise id likely to be as good as it gets.
The upshot of this action (which the anti EIHL brigade seem to ignore) is that it could make teams which ahve been essentially whipping boys into something a bit more substantial, which might help these clubs actually get arse on seats and some much needed cash into their coffers.
Got an opinion? Let me know.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
The ice at the Dome....
Wow, I'm on a roll this weekend, ain't I? Anyways on we go......
There was a posting this past week on the official forum from 'Fan Liason' (aka Tambo with his official hat on), which dealt with the significant amount of bitching and moaning on the forum regarding the poor state of the ice in the Dome. Effectively it told, not asked, the fans not to complain on the forum as it caused problems between the club and the rink.
Fair do's.
Problem is, the ice at the Dome is piss poor at best. Holes in open ice, a bloody big gap around the base of the boards, and more liquid water than solid ice most of the time. Hardly condusive to putting on a greta game of hockey.
Now, Fan Liason reccomends complaining direct to the rink. Which we could do, but in all honesty (having seen rink management and staff in action), this would be like pissing in the wind.
Also, the thread has been locked before I could launch one of my infamous rants on it, so I will now address a few points from the posting:
1: ' What people have to remember is that people see the ice at its absolute worst after 500 or so public skaters have done their damdest to cut holes in it or make pretty patterns. When there are these mega skates, it does turn the rink into something resembling a swimming pool but there is no chance for the ice crew to do their job while it is being used in this way ,so they have to wait until after the paying public have gone home. This often means working very late to prepare for the next day. If you go to the dome early morning before the masses I think a lot of you would be pleasantly surprised.'
Err, I'm sure the ice is pretty good at 6am. Problem is, we don't face off til 5.30pm, which is 11.5 hours later....after the '500 or so' public skaters. And as for the staff only being able to work at night....absolute bollocks. Anyone can look at the Domes timetables and see clearly marked times during the day when the staff are supposed to do ice cuts, etc between sessions. This is where the ice marshalls (you know, the teenagers in the Silver Blades jackets having a laugh with their mates who are spraying novice skaters with ice, and flying past them at speed trying to make them fall over) shpould do their job and get everyone off the ice. But they don't. I've even seen one state that they don't want the hassle of people complaining that they are being taken off the ice so the cut can happen...err, its aafter the session has uspposedly finished, moron. Of course, if you have been and arrived st the start of a session, you will often see skaters from the previous session still leaving the ice after the new session has started. Shit, we even had a the doors delayed a few times last season as the Phoenix volunteers were clearing public skaters out, whilst the rinks staff did bugger all.
2: ' I can assure everybody that the staff are working on it nearly every night and are hell bent on providing ice up to the standard required. '
What they should be doing right now is a full melt and relay of the ice pad. The sand base needs releveling, the markings need repainting, and the ice needs freshening. It should not be a case of trying to mend the current ice.
Phew...thats it I think.....for now!
There was a posting this past week on the official forum from 'Fan Liason' (aka Tambo with his official hat on), which dealt with the significant amount of bitching and moaning on the forum regarding the poor state of the ice in the Dome. Effectively it told, not asked, the fans not to complain on the forum as it caused problems between the club and the rink.
Fair do's.
Problem is, the ice at the Dome is piss poor at best. Holes in open ice, a bloody big gap around the base of the boards, and more liquid water than solid ice most of the time. Hardly condusive to putting on a greta game of hockey.
Now, Fan Liason reccomends complaining direct to the rink. Which we could do, but in all honesty (having seen rink management and staff in action), this would be like pissing in the wind.
Also, the thread has been locked before I could launch one of my infamous rants on it, so I will now address a few points from the posting:
1: ' What people have to remember is that people see the ice at its absolute worst after 500 or so public skaters have done their damdest to cut holes in it or make pretty patterns. When there are these mega skates, it does turn the rink into something resembling a swimming pool but there is no chance for the ice crew to do their job while it is being used in this way ,so they have to wait until after the paying public have gone home. This often means working very late to prepare for the next day. If you go to the dome early morning before the masses I think a lot of you would be pleasantly surprised.'
Err, I'm sure the ice is pretty good at 6am. Problem is, we don't face off til 5.30pm, which is 11.5 hours later....after the '500 or so' public skaters. And as for the staff only being able to work at night....absolute bollocks. Anyone can look at the Domes timetables and see clearly marked times during the day when the staff are supposed to do ice cuts, etc between sessions. This is where the ice marshalls (you know, the teenagers in the Silver Blades jackets having a laugh with their mates who are spraying novice skaters with ice, and flying past them at speed trying to make them fall over) shpould do their job and get everyone off the ice. But they don't. I've even seen one state that they don't want the hassle of people complaining that they are being taken off the ice so the cut can happen...err, its aafter the session has uspposedly finished, moron. Of course, if you have been and arrived st the start of a session, you will often see skaters from the previous session still leaving the ice after the new session has started. Shit, we even had a the doors delayed a few times last season as the Phoenix volunteers were clearing public skaters out, whilst the rinks staff did bugger all.
2: ' I can assure everybody that the staff are working on it nearly every night and are hell bent on providing ice up to the standard required. '
What they should be doing right now is a full melt and relay of the ice pad. The sand base needs releveling, the markings need repainting, and the ice needs freshening. It should not be a case of trying to mend the current ice.
Phew...thats it I think.....for now!
Running a hockey team isn't as easy as some folks think....
As is the norm for the summer months, every hockey club in the country has been taking a long hard look at its finances and making important decisions for the forthcoming season as to how much income it needs to meet its expenditure.
The most obvious signifier of the need for most, if not all, teams to increase their cash flow has been the rise in 'game day' ticket prices. Pretty much every EIHL team will be charging more for 'walk up' sales than they will be for pre-booked sales. The amount varies (between £1 and £2 depending on the club), which isn't a whole lot. For most teams this will be an extra couple of hundred quid at the most.
However, to listen to most of the online fanbase, this increase is tantamount to daylight robbery! Fans on forums the length and breadth of the country are up in arms ('How can they do this! It's not fair!'), with a few souls daring to pop their head over the paraphet and defend the action.
Yes, no one likes to see a price increase, but given the rate of inflation, price rises are inevitable. Its a simple equation: increased expenditure = increased income required to maintain status quo. Thats all there is to it. The clubs are not being greedy as some folks suggest. Nor have they taken the decision lightly. They have made a purely financial decision, designed to help them keep on putting a team on the ice week in, week out.
But what pisses me off the most is the sheer number of people who seemingly cannot see this. Some are complaining about the inconvenience of making an advance purchase (which, in my experience is always more convenient than queing up at a box office waiting for them to serve everyone...especially as at most rinks you have to queue outside, which isn't ideal in mid January), some about how it will 'kill the club' (give me a break....most regualr supporters buy in advance or have a season ticket, so won't be affected), and some are just using it to have yet an other pop at the clubs they just don't like.
Fact is running a hockey team is expensive. People have to accept this and move on. I remember the uproar when ticket price moved above £10 (some 8 seasons ago). Then when the moved above £12, and now £15. Prices are what they are. Most clubs offer way of getting cheaper tickets. Move along people
The most obvious signifier of the need for most, if not all, teams to increase their cash flow has been the rise in 'game day' ticket prices. Pretty much every EIHL team will be charging more for 'walk up' sales than they will be for pre-booked sales. The amount varies (between £1 and £2 depending on the club), which isn't a whole lot. For most teams this will be an extra couple of hundred quid at the most.
However, to listen to most of the online fanbase, this increase is tantamount to daylight robbery! Fans on forums the length and breadth of the country are up in arms ('How can they do this! It's not fair!'), with a few souls daring to pop their head over the paraphet and defend the action.
Yes, no one likes to see a price increase, but given the rate of inflation, price rises are inevitable. Its a simple equation: increased expenditure = increased income required to maintain status quo. Thats all there is to it. The clubs are not being greedy as some folks suggest. Nor have they taken the decision lightly. They have made a purely financial decision, designed to help them keep on putting a team on the ice week in, week out.
But what pisses me off the most is the sheer number of people who seemingly cannot see this. Some are complaining about the inconvenience of making an advance purchase (which, in my experience is always more convenient than queing up at a box office waiting for them to serve everyone...especially as at most rinks you have to queue outside, which isn't ideal in mid January), some about how it will 'kill the club' (give me a break....most regualr supporters buy in advance or have a season ticket, so won't be affected), and some are just using it to have yet an other pop at the clubs they just don't like.
Fact is running a hockey team is expensive. People have to accept this and move on. I remember the uproar when ticket price moved above £10 (some 8 seasons ago). Then when the moved above £12, and now £15. Prices are what they are. Most clubs offer way of getting cheaper tickets. Move along people
Songs in the key of Phoenix...
Hopefully, this is the first of many 'Songs..' posts. The aim is quite simple: Songs which could/should/are used by the Phoenix, which relate in some way (however tenuous) to the club.
Entry #1: 'Firehouse' by Kiss.
Why? Because I always thought that the Dome should ahve a nickname like 'the Firehouse', or 'The Pyre', in keeping with the whole 'Phoenix' theme. And it rocks. 'Call the Firehouse, whoo hoo, YEAH!'
Entry #1: 'Firehouse' by Kiss.
Why? Because I always thought that the Dome should ahve a nickname like 'the Firehouse', or 'The Pyre', in keeping with the whole 'Phoenix' theme. And it rocks. 'Call the Firehouse, whoo hoo, YEAH!'
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Looking forwards to the new season.
Well, tis but a week til the pre season games, then the 2008-2009 EIHL season will be underway.
And I'm damn happy that the EIHL is still around. Sure, it ain't perfect (far from it infact), but it functions. And Its lasted longer than certain elements of the British hockey fraternity expected/wanted it to.
Plus, I'm positive for the Phoenix. The signings made look good. Neil seems confident (or did when i saw him in Ikea). All we need now are a few simple things....like decent ice at the Dome. And better tactics than 'get the puck to Tony and see what he can set up'. Hopefully, with us running enough imports for 3 lines, the Brit lads will come on some more during the season, as seeing them on the ice always lifts the crowd.
And I'm damn happy that the EIHL is still around. Sure, it ain't perfect (far from it infact), but it functions. And Its lasted longer than certain elements of the British hockey fraternity expected/wanted it to.
Plus, I'm positive for the Phoenix. The signings made look good. Neil seems confident (or did when i saw him in Ikea). All we need now are a few simple things....like decent ice at the Dome. And better tactics than 'get the puck to Tony and see what he can set up'. Hopefully, with us running enough imports for 3 lines, the Brit lads will come on some more during the season, as seeing them on the ice always lifts the crowd.
New season, new look.
Yup. The Pyre is now a blog. And the reason for this? I got tired of updating the old style site, and it was looking very tired.
Give me a while and I'll have the domain (thepyre.icefans.co.uk) pointing here. Honest. I'm not that lazy......often.
Give me a while and I'll have the domain (thepyre.icefans.co.uk) pointing here. Honest. I'm not that lazy......often.
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