Sharp gets a 2 game ban!

According to the official forum, and taken from a poster who asked NM what was going on:

"1. Sharp is suspended for two games - this one and the MK game. 
2. The League have seen the fan video that was posted on YouTube or wherever and have decided that the suspension is appropriate. 
3. The Club are not happy with the decision and have asked the League to review it. "

So Andrew Sharp has been banned base dona  video review of a YOUTUBE clip? What the fuck?

I wouldn't mind if it was a proper video review involving the official match DVD, but a leaked (as it was clearly taken from our centre ice camera), incomplete video clip of the incident posted on fucking YOUTUBE? Once again the powers that be in British ice hockey prove beyond all shadow of a doubt they are about as professional as, well, amatuers really.

Fucking YOUTUBE, seriously?

Smackdown!

So, it finally happened. Andrew Sharp finally got his maiden fights under his belt as a Phoenix player.

And judging from the reaction, people either loved it or hated it!

Lets quicky cover what went down:

1st fight. Sharp and Payette have a little scrap. Payette seems to 'jump' Sharp, but the both exchange blows before Sharp pulls Payettes jersey over his head, and Payette wretles Sharp to the ice. Some folks are edging this to Payette based on the takedown, me? I'm calling it a draw.

2nd fight: This is where it gets interesting. Payette is out on the ice, agitiating, he spends an entire shift trying to draw a Phoenix player who isn't called Andrew Sharp into a fight, finally settling on Tony 'Killer' Hand. To do this he literally grabs Tonys stick and refuse to let go as they drift towards the benches for a line change. Tony looks a bit pissed off by this, and after about 10 or so seconds of Payettes juvenile bullshit motions that Sharp is to replace him on the line change. Now this is where stories diverge a bit. Frtom my vantage point Payette clearly sees (and hears) Tony call Sharp onto the ice, and given his experience knows what is about to happen. Sharp is coming onto the ice purely to throw some fists Mr Payettes way. For reasons known only to himself, as Sharp rushes at him, Payette decides to half turn away and 'turtle' the fight (ala Jamieson last season against Payette). all this results in is Sharp landing a monster blow which drops Payette immediately. Rather stupidly Sharp then aims a few puches at the prone Payette, before being dragged off. Tony gives him a little bollocking for being a bit too rough. Sharp isn't happy, but heads straight to the locker room as the ref indicates he is to do so. (Icidentally, people closer to the action thatn myslef heard Sharp trying to get payette to man up and 'Fucking fight' instead of turtle, and others claim the punches were actually Sharp trying to pull Payette back to his feet). Payette lies there like he has been knocked into next week.

Then something odd happens. Sharp is brought back out, and put into the penalty box, to serve just a 2+2. Payette has suddenly recovered and beigns a Benny Hill-esque attempt to chase the ref around the ice, almost hitting a lino at least once. Payette racks up an impressive penalty call of 2 + 2 + 10 + Game + Match, mostly for abuse of an official. Naughy boy.

Oh, and we won 7-0. But that seems to be secondary.

Plenty of folks enjoyed the fights (I know I did, nowt gets the blood up like some fists flying. Not that i want to see it every fucking game, but every so often it has to be done), and plenty didn't. I certainly heard comments to the effect that 'we don't need/want that in hockey'. And plenty of folks though Sharp was out of order for his 'suckerpunch' on Payette.

Now, I'm sorry, but Payette knew what was coming. No questions. He tried to pull a turtle, and it didn't work. Far worse from my viewpoint was his pathetic petulance after the fact, chasing the ref, etc. If he had used the brain he was born with he would have had a 2+2 just like Sharp, and a chance to take his 'revenge' if he so wished. Instead, he acted like a spoilt brat who has had his favorite toy taken away from him. Hardly the best example to a bench full of young Brits who need guidance from a sebior player (and make no mistake, at the Steeldogs Payette is the senior player).

And from a 'tough guy' perspective, Payette lost his pissing contest with Sharp on Sunday. He'll come back for another tilt, mark my words, and Sharp will probably come off a stand up fight worse. But I don't see a 'stand up' fight. I see some pathetic tit for tat revenge attack. Which could be very bad news indeed.

But just to re-iterate, we won 7-0. And we looked very comfortable and smooth in doing it. Bring on Jan 2nd!

Things are getting better.

So, whilst we haven't exactly been playing with the style and fluidity of the early part of the season, things are picking up. And just in time too, with Guildford coming back to the Dome on Saturday. Banging 6 past the Bees will have given the lads a bloody good boost to their morale, and seeing Huppe play like he is will boost that even further.

Which is good. And what is also good is that Andrew Sharp coming in seems to have boosted the confidence of the Brit lads in terms of their physical play. The number of big hits has risen noticeably since his arrival, and about fucking time too! I was starting to get flashbacks to last season where we were all too easily out muscled near the boards. Not any more hopefully.

And Harabin... what a fucking peach Mr Hand got us there! I have rarely seen a player work as hard as he does every shift. He hits hard, holds his position well, and isn't afraid to give some verbal (or hand gestures) to players he has taken a disliking too during the course of a game. Just wait for the fireworks when he next meets Tubby Boy (aka Nicky Chinn). That will be a corker if Harabin decides he fancies a bit. Which I've been told he very well might. And to top it all, his end to end goal on Sunday... stunning!

Back to Mr Sharp, who has only really slipped up once in the manner in which we were 'warned' about, on Sunday. Although reports from ice level suggest that it was another case of an opposition player talking shite, then shitting a brick when Sharp asked them for a dance. He'll get a chance soon enough, mark my words (I'm looking at you, Payette). Other than that he has been reliable for the most part, and is surely due a goal if h can keep finding those gap in front of goal.

And finally, to finish up this surprisingly polite and calm posting, I'd like to thank Five Minute Majors Becky aka ladyhathaway) for making the fine birthday cake I received on Sunday. I enjoyed it, Mrs. Learned enjoyed it, the Barmy Bunch enjoyed it, Russ did, and Caz & Ang too! Hell, we all enjoyed it! And yes, I am officially as miserable old bastard now (like I wasn't before).

See y'all Saturday (and Sunday too)!

OK...I've been beyond lazy...

Yes, I haven't done an update since the start of the month. What can I say? I'm a busy guy with loads of other stuff going on (and believe me, writing one 500 word match report on a Monday evening is enough. There is no fucking way I'm gonna try and do two of the fuckers).

Anyhooos, what can i say about the past couple of weeks activity in the Dome? Well, lets see:

Being beaten by the Bison when we had the game won... Yup, we stole a defeat cleanly from the jaws of victory. And it fucking hurt. Especially after the muppet known as Wiggins had totally failed in his quest to draw a scrap out of the Phoenix players (hmm, hitting a player in the face when he won't fight you...thats a samrt move. Not.). Of course, afetr calling Mr Wiggind a muppet on THF, I was meerly being a 'sore loser'. Naturally I explained myself (more than once): Wiggins will always be a muppet in my eyes, as long as he keeps on acting like one, whether we win or lose against the Bison.

And to follow that...

Andrew Sharp joins the Phoenix. I'll freely admit that my first reaction was 'What the fuck? has Tony started to go a bit senile?'. Then I thought about it a bit. Sharpy ahs a rep for being a bit 'wild' shall we say, which might just work in our favour. After all, who's going to try and, oh say slash a player of the puck (Tubby Boy from dahn sarf, I'm looking at you!), when you know that Sharpy will just come onto the ice and try and ring your bell with his fists? It will certainly make a fair few of the leagues agitators/'hard men' think twice. (but please, Gods of hockey, let Sharpy twat the Greeners, preferably into the middle of next season). And being fair, if any coach can control Sharp, its Tony. He controlled Anglestad, Cloots, and Payette easily enough. Which brings me to my next point of interest...

Payette joins the Steeldogs. Which means Sundays game over on the wrong side of the hills should be a bit tasty. I'll stick me neck out and say there will be at least 1 bout of fisticuffs in iceSheffield. Dont want to call the winner though.

Thankfully from a non fighting perspective a semblance of normailty reigned this past weekend as we won our home game, if in a slightly nervy manner. The lads were/are clearly a bit down, so hopefully a return to winning ways will perk them up a bit.

Hell, it better, as I'm getting seriously pissed off with going home miserable. It don't exactly keep the missus happy.

See you all on Saturday, peeps. I can't fucking wait.

Yes, its the fortnightly update...

So, the bulk of this update is going to cover the game against Guildford. Yes, we lost, and yes, it was a silly 5 minute spell in the 2nd period which lost it for us. For the first time this season we got caught napping, and were made to pay the price. And yes, it was shit to be on the wrong end of the scoreline. C'est la vie.

Mind you, for most of the rest of the game we looked pretty comfortable, so I ain't gonna worry my pretty self just yet.

No, for my money the main talking points were the officiating and Guildfords nettie, Hala.

So, the officiating... Is it too much to ask for some fucking consistency from the men (and women) in the stripey jerseys? On Sunday it was pretty apparent that Boardman just wasn't quite up to reffing a game as important as 1st vs 2nd in the league. He either made no calls at all for some pretty obvious infringements, or made calls which seemingly made no sense, then applied a different criteria to a similar incident seconds (or minutes) later. Example: Pasha got himself a 10 minute abuse of official misconduct for swearing at the ref when a Guildford forward pushed our nets off deliberatley. He appeared to say very few words, and wa sent to the bin before anyone knew what was going on. According to one fan who lip reads, Pasha quite literally said 1 'abusive' word (I'm assuming something along the lines of fuck, shit, bastard, or the c-bomb... cunt. They didn't specify) which was enough. Minutes later, as Guildford rather excessively lobbied for our 3rd goal to be disallowed (more on this later), Longdstaff and Hala certainly said much more to Boardman, which drew no call whatsoever. WHich, in my book is a lack of consistency. If you penalise 1 team for abusive language, you have to penalise the other team when they use it too. Thank fuck I don't paly. I'd be getting misconducts every fucking game, motherfuckers.

And now onto Hala. On Sunday night he displayed some quite frankly disgusting unsportsmanlike behaviour. Firstly he appeared to take Wallaces skates out from under him (or thats what it looked like from my vantage point) as he was try to shoot (which could have been nasty, but wasn't). Then he kicked the goals off the moorings on our 3rd goal, very obviously on purpose, which thankfully Boardman did see, and gave the gaol anyways, giving us fans a couple of minutes to watch Guildford almost spontaneously combust with rage. During this Hala also threw his stick, which he should have recieved a penalty for. It was a pointless tantrum in the end, and only served to make him look like an idiot. Following that he then tried to fake an injury in a most bizarre manner.

Hala threw his blocker into the air (I swear it went 6 fucking feet straight up), then dropped to the ice like Nani in the penalty box, clutching his wrist in agony. Within seconds the fine display of the thespian arts ended as he realised that the ref was stood next to him and wasn't giving jack shit for his hsitrionics. Hala then got up, popped hsi blocker back on, and set for the face off as if he had just taken a moment to have a sip of water. Again, no call against him either, which pissed me and quite a few others off immensely.

The sad thing is, thse actions late in the game spolt what was for me a great dislpay of netminding from Guildford. He didn't need to do it, and was acting like an idiot frankly.

Hmm, not as sweary as I thought I'd be this time. Methinks I need more beer... now where's that fucking bottle opener....

Lets look at the last 2 weeks...

Yes, I've gotten lazy with the blog.... but thats because its fucking tough to write match reports on here, however irreverant, and do them for the match night programme (which you all buy just to read my wonderfull 500ish words each week, right?).

However, I'm going to try harder, honest!

Anyways, what can I say about the last couple of weeks? Should I praise the frankly stunning 1st line? Or the wonderfully solid looking D? Or the overall cohesion of the team? Nah, fuck it, I'll just witter on about how much I'm enjoying the teams performances overall.


Seriously, its been a long fucking time since we saw a team this damn good bearing the Manchester name. All the way back to the championship winning Storm team of the last century, in fact. The guys all look like they are enjoying themselves out there, and that enjoyment is infectious (at least for most folks). I mean, how outrageously good is Marcus Kristofferson? And Huppe? And Harabin? And Ben Fucking Wood. If he carries on, he has to be a shoo in for 'most improved player' come the seasons end. Some of his stick handling on Sunday was way beyond the quality that many expect of young Brit players. Well fuck them. It shows you what can happen when a lad is given a chance to show he belongs on the roster.


And I can't wait for the bar re-furb to be completed... draft beer finally. Probably more expensive, mind, but what the fuck are you going to do?


Oh yeah, and Foneys injury looked awesomely gross. It wasn't so much a 'gash' as a fucking big hole. I swear you can see bone in his pictures of it. I did feel sorry for young Mr Brown though. I'm sure his pants became a similar colour to his surname once he realised that Foney was going to need to leave the ice. Poor lad. But major kudos to him for having the balls to step up.


Right, thats enough swearyness for this time. See y'all at the rink Saturday.

That was fun...

Ok, so Im a lazy bastard and I didn't blog last weeks game. Suffice to say I left the rink very chuffed with another solid victory behind the team.

Anyways, on to this past weekends visit by MK... Phew, that was a tasty 1st period wasn't it? Tony 'Killer' Hand taking young Mr McPherson and giving him an almighty arse kicking, for the 2nd time. Jesus, you'd think he would have learnt last time: DO NOT FUCK WITH TONY HAND. HE WILL KICK YOUR ARSE. Which he did. Pretty conclusively. Altogether now: 'You got beat by an old age pensioner!'

Mind you, that decision wasn't as mind numbingly dumb-ass as his next one. Slashing the legs out from under Marcus Kristofferson at a face off...before the puck was fucking dropped. Not quite sure what he hoped to achive by doing that, except getting himself an early shower (hey, maybe he wanted all the hot water to himself)? And he was obviously not finished, as he had to be manhandled into the MK locker room (and allegedly made threats to Marcus Kristoffersons safety next time they meet. Alegedly, mind you).

Other than that, this was pretty good game, despite both teams indulging in the 'black arts' at times. Late checks, holding, hooking, eye rakes...it was almost WWE at times. But the goals were good. Our first line is simply amazing. The 5th goal was as perfect a phase of passing play as you will likely ever see at the Dome. Seriously, it was that fucking good. And given they guys on the line, I think the rest of the EPL will find it a very difficult line to shut down. Not that it matters, as the Brit lads on the other lines are more than holding their own.

Can't wait for Sundays game already. This is a good thing.

It has returned!

Yes, the new season has begun, and I'm back behind the keyboard!

Ok, so the game was almost a week ago, but I've been busy, what with working, writing game reports for the match night programme (which you have all read, right?), and doing stuff for the Supporters Club (join us!). But, here we are, so on we go....


Not that was a fucking brilliant way to start the season. A win at B'Stoke (always a tricky trip), then a nice 3-0 shutout of the Slough Jets in our own barn. Call it a small measure of revenge for last seasons play-off semi final loss, eh? And even though its early doors, I'm damned impressed with how the team is looking. The overall balance seems to be better, with more of the sqaud willing to play both ways, jumping up on the break, and tracking back when required.

And the first line... dear gods, they look awesome. Hand/Huppe/Kristofferson. Those names will scare the shit out of other teams in the coming months, which means I expext them to be targeted by every 'tough guy' in the league. Indeed, Sluff tried it with the Greener Sisters, sorry Brothers, but to no avail. And I have heard that Mr Wiggins is coming looking for a barney on Sunday, so I am expecting some fireworks there. And when it comes to toughness, we look pretty tough ourselves this season. Kristoffeson looks big and capable of handling himself, and Mr Holland... well, he certainly is a tough little S.O.B., isn't he? Cracking scrap in the 'friendly' against the Steeldogs, the first of many I'm sure.

And having had a little chat with BT at the open training session, I am as convinced as he is that the D is much, much more solid this season. Having the second import back there provides a better balance, which of course will help BT keep the puck out of the net, as a stronger D will give up fewer shots on goal.

So, bring on the Bison. I can not fucking wait. Ah... I love hockey season.

It's coming.....

Yes, the first full on update to this here blog type thing will be coming very soon. Y'know, like after the Steeldogs game. Or maybe something before it. I aint decided yet.

Oh, and keep an eye out for my debut piece in the match night programme.

It's been a loooong time, hasn't it?

Yes, it's been a bloody long time since I updated the Pyre. And yes, I am a lazy bastard, and thats why!

Actually, thats not really true. Truth of the matter is I've been a very busy boy. As you all know from the previous entry, I now do some work for the club (which currently dose not take up too much time, but I am pretty damn sure it will once the season begins). Now I can add to that the fact that I was successful in becoming a member of the Supporters Club Board. Yes folks, I got voted in! I know, I know, there must have been something in the water for that to happen, but nevertheless, happen it did.

So, with that in mind, I have been quite busy, talking to other SC board members, and working out just what the fuck I will be doing for the SC (beyond swearing less in public). Well, as it stands, I'm going to be responsible for pretty much the same as I am for the club, plus I'm also going to be the head of the new Block Reps team, and a few other sundry items to boot.

Now, where does this leave this esteemed publication? Well, once the season starts it will be pretty much business as usual. I shall endeavour to continue with my irreverant and sometimes sweary look at the Phoenix, plus anything else that takes my fancy (such as the shit storm going down on the other side of the Hills...more on that soon). So, despite what some folks seem to think I have NOT been gagged by the club. HURRAH!

Off season round up #1

So, whats going down, then.....

Well, the roster is looking good. 12 Brits already (11 if Farmer gets a spot in the US from his trial), some solid new names (Duggan, Holland), and a good core of returnees (Boothroyd and both Woods stand out for me). Foney has been given another season to prove himself, which I feel is the least we could do given the circumstances (playing whilst seriously injured). All we need to do now is sort out some quality imports....

Off ice, there are some interesting changes. The new sponsors block has caused a few upsets, but the club has in all fairness done everything it can to lessen the impact, including offering a free upgrade to the all new 'Gold Seating' block. Which is another new development at the rink. Comfy seats, private bar... for £2 extra a game. And by all accounts its proving popular.

And the off ice staff has had a change too, with a new addition to the team...ME!

Yes, I have joined the team as the 'internal communications officer'. Which means that its my job to do all the stuff that Tambo used to do as Fan Liason (plus a little bit more). So, anyone got any gripes, or quations they want answering through the forum, or on match nights, ask me (or expect me to answer them at any rate). And don't worry, the blog will continue. Oh yes, it will continue.... On top of that i will also be working as a 'Block rep' on match nights.

And finally, I am standing for election to the Supporters Club board on June 3rd too, so come down to the meeting (Cresta Court Hotal, Thurs 3rd June, for a 7.30pm start) and vote. And don't worry if you are not a SC member, as you can join on the night. Christ on a bike, I'm going to be busy!

Rumours (again)....

I shall resist the 'Fleetwood Mac' joke this time.

So, here is a little round up of the rumours circulating the Phoenix in the post-palyoff wilderness:

Ross Dalgliesh to join us from Nottingham. Apparently we are looking at a 'fiesty' young Brit with 3 seasons EIHL experience behind him. Dalgliesh fits the bill, so his name has surfaced. Could be a good signing if he does pitch up in the Dome.

Doug McIver to join us from Peterborough. He has admitted on his Twitter account that an EPL side has expressed an interest in his services for next season. And he's mates with Brett Clouthier... Would be good if Payette didn't/wasn't asked to come back.

And the apparently Walker and Jaakko have been approached by us, but both want to 'asses their future' before signing on the line. Or to put it another way, they both want to see who else is willing to take them on, and how much they are willing to pay. Which is fair. One of these guys would be a huge loss, the other... meh. You decide which is which.

Now THAT was a weekend to remember! (Part 2)

So, where were we?

Oh yeah....

Sunday:

Well, Sunday got off to a fairly quiet (and late-ish) start, with yet another meander around Coventry. I swear every time me and Russ went for a walk, we found another fucking shopping mall... anyways, we made our way to the Wetherspoons again, for a gentle start to the day (big assed glass of coke), where we bumped into Matt and Becky once more. After a very pleasent little chat (about the usual hockey-politik), we were joined by Caz, Ang, and Nathan. Whilst everyone else had brekkie, with the intent of going to watch the U18s game, me and Russ nursed our drinks until the lunch menu started.

At this point, everyone else left for the rink, and me and Russ tucked into possibly the worst excuse I have ever had for a chicken dinner. Seriously, it was awful, like some weird creature had vomited up a chicken, and then it was dried off until not an ounce of moisture was left. Even the IceDomes burgers would have been more appetizing.

Anyways, we eventually made our way down to the rink, and saw, ooooh, about 30 seconds of the U18s game, before we heeded the call of the beer, and set up shop in Crosbys for a nice relaxed afternoon....

Oh, who the fuck am I kidding? We went into Crosbys and proceeded to drink. Rather a lot. Some of the Phoenix players were there, enjoying the hospitality of the bar. Chief amongst them were Lacho (who was quite amazingly drunk, and very proud of his hideous new hoodie), Ryan Johnston (pissed and in a cheeky mood, and Fone (who was being quite quiet... most unlike a netminder).

To save a few blushes, I shall now give a precis of some of the afternoons events:

Lacho got more pissed.
Ryan got more pisssed.
I got dragged into the middle of a players photo (by Ryan)
Quite a few of us had a bash at the 'punchbag machine' (The winner was Tony Jones).
Mikey hurt himself on the punchbag (to the hilarity of everyone else).
Ryan did 'The Fish'.
I broke up what was almost a bar fight (I know, I know, I'm usually the cause of the fights).

And no-one watched any hockey. At all. Although poor old Lacho (who was claiming to have been up all night) kept getting sent to chack the score.

I also had a nice little chat with ex-Phoenix play Rhys McWilliams. Nice lad. Seems to be happier than he was at our place, so good for him. Definately lost weight.

After the final finished, the bar seemed to empty pretty fast (which I felt was odd). However, at this point I did actually get to watch some hockey when a group of us went to see the reccy practise/game taking place in the rink. Poor old Wheeler was playing, and we decided to treat him like a star, with cheers and everything. Eventually, Caz and Ang went to Crosbys again, whilst I found myself once more with Matt and Becky.

Once the reccy game was done, we decamped to the Old Windmill (minus Russ, Caz, Ang, and Nathan) for more drinkies. Until the kicked us out at about midnight-ish. Much like the previous night, there were jokes, stories, and a little bit of debate (I fully admit to being questioned over a number of isssues, and trying my hardest not to argue with people, which i think I did quite well for me). As the night wore on, we were joined (for last orders) by Caz and Ang. Which was nice.

Funniest moment of the night came after we left the Old Windmill, when Wheeler managed to walk, boolck first into a wall mounted cigatette bin.And yes, I took a photo.

The 4 remaining nutters (ie me, Becky, Matt, and Wheeler) made it back to Crosbys for one last drink, then folks, after a little chat with the Bracknell fans who were the only other folks left, that Im afraid to say was that....

Monday:

Monday was a nice quiet day. A brief chat in Wetherspoons with Becky and Matt (spot a pattern here?), after the chavviest breakfast ever in McDs. Seriously, there was an entire family in Chav uniform, even down to the blingtastic (or shite as I prefer to call them) sequin adorned baseball caps.

We then meandered our way to the train station where we bumped into more Phoenix Reprobates, then began the long, sad train ride home.

Bring on next season....This was just the warm up. Coventry, you have been warned!

And being serious for a minute, I just want to thank everyone who made the weekend so damn special:

Russ, Caz, Ang, and Nathan (Every home game, you guys make it fun)
Matt, Becky, and Paul (Damn, they were some fun times)
Mags, Brenda, Cath, Linzie, Paul, Carla, Dave, et al.
Pete C, Buzz Bee, Ashley, and far too many others (you guys make it better than the EIHL weekend).
And everyone I've forgot.
And lastly, the players of the 2009-2010 Manchester Phoenix. You exceeded our expectations, and did us proud. We'll hopefully see a lot of you guys in September.

Now THAT was a weekend to remember! (Part 1)

Ok, so the end result wasn't what we all really wanted (Well done Slough....there, I said it), but god-damn, that was a fucking awesome weekend of hockey, booze, and acting like an idiot (one of my specialities).

So, lets have a vaguely chronological rundown of what the hell happened:

Friday:

So, Friday began when I met some of my fellow reprobates (Caz, Ang, Russ, and Nathan) in the Wetherspoons on Piccadilly gardens. I was the last to arrive at 11.45, and with our train leaving at 12.27, there was just time to squeeze in a swift pint before headin on up to the train station (via Sainsburys for some 'road beers').

The trip down was eventful. We drank beer, played cards, and his our valuables when the travellers got on the train. Hell, Nathan even almost got into a fight when one of them called him 'four eyes'..which was actually damned near hilarious, given that the traveller in question was wearing a pair of glasses himself. Thankfully, before the carrige could errupt into violence (or guffaws) we had to disembark at sunny Coventry.

We then separated for a while as we went to our differing hotels. The Ramada was the hostelry of choice for myself and Russ. And what a damn fine location. A 'Scream' student pub next door, and 5 takeways opposite the hotle doors. Result. Dropped the bags off in the room, then it was swiftly on to the pub next door (the Aardvark) for a burger and beer combo. Which was damned nice for £3.75.

After that it was into Coventry itself for a bit of an explore, before settlling into 'Crosbys' for a few more beers (spotting a pattern yet, folks?).

The evening was spent exploring the bars of Coventry, including a rather interesting place inside an old church. Which was nice, if damned expensive...and beer with an ABV of 8%? YES PLEASE! After a detour to The Glasshouse (and a few apperances by the crazy move known only as 'The Fish') for a single beer split 8-ways after Brendas whipround (yes, we found even more reprobates, including Brenda, Linzie and Paul), it was on to Spon Street.

We eventually settled on the wonderful pub known as The Old Windmill. Where I headbutted a low hanging light fitting (an occupational hazard when you are over 6 and a half feet tall).

And I don't want to scare anyone, but we were all back in our hotels for about 11! I know, it's scarcely believable, but its fucking true. Pizza from over the road, then bed time for Robb and Russ (Damn, that sounds wrong).

Saturday:

So, after rising at the ungodly hour of 8am, Russ and I took a stroll around Coventry centre properly, locating the Wetherspoons pub we craved for a swift breakfast and coffee fix. Caz, Ang, and Nathan joined us at this point, and the drinking began. after we were all fed (and a bizarre incident involving a random old geezer just sitting next to me and Russ whilst we were eating), it was off to Crosbys (again), for an afternoon of beer and hockey (in that damn order).

Upon arriving at Crosbys, we set about drinking and enjoying ourselves. We were joined during the build up to the game by Ashley and his missus (whose name escapes me for the moment). For those who don't know, Ashley is 'Bud The Bison', the Basingstoke mascot, and was effectively 'on loan' tou us for the weekend, whether he wanted to be or not!

Pretty soon, people such as Tambo, Richard Allan, Brenda, et al began appearing, and for a while it was all bout the Phoenix and Bison as we pretty much took over Crosbys for an hour or two.

Comedy highlight of the build up to the first game was Tony Jones and Mikey turning up in Ed Courtenay jerseys and long, flowing blonde wigs. Naturally, much alcohol was consumed.

as for the first semi...well, it was a tepid affair if I'm honest, which I really didn't expect at all.

Then we began the final countdown towards our date with destiny. A rather fun and humerous bit of back and forth banter and chanting began in Crosbys during the wait between our very own Choir Boys, and some of the Bracknell contingent. This certainly helped relax some of the Phoenix Fans who were pretty much full of nerves at this point (and beer). Then it was time...

And we came so fucking close. Slough performed an act of robbery more audacious than even Ronnie Biggs could concieve of, managing a 2-1 win, despite being convincingy outshot. And this game was played like a paly off semi. Full of hard hits, played at a frankly stunning pace, and backed up with at time some of the loudest crowd noise I have ever heard at a hockey match. Sure, we went a quiet in the 2nd period, as nerves took hold, but the volume we generated in the 1st period, and towards the end of the 3rd was truly fucking epic. We screamed, we shouted, we sang our hearts out... but it wasn't enough.

The end of the game was a touch fractious, as when the hooter went, Andre Payette tried to get hold of one, or both of the Greener Brothers (or the little shits as I prefer to call them). Then in a move of true 'class' the Slough coach ran across the ice to his fans like he had won the fucking Stanley Cup.

Credit to the boys though, despite the fact that they were clearly all upset, Payette lined them all up for one last 'wave' before leaving the ice. And I swear he was crying (or at least damned close to doing so).

And for everyones edification, I shall now repeat what i said in the bar after the game:

FUCK. FUUUUUCK. FUUUUUUUUUCK! fuck.

AFter that there was only one course of action available... drink like there was no tomorrow (which, in a way there wasn't). o we had a beer in Crosbys, but when the door staff started letting the Chavs in, we buggered off to the Windmill, accompanied for the evening by Five Minute Majors Matt and Becky (aka Mattski93 and ladyhathaway), plus on loan Blaze fan, and writer of the Breakaway Blog, Paul Wheeler. Once firmly ensconced within the pub, we were swiftly joined by Ashley and his lovely missus (whose name I still can not fucking remember..aaarrrgh!)once more, and we set about having some fun.

And we did. There was beer, a glowing purple furry wand (which was used to dreate some truly filthy photos...they are on facebook for people to find), some glowsticks, a telling off from some Scimitars fans (they didn't like the general swearyness going on... well, tough shit, peeps), and some very nice bikers from the Coffin Scratchers Motorcycle Club). This was a truly epic night. I saw some new sights (such as a drunken Becky...now that was funny), some disturbing ones (if that truly is Pauls wanking face....ewww!), and drank a metric fuckload of beer (yes, its a real measurement).

And I think I'll detail Sundays goings on next time.

We're going to Coventry!

Oh yes.

The Phoenix are going to Coventry.

YES!

Phew, err, where was I?

Oh yes, Sundays game.

So, the Phoenix came into Sundays game on the back of a 3-3 tie in the first leg down at Potty, looking to bag a home win and an inaugural trip to the EPL Finals weekend. And they only bloody well did it! The game was possibly the most tense game I have witnessed in many seasons, with both sets of fans kept on the edge of their seats right down to the final buzzer.

Much of the game was played at a frenetic pace, with the play shifting from one zone to the other exceedingly quickly. The games highlights were a simply beautiful opening goal from the Phoenix, easily the best I have seen in the Dome. Just wait for the video. Its that fucking good. really. And the other major highlight was Payettes masive hit on MacIver in the first period. And I mean massive. If it had been an open ice hit, MacIver would have been sent flying. No shit.

And, for me, it was fitting that the GWG came from a Brit. There was something poetic about it, especially given just how well the lads had coped with the pressure (thanks to Wardells ususal standard of officiating...ie shite). And when that goal went in....jesus christ on a bike, the noise was unbelieveable. There was shouting, chanting, screaming, crying...the works. Although it was a bloody tense last couple of minutes, especially when P'Boro pulled Wall for the extra attacker.

But we fucking did it!

You might get something more coherent from me about this later in the week. I'm too happy.

The only downers to last night were Wardells piss poor officiating. Shit, the linos had to tell him to call a delay of game on P'Boro for an incredibly obvious deliberate shooting of the puck off the ice and over the plexi. And he was the same for both teams, mind. Infact, over the course of the season the only thing consistent about his calls were there inconsistency. Prick.

Oh, and the rink ran out of booze at the start of the 2nd period break. Not good management methinks.

Bring on Coventry next weekend. The Phoenix are coming to get you....

And the regular season is..... done!

So, this past weekend saw the boys play out the regular season, and it was very much a case of mixed fortunes.

On Saturday, we got a hiding from Swindon. 10-2. And by all accounts, TH was pissed off, big time, by the lack of performance put in by the team. And I'm betting a coach with faulty air-con and a arse of a driver didn't help (apparently, he made the people due to be dropped off in town get off at Alty as he 'hadn't been told' there was a drop off in town... which was at odds with what had been booked).

So on to Sunday, and we were faced with a delay. Initially, the game was delayed for an hour, as Bracknell had broken down near Oxford and were waiting for a replacement bus. The game actually eventually faced off 2 hours late, but I guess these things just can not be avoided. And it was niceto get to meet some of the Bracknell fans in the Station pub beforehand. Nice bunch of people.

Now, onto the game...

It finished 10-1. Which was nice.

In all honesty, the game was over within the first 2 mins, by which point Bracknell had conceded 2 quickfire goals. From that point, I just could not see any other result than a Phoenix win. NAd we played some nice hockey, laying 50 shots down on the Bracknell goal. I will freely admit to not really watching the 3rd period, as I was talking to Becky about a few things, but I never enjoy watching 1 sided games anyway.

And we had a damned good crowd in. A contingent of nearly 400 Scouts boosted the crowd to one of a simialr size to the famous MKL game, putting near enough 1200 butts in seats. Which was nice.

And now we get the play offs. 2 games against Peterborough to decide who gets sent to Coventry (hang on... isn't being 'sent to Coventry' normally a bad thing?) for the Finals Weekend. hould be close, but I think we will edge it over the 2 legs.

And a little rant at this point.

Some Phoenx fans, instead of being at the Dome, supporting their own club are insted goign to the EIHL playoffs. WHY? The club needs you here, watching them, not down in Nottingham watching games you have no vested interest in. Priorities somewhat skewed, n'est pa?

Is it possible for a win to be boring?

Of course, the title is purely rhetorical, as the answer is clearly yes.

Poor Romford. They started the game quite brightly, but once they were behind, it was goodnight Vienna. Not that they gave up, far from it, its just that the now Big Ed less Phoenix looked like they really wanted to bury this game stone cold dead. Even Adam Summerfield got some more ice time, once the scoreline was sufficient enough.

And credit to Tony for having the lads lessen the pressure when Romford sent little Frankie Sabine out to man the goal. Nothing would have been achieved by blasting another 7 or 8 past the lad, other than his total embarassment and humiliation.

But it did get boring. Given that the result was pretty much a given by the 2nd period face off, I spent most of the 3rd having a lovely little chat with Mags about how the season has gone.

I alos had a very polite chat with Neil Morris about a few things, including my intention to apply for the new job of Communications Officer at the supporters club. I might get it, I might not, but no harm in trying, eh?

Anyways, back to the action in the rink, and I would say that the crowd was pretty average, being in the 850ish region. And from what I can gather, for our last regualr season home game, there may well be about 400 Scouts in attendance, which will make for a noisy game to say the least!

And thats it. Once more, nowt controversial. I must be loosing my touch...

Well, I wasn't expecting that in my inbox....

Not at all.

Now, whilst I understand that the club needs all the money it can get, to go after loyal Season Ticket holders, and to renege on not 1 but 2 'benefits' is, in my opinion, morally wrong.

For the amount it will gain the club (under/approx £1k extra over what they would have earnt on the gate) makes me wonder why they are bothering? Are finances that desperate?

Clearly so.

And I resent the tone of the email, too. It read to me like it was accusing ST holders of denying the club funds, when many of them have simply been taking advantage of offered incentives.

Personally, I will pay the extra £3, but I resent the way in which it has been asked for demanded. As I said, I understand the reason, but resent the way.

(more) back to back wins!!!!

Yup, for the 2nd weekend on the bounce we have taken all 4 points, and have shown a further improvement on the ice.

So, on to the first of our unique 'double header' home games, being Saturdays visit from the Sheffield Scimitars...

Phew, what a game! A solid 4-1 win, and 3 (yes, THREE) fights!

The standout goal of the game was Adam Walkers sublime shorthanded breakaway, which looked like a quality finish, from a quality forward. Walker is really maturing as the season has progressed, thriving on a line with TH. And we certainly didn't miss EC, indeed, we seemed much more willing to try out different attacks. Which was nice.

And now on to the fights. First fight of the night went to Tony Hand, of all people! The instigator seemed to be a seriously dangerous slash from behind on Tony, who turned around and battered the Scims lad cleanly. 2 punches were all that were required, but fuck me, what a sight! Tony Bloody Hand, fighting. He looked so pissed off. I don't think t helped that shortly before this, James Neil was punched by a player on the Scims bench, which seemed to get the blood up for most of the Phoenix lads.

This in turn lead to Tony very visibly signaling to Andre Payette that it was time to go to work. And Payette did not disapoint, picking out the biggest man on the ice, in the shape of Ben (?) Wilson, a man who looks like he has stolen Pasi Raittenens entire pie allocation fore the season. But a big man does not amke a great fighter, as Wilson proved by being easily battered by Payette, who barely broke sweat. Score that 2 fights to the Phoenix.

The 3rd fight was much less interesting with a bit of rolling around and a few shoert digs between a Scims player and Jaakko Hagelberg just a few minutes later. score that a 3rd fight, 3rd win for the Phoenix.

Following this extremely enjoyable win, came Sundays game against Bracknell.

And score a very solid 7-3 win for the boys, who once again came out and played their hearts out. Goal of the game was Payettes little stunner. I mean who the fuck told Payette he can play hockey? He's just a 'goon' isn't he? No, he bloody well isn't! As on Saturday, Payette had a cracker, bossing the play about on the ice, and playing like a man possessed. Payette has certainly flourished without Ed being in the line up, and on this form could well earn a contract for next season.

No fights, but this was a very physical game, with some monster hits being thrown, especially by young Ben Wood, who has certainly made significant improvements to his game since his benching.

Crowds on both nights were quite consistent, holding at around 800ish for both nights. Good travelling support to, although a big thumbs down to the idiot from Sheffield who refused to listen to the stewards when asked to not stand on the stairs during the game, and became quite abusive about it. Cock.

And that is all for now.

£70k down....

What follows is a quoute of a posting I placed on both Burning Budgies and the Official Forum:

Hmmm, something doesn't add up here....

Supposedly it takes about £7k/week to run the Phoenix (that was the figure mooted in the summer), now to make that [i]from gate receipts alone[/i] requires 778 people @£9 per head (averaged admission figure based on walk up, advance, concession, and ST per game prices), given the team plays for the full 30 weeks of the season. This gives a total gate reciept of £210,000/season.

Now, if we knock £70k off this we have a figure of £140,000, leaving a gate reciept of £4.6k/week, or 511 paying punters.

Our average attendance is somewhere arounf the 750-800ish mark (all paid from what I gather).

So either the £7k figure is erroneous, or something is seriously wrong. (Of course, these figures are a gross oversimplification of the actual cash flow, and ignore any ancilliary incomes such as sponsorship and merchandise, 50/50. etc). I personally think it is a combination of both.

Stick with me here...

I have heard that the magic figure for the season (ie the amount you could run the team on, including all expenses) is £300k, or £10k per week (which sounds more reasonable when you take everything into account).

Now, if all the clubs income currently gets near to this figure, then I would assume that either a large chunk of the clubs existing debt is being paid off, leaving a shortfall on the +/- for this seasons accounts, or the club has a serious inefficiancy somewhere along the line.


Of course, this is all just speculation, and I may be miles wide of the mark, but it does get you thinking, doesn't it...

So, what does this all mean?

Only 1 person has an accurate answer to this, and his name is Neil Morris. Personaly, I think that there is something deeply wrong with the finances of the club at the minute. Wrong, but rightable. I don't think we will be going bust any time soon, but I think that there is a pressing need for some major financial re-organisation. Running at a loss has a historical precendent for the Phoenix (every season AFAIK), but it can not continue indefinately, unless we have some very generous and forgiving creditors.

Sundays game, and more on the Supporters Club....

So, lets start with the game:

Firstly, this was a massively improved performance, when held up against the past few weeks worth. Most notably, the Phoenix were missing Big Ed (back home having a job interview), and Wallace, who is injured. This forced Tony to chnage thigs around mor ethan he might have liked to have done. And it worked. The first line looked pretty formidable, comprising Tony, Adam, and Jaakko, and if they have a few games they could become a pretty effective unit by the seasons end (just in time for the playoffs).

Being honest, Peterborough were still in the game (indeed they lead early on in the game), right up until we went 2 goals clear. This seemed to take the wind out of their sails, and allowed us to take control, and hold it until the final buzzer. Walker was good value for his goals, and seemed happier than he has done for a while. Which is nice.

Now, onto the supporters club...

After listening to the official Podcast, it seems that Neil Morris has taken a fair amount of the criticism onbaord to an extent, and made some changes:

All Members now own a 'nominal share' (although there was no mention of the value of this share).
The board will ultimately be comprised of 9 members (excluding Neil) who all posses 'Voting Shares'.
Members are now invited to applyto fill out the remaining 4 spaces on the board.

So, there does seem to be a reasonable amount of movement on Neils part. Of course, there are still issues. such as the implication from Neil that not being able to put in the '15-20 hours' would make someone 'ineligible' for the board (or at least, thats what I took his comment to mean). If, and thats IF, this is the case, I feel that Neil has fucked up once more. Someone who might only be able to give 5 or so hours up might be invaluable to the board for what they may bring to the table. Of course, Neil says that whoever gets one of the 4 remaining spaces has nothing to do with him, but we shall have to wait and see in this respect.

I also await the updated articles of this company (whose name we don't yet know, but the most prevalent assumption is that it is a re-activation of the FOMIH holding company), confirming these chages. If they don't, then its all moot, as NM will maintain final say (although part of me feels he still will anyways). But, as I will state once more, I am prepared to give this Supporters Club a go, and see what happens with it.

And yes, I am going to apply to be on the board. It would be rude not to.

The Phoenix and Me.

Some folks wonder why I get so involved with the club, and what goes on around it. I've been told that I should just 'pay my money and watch the game', or that if I don't like what goes on I should stop following the team.

But I just can not do either of those things.

I was there when it all started. I remember reading on 'Into The Storm' about the Storms home game against Nottingham being cancelled by the arena. At the time we all believed that SMG were trying to force the clubs hand and increase the per game rental cost, so I, along with a handful of other Storm supporters arranged for a protest to be held outside the Arenas box office (aka 'The City Room').

As it transpired, we were all duped by Gary Cowan, who took everyones money and bailed, leaving the fans without a team. From this, a number of meetings were held at Manchester Town Hall, and out of this grew FOMIH (Friends Of Manchester Ice Hockey). I was one of the founding members, serving on its board for a number of months, until I was removed in my absence. I hold no grudges about this. A decision wa smade that my post was extraneous, and I abided by that decision, although it would have been nice to have been there when it was decided.

From there, I became one of the original 'Block Reps' at the MEN, looking after new fans, and generally helping whenever I was asked to. Shit, I nearly got banned from the arena for doing the job of a steward when a visiting supporter was being verbally abused by some scrotes, then having the nerve to call the duty supervisor out over it. Fun times.

After the MEN season is topped volunteering on a match night for personal reasons, but have still been involved with the club as intimately as possible. I have attended a number of meetings at Comtec at the request of Neil Morris, and enjoyed quite a cordial relationship with him until lately.

These days, I am seen by some as a bit of a troublemaker. I have never been afraid to question the club over some of its activites, which hasn't helped me win any popularity contests. I like to believe though that I have the best interests of the club and my fellow fans at heart, which is why I have been, and still am so critical of the current situation regarding the supporters club.

Sometimes, I do wish I could just turn up and watch the game... but it just wouldn't be the same.

Weekend musings, and stuff from Tuesday...

So, lets begin at the beginning (as it were) with Sundays game.

Well, despite another defeat, there was a significant improvement on the ice. Sure, we still looked worryingly weak at the back (indeed, we nearly gave up a goal straight from the opening face-off), but going forward the boys certainly showed much more invention. This was probably helped by TH splitting himself and Ed up, running with Ed on the 2nd line. Sadly, lady luck wasn't on our side, with a number of chances that earlier in the season would have been bankers just not faling our way.

And thats it really. The team improved, and the crowd was lower than normal (if a little quiet, which is quite understandable) in my opinion. I would say there were about 700-750ish in the Dome. A number of whom left early to go and watch some other hockey game being played on Sunday evening).

Now, to the Supporters Club meeting on Tuesday.

Now, I, along with a number of others expected to attend this meeting to discuss the make up and operational parameters of the newly formed Supporters Club. However, Neil Morris clealry had other ideas. The Offical Manchester Phoenix Supporters Club is now a limited company, with a sole shareholder, namely Neil Morris. He has picked the board of directors, and he retains the sole right to remove or replace them at any time.

This caused a certain amount of consternation amongst a number of attendees at the meeting, most notably Tony Jones, owner of Synergy Interiors, one of the Phoenixs sponsors. What followed was a debate which appeared to become an arguement as Tony sought to get a full explanation as to why Neil had taken the steps that he did.

And thats it really. Plenty of folks were convinced by what Neil said, even if most didn't really understand the implications of his actions. equally so, there were a number of individuals (myself included) who left the meeting with grave misgivings about the self same actions. There is still not an adequete answer as to why Neil needed to set the supporters club up in this manner, as it appears to be unnecessary. Inded, as it stands, the supporters club does not have a constitution, but company articles, which we as members cannot vote upon or ratify, something I am deeply unhappy with.

It must alos be noted that Neil appeared to turn up in a combatative mood, indeed, upon his arrival to set up for the meeting, he came over to a group of us who were already there, and only acknowledged 1 member of this group, who is a part of the current S.C. board. Not even a simple 'hello' or 'good evening'. Nowt.

I will state this now, and I wish there to be no confusion: I have kept my membership of the supporters club, but I have deep misgivings about the way in which Neil Morris has gone about the setting up of the s.c.. I feel that there are issues to be resolved, and that we (the fans) have been deeply let down by not being given a say in how our own supporters club ahs been constructed. I also apportion no blame whatsoever to the current board members, who appeared to be as surprised as the rest of us. The fault for this lies solely at the feet of Neil Morris.

That is all.

This weekends update...

...WIll have to wait until Wednesday, so I can include details from the Supporters Club meeting taking place Tuesday @ Walkabout.

Lost for words...

3 home defeats on the bounce.

18 goals shipped.

Er, Houston, we have a problem.

Ok, so Sundays performance against Basingstoke wasn't as dire as Thursdays was, but there were still far too many basic errors being made, especially by players with enough experience to know better. Sure, TH rolled with 3ish lines, but the bulk of the icetime went to the 1st line, and it showed. Basigstoke knew how to limit our offence, and creamed our D. It was probably more luck than judgement that we lost as lightly as we did.

And I really don't know what to write. I could rant and rave about piss poor defense work, a powerplay that couldn't score in a brothel most of the time, or the seeming inability of TH to look beyond EC for scoring options, but what good would it do? Sure, it might make me feel a bit better, but I still have to go back to the rink on Sunday, and that is something I am not looking forward to at all. My only hope is that some lessons have finally been learnt, and the players can pull this shit out of the fire, before things get way too fucked.

Bad times, but at least we are still heading to the playoffs! Team or no team, the party starts with us!

EPL Cup Semi Final, 1st leg review...

Shit.

Complete and utter shit.

On a stick.

With a frosting of shitty shit on top.

The lack of performance and guts shown by most (not all) of the players on Thursday was inexcuseable.

Yes, some things went against us (the call on Payette that lead to their equaliser...shit, even their bench agreed it was a bullshit call), but that does not excuse the display. Truly fucking woeful.

And Jaakko has a 2 match ban thanks to the draconian and inflexible accidental high stick causing blood rule. You can get a lesser call for doing it deliberatley.

But, I will still be there on Sunday. It really can't get any worse.

C'mon the Phoenix!

OUCH! Not good...

So, after a couple of weeks general improvement (including a number of road wins), The form of January has returned, in the shape of a thouroughly demoralising loss at home to Guildford.

Fone shipped 6 goals, all 6 of which he will likely want back. He was, to put non to fine a point on it, shite on Sunday. He looked slow and quite off the mark, reverting to type and rebounding shots he should have killed dead. The D wer not far behind him, gifting the Guildford fowards with space aplenty in which to work, with the inevitable consequnces.

As for the forwards... well, we seemingly couldn't have scored in a brothel. Big Ed seemed to be back in the old rut, looking like he really didn't give a flying fuck about the game. Sure, he hustled for the puck a few times, but his back checking was non existant, often leaving us a man down facing a rush. Pure laziness on his part. The he mouthed of to the ref (more on him later), and got himslef a 10mins misconduct. Followed up not too much later with another (and a match penalty to boot) for his petulant and frankly embarrasing ranting from the box. Muppetus Maximus as the Romans would have put it.

And Tony reverted to his '2 lines FTW' tactics... which clealry now does not work. Everyone in the league has our number on that one. Last weeks 'makeshift' (ie, Ed-less) attacking was much better to watch, showing more variety and invention. Ah well.

And now to the main course... MR Wardell our, ahem, 'esteemed' refferee.

His performance on the night was absolute shite. Seriously, he was awful. At one point, one of the linos had to point out he had just not called a blindingly obvious trip, which he somewhat reluctantly then did call. He also missed many, many other obvious penalties (against both temas being fair), quite a few of which he was looking directly at.

He clearly upset the team as they mostly refused to handshake him after the game. Fact is he was not in control of the game at all, and it could have spiralled into chaos very quickly were it not for the fact that most of the player kept their cool (dis-hounorable mentions go to Ed, Payette, and Tony, all of whom picked up 10 minute misconducts). Shit, even Boothroyd had to be shepperded away from him at one point, and he is one of the calmer players.

And I still don't think anyone knows what exactly Ed did initialy to get his misconduct. Wardell stopped the play, seemingly to call a penalty on Ed, who turned round and mouthed off, and Wardell slapped the misconduct on him. Any ideas?

And we've apparently got him on Thursday. Oh joy.

*takes deep breath*

And relax.

That was almost embarassing to watch...

Ok, lets get it out of the way.

12-3.

Not since the back to back visit by Edinburgh a couple of seasons back (when their imports had all pissed off) have I felt so sorry for a visiting team and its supporters.

It's not that Romford didn't try... far from it, most of their players were clearly trying to play with us, but we looked so far ahead of them it was almost unreal. And what made it even more bizarre is the fact that they have beaten us twice in their own barn this season!

We never even got out of 2nd gear. Hell, even Payette grabbed 4 goals! Summerfield was sent out in place of Fone after just 9mins!

And we looked a shit-load better going forward without Big Ed. Shit, we looked like we had some ideas other than 'bang the puck to Ed and hope'.

Attendance was good, arounf the 850ish mark, for my guess.

And its nice to have Boothroyd confirmed for next season too. Might shut a few of the doubters up (although I doubt it).

Rumours....

No, not the sodding Fleetwood Mac album (ask yer dad), but some interesting ones I've heard circulating lately:

1: New team to join the EIHL in the summer. Now, this rumor has a couple of sub-rumours attached to it. One is that a team based in Dundonald will be playing (the near legendary Dublin Druids have been mentioned), which is fairly unlikely, but if Mr Convrey (who as well as being head honcho at the EIHL holds the 'franchise' rights for Dublin/Eire) has the funds in place it could happen). Another is that we (Phoenix) will return to the EIHL...yeah, can't see it myself given that we are still allegedy running at a loss in the EPIHL. And the pereniall 'Guildford to the EIHL' mutterings have surfaced too. Best bet is for another attempt to run a team in Braehead, although this is still not a dead cert.

2: EPL to expand. Rumors have a number of different EIHL side approaching the EPL independant of each other with a view to joinfg the EPL for next season. Front runners are Hull and Newcastle (who are sadly dying on there arse out at Whitley). This has a stronf smell of plausible about it.

3:ENL North 1& South 1 to become 1Import leagues. According to hearsay the EIHA has a 5 year plan to improve the quality of the ENL North sides allowing for a proper expansion of the EPL into the north of England. I can see this happening personally. Whitley, and  Blackburn are the best bets for this if it happens.

2 wins on the trot....

Could this be the start of a revival in our fortunes? Only this weekends double header road trip will give us an answer on that, but it sure was a releif to win back to back games again.

And the scoreline made it look like a tighter game than it actually was. But for an overall lack of effort (again, we looked stuck in 2nd gear) we could, nay should, have been looking at a double figure scoreline. Sadly, our D was somewhat lacking when required, a fact that is becoming more and more fucking annoying with each passing game. As players they must be aware of their collective faliure to protect our clearly not 100% fit netminder, and should eb looking to change things.

The message hasn't got through based on Thursday. Not being rude, but a team like the Scims should not have as much time and space on the puck in the offensive zone as we gave them, if we truly wish to be seen as a top team.

I think that Tony is learning some valuable lessons for the off season, and the structure of the squad for the 2010-2011 season.

Speaking of which, there are some juciy rumours doing the rounds regarding developments over the summer, which I will go into in more detail on in the next blog, which you can expect on Sunday.

Lastly, given that it was midweek, the attendance was fairly respectable, and I guesstimated it to be around the 600ish mark at the max.

This is a tough one to write....

I'm going to be honest here.

It was great we got such resounding win on Sunday against Swindon (7-2), and I was damn relieved we picked up 2 points, but by the gods was I bored.

I really just could not get excited by the game.

The first period was quite slow, as they are wont to be down at Alty, with us being more than  unlucky to be a goal down going into the break. After we got into the lead though, it was pretty clear that we were cruising  along in 2nd gear, never really pushing, or punishing Swindon as hard as we could.

For sure, their nettie stood on his head to keep it fairly respectable, and got a well deserved MOM award, but there was a spark lacking from the Phoenix which worried me somewhat.

I guess it didn't help that the crowd was flatter than a freshly squashed pancake either. There were a decent number in the building (the club is claiming 1200, I say more like 950-1000 max), and it started off as loud as usual, but thereafter it was just lifeless.

Ho hum.. always Thursday to look forward to. Might have some added bite with the Scims new 275lb pickup from the ENL2. Could be interesting. And whats the betting we get at least one 'Who ate all the pies' chant?

And the club have confirmed the Play-Off tickets. Priced as I announced last week, but the block allocation is now for blocks 7 & 8, giving us 322 tickets as opposed to the leak allocation of 261, and sticks us in the corner and behind the goal.

The great Tony Hand debate.

So, I'm sure most of you who frequent the official Phoenix forum will have seen the debate over the past few days about the ability/suitability of Tony Hand as our coach, and whether he is able to take the club forward or not? If not, I'm sure some of you will have heard people talking about it at the games.

There seem to be 3 camps developing:

1: Tony is the right man. Things are good.
2: Tony could be the right man, if he changes certain aspects of his coaching (this is the camp I am in)
3: Sack Tony.

Now, I am definately part of the 2nc camp there. Tonys coaching has its flaws. He is too offence minded, lacks conviction in his 3rd line Brits, and places to much emphasis on his own ability to drag the team to a positive result. All of this is in my opinion of course.

For me, the best way for Tony to take the club forward, and one I feel we probably will get to see is he hangs up the skates, and becomes a full time coach. Take away the worry about his own on ice performance and he will be free to concentrate on the other palyer 100%. This would in turn remove the temptation to play the '2 Line Hockey' he is now synonymous with. As well as this, he needs either a dedicated Defence coach, or a veteran D-man, who wants to move into coaching and is willing to be Tonys AC.

Now some folks would like to see him carry on as we currently are. This is certainly a viable option, but one I fear will not yeild the results that a certain section of our fanbase seem to be demanding (more on this later).

And finally some poor deluded folks seem to be suggesting that we ditch Tony altogether. Yeah, that would be a smart move, fuckwits. Seriously, anyone who thinks the club would be better off without the single most skillfull player in the EPL has a major issue, and should seek help. Tony is without a shodow of a doubt still more than capable on the ice. He is averaging 2.1 points per game, for fucks sake! Why the hell would we gas him?

Anyways, the reason this debate seems to be picking up steam is that some filks are now panicing because we might not win the league! OH NOES!

Funny thing is, I'm pretty damn sure that the clubs intentions for this season did not include winning the league. Making the playoffs for sure was one of them. Being competative was another. And last time I checked, we were doing just fine in those regards.

Being in the EPL is a long term situation. We shouldn't be assuming we are good enough to win it at the first time of asking just because we 'dropped' from the EIHL. We are an inexperienced club at this level, as the roster selection has shown. Its a damn good roster but not quite in the same overall class as Milton Keynes or Guildford, who have seasons of experience to draw upon. We will get ther for sure, but it will take time for the players and coach to adjust. Next years roster should eb more balanced with a better sense of depth to it. Thats when the title might come. Or maybe the season after. People need to realise this, and quick.

The EPL isn't an easy league, and it isn't an instant success league. Its a development league, and thats what we are doing. And long may it continue.

Why can't we seem to sort it out?

So, that was another entry into the 'What the FUCK?' column for the Phoenix.

losing 9-2 on the road was bad enough (and by all accounts we were absolute shite), but to stage not 1, but 2 comebacks from 3 goals down, only to lose on penalty shots... argh1 Not fair!

Now, to be honest, it was an end to end kind of game. As bad as our defence looked (and at times it looked woeful), our forwards showed moments of almost sublime brilliance. After a faltering start, even Big Ed started to hustle for the puck, and look like he gave a shit.

The major talking point was Jakkos Match penalty for an 'accidental high stick leading to injury/blood'. This surely must be one of the most contentious rules in the EIHA. By giving out a Match penalty for something which occure by accident (which by definition means not deliberate), you are penalising the outcome, not the intent. Indeed, from what i gather, it was the Guildford player, Masa, who in trying to lift his own stick caused Jakkos to catch him in the mouth. This caused a small amout of blood to flow, and the Match penalty call came into effect.

As others have stated on both forums and blogs, even given that we play ina semi pro league, and most of the guys have jobs to go to on a Monday, the Match penalty call is a tad excessive. 5+Game, maybe, if a fairly serious injury is caused, but for a minor injury (say a split lip, bitten tongue type) surley 2+2 is ample. Shit, its what the infringement would have gotten in pretty much any other league you could care to name.

Anyways, for neutrals and newbies alike this was surely a stunning game to watch, although from my perspective, I don't think my heart can take much more of these games.

Clearly something needs to be done about our D (and the lack of effective back checking by the forwards), and if rumor is to be believed, the the Phoenix have added Steven Wallace (laterly a membe rof the Sheffield Scimitars) to our roster as a forward, meaning Jakko is likely to drop back to the D permanently. Not the solution I would have prefered, but one which may yeild some positive results.

And thanks to Rock Radios tickest promotion the crowd on Sunday was a scarcely believeable 1500 (give or take a couple of dozen or so), which made for a cracking atmosphere.

more heavy handedness from the club... and some play-off details.

As I'm sure many of you are aware, some folks over on the Official Forum have been moaning about a list being taken to effectively 'pre-book' tickets for the play-offs.

I personally call it a sensible move. Gets the wheels in motion for the office, gives them an idea of how many tickets we will likely sell, etc. Of course to some people its just another way for the 'clique' to get preferential treatment.

Well, after the usual round of handbags, Andy costiga has just effectively banned anyone from discussing the matter any further. Which is too heavy handed an approach in my opinion. Forums are all about discussion, and if you are going to stiffle debate then why bother with a forum in the first place?

Anyways, thanks to the magic of the internet, here are some details (which the club isn't releasing until after this weekend, afaik...):

Block allocations for the Coventry Skydome:

Block 1 - Sheffield = 92 seats


Block 2 - Peterborough = 212 seats

Block 3 - Slough = 162 seats

Block 4 - Guildford = 214 seats

Block 5 - Guildford = 217 seats

Block 6 - Romford = 42 seats

Block 7 - Swindon = 228 seats

Block 8 - Basingstoke = 94 seats

Block 9 - Basingstoke = 239 seats

Block 10 - Officials = 41 seats

Block 11 - Milton Keynes = 209 seats

Block 12 - Manchester = 129 seats

Block 13 - Manchester = 132 seats

Block 14 - Bracknell = 138 seats

Block 15 - U18's & Gen public = 81 seats

Which gives us 261 seats... not enough, imho.
 
Prices:
 
Adults: £37.00


Children (under 16): £25.00
 
Be aware though, these details are all unconfirmed (but I bet they are almost exactly right).

A much needed 2 points there....

Bloody hell, we needed that win! After 5 losses on the bounce, a win was the only option otherwise any lingering hopes of mounting a charge for the regular season title would have been done for.

We didn't make it easy mind. The first period was shocking. We looked like a bunch of newbies, playing their first ever game together. Passes going astray, players out of position, and a look of general anarchy. Luckily for us, P'Boro could only manage 1 goal, meaning that there was still everything to play for in the 2nd.

And what a difference! A quick change into our road jerseys, and it was like a different team was on the ice. Big Ed was patroling the 'Courtenay Triangle' (c) (Thats bench, to blue line, to the crease, and back to the bench again), and looking like he had a goal in him. Mind you, he was doing it like he had been up all night doing animal tranquilisers, but still, he was doing it.

Fone was vastly improved on last weekend, and looked sharp, making some fine stops. Still too many fucking rebounds though. And the GB u20s line looked seriously fired up. 3-1 come the end of the period was a pretty good reflection on the team.

All the graft of the 2nd period was almost undone in the 3rd, when we took our foot off the gas, and allowed P'Boro back into it. Our D conspired to make Joe Miller look like a world class forward (he is an average player), and with the period finishing 2-1 in P'Boros favour it was off to the dreaded OT for the 2nd time in as many games.

Luckily for us we had Big Ed back, and he slotted the winner in past a visibly pissed off Wall, who proceeded to lie on the ice for a minute after the goal, then have a mini strop when he got up, hittting bopth the goalpipes, and the boards on his way off. OT also saw a very odd penalty. Defending a 4 on 3 PP, P'Boro took another penalty, meaning 2 minutes of 5 on 3, not 4 on 2. AFAIK, teams must have a minimum of 3 outfield skaters on ice at any time, hence the call.

And that was it. Still a lot to be improved on (the fucking D especially), but the important thing was the points.

Attendance was around 600-650, which wasn't bad given the shite weather and the fact it was a Saturday game.

Aaaargh! Frustrating is not the word!

Last nights game was beyond frustrating.

Being beaten, I can take. Indeed, I honestly went to the game last night expecting to be beaten. What I can not take is the way we played the game.

The D played like they did at the start of the season. Out of position, slow, and nore often than not plain badly. Fone was back in the goal, and we all know how many rebounds he coughs up, so why the fuck was there no-one there to cover them? And coverage on the back post? Non-existant last night. In truth it was a piss poor showing at the back, only allieviated when Jakko played some shifts back there.

Going forward we looked ok at times (shit, we scored 6 goals so we must have done something right), but we gave the puck away too many times, far to quickly. It was obvious last night just how much we missed Big Ed up front. he might be 'lazy', but he always seems to be there when we need him, patrolling the 'Courtenay Triangle' (a triangle from the bench, to the far point on the blue line, to the crease, and back to the bench).

And it was a dirty game. Wardell had no clue at all as to what to call, missing some blindingly obvious stuff (such as Jakko getting held and punched right in front of him), then called seemingly innocuous and trivial offences (did anyone actually see Walkers 'slash', apart from Wardell?). With the inconsistent, and frankly baffling calls, the team seemed very reticent to get involved in the rough stuff less they be called for a big penalty. And frankly it pissed me off. How fucking difficult is it to get an even half decent ref in the EPL? Goodwin is just as shocking, and both refs seem to not care when players complain, prefering to dismiss them and skate off. Almost makes you miss Hicks and Carson really.

So, Tony needs to work on the D (a weakness of his teams since he took up coaching), and he needs to do it fast. We are now 2nd in the table by the skin of our teeth, and could slip as low as 4th in the coming few weeks if the backslide is not arrested asap.

Oh yeah, and Fone is nowhere near 100% fit. He should not have played the full game last night. He was clearly uncomfortable on his glove side (ie the one he dislocated), seeming unable or unwilling to make catches above shoulder height. If it were up to me, he should sit out another few games, and get more strength back into his shoulder before suiting up as the starter again.