Getting it off my chest....

So, this is a 2 part post about Sunday.

Part 1:

We won. Good, solid performance from the team, with some nice looking plays. Coupled with the previous nights result, this will have done the lads a world of good. Augers well for the upcoming pair of home games this coming weekend.

Part 2:

This is the part that will piss some folks off.

As I am sure most of you are aware, there has been an ongoing situation within the Phoenix fanbase recently. Mostly conducted via social media and the forum, a divide has seemingly arisen between the so-called 'happy clappers', and the more vocal element of our support who are deeply angered at the recent state of the teams results.

This has become a bit nasty, to be honest, and has even resulted in a player receiving what can only be called personal abuse from a small element of the latter group.

During the past week, a club official made an ill advised comment about 'real fans' on Twitter, using their own personal account, which some took offence at. One thing to note here, I wholeheartedly agree that the comment was uncalled for and very ill advised. This amplified the tensions, and it seems a certain group of vocal fans decided to take action regarding this official during the game.

As said official was doing the announcing for 1 week only, they decided it would be acceptable to use their drums to drown out his announcements. It must also be noted that this official did ask to speak to these individuals before hand in an attempt to remedy the situation, a gesture seemingly ignored. Indeed, during the night, Neil Morris himself came and spoke to one of them in the bar during the period break, which did have some impact

Now, I am a passionate believer in the right of every fan to have and express their personal opinion. Indeed, I believe that this is essential if the club is to grow and learn from its mistakes. That being said, when this impacts upon people who have had nothing to do with any disputes, then I believe a line has been crossed.

The disregard shown to the hundreds of other fans in attendance, many of whom wish to hear the announcements such as scorers, penalties, plus those who made requests for birthdays, showed a disregard for the rights of others. Irrespective of the rights and wrongs of the initial spat, to show such disregard was petulant at best.

Some folks have tried to defend this group, claiming it wasn't deliberate. It was. I saw the tweets from these people after the game, gloating about how it was 'mission accomplished' and how 'normal service' would resume next week.

So fine, its done with at this point, right?

Wrong.

Another fan uses their right to express their dismay (something the group of disruptive fans mentions in their own defence frequently) on the forum. Cue one of their entourage of one of these fans attacking the complainant saying they were out of order. (I believe the actual wording was 'How dare you'). How dare they express their dismay indeed?

Now, sorry if this offends folks, but if you want to be able to express your disgust/anger/dismay in the manner of your choosing, then you have to expect that other people may well hold differing views, and will also expect to be able to express then as best they see fit. That's how it works. Or, to put it more bluntly, behave like a bully (which in effect they were doing), then expect to get called on it by others.

On a personal front, I believe that the actions of these fans were out of order, and any issues they had with the club official could, and indeed should have been dealt with in a mature, grown up manner. The official himself was willing to discuss it, as would any club official (myself included). Was it 'childish and petulant' as one forumite described it? Yes, I believe it was. And with my club official hat firmly off, and speaking very personally, I don't care if that upsets anyone, be it the fans in question, their friends, or hangers on. As I said above, you have to accept that people will express themselves freely, if you wish to express your likewise.

And if anyone has a problem with this, you all know where to find me, and what I look like. If anything I have said is out of order, please do come speak to me on Sunday. I will gladly discuss it, and if you an prove I was wrong in anything I have said, I will apologise right here, for everyone to see.

A couple of bad results.....

And the usual bitching starts up again.

Yes, we were poor against the Bees. Very poor. But the way some folks have reacted is too fucking much. Just because we didn't play well does not mean we were not trying. Sometimes shit just does not go how you want it to. Thats the nature of sport. Win some, lose some.

The simple fact is we are still in the hunt for 3 trophies. Guildford and the Bison certainly wont go from now til seasons end without losing a game or 2. And as for the Cup... 3 players (including our starting net minder) missing, and we lose by 2 goals.... which is a good result. Lets be honest, at the start of the season, if I told you we were going to Guildford with Jorge in goals, and 2 outskaters injured, a 2 goal defeat would have been considered a result..

Sadly, a sense of entitlement is becoming ever more apparent within our fanbase. Yes, we are a big club at this level, but that does not translate into winning every game comfortably. The sooner people get this into their heads the better. And the same goes for this 'I paid my money so I want to see huge effort every game'. That shit isn't going to happen. Everyone has off days. Do you always give 100% at work every single shift? I very much doubt it.

And as for some folks wanting Coach Hand to apologise for the Bees game? Are you fucking serious? You have more chance of me running bollock naked across centre ice at the St Pete Times Forum in Tampa. The only person TH is answerable to is Neil Morris, his employer.

Fuck, we are beginning to sound like whinging Steelers and Panthers fans. The only thing we are 'entitled' to is seeing a team on the ice. Nothing more, nothing less. Some folks should cast their mind back 5 or 6 seasons. We are lucky we got out alive and found a level we can prosper at. Never forget that, folks.

See you all on Sunday!

Not a bad pair of games......

So, thanks to my lovely back, I missed the pre Xmas home game, but I did see the 2 post Xmas/pre New Year games......

First up, Telford Tigers. Sweet Jesus on a bicycle I felt sorry for the poor lads. People will often refer to a team being like 'Lambs to the slaughter', and in this case, that is only too true. The Tigers started brightly enough for sure, but sadly, over the course of the 60 minutes of play, the Phoenix proved that they were simply far too good for the Tigers young squad to cope with.

Indeed, the dominance was so great I chose to descend to the bar for the 3rd period, and have an extra cheeky beer instead. All credit to the Tigers fan though. Noisy, passionate, and likeable. I wish the fans of some other clubs were similar, but sadly, there are always going to be those who are just, well, not.

We shall ignore the trip to Shuff.... We lost, shit happens, and you deal with it (a lesson some folks need to learn. How you cope with losing is equally as important as how you cope with winning).

Normal service was resumed the following night, when a very special guest witnessed out triumph over the visiting Bracknell Bees. Dwight 'Dewey' Parrish was in the house to receive a special commemorative jersey from the club as a way of thanking him for his services to Manchester ice hockey. The response to Dewey was wonderful, and entirely fitting.

As for the game, well, we certainly looked damn good, and early on it looked like we could have had another double digit scoreline on the cards. Bracknell put up more of a fight than Telford did, mostly due to the greater experience of the Bracknell squad, but still came away on the wrong end of the scoreline.

Again, I missed the 3rd period, although this was due to chatting to Dewey and his wife in the bar! Interestingly, of the 4 clubs Dewey iced for in the UK, 3 of them went bust whilst he was on the roster! (Storm, Devils, Bees). So, i give you Dwight Parrish: Kiss of Death!

See y'all on Sunday

Campbell returns....

Didn't quite see this one coming. After being released by the Steeldogs Derek Campbell has pitched up here in Mancland for a 2nd stint in the Phoenix jersey. I personally thought he was on his way back to Hull in the EIHL, but I guess Coach Hand felt he could use Soupys grit over the Xmas/New Year period to cope with an apparent injury crisis (word has reached me that a number of the side are carrying knocks at the minute).

Sure, some folks seem to have got it into their heads that Coach Hand has lost his marbles with this signing, but he is way more likely to get the best out of Soupy than Good old Donkey Payette has on the wrong side of the hills. Soupy isn't going to blitz you 100+ points a season a la Kristofferson, but he will crash the net, and cause all kinds of problems for most of the league d-men. This could prove to be an inspired pick up.

Beyond that.....


I'm not attending the game tonight. I've got a reasonably serious back problem (scoliosis), and its giving me all kinds of merry hell at the minute. As such I'm taking my time getting better, and won't be at the Dome til Sunday. Which is shit.

Better late than never.....

OK, so I should have written this up last week, but a wee small thing called 'life' got in the way.

Anyways.... That game just played against Milton Keynes Lightning was quite comfortably the bet I have seen in the Ice Dome this season by some margin. Despite missing big Schnabel in the D, the boys took the game to the visitors. Hits were laid, shots taken, and the fans (those who showed up, fucking Manchester derby) were thoroughly entertained.

And what about young Jorge El Hage? 2 games as a starter, 2 wins, and a maiden shut-out. Yes, the D worked their collective bollocks off to protect him, but when the wall of Phoenix was breeched, he stood tall, and looked mighty impressive. I wouldn't go as far as some who seem to think we now have 2 genuine starting quality netminders, but El Hage is certainly well on the road to being one himself in the near future. There was always a worry that if Foney was hurt, then we would need to bring in a 'ringer', but I am firmly of the belief that this would now no longer be required.

So, what else?

Oh yes, the business of returning to the EIHL surfaced on the official forum this past week. Call it an annual airing if you like. My st`b +{^ 7%:br />
FUCK RIGHT OFF!

Or, being rather politer and much more erudite:

Returning to the EIHL, and t8m 5 ryss that beckons from therein is quite possibly the worst thing the club could do at this time. Sure, we could go back and join Hull, Dundee, and Edinburgh in the mire of the bottom 4 by sticking to a reasonable budget and trusting in low cost imports from Europe, but would we enjoy that? I doubt it very much. Or we could go in and dig ourselves another elephantine hole financially by trying to compete with the mid table sides like we did before, which frankly makes as much sense as a chocolate fire-guard.

As it is, we are sustainable in the EPL. Crowds are good, the team is largely successful on the ice, and we are beginning to develop into a 'powerhouse' of the league. Yes, we are a tad expensive compared to some of our rivals, but unlike some we don't have a multi millionaire owner to bankroll things, or play in council owned facilities for no or nominal rent.