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Post by Big Dave Steeler on Aug 18, 2004 22:29:04 GMT 1
Hi all Recently for the Cage, I did a Q n A session with your ex-announcer. Here you will find the transcript. Makes for interesting reading. FAO Admin: If admin have any probs with the thread, dont hesitate to delete it, just thought you good folk of Cov would be interested in it thats all |
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Post by Claret & Blue Army on Aug 18, 2004 22:40:39 GMT 1
Interesting very interesting. The points made continue to shake up people and will continue to do so as the new season starts. Wonder what we'll all be thinking in 12 months time about the whole situ
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Post by King Rich on Aug 18, 2004 22:54:33 GMT 1
Very interesting Big D. You could make this Q&A a more regular thing, with the support of the great Cage Forum.
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Post by JP on Aug 18, 2004 22:55:51 GMT 1
No worries about the thread BDS, makes for an intresting read, cheerz!
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Post by Big Dave Steeler on Aug 18, 2004 23:00:30 GMT 1
Very interesting Big D. You could make this Q&A a more regular thing, with the support of the great Cage Forum. Well, this could be a regular thing. I mean, this would have been done on SteelerTalk, before I**n decided to pull the forum (on his own back, but tis another story) so to have the support from the cage is fantastic, n also BJ is a class lad. If I do anymore, I shall of course let you all know  |
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Post by King Rich on Aug 18, 2004 23:03:04 GMT 1
Speaking of forum happenings, is there another Steelers forum?
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Post by Big Dave Steeler on Aug 18, 2004 23:05:15 GMT 1
Speaking of forum happenings, is there another Steelers forum? There is only House of Steel (www.houseofsteel.co.uk) which has the likes of Scuff n TinCanBilly posting on there!!! Should be an ample replacement for SteelerTalk, as im helping out  LOL ;D |
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Post by PW on Aug 18, 2004 23:09:21 GMT 1
Serious post alert! I find this section the most interesting of a fine read-for those of you who haven't read it, Grant has just been asked about where he stands on import limits, and why he feels Brits aren't that common in the top league... 'This is where people will disagree with me – but I believe the standard in EIHL is too high at the moment. British kids will always struggle to make the grade at this standard (with occasional exceptions), and therefore coaches will look to average quality imports to be the bulk of their teams. If the standard was pitched a little lower, then more Brits would be able to make it and the larger numbers of imports wouldn’t be needed and we’d see a higher quality of import coming over, leading to progression for the Brits etc'Much as I respect Grant, I can't see his line of reasoning here-if the standard in the EIHL is too high to see Brits progressing, surely that's a problem with the sport at grass-roots level in Britain rather than the league itself-playing ice hockey and having come through the top age-groups of the junior system from scratch myself (I should add to that that I now 'only' play rec hockey because I'm nowhere near good enough for a league side-just in case there was any confusion  I'd love to be able to make it to the top level-however I know I started far, far too late to make it because there was no opportunity for me to play (and indeed I had no inclination to) until I'd seen the Blaze and thought-that's a high standard-that's what I eventually want to get somewhere near. Surely as the standard of British ice hockey rises and the better imports come over, more young (i.e under 10/12) kids will see the sport and decide to play it over football, which leads to more competition for places, which drives the Brit standard up toward the import level. I, and I suspect many others, improve far more quickly if my place in a team (at any sport) is threatened by someone better, simply because the motivation is there. A drop in the standard of British ice hockey can only lead to a drop both in the popularity of the sport and the standard of British players, as they don't need to work anywhere near as hard to fulfil their ambition of a roster slot at a top team-I do agree, however, that the cult of signing one player over another just because he has the accent has to stop-there have been some shockingly average/bad imports (even by British league standards) over the past few seasons... Any thoughts? |
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Post by Big Dave Steeler on Aug 18, 2004 23:15:39 GMT 1
I think if you read through - he says *from memory* that there should be more levels of junior hockey (At the lower end) so that there is a gradual progression.
Compared to the ISL, EIHL Hockey is of a lesser standard, and with the greatest of respects, if Coventry had entered the ISL at its most skillful (probs 2001-2003) I dont think Coventry would have faired well, so there had to be a drop in standards for, not only more teams from BNL to enter (which BTW I'm glad you, Cardiff and Basinstoke have done) but also allowed for a quota of brits.
If you reduce the level again and again, fans wont pay to watch. This has to be a gradual process. Once there is a good quota of brits then you can look to gradually raise the level!!!!
Just my thoughts
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Post by PW on Aug 18, 2004 23:31:59 GMT 1
Agree totally with the ISL observations-having seen the last ever ISL play-off finals the gap in skill between that and what Blaze fans were used to at the time was scarily wide.
Agreed the process needs to be gradual-however (and you would probably have some experience of this with the Steelers coming from the ISL)-the drop in standard no doubt lost a fair few of the 'casual' fans who were used to seeing a different, more skilful type of game-the second half of the BNL-winning Blaze season saw a rise in the average attendance as people came to watch a high-standard (ie winning) team, but then dropped this season due to the rise in level and the fact that the Blaze were losing more games at home in a couple of months than the whole of a season-I'm just worried that if the standard drops too far, then fans of all teams who have been raised on and maybe 'spoiled' by the high levels of the ISL and EIHL will start to drift away, so income and wage levels will drop, as will import standard, which'll then make the Brits work less hard for a place...it's a vicious circle. Perhaps I'm a pessimist, but I think that rather than the standard of the professional leagues needing to drop in order to allow more Brits a chance at the top level, they simply need to improve themselves (and for this I think the 'more levels in junior hockey' idea is idea)-the product should not change in order to accomodate them.
Personally I'd rather watch a team with 11 'good' imports and 4 or 5 'great' Brits, than watch a team which has had its level lowered in order that 8 or 9 'good' Brits can play out their careers in relative comfort.
I think, in short, I'm trying to say that more British players should do their best to rise to the current standard in the top league instead of reaching a certain point and then seeming to stop making the effort to develop, rather than the league drop to the standard of the best Brits (while Tait, Myers and your own Ryan Lake are fine players, a league in which they are the best doesn't appeal as much as a league in which we see players of the calibre of Peron, Jinman and Dan Carlson play with and against fast-improving young Brits week-in, week-out..
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Post by Big Dave Steeler on Aug 18, 2004 23:48:24 GMT 1
I think we have about the same outlook on how we think the level should be.
Personally, you should look at the coaching. The Standards of coaching needs to be improved. I think in the league, we have a number of good coaches (Stewart, who I think will be a damm gud coach), Thompson, Hand and others in the BNL (the Hull guy who works amongst the GB program)
If you raise the standard of coaching, you raise the standard of players coached. Tis as simple as that. The recent conference in North America which Simmsy, Thommo, Hand and Heavy?? went to, will only enhance their coaching abilities - and make them better coaches, which will mean that they will be able to coach along the younger players.
I also think that Pro players should help out with junior development. I know from the cricket club I used to play for, the oversees player would normally be found on junior coahing nights, helping the younger players with technique, basic skill, 'tricks of the trade' and general experience. If you have the older, more experienced players (e.g from Sheffield. Doris being the 'daddy' figure to Farrand and Duncombe, both young british D men) I think their general play will only enhance and improve. Does anythink like this happen in Coventry?
Either way - I think not only are there gonna be some dark times for the sport, but there will also be some great times, in the years to come!!!
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Post by Claret & Blue Army on Aug 19, 2004 17:25:58 GMT 1
I think that the raising of the standard fror the British game can only be a good thing but ONLY if enough teams can progress at the same level. Wasn't the problem with the final days of the ISL that the leagues clubs had become fragmented from each other causing some to either fold or drop down to the BNL. In the spirit of competition we all want to see our team win but give me wins that mean something rather than the hollow ones against teams that are so far adrift of the rest. I'm not knocking the ex-ISL only here as the old BNL got a little boring when you're sticking 8 goals plus against the likes of Paisley, Hull Slough etc (And Guildford on one memorable occasion) . True competition will bring floating supporters in for the atmosphere, the secret is then to hook them by having each game mean something (London Racers for example couldn't have been many peoples must-see matches last year) and if victory is attained the achievemnet is all the better for it.
What does this mean for the comments earlier on the Q&A? I guess that everyone has a differing opinion on what constitutes a good roster. I must concur with PW with the idea of 11 quality imports and say a handful of decent ability Brits rather than have a mandatory 8 Brits some of hom do their own progression no good at all by either not getting enough ice time or being hopelessly out of their depth.
Lets hope the new season is fun and competitive for all 7 teams involved
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Post by Giguere35 on Aug 19, 2004 18:59:00 GMT 1
Great interview and was really interested in what Grant had to say and agree with a lot of it
Keep up the good work Big Dave lets have more
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Post by Claret & Blue Army on Aug 19, 2004 22:50:48 GMT 1
I would be interested to know if Big Dave (I spoke to you in Nottingham during a period break) would be kind enough to ost the views from Stelerville throughout the next season to encourage positive interaction between the fans?
Shout out to Nottingham, Cardiff (Who used to post regularly) and other fans to do the same to enrich (N pun King) the forum further. Positive interaction can only be good
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Post by Big Dave Steeler on Aug 20, 2004 10:37:35 GMT 1
I would be interested to know if Big Dave (I spoke to you in Nottingham during a period break) would be kind enough to post the views from Stelerville throughout the next season to encourage positive interaction between the fans? Did I *Tries remembering through a haze of alcohol that weekend* ;D ;D ;D No doubt I will post views from up 'ere in north - you'll find that they aren't THAT dissimilar to those from cov fans!!!!! Positive interaction, im all for that. Slowly working with our friends in the lair - but VERY VERY slowly ;D ;D |
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