10 imports confirmed for next season

[Pies]

www.panthers.co.uk/modules/News/SEFS/ID.2385/SEFE/ViewNewsItem.asp

AS YOU WERE ON THE IMPORT FRONT FOR NEXT SEASON

The Rapid Solicitors Elite League wish to confirm that all playing rules, including the level of 10 imports, will remain the same for the 2012/13 season.

Andy French, director of hockey operations, said: "We are now in the back half of an amazingly competitive season and at least three teams are right in the hunt for the Elite League title.

“Two of the four teams who reached the Challenge Cup semi-finals are currently outside of the top three in the league and, at the bottom of the league, there is a terrific battle brewing to pick-up points in order to make the 2012 play-offs.

“It’s really good news that we can already be looking ahead to next season with great confidence. Next month, we will announce the key dates for the 2012/13 campaign.”

[lee]

damn it. i wanted more

[BigLad]

Jan 27, 2012 11:08:33 GMT lee said:

damn it. i wanted more

Ditto

[Shorty]

"“Two of the four teams who reached the Challenge Cup semi-finals are currently outside of the top three in the league and, at the bottom of the league, there is a terrific battle brewing to pick-up points in order to make the 2012 play-offs."

As the groups as so lobsided, you are always going to get one.

[james1977]

Jan 27, 2012 11:25:19 GMT Shorty said:

As the groups as so lobsided, you are always going to get one.

Also known as 'The Belfast Bye".

[kezypanther]

I think 10 is good for the league. I don't see any problem really, the league has been quiete competitive this year with any team beating anyone on the night. Unlike previous years when you knew every night who would win most games. Also, at least they are looking ahead rather than what teams going to disappear at the end of each season.

[lee]

Jan 27, 2012 11:53:23 GMT kezypanther said:

I think 10 is good for the league. I don't see any problem really, the league has been quiete competitive this year with any team beating anyone on the night. Unlike previous years when you knew every night who would win most games. Also, at least they are looking ahead rather than what teams going to disappear at the end of each season.

i can see the argument for 10 imports, its stable right now, and it helps Brit development, but personally i think the problem is the product in the UK will only improve in the short term with extra imports, you have people like Breahead playing 2 line hockey as the Brits are not there to go around all the clubs.

sure there is cost involved, but i still think higher import limits will create a much more entertaining product for the clubs to sell, and in turn create higher crowds.

[Panthers_44]

Jan 27, 2012 12:20:06 GMT lee said:

Jan 27, 2012 11:53:23 GMT kezypanther said:

I think 10 is good for the league. I don't see any problem really, the league has been quiete competitive this year with any team beating anyone on the night. Unlike previous years when you knew every night who would win most games. Also, at least they are looking ahead rather than what teams going to disappear at the end of each season.

i can see the argument for 10 imports, its stable right now, and it helps Brit development, but personally i think the problem is the product in the UK will only improve in the short term with extra imports, you have people like Breahead playing 2 line hockey as the Brits are not there to go around all the clubs.

sure there is cost involved, but i still think higher import limits will create a much more entertaining product for the clubs to sell, and in turn create higher crowds.

I know this next sentence has been done to death on similar topics, but hey, we've had the Superleague which was an entertaining product on the ice with an unlimited amount of imports and look how that turned out? Also, let's not forget that the lower teams had the extra import because of lack of Brits to go around, think it was last season, and that didn't fare too well either with some teams struggling with the cost of having them.

[lee]

just because there is no import limit does not mean you don't manage spend, they don't go hand in hand. the super league failed because the wage bills were to high.

for a team like Hull / breahead they can't attract the clarkes of our sport, so if there was no limit on imports or an increased number they could bring in an import that is cheap who will be better than the Brit they HAVE to play to make up numbers, that may cost about the same.
hence quality improves, league is more competitve.

the easiest way for the product to improve (and its been discussed to death) is get rid of the import limit and Impose and Good quality well managed Salary Cap.

[pantherdman]

Was the reduction in ticket prices also announced?

[LUFC]

Why reduce then inflation is rising and the product is still the same?

Sounds a safe and steady decision on the same import limit and rules continuation.

[Panthers_44]

Jan 27, 2012 13:01:44 GMT lee said:

just because there is no import limit does not mean you don't manage spend, they don't go hand in hand.

I'm not saying you can't, but there's nothing in this league to suggest teams will manage spend, so unfortunately, in this case it would go hand in hand.

Jan 27, 2012 13:01:44 GMT lee said:

for a team like Hull / breahead they can't attract the clarkes of our sport, so if there was no limit on imports or an increased number they could bring in an import that is cheap who will be better than the Brit they HAVE to play to make up numbers, that may cost about the same.

Did you miss my point about the lower teams having the extra import? It's already been tried and failed miserably, in essence you would hope that it would work out, but unfortunately it didn't and caused no end of problems.

Jan 27, 2012 13:01:44 GMT lee said:

the easiest way for the product to improve (and its been discussed to death) is get rid of the import limit and Impose and Good quality well managed Salary Cap.

Easiest way, but is it all really that simple? Surely getting rid of the import limit would have a negative impact on the brits, even those who are trying to break through into the league, I doubt many teams would have them first on their shopping list. Also with a well managed salary cap, again should be simple but I can't see the top end teams coming down to a cap that the lower teams can attain.

[panthers4ever]

Glad its 10 imports again next season

[Shaggy]

A well-managed salary cap should - you'd have thought, anyway - help stabilise the situation... trouble is, it doesn't appear to be practical. Quite apart from the fact that there doesn't seem to be any will amongst the club owners to have such a cap... with the way our sport is run, it just doesn't seem likely that it could be done.

Yes, I know - other sports in this country have a salary cap (and hockey does in North America, etc) - but those situations are radically different.
We don't have any kind of central control or governing body that could provide reliable oversight or have the authority to punish cap-breakers. How is anyone to truly know how much any team is paying its players? And when salaries are low enough so that a simple envelope with a few £10 or £20 notes in it could make all the difference... policing it is virtually impossible.

Salary cap - nice idea in theory. Not going to work in practice. Not without massive structural changes to the sport.

[Shorty]

Jan 27, 2012 13:49:37 GMT Shaggy said:

And when salaries are low enough so that a simple envelope with a few £10 or £20 notes in it could make all the difference.

Come on Shaggy, you should know its biscuit tins. Envelopes are old hat.

[sambo79]

Jan 27, 2012 13:59:07 GMT Shorty said:

Jan 27, 2012 13:49:37 GMT Shaggy said:

And when salaries are low enough so that a simple envelope with a few £10 or £20 notes in it could make all the difference.

Come on Shaggy, you should know its biscuit tins. Envelopes are old hat.

An audit of all team's contracts with players each season should set the record straight.

[GuinnessMan]

For me, i'm surprised and pleased that the decision (right or wrong) has been made this early ready for next year. Last year wasn't it mid-summer before they announced this? One small step, but one in the right direction.
Next - some quality training progammes for the refs please.

[5+game]

Jan 27, 2012 14:26:17 GMT sambo79 said:

Jan 27, 2012 13:59:07 GMT Shorty said:

Come on Shaggy, you should know its biscuit tins. Envelopes are old hat.

An audit of all team's contracts with players each season should set the record straight.

And you honestly think the teams would show the REAL contracts and not ones that are made up to show they are towing the line.

[sambo79]

Jan 27, 2012 14:50:07 GMT 5+game said:

Jan 27, 2012 14:26:17 GMT sambo79 said:

An audit of all team's contracts with players each season should set the record straight.

And you honestly think the teams would show the REAL contracts and not ones that are made up to show they are towing the line.

So you're suggesting that clubs 'make up' details of their finances? Serious allegation.

[Higgy]

ooo i bet THF has gone into meltdown with this news

[sonicyouth]

Whilst I enjoy the increasing growth of the EIHL I don't understand how it can be called a highly competitive league. It has become like the premiership lately where the top 4 teams compete and the rest prop the league up. As a season ticket holder I've actually not been fussed to go to the games where we knock 15 past an under stretched side. I love the rich history of Fife and the colourful addidtions of Dundee very much but it sounds more like the same old same old next year.

[Dan]

As usual, the Panthers are being held back because nobody else can run their club as well as we can.

As unpopular as that statement may be, it's true.

[lee]

Jan 27, 2012 17:17:30 GMT Dan said:

As usual, the Panthers are being held back because nobody else can run their club as well as we can.

As unpopular as that statement may be, it's true.

+1000

[Shaggy]

Jan 27, 2012 14:26:17 GMT sambo79 said:

Jan 27, 2012 13:59:07 GMT Shorty said:

Come on Shaggy, you should know its biscuit tins. Envelopes are old hat.

An audit of all team's contracts with players each season should set the record straight.

I would agree with you... if the sport was structured to allow that.

Who would perform the audit? (Who would be prepared to PAY them to perform the audit! ;D) How would they get the powers to demand (and get) access to all of the clubs' records? And - assuming they found violations of the cap - who would have the authority to punish the club(s) involved? Remembering that the league is run by the clubs... turkeys voting for Xmas, anyone?

For years, the EIHL maintained the fiction that they had some sort of wage cap, even - a few years ago - going to the farcical lengths of announcing at the start of the season that the wage cap would be enforced and violators punished. Funny that they went very quiet on the subject for the rest of the season and afterwards... until Andy French openly admitted at the fans forum at the NIC that the wage cap was there in name only, was not observed by teams and had never been enforced.

Until all of the above changes... we've got naff-all chance of having a wage cap.

[Shorty]

You just have to look at Harry Redknapps court case to see that it would be impossible to police a wage cap without having an auditors allowance that would probably be more than the entire league spends on wages.