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Post by chris111 on Apr 9, 2012 9:14:42 GMT
Not making excuses James, merely saying the PO weekend has gotten stale, and lost its magic. 80 + pounds for the weekend it not value for money. Yes there is a Panthers advantage, but as I said that is to be expected playing at your home arena. Like I said the NIC is the best venue for it, but every season the weekend gets somethin taken away from it. The league need to look at it.
And I'm not putting the panthers achievements down, the best team won it, said it a few times already. But I still stand by my comment that tge weekend has lost some of its magic.
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Post by thebestpanthers on Apr 9, 2012 9:22:19 GMT
Just guessing but are most of these tweets from Sheffield and Belfast fans? As it would be Belfast and Nottingham fans if Sheffield had "home" advantage season after season. Stop tryng to make out you'd be any different. Especially as people are saying that it was more like a Panthers home game than a playoff final game. Cardiff were supposedly the home team, yet you wore your home shirt, had the home dressing room and the home bench. Not to mention that by all accounts you came onto the ice to your own music whilst Cardiff came on to nothing. If the above really is the case, I wasn't there only saw the game on the TV (none of the build up), then that really is not how it should be. Whilst it may be your home ice and is the best place for it (although Sheffield could host it) during the playoff weekend the venue should be completely neutral, from the music played right down to the announcer not favouring one team over the other or ripping the mickey out of a team that isn't there. you meen Sheffield didn't make it - saw a number of fans leave early to catch the train home, like they usually do when they play at the NIC
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Post by robbo2306 on Apr 9, 2012 9:28:15 GMT
As it would be Belfast and Nottingham fans if Sheffield had "home" advantage season after season. Stop tryng to make out you'd be any different. Especially as people are saying that it was more like a Panthers home game than a playoff final game. Cardiff were supposedly the home team, yet you wore your home shirt, had the home dressing room and the home bench. Not to mention that by all accounts you came onto the ice to your own music whilst Cardiff came on to nothing. If the above really is the case, I wasn't there only saw the game on the TV (none of the build up), then that really is not how it should be. Whilst it may be your home ice and is the best place for it (although Sheffield could host it) during the playoff weekend the venue should be completely neutral, from the music played right down to the announcer not favouring one team over the other or ripping the mickey out of a team that isn't there. That'll be a yes then. The music situation you quote is a load of cobblers, the Panthers didn't come out to their own music whilst the announcer played it down the middle and favoured neither team. I don't remeber anyone taking pot shots at any team that wasn't there either. As for the changing rooms situation, well neither team entered the arena via the usual points so unless someone was downstairs recording which changing rooms were used by whom I would suggest that little nugget is pure supposition. I would also suspect that a sizable majority of Panthers fans would love the Playoffs to be elsewhere, but where exactly? The Motor Point Arena is currently too big, the NIC was far from a sellout and in every other respect is a superior venue in my opinion, and more importantly in the eyes of those who make the decisions it would seem. Belfast would be great but how many fans would realistically attend given it's geographical position and the travel arrangements thus required? The MEN, too big and now lacking an ice plant. Wembley, again no ice plant and the O2, pointless, way too big and I suspect way too expensive. And so that leaves the NIC. Central, the right size and immediately geared up to support an event such as the Playoffs. As a footnote how much of this ill informed guff would have reached the forums had the Panthers not won the title this weekend? Very little I suspect because all those haters out there would have been too busy crowing. So glad to have ruined your weekend. Seems some of your own fans disagree with you on this. Not disagreeing about the NIC being the best place for it at all. Just the neutrality of it all. Not putting your achievements down either, 4 trophies in 2 years is a tremendous effort on everybodies part. I say again, your fanbase would be no different if the boot was on the other foot. Stop trying to take the moral high ground. It's just like none of you would have been bothered about wage caps in the year 2000 if Steelers hadn't won the grand slam (sham!! )!!
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seedy
Pat Casey
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Post by seedy on Apr 9, 2012 9:43:18 GMT
Id welcome the idea of a weekend away rather than at the NIC, but the reality is, it needs an arena.
The NICs location, perfect, middle of town, just big enough to look full even if it doesnt sell out, Nottingham itself is central for a lot of teams. The arena facilities are pretty good.
Sheffield could hold it but its too big and the arena is right out of town and doesnt have too many facilities close by. Belfast, well its in Belfast for a start, thats a trek for all teams and fans involved.
No where else has a rink with the capacity, or facilities.
As for neutral venues, once again you left with the fact you cant fill them and the cost of getting an ice plant. I dont see how it being at the NIC detracts at all from the acheivement.
I do agree however that the quality of the weekend over all has gotten worse. GB stand, the place selling the DVDs (oxford based place) the elite league stand and the bauer stand. Yea, no ones there for a shopping trip but its still nice to just be able to have a walk round and pick up some hockey related goodies you might not see for the rest of the season.
The NIC itself couldnt even be bothered to sort food out, hence why I bet Johnny Putzai (sp?) made a killing.
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lee
David Clarke
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Post by lee on Apr 9, 2012 9:47:40 GMT
I can't believe people find an excuse to moan about anything!
The nic is the national ice centre so it's exactly where the show piece should be held. Moan about prices, try buying an fa cup semi final ticket for both games and the final ticket for 90 quid...!
Home advantage Is absolute toss! An nothing more than sour grapes!
Its up to Cardiff and Belfast to make their team as comfortable as possible, if they choose to stay in a cheap hotel that's their issue. Also you could argue that the road trip encourages team bonding and motivation. For the panthers it could seem like another day in the office
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Post by PantherG on Apr 9, 2012 9:57:02 GMT
I can't believe people find an excuse to moan about anything! The nic is the national ice centre so it's exactly where the show piece should be held. Moan about prices, try buying an fa cup semi final ticket for both games and the final ticket for 90 quid...! Home advantage Is absolute toss! An nothing more than sour grapes! Its up to Cardiff and Belfast to make their team as comfortable as possible, if they choose to stay in a cheap hotel that's their issue. Also you could argue that the road trip encourages team bonding and motivation. For the panthers it could seem like another day in the office I'm sorry but I have to disagree with you. I support the Panthers but I do understand how it is frustrating to other teams, if the finals were held in Sheffield every year I am sure plenty people would have something to say about it. Regardless of what people think playing at home in the NIC does give us an advantage and it was much like playing two home games this weekend. I really enjoyed the weekend but it does not have anywhere near the magic or sparkle that playing in a neutral venue has. I have enjoyed the Cup Final against the Flyers back in the 80's in Birmingham and nothing can replace the magic of the Wembley weekends. However, we are stuck with the NIC for the next four years and will have to get on with it but I do strongly believe it should be held somewhere else. I just hope the powers that be take note and don't hastily sign an extension to the current 5 year deal. Hopefully in the next few years another suitable arena will appear that could successfully host the play off weekend.
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Post by KimThePanther on Apr 9, 2012 9:57:32 GMT
Home advantage counts for something but let's not overstate the case. Remember we absolutely battered the Giants in Belfast on the way to winning the Challenge Cup (the most impressive cup win this season IMO) so there's nothing to suggest we'd have been incapable of winning the play-offs away from our own ice.
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Pies
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Post by Pies on Apr 9, 2012 10:01:00 GMT
It's the National Ice Centre. It purpose built for ice sports. Why should they take the biggest on ice sporting event in Britain away from the NIC (I'm sure figure skaters etc got lovely attendances but hockey is bigger IMO) Is it the Panthers fault that its in the building they play their home games in? No. And there will be no better alternatives anytime soon so I'd get used to it guys I'm afraid.
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lee
David Clarke
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Post by lee on Apr 9, 2012 10:04:37 GMT
If you support the panthers why would you want to change? Surely we should take advantage?
Also all this crap nostalgia thrown down our throats with ' I remember the good ole days of the Wembly finals' or "the atmosphere in the old barn was better" is getting a bit tiresome now... Unless you've got a flux capacitor in your garage move on and get with the times make the most of what we do have
A 2 day weekend event in the best ice arena in the country (at the moment) where we've just won, and we had a mix of fans from all different teams ... Stop picking faults with the tiny tiny elements like not being able to fill your faces without having to walk more than 5 yards or paying to much for a ticket.
Is it also our fault the panthers fans are there in force while the other teams can't even fill their allocation? Hell panthers would take more than one block if it was in Belfast
This is not directly aimed at any one person.
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Milkman™
Les Strongman
Always Delivers
Posts: 5,300
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Post by Milkman™ on Apr 9, 2012 10:09:58 GMT
£90 is a lot of money full stop.
Liken it the Superleague weekender held every year where you can see 7 games involving all the clubs in the league for £45, that's value for you.
Its all televised too so they must be doing something right, makes you think when Sky offered the deal many years the hockey bods should have taken it.
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Post by ollicat on Apr 9, 2012 10:16:38 GMT
Apologies if this has been said before but to summarise:
The question of Panthers home advantage appears only to be asked when we win
I think the Elite league seriously needs to look at its ticket price and what it offers for that price. Each year over the last nine years there has been less and less - no market stalls & disco on the Olympic rink; no marquee in Bolero Square; no street hockey. This year, no U 19 international, few market stalls and no fireworks. I have never seen so many empty seats over a playoff weekend. Provide more peripheral entertainment and you are likely to sell more tickets and more bums on seats makes for a better atmosphere in the arena. This year was flat - nothing to do with the venue but maybe a lot to do with the staging of the event.
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Post by james1977 on Apr 9, 2012 10:16:51 GMT
£90 is a lot of money full stop. Liken it the Superleague weekender held every year where you can see 7 games involving all the clubs in the league for £45, that's value for you. Its all televised too so they must be doing something right, makes you think when Sky offered the deal many years the hockey bods should have taken it. I remember when Wagon Wheels were massive, you could buy half-penny chews and cans of Quattro in the shops. Hell, keeping it hockey I remember being at Fight Night at the Joe, but those days are gone. We can all do the nostalgia thing, the past is the past though. As an aside, do any of us know how 'flush' the EIHL is as an organisation? Season after season of bailouts must take its toll. Perhaps the rise in ticket prices but drop in quality is a result. Where else do EIHL make money?
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Post by PantherG on Apr 9, 2012 10:21:26 GMT
If you support the panthers why would you want to change? Surely we should take advantage? Also all this crap nostalgia thrown down our throats with ' I remember the good ole days of the Wembly finals' or "the atmosphere in the old barn was better" is getting a bit tiresome now... Unless you've got a flux capacitor in your garage move on and get with the times make the most of what we do have A 2 day weekend event in the best ice arena in the country (at the moment) where we've just won, and we had a mix of fans from all different teams ... Stop picking faults with the tiny tiny elements like not being able to fill your faces without having to walk more than 5 yards or paying to much for a ticket. Is it also our fault the panthers fans are there in force while the other teams can't even fill their allocation? Hell panthers would take more than one block if it was in Belfast This is not directly aimed at any one person. I appreciate that you are fed up of people harping on about Wembley etc... However, if you did a survey of fans around the league I am sure you would find that the majority of people would class the Wembley weekend as a far superior event to what we currently have. And I also know if a deal was signed to hold the event at Sheffield for the next few years we would all have something to say. It is what it is, we are stuck with it at the NIC. It is a great Arena and probably the best available at the moment... However, I understand why people are frustrated and disappointed that its held in our home stadium.
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Milkman™
Les Strongman
Always Delivers
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Post by Milkman™ on Apr 9, 2012 10:29:16 GMT
£90 is a lot of money full stop. Liken it the Superleague weekender held every year where you can see 7 games involving all the clubs in the league for £45, that's value for you. Its all televised too so they must be doing something right, makes you think when Sky offered the deal many years the hockey bods should have taken it. I remember when Wagon Wheels were massive, you could buy half-penny chews and cans of Quattro in the shops. Hell, keeping it hockey I remember being at Fight Night at the Joe, but those days are gone. We can all do the nostalgia thing, the past is the past though. As an aside, do any of us know how 'flush' the EIHL is as an organisation? Season after season of bailouts must take its toll. Perhaps the rise in ticket prices but drop in quality is a result. Where else do EIHL make money? Look the League weekender as an idea. Perhaps if there was some format where all the teams took part the place would be full. Not be-littling the achievement of the panthers but it is a 3 game competition, hardly worth the 'Play Off' tag. I'm comparing like for like too, a ticket to watch the Rhinos is the same as a Panthers ticket.
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Ian
Matt Myers
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Post by Ian on Apr 9, 2012 10:30:55 GMT
Tough one this, playing on our home ice must logically give some kind of advantage, although for years we have been saying that away teams are made to feel too comfortable at the NIC anyway, so which is it? I also agree with the point that the road trip / team hotel / different surroundings can help build team spirit and momentum, rather than going home to the family like a normal day at work. At the end of the day, the issue has never been raised in seasons when Panthers didn't win. Nobody would be finding fault with the music, announcing or dressing room allocations if Devils had won yesterday. Storm never won when the playoffs were at the MEN and the presentation there was far more of a "home game" than anything I have seen at the NIC, now everyone looks back fondly on Manchester weekends.
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Post by james1977 on Apr 9, 2012 10:36:09 GMT
Strange thing is that it seems most fans clutttering up the internet whinging about 'home advantage' today seem to be Giants fans, whose team effectively played (and lost) their game on neutral ice and Steelers fans, whose team couldn't make it past Hull on actual, no doubt at all about it home ice, which apparently is a massive advantage.
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stedders
Jade Galbraith
Proud owner of a season ticket for 2011-12, and now 12-13
Posts: 140
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Post by stedders on Apr 9, 2012 10:36:44 GMT
As an aside, do any of us know how 'flush' the EIHL is as an organisation? Season after season of bailouts must take its toll. Perhaps the rise in ticket prices but drop in quality is a result. Where else do EIHL make money? At the Evening with Danny & Dave (Simms), the latter said the EIHL are absolutely on their uppers, brassic!! One of the reasons for not doing a coaching school for the officials. I'd rather see that than fireworks and barely dressed munters dancing on stage during intervals and breaks in play!!
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kip
Jade Galbraith
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Post by kip on Apr 9, 2012 10:41:02 GMT
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seedy
Pat Casey
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Post by seedy on Apr 9, 2012 10:45:43 GMT
As an aside, do any of us know how 'flush' the EIHL is as an organisation? Season after season of bailouts must take its toll. Perhaps the rise in ticket prices but drop in quality is a result. Where else do EIHL make money? At the Evening with Danny & Dave (Simms), the latter said the EIHL are absolutely on their uppers, brassic!! One of the reasons for not doing a coaching school for the officials. I'd rather see that than fireworks and barely dressed munters dancing on stage during intervals and breaks in play!! Thats entirely unfair to mis quote what they said, especially as its for that very reason Simms said before that stuff like that SHOULDNT be posted on forums For balance, what he actually said is that next season the league should be 'in the black'
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Post by james1977 on Apr 9, 2012 10:46:02 GMT
Maybees the EIHL should let panthers play all their league games at home to give them a better chance of winning the league! How would Belfast win it if Ulster Poly stopped giving out Mickey Mouse degrees to tempt players?
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Mark
Randall Weber
Experience has taught me that when it really matters the only person you can rely on is yourself.
Posts: 4,616
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Post by Mark on Apr 9, 2012 10:46:18 GMT
That'll be a yes then. The music situation you quote is a load of cobblers, the Panthers didn't come out to their own music whilst the announcer played it down the middle and favoured neither team. I don't remeber anyone taking pot shots at any team that wasn't there either. As for the changing rooms situation, well neither team entered the arena via the usual points so unless someone was downstairs recording which changing rooms were used by whom I would suggest that little nugget is pure supposition. I would also suspect that a sizable majority of Panthers fans would love the Playoffs to be elsewhere, but where exactly? The Motor Point Arena is currently too big, the NIC was far from a sellout and in every other respect is a superior venue in my opinion, and more importantly in the eyes of those who make the decisions it would seem. Belfast would be great but how many fans would realistically attend given it's geographical position and the travel arrangements thus required? The MEN, too big and now lacking an ice plant. Wembley, again no ice plant and the O2, pointless, way too big and I suspect way too expensive. And so that leaves the NIC. Central, the right size and immediately geared up to support an event such as the Playoffs. As a footnote how much of this ill informed guff would have reached the forums had the Panthers not won the title this weekend? Very little I suspect because all those haters out there would have been too busy crowing. So glad to have ruined your weekend. Seems some of your own fans disagree with you on this. Not disagreeing about the NIC being the best place for it at all. Just the neutrality of it all. Not putting your achievements down either, 4 trophies in 2 years is a tremendous effort on everybodies part. I say again, your fanbase would be no different if the boot was on the other foot. Stop trying to take the moral high ground. It's just like none of you would have been bothered about wage caps in the year 2000 if Steelers hadn't won the grand slam (sham!! )!! Not taking the moral high ground but as a Panthers fan I get sick to the back teeth of this kind of rubbish being thrown our way. Remember our playoff win in 2007? We didn't really win that one because we won on penalties. You've got to accept that a large majority of this whinging is just sour grapes and as for Pelle and Matzka, how petty and small minded do they look? Glad we won and rammed it down so many misirable sods throats, and here's a tip for all the gripers, if you don't like it save your money next season and stay away.
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Mark
Randall Weber
Experience has taught me that when it really matters the only person you can rely on is yourself.
Posts: 4,616
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Post by Mark on Apr 9, 2012 10:49:35 GMT
Strange thing is that it seems most fans clutttering up the internet whinging about 'home advantage' today seem to be Giants fans, whose team effectively played (and lost) their game on neutral ice and Steelers fans, whose team couldn't make it past Hull on actual, no doubt at all about it home ice, which apparently is a massive advantage. Don't let facts get in the way of a dig at the Panthers mate.
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kip
Jade Galbraith
20%
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Post by kip on Apr 9, 2012 11:00:35 GMT
Being as Pelle won the big one I can't see how you "rammed" it down their throats. Imo the play offs should be rotated around the league clubs with big enough arenas including Belfast. Or they find a neutral venue. It seems totally unfair that every fan other than Panthers fans are having to fork out hundreds in travelling & hotel costs every year. By rotating it you may also get the hockey word out to the general public all around the country and not just in Nottingham. If a lot of fans from all the other clubs are now commenting that the NIC has lost it's appeal and it now feels like just another home game for the panthers then someone should sit up and take notice because they can't all be wrong!
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kip
Jade Galbraith
20%
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Post by kip on Apr 9, 2012 11:02:34 GMT
Maybees the EIHL should let panthers play all their league games at home to give them a better chance of winning the league! How would Belfast win it if Ulster Poly stopped giving out Mickey Mouse degrees to tempt players? Jeezo surely you can do better than that!!!
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Shaggy
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Post by Shaggy on Apr 9, 2012 11:04:34 GMT
Being as Pelle won the big one I can't see how you "rammed" it down their throats. Imo the play offs should be rotated around the league clubs with big enough arenas including Belfast. Or they find a neutral venue. It seems totally unfair that every fan other than Panthers fans are having to fork out hundreds in travelling & hotel costs every year. By rotating it you may also get the hockey word out to the general public all around the country and not just in Nottingham. If a lot of fans from all the other clubs are now commenting that the NIC has lost it's appeal and it now feels like just another home game for the panthers then someone should sit up and take notice because they can't all be wrong! Have you ever thought that you are talking to the wrong people here? It's the league - made up of the 10 clubs - who make this decision. Maybe the clubs don't want to travel to Belfast. If you want change - lobby the clubs. And Kip - you're being needlessly provocative in your other posts... give it a rest, eh? If you can't make your point without getting in a few digs, don't make it at all.
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