CONFIRMED TEAMS FOR ROTHERHAM 13TH SEPTEMBER 2009

Guys after a lengthy process with scouts from throughout the world, Lynch and myself have agreed on the following lines for the tournament.

Im sure most players would rather play with other players but we have felt due to numbers and fielding two balanced teams that these teams are both fair and offer a variety of skills from each player.

I would suggest that from next week Sunday 9th August we start to play in our teams and would hope that you can start to grow / develop / link with your team mates and prepare for Rotherham in a positive way. All other players who aren't participating in the tournament are more than happy to still play at all the sessions (ROBBO) and will be added on teams of members who are not in attendance.

Bazza / Craggles (any other shift workers etc) are you guys likely to be able to attend much / at all prior to the tournament commencing?

And finally Blood has retired but im sure if we all begg a great deal and tell this man how important he is to our squad he may just play!

All eggs in one basket.

DWD wrote:All eggs in one basket.

Ali has spent a great length of time on it mate and assures me that the lines / teams are equal.

He has actually rated people and balanced them that way.

Personally I don't think you're giving him or yourself enough credit (I'm guessing yourself and Tulip are rated similarly).

I've actually had very little input into the teams other than to advise that I think they seem balanced.

i think in the coming weeks i should be able to make it to a few more games.

been very busy of late. but its calming down now. im gonna try make it next weekend.

Since Ali has deleted the proposed team (due to his own frustration) I will post them.

The proposed teams are: -

Team A

Capt Spalding NM
Freakshow (D)
Marcus (D)
Oddity (D)
Sarah Mason (D)
Paddy (1)LW
Warrior (1) C
Grabham (1) RW
Ritchie (2) RW
Frank TBC(2) C
JoeBell(2) LW
SUB: Drew Cooney University

Team B
LadyLynchio (NM)
Nathan GibbonsD)
Bazza (D)
Leafsfan(D)
Tulip (1)
Craggles (1)
Lynchio (1)
Leafy (2) C
Ali (2) RW
Ross Duncan (2) LW
Floating Sub Deano

To the best of my knowledge

Team 1 has 6 players with previous competitive ice / roller experience
Team 2 has 4 players with previous competitive ice / roller experience

If anyone has any objections / suggestions for these teams could they please be constructive in their comments.
Ali has spent a lot of time trying to move the sport forward and whilst this isn't probably in everyones best interests there is no doubting that it has made the games more enjoyable and has improved the skill level of the majority of players.

It's no easy job picking the teams, I'm happy with what has been chosen will just have to start playing together as a team and making the partnerships work. Bring it on. Cheers Ali and Lynchio

I think we are all improving and to be honest i'm just happy to play, and be part of a what i think is a great team. I have watched this dek thing grow so much since Paul kick started it, he took it as far as he could but i also saw how hard it was to try and keep it going but also keep everyone happy. In all honesty it wore him down until he was physically ill with it and was no longer enjoying the games. Ali has done what no-one else seemed able to do, he's picked us up and reminded us what we loved about it all. he's worked his arse off to get new people in, and to move us forward as a team. I don't think we appreciate how much blood, sweat and tears he has put into this.
Come on guys, lets just enjoy the game, concentrate on improving our individual game and move on as a team.

yes. job well done. i think we have 2 pretty strong teams here.

With a little training and teamwork, and if we all work hard then i think we could do well at this tourney.

They look pretty balanced to me

I can see where Paddy is coming from (though there are a couple of people there I've not seen play yet). I would suggest though, that you just play the two against each other a couple of times and see how it works out! You can always reshuffle if necessary.

I'd be happy to come down and run the rule over the two teams in action from a purely neutral standpoint if that helps.

lynchio wrote:

DWD wrote:All eggs in one basket.

Ali has spent a great length of time on it mate and assures me that the lines / teams are equal.

He has actually rated people and balanced them that way.

Personally I don't think you're giving him or yourself enough credit (I'm guessing yourself and Tulip are rated similarly).

I've actually had very little input into the teams other than to advise that I think they seem balanced.

Eh? It wasnt a go at Ali, and I didnt suggest you had anything to do with it.

My apologies if the statement above was a bit sweeping, it was posted by iPhone on the bus. So didnt want to get into a whole thing about it.

My issue isn't that the teams are balanced. Looking at them we seem to have a team that is half cocked.. and a second team which is a good bit weaker.

My question is on this, what's the point?

Are we going down to compete or are we going down to make up the numbers? because with these two team I think we're going down to make up the numbers.

Honestly this isnt a dig at Ali, we all appreciate his hard work. But would it not be better we went down as a squad? An A-Team and a B-Team?

Granted our "B-team" (which I would consider myself in, before people start accusing me of delusions of grandeur) would struggle on the whole, but if we put a squad system together it gives something for people to fight for and strive to make the A-team.

Thus on the A-Team we have a NE Dekstars team who would actually be able to compete, rather than 2 teams who would struggle in the quest not to hurt peoples feelings?

In the quest to not disgrace ourselves.. is anyone really worried about balance? I know I'm not, I'd sooner be in a sub-standard B-Team and encourage our A-Team to victory, than suffer both squads taking a pasting.

I do have a few questions on the teams above though, but would rather discuss it with Ali and yourselves tomorrow in person than put it here and struggle in my interpretation?

[quote="DWD"]

lynchio wrote:

DWD wrote:All eggs in one basket.

My question is on this, what's the point?

Are we going down to compete or are we going down to make up the numbers? because with these two team I think we're going down to make up the numbers.

Honestly this isnt a dig at Ali, we all appreciate his hard work. But would it not be better we went down as a squad? An A-Team and a B-Team?

Granted our "B-team" (which I would consider myself in, before people start accusing me of delusions of grandeur) would struggle on the whole, but if we put a squad system together it gives something for people to fight for and strive to make the A-team.

Thus on the A-Team we have a NE Dekstars team who would actually be able to compete, rather than 2 teams who would struggle in the quest not to hurt peoples feelings?

In the quest to not disgrace ourselves.. is anyone really worried about balance? I know I'm not, I'd sooner be in a sub-standard B-Team and encourage our A-Team to victory, than suffer both squads taking a pasting.

I do have a few questions on the teams above though, but would rather discuss it with Ali and yourselves tomorrow in person than put it here and struggle in my interpretation?

AGREED

And thus we have demonstrated the problems with posting on internet forums in 1 thread.

With regards to the intended nature of your original comment paddy....

ali cree wrote:
ü TOURNAMENT TEAMS

How do we split?
We decided that teams will be split fairly and balanced as opposed to an A and B team at present.
Development Team and Amateur Team? NA
Draw made allowing the split in teams? NA
2/3 Equal strength Teams? YES

This was decided by the majority at the recent team meeting, hence why we have 2 reasonably balanced teams.

To be totally honest I don't see why either of these teams cannot compete at Rotherham, the main difference is that the teams we have been playing are more organised and more used to playing together (having done so regularly for over 10 years), the majority of teams are not THAT much greater than us, if at all.

lynchio wrote:And thus we have demonstrated the problems with posting on internet forums in 1 thread.

With regards to the intended nature of your original comment paddy....

ali cree wrote:
ü TOURNAMENT TEAMS

How do we split?
We decided that teams will be split fairly and balanced as opposed to an A and B team at present.
Development Team and Amateur Team? NA
Draw made allowing the split in teams? NA
2/3 Equal strength Teams? YES

This was decided by the majority at the recent team meeting, hence why we have 2 reasonably balanced teams.

To be totally honest I don't see why either of these teams cannot compete at Rotherham, the main difference is that the teams we have been playing are more organised and more used to playing together (having done so regularly for over 10 years), the majority of teams are not THAT much greater than us, if at all.

If thats the way it was decided, so be it, I wasnt at that meeting and dont really agree with that sentiment, but I respect the democracy of the team.

And I havent been to Rotherham either, all I know is that in the trips down we've had, we've not won a game and struggled to score goals.

So hence my confusion and mild frustration that we dont just send down a strong side and a B-team. I've no doubt in my mind that'll be the way the other sides will pick their teams.

Use our Sundays and change the teams period by period over the next few weeks to determine the strong D partnerships, the fast wingers, the creative centres.

For example, Joe The Hitman has a left handed shot, shouldnt he be on the Left Wing and not the right? (just noticed on Lynchios team Joe is put on the left, earlier I'd noticed he was on the right, apologies if any confusion)

Martin (Leafsfan) is great at retention at the back, but will need someone to offload too and thus someone who would stop back with him (maybe Oddity) and give him options, rather than a D-man who posts high?

These are only suggestions, but maybe somethings we could hone by running a squad system?

*shrugs*

I'm not here to start an arguement, far from it, I, like you guys, want whats best for this club.

This may be something we all need to sit round a table with a pint or two and a sheet of paper.

I do know where you are coming from paddy (however your original comment was very open to interpretation and you must have realised that), the thing is we did sit around a table with a couple of pints and decided to go with balanced teams for this tournament with better preperation.

We did say in the future we may move to an A side and a B side but for the moment we agreed mainly that it was better to have 2 balanced teams. This wasn't to protect anyones feelings but more to keep with the ethos of fun that the team was originally set up with.

Trust me, no-one has taken the defeats at Rotherham harder or more personally than me, I felt like I had personally failed each and every member of the team, hence my resignation as captain.

Nobody WANTS to get beat or fail, that much is given. But as stated there is no reason these teams can't compete. Rob Clayton told us last time he felt that our team was just too big and we didn't get a chance to get into any sort of Rhythm but the difference in the actual level of play from tourney 1 was superb.

The key in my eyes is preperation and organisation. Which is why a line needs to be drawn under this very quickly so we can concentrate on preparing to take the Crazy Kenny's tournament by storm.

usually when i play hockey whatever the captain says is final and if there is a problem with that, you take him to one side and ask him personally.

Do we have PKing lines?

jgrabham wrote:Do we have PKing lines?

i won't be there so don't worry about penalties

The teams look good to me - as a spectator! I reckon if players stay on for long enough to get into a rhythm with each other, both teams should be able to give the opposition a bit of a shock.

That's not a criticism of the last tournament, by the way - perhaps at that one there were too many people for one team and not enough for two, which made it difficult to show what you are all capable of.

Come on the Dekstars - I'll cheer you all the way!

Totally agree with Helen.

The last couple of tournaments we've played, it's been line-change, line-change, line-change, what feels like every few seconds.

Ok, that's how the proper hockey fella's do it and it looks good, but it's not how we do it when we play.

Consequently we get about a minute of running about per shift, which is not enough time to get into it, not for me anyway, but maybe that's 'cos I'm old and about as tactical as cake.

Off topic sorry BUT I want one of those AVATARS Steve, can oyou get me one

You want an avatar of me?

Send me a pic of your face and I'll sort one out for you.

oddity75@btinternet.com

i can definatly see where Paddy is coming from ans from a none team perspective i personally think 1 strong team is needed to compete with the opposing teams, i have seen both tournaments so far and its very clear to me how far ahead the Wolves, Coyote's, Allstars, Slovakians are in relation to yourselves!

but thats not to diminish how far you guys have come but just that the bulk of the opposition have many years experience in Dek, they 'train' regularly they know each others game inside out and they work extremely hard for each other, in hockey terms its like putting the Warriors up against the Vipers.

Magpie wrote:i they 'train' regularly they know each others game inside out and they work extremely hard for each other, in hockey terms its like putting the Warriors up against the Vipers.

Sorry I know this is DEK and not HOCKEY but Magpie mentioned, if you are questioning the dedication and hard work the Warriors put in to playing withr each other and working extremely hard for each other then you are in cloud cuckoo land. You cannot use that as a comparison. OK Vipers have 'BETTER' Import/UK players but to say the Warriors don't know each others game inside out and to not work for each other your mental.

that comparison is a load of S&*t

RANT OVER

Warrior81 wrote:

Magpie wrote:i they 'train' regularly they know each others game inside out and they work extremely hard for each other, in hockey terms its like putting the Warriors up against the Vipers.

Sorry I know this is DEK and not HOCKEY but Magpie mentioned, if you are questioning the dedication and hard work the Warriors put in to playing withr each other and working extremely hard for each other then you are in cloud cuckoo land. You cannot use that as a comparison. OK Vipers have 'BETTER' Import/UK players but to say the Warriors don't know each others game inside out and to not work for each other your mental.

that comparison is a load of S&*t

RANT OVER

i think you picked me up wrong dude.