Birrell defends Dzurko

CHELMSFORD, UK – Chelmsford head coach Dean Birrell has come out in support of his colleagues and team following recent criticism of the Chieftains and in particular one player. Recently Slovak defenseman Rudi Dzurko has come in for some strong disapproval from many fans at the club and it led to someone within the club coming out a fortnight ago and defending Dzurko. In response, Birrell has had this to say “Rudi is a great player and a very good d man. He is only 22-23 and still is quite young. At the end of the day, I’ve got 2 imports on the team that want to be here and we do not have to pay to fly them in and house them and whatever else. To me that makes financial sense and makes them more of a team player as they are here because they want to be, not because we‘re paying them the most”. The question of imports has come up many times in recent weeks in discussions between the fans in and around the rink and have compared the club‘s two imports (Dzurko and Jerry Pavlus) to previous import players like Mike Marostega, Andy Power, Duane Ward and Mark Stewart. “Some people in Chelmsford have this notion that because in the past we’ve brought in these fantastic imports that have cost the Earth and we should be doing that again. We’re not in a position to do that now. If you can find me a better import that is as local as Pavlus and Dzurko that won’t want anything out of playing for us except for being on the ice then let me know and I’ll take a look at them” said the experienced Scotsman. The UK’s largest internet hockey forum, TheHockeyForum.com, has had a few comments from fans of other teams also commenting on the abilities of Dzurko and Pavlus compared to other imports that have been brought in from overseas to play for various clubs. This has fuelled comments from some Chieftains fans who have agreed with rival fans. Birrell commented on this too “At the end of the day we’re sitting top of the league. We’ve dropped one point. Our goals against is probably the best in the league, along with our goals for. We’ve got a bunch of young kids who are getting better and better by the game. People are allowed to air their view, that’s their right. When things start going wrong, I do wonder what their criticism and views will be like. But we’re not going to let that affect us and we’re still going to go out there and put in our best performances and do our best to prove the minority wrong”. Contact the author pete.lewis@prohockeynews.com NOTE: The views expressed in this article are those of the author, not necessarily those of the Chelmsford Chieftains or Chelmsford ice hockey club.