CHELMSFORD,U.K- So, where are we now? The Chelmsford Chieftains moved to the English National League Division 2 South in the summer, against fairly strong opposition from fans and also board members. Now we are 10 games into the season, how does the management feel about the decision taken?
” We are meeting expectations (at the moment) – it was a very difficult decision to make, the cost of EPL is just not sustainable without major sponsorship and other clubs are now finding this, particularly in the credit crunch, to spend money hand over fist does not make sense and we have felt for a long time that one of the issues that always held Chelmsford back, was a separate senior team and junior set up,” Club Director Nolan Smith said. Despite the initial worries the Chieftains Director seems pleased with the outcome. “We are proud that we have had the vision and guts to pull it together, with the support and approval of the junior membership, I know that many doubted us and the effect that it would have on the club dropping, however our results and set up seem to have galvanized the supporters to such an extent that our crowd size is beginning to pick up again,” Nolan said “The great feeling is that there is now a spirit of being a ‘Chelmsfordian’ again – for example the most important thing is to play for Chelmsford and the badge on the front. It is reminiscent of 10 years ago at the Riverside.” Smith doesnt take the complete credit for the move and shows his appreciation for the rink owners. “We have to extend thanks to Riverside (Rink owners), they were absolutely in support of our vision and continue to support us, and in fact we are the first organization to have a two year deal which is important for planning. To date it has been a solid move (although we would have like to be in the first division); however we are all aware that opinions can change if we start to lose games.” Nolan said.
Smith then turned his attention to the financial aspect of the move. “We are for the first time in years on a solid financial footing and we are making small money, (but more importantly we are not losing it !) mainly due to the front loaded nature of the cash flow, however we expect that our figure targets will be reached by the end of the season,” Nolan said “We are dead on our financial plan. The whole intention is to split any money 50/50 between the juniors and the Chieftains, we need to give something back to the junior academy and make them a very strong force to be reckoned with at grass roots level as this will only aid the Chieftains in the long run.”
With regards to team matters and off ice issues, Smith commented. “A huge issue that has been resolved is our nomadic presence across Essex in search of a consistent home off ice venue. This has now been resolved, and we will start to beef up our use of this venue,” Smith said “On the ice we look strong, but if things go to plan we will need to strengthen certain areas. Dean Birrell (Head-coach) has set his stall out though, any player from last years team that was approached to re-sign will find it difficult to come back. This is part of being a ‘Chelmsfordian’ and committing to playing for the town and the team.”
By making comments about the playing side of things, it was only right to get head coach Birrell’s comments on team matters. “It was a new start for me this year, despite being local and being involved or having an interest in the team for nine years I didn’t really know what to expect from some of the boys, but they have all responded well and are playing well as a team and now know what is expected from them,” Birrell said “We have a great team spirit in the locker room, with everyone sticking up for each other when the going gets tough. There is still room for improvement and despite there being a lot of hockey still to be played, I am quietly confident we can be promoted come the end of the season.” Birrell also spoke of the players released and signed. “We made some player changes early on and I would not rule out further changes, but I am not actively looking to bring anyone else in. I felt that the two lads I let go, Adrian Woodyard and Rob Young, both let themselves and the team down in different ways,” Birrell said “Woodyard knows he made a mistake and will hopefully learn quickly from it. Young on the other hand seemed to lead us up the garden path a bit and left us in a bit of a pickle by changing his plans so close to the start of the season.” However Birrell is pleased with the team he now has. “The boys that are still on the team though have a great work ethic and all work their socks off, which is what I expect of them. I am very proud of how they have mixed in with the senior guys like Jerry Pavlus, Rich Whiting and Karl Hopper and by the same token, the older players have been very useful to have around to help out with the coaching and leadership, as well passing on knowledge and experience to the younger lads,” Birrrell said “For some of them it was a bit daunting playing in front of crowds of 600 compared to about 30 in junior hockey, but they have grown into it well. Not only that, off the ice the lads tend to go out together and are becoming good friends away from the club, which helps the spirit no end.”
I asked Birrell how he thought the team was contributing with the top line scoring the vast majority of the points and the others seemingly struggling to keep pace.
” I think that all three lines, on both defense and forward, and the rotational players are contributing what is expected of them and they are invaluable to the team’s success on the ice. For some of them, complacency may have become an issue but I have told them not to ease off in games and sadly that means that games like Sunday’s against the Slough Harrier Hawks (Chieftains won 17-1) may well end up in double figures. If you ease off, bad habits slip into your game and its back to square one,” Birrell said Some of the clubs more vociferous fans have called into question the commitment and dedication of the team in previous years, comparing them to the hungry and passionate youngsters on display this year. Smith was quick to come to the defence of players he was involved with in bringing to the Essex side “I have to say that last years team put everything into every game and tried just has hard as this year’s team. The issue is that we were just short of two real quality imports to make the difference, the perception is that this year’s team works harder, but this is not strictly true, the difference is that in this league we have the players that are able to turn games,” Smith said “Last year we were limited going forward, this year we have many impact players, the result is that some games are ‘shoot out’ hockey – which is great for the fans.”
Other fans also questioned whether a return to the English Premier League would happen sooner rather than later. The passionate and honest Smith quashed those thoughts in an instant.
“I have to say that in my opinion the EPL as it stands will not be the same in years to come, It is not sustainable. It is easy enough for those running the leagues to say ‘If EPL wages are not sustainable, then do not pay them’ – but this is suicide in that league you will trawl along the bottom and lose support,” Smith said “We knew this and that is why we went the other way, there is a natural split in the EPL, and it makes a lot of sense to re-shape the ENL in the future. However the unfortunate issue, is that by voting us into division 2 the precedent has been set that no other EPL team will be allowed to drop to the first division, so I think that they will almost be forced into sticking with EPL in a catch 22 situation. Irrespective of what happened to us last year, I personally (not speaking for co-director Derek Bartlett) would vote any EPL team into the ENL div 1 in a heartbeat, as this makes absolute sense for the game of hockey in the UK.”
Both Smith and Birrell agreed that this season the aim was to get promotion and win a trophy.
“This is my eighth year from 10 involved in hockey and I have yet to win a trophy. Derek, Dean & I badly want to win a trophy and I will do all I can to help bring a trophy to the club this season,” Smith said “I would urge all fans to get behind the team and support them at every game as the lads seem to be playing better in front of bigger crowds.” Contact the author at Pete.lewis@prohockeynews.com
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