The KJ WellCast 1801

The KJ WellCast 1801

THE BRAEHEAD BLOG: FRUSTRATION IS NOT JUST A BOARD GAME.

As a man in his mid 20s, with the mindset still of an adolescent, many things frustrate me. Not having a job where I can use my degree. Having a job, which I know could pay better. Having the same conversations with people's voices on a daily basis. Having to commute on the world's warmest bus. Council Tax and many more. All affectations of being an adult that you don't think about when you are a student. These are all constants, and I'm pretty sure most people have the same or similar gripes. However, inconsistency gives just as much frustration to me as consistency.

On Boxing Day, Elaine and I bounded in to Braehead so she could do some shopping and I could carry said shopping, before going to watch the Clan v Belfast Giants. Regular readers will know the tie in, with my fiancee being from outside Belfast and formerly a Giants fan. The last match between the 2 at Braehead had ended in a 4-1 win for the Clan, which was followed up by much nose rubbing from myself in the direction of the in laws. Then, when Clan played giants at the Odyssey a few weeks ago, despite running them close, the Giants got revenge. Add in to this mix the Doucet/Zajac issues, and it set up Boxing days game to be a pretty tasty affair. It wasn't.

Belfast ran out 7-2 winners and barely had to try for their goals, with a number of them being gifted to them on a Christmas day leftovers sized plate. Clan just did not get going. Whether they were harboring food babies or whatnot, I do not know, but it was as toothless a display as I have seen the Purple Army (Richardson's or Bannister's) put on. The much lauded Krestanovich - Galbraith - Bayrack line just didn't put in the graft. The usually reliable Jade, looke dlike he was using someone else's stick, as time and again he couldn't get the puck out from under him, same with Mike Bayrack, whose skates saw more of the puck than his stick.

The D didn't fare much better, with Suoma exposed time after time. The second line with Haywood, McPherson and Campbell in attack were just as inept,and Giants were deserving of the win. The only one looking interested in fighting was wee Sammy, but that was more for his own sake than for the good of the team. As we filed out, Elaine and myself were baffled as to how Soupy could get MOM, as we'd agreed that purely for his assist and goal that Jim Jorgensen was the only worthy recipient. It summed up a rather frustrating night.

Fast forward 24 hours, and I'm sitting eating a big dirty burger in my living room, reading @ClanFans Twitter updates flood in and read on as Clan run out 4-1 winners at the Odyssey! A few expletives were uttered mid chew as I saw Bayrack had got goals 3 and 4, adding to Brocks first and Campbell's penalty shot. Where was this performance the night before? How could there be such a radical change in fortunes in the space of a day? As has been the want of Bannister's team this season, Clan are supposed to be poor on their travels and fairly unbeatable at home. Why did this change in the last 2 days?

Having been to every Motherwell FC game this season, I have seen the Well look shaky at home, but majestic everywhere else, which I know is frustrating for the season ticket holders at Fir Park. They are not getting the value for money that those who go to the away games seem to be getting, and unfortunately when the Club managed to incentivise them to travel through to Tynecastle at the weekend, they saw the team outplayed by Hearts. Those who journeyed through to Edinburgh who wouldn't normally, must be have been thinking that the away form was a myth.

This is sort of how I felt reading Twitter last night. Due to the holiday season, there was a bumper crowd at Braehead on Monday night. I'd imagine a fair few first timers went along, whether as an after shopping treat or were given tickets as Christmas presents, or maybe even regulars bringing their families along for a good night out. While the atmosphere was quite good (not as good as the last game v Belfast), the game was a bit of a damp squib as outlined above. With a larger home audience than normal, I suppose it would have been nice if the boys could have switched their performances around. A win would maybe have seen a swell in numbers for the Dundee game on Friday, which should still get a decent crowd due to folk still having Christmas money to burn.

Looking at the EIHL table, it perfectly highlights the inconsistency that has dogged this season. 14 wins and 12 losses, for every game won, we are losing another pretty much. Yes, we are top of the Scots (and Hull) and trying closing the gap on Cardiff, but if we could cut out the inconsistency and find a level or standard to play at in each game, Clan could be pushing for 4th or even 3rd. Wins over Belfast and the upper teams, as great as they are, don't mean anything if the team struggle against the likes of Hull and Fife. That is no disrespect to those teams, but the defeats the Clan have had to them this season are probably ranked as the worst in the Club's short history.

Going in to the second half of the season, Coach Drew needs to give the team a bit of a rocket in my opinion. Cut ot the mistakes and the inconsistencies and we can only progress. while the League would be a long way off, there is no reason why they can't push for silverware in the Challenge Cup and Playoffs. The guys need to get their eyes on the prize and start committing in every game, not just every other game.

Frustartion's well and truly vented for now...back to work for me!

Mon The Clan!

The Braehead Blog: A Bit of an Overall Round Up

Having been the subject of 2 or 3 Follow Fridays on Twitter this week from various hockey outlets, I feel I should probably get back in to the habit of regularly blogging about my beloved Clan. Work and other things have been piling up, so finding the time to write has been scarce of late. I am also finding that not attending games as much as I would have liked, is putting me in a position whereby my thoughts may not be as insightful as they could be.

Indeed, I had written a full blog about a week and a bti ago, after the glorious Belfast match, about what a great performance it had been in light of the Hull defeat, and that it was maybe down to the cracking Movember mousers that the team had sprouted, injecting some testosterone in to the lads performances. Alas, a bumpy bus and thick thumbs on an iPhone combined to accidentally copy and paste a text message on to my Notes app just as I was finsihing, meaning my work of literary genius ended up as " Sorry for putting the x at the end, force of habit."

The Belfast game itself was an awesome spectacle. It was the first time this season I had seen the elements of Richardson's legacy break through under bannister's stewardship. They had gusto, they were fighting, they were taking and giving big hits and not allowing the Giants in to the game. That's not to say the Giant's were poor, as in the first few minutes, it looked like arguably the best team in the league were going to give us a right good tanking. However, it didn't come about and some cracking goals, particularly the 3rd form Galbraith, gave Braehead a famous victory.

That was the last match I witnessed, so I have missed the 10-1 and 8-2 wins over the Flyers and the Caps, as well as last weekend's 2 defeats, which hurt both pride and momentum. A lot has been said about the Doucet hit on Zajac and the resulting farce of a decision that the league dished out regarding it. Having not seen KB54's check that resulted in a 3 match ban, I don't know how it could have been much worse than the hit on Sammy. I know that The EIHL gave a statement on the reasons for the 3 game ban to our talisman, but the inconsistency of these calls is abominable.

I got in to Ice Hockey at a time when the SPL and football in general was becoming more and more farcical, particularly with last year's referees strike and the contrivedness of the SFA, SPL et al to do anything substantial regarding it. In most sports, fortune falls on the big hitters, but I didn't really expect there to be as much of an issue between the way the "Big 4" are treated in comparison to the rest of the league. It seems almost like they are shutting the door after the horse has bolted, Clan complained about being hard done by, so next time it happened, the league imposed their ruling to the detriment of Bannister's Purple Army. Farcical.

It means Bruce's influence was missed in the 2 Edinburgh games and more importantly this weekend agaisnt Belfast. Having seen Clan win at the Odyssey on Boxing Day last year, I know they have it in them to pull off an upset, but without, Bruce and Krestanovich, hopes will be pinned on Galbraith, Bayrack and McPherson for a repeat performance.

Bayrack's scoring exploits have been noteworthy, having scored almost the same number of goals in his first ten games for us than he managed in the whole of last season. The line with he, Jade and Jordan is very very potent, which is in no small part thanks to former Panther Galbraith's skill and vision. I've said it before, he may not look much of an athelete, but by jove can he handle a puck. I'm enjoying seeing Brock get amongst the goals ona regular basis, as he is a beast of a man, and his size and speed are a great thing for Coach Drew to rely on.

Despite losing to Edinburgh and Sheffield, I still see the Belfast game as somewhat of a turning point. It was a more rough and tumble performance than we had seen all season, and saw a real step up in the strength of the team. If I was beign uber-critical, I'd say the D need to give Suoma a little bit more protection, as as well as he plays, he is having to make saves from plays that the D should be sweeping up. Still on goalies and hard hitting, the stae of Mike Will's face after Voth's bemch check on him was horrific. Players get less beat up on the ice than what Mike got on the sidelines, but coming away with the road win, maybe made the pain hurt a little less.

Aidan Fulton got his first goal for the Clan v Edinburgh, and he took it will with a cheeky backhander past the impressive Craze. I only know this form the Clan TV highlights and the Twitter updates, that have kept my eye on the Clan in my absence. The wonders of technology eh?

With that, I'm out. Clan are way all weekend, which gives me a chance to save for the next home game v Coventry next Wednesday. Hopeful of a repeat of the last time they visited, to stake a claim in progressing up the league.

Mon The Clan!

The Braehead Blog: Win Some Lose Some, It's All The Same To Me (to an extent...)

Nine games in to the Clan's Second Season, and it's been as much of a mixed bag as you would get trick or treating at this time of year. Despite the horror show in Hull that seems to have spooked many Clan, can we really have too much of a go at our men on the eve of our Edinburgh double header?

5 wins and 4 defeats, is an average start to the season. Everything given in one game is almost taken away the next. Having lost heavily to Nottingham last week, a bounce back win against Fife was always going to be needed. While not carried out in as impressive a way as many would have liked, it was a big W nonetheless.

Expectations of a win in Hull were extinguished almost immediately after face off, Clan going down to their heaviest defeat in their 2 year history. From reports I've read, the D may as well not have been there, as Suma was swapped for Mike Will for the second time in a week.

To compete with the big boys, the guys know they need to prove themselves better than the bottom feeders. There was ignominy in being turned over by a very good Panthers side, but I don't believe the Stingrays are as good a team Neilson's men.

So what is the issue? Why are Braehead Clan so liable to collapse at the minute. From the games I've been at so far this year, they seem to suffer a second period dip. Maybe they are committing themselves too much in the 1st, before gaining a second wind in the third, which against Fife, Coventry and Edinburgh seems to have been fine, but it won't do against the top 5.

Travelling seems to be an issue too with only one road victory so far. Whether its the journey to blame I do not know, but the away matches need to provide better fare, if not for the points, then at least for the ardent traveling support.

Whatever the issues are, it needs to be fixed. I'm not panicking yet though. November through December was a rough ride last year, with few points picked up in the lead up to Christmas, but Richardson's boys rode the storm out and had a cracking end to the season. I'm confident that Bannister can get the same drive and impetus from this years crew to settle the early season nerves.

We look to have the players to make an impact. A month in to the season and it's clear that theres a solid core of a team, provided game faces are on. For me, Jade Galbraith has been a stand out. Despite his reputation, his range of passing, his vision and his skill set belie his shabby looking frame. That's no disrespect to the man. Tommy Coyne, a Motherwell legend, never looked the most athletic in Claret and Amber, but did wonders for the Well. Galbraith has been integral to the workings of the team this season and his assists and goals are credit to his work rate.

Now that Bayrack is up to speed, he has become part of our import cluster who will make the difference. Jorgensen, McPherson and Suma have been strong players putting up decent numbers and stops respectively. Added to the old guard of Wedderburn, Campbell, Kyle Bruce, Krestanovich and Bannister himself, there is plenty experience on show. The youngsters, Zajac, Walker, Haywood and Connon are putting in fine performances as well.

Despite the win one lose one pattern, I do not see any cause for concern just yet. I don't want to sound like too much of a happy clappy here, but it's still early in the season. The league is so random at the minute, anything could happen. Hull lost to Edinburgh last week, yet horses the Clan. Bannister's men put away Coventry, yet they turned over the Panther's who dispatched Braehead easily. If results continue to be as polarising, then there will be cause for concern. But right now, it's all about backing the boys to the hilt, especially this Halloween weekend. No scares please!

As a side bar, I was a bit dissappointed to see that Jim Jorgensen retired from Twitter today. Whether he had been wound up after the Hull game, was getting too much attention from certain over enthused clan fans or just got bored of it all, who knows?

Seeing how open the players are to fraternising with the fans, social networking allows us to maybe see them more as regular guys and view their team camaraderie. In the past few weeks I've read about Jade's penchant for 10 pin bowling and FIFA, seen Sammy Zajac, Adam Walker and Brock McPherson feeding ducks and Jim himself in drag.

I know that makes me sound like some sort of stalker, but being right in to my social networking stuff, it's cool to see that these Saturday night heroes can be just as mundane as the rest of us.

So, what should you readers take from this blog?

Well, first of all, a heavy defeat does not mean the wheels have come off. Coach Drew has apparently noted the problems and is aiming to rectify them. The 2 Edinburgh games at the weekend will be the proof, as despite lowly status, they have had a decent November. It's up to the Clan to halt their resurgence and get some momentum of their own for the visit of Belfast next weekend.

Unfortunately I'll miss the double header due to a jaunt to Inverness for my other "job" but between 7 and 930ish, I'll be on Twitter to keep up to date with the hopeful tanking of the Caps.

Enjoy the Halloween and Hockey festivities, Clan Fans! My next blog will more than likely be about the Belfast game and the number of folk I have managed to coax along to the Arena for it.

Mon The Clan!!

The Braehead Blog: Start As You Mean To Go On

The Braehead Blog: Start As You Mean To Go On

As I took my seat in Braehead Arena Block B on Saturday night, even before the first face off, I knew it was going to be the start of something good. I'd entered the arena on my own, as I'd got from Fir Park to Paisley before my fiancee and my folks, and sat down in the corner of the bench side stand.

Both the Clan and Dundee were warming up as I soaked in the ambience and the view from an unfamiliar seat. I'm usually a K man. As I notified my cohorts that I was inside already, my eyes buried in my phone, I could hear the clunk and thud and scraping of skates, sticks and pucks emanate from the pond.

A shrill cry of "heids!" broke the audio of the rink, but not enough for me to take notice. What did make me look up from my texting, was 2 lads dog piling on to the seat next to me from over my shoulder. It was then that I realised what had happened.

In events similar to my first Clan game, also against Dundee, a stray puck had flown from the ice and landed right next to me. However, on this occasion, I had not seen it coming. Had I been sat 1 seat to my right I would probably be still looking for my teeth or phoning the insurance company to explain how my phone had been shattered by a hockey puck.

By the time I'd realised it all, there were now 4 boys scrapping for the puck. Eventually 1 of them was declared the victor, with his prize the black rubber disc that could have easily broken my glasses.

The puck that I claimed last year has pride of place on my desk at work. It acts as a boredom killer, a stress totem and a really thick coaster. It still has the scuff marks from the ticks that had passed it around and is a conversation starter with newbs to the office.

It also serves as a reminder of my first season following The Clan. Now that we are 2 games in to our season, I'm wondering what I will gain in the season ahead as a reminder of how it pans out.

I'll have my blogs and my reports and the tweet I got from David Simms after objecting to him diminishing the league by highlighting Edinburgh Capital's misfortune. I see no merit to the EIHL from playing on the poorer aspects of what is a fairly decent British League, and the promotion of the league should be put ahead of anything negative.

Maybe this season's must have black Clan shirt will be the material possession to spark the memories. It does look rather fetching and think the team will look awesome in a slightly more intimidating kit. Not that there's anything wrong with the home colour scheme, it's just not very menacing.

However, Bannister's Purple Army sounds just as good as Richardson's. The 2500+ crowd on Saturday night made sure of that by making the new coach welcome, as well as the new starters for this season.

Jaakko Suomalainen was under the cosh for most of the 2nd period, keeping out 33 efforts in total. His performance fully merited the chants of "Sumo" from the crowd and he was unlucky not to be Man of the Match. Jimmy Jorgensen scored a debut goal and Behemoth Brock McPherson was unlucky to hit the post. That man is a giant and could be the muscle we need this season. Of the old guard, Jordan Krestanovich started as he meant to go on with 2 fine goals, as did Vince Connon, Adam Walker and Ryan Campbell, all ably assisted by Jade Galbraith.

Knowing of Galbraith's notoriety, it was good to see him get on with playing the game, assisting with assists and fancy stick play when needed. With Bayrack to come in as well, this bunch of Braehead battlers look like they could be a very good team in a few weeks.

A 6-0 win is as emphatic as you can really get for a 1st game, but I'm lead to believe game 2 v Edinburgh was not quite the cakewalk many expected. Winning 4-2 is still a good result against a resilient if depleted Caps side.

From what I have read, Clan were a bit sluggish and fatigued, but that was probably to be expected. Without a proper preseason and a good few games behind everyone else in terms of fitness, it was always going to tell. Coach Drew was certainly keen for the lads to perform better, but a win is a win is a win. All eyes point towards next weekends game against Cardiff. This will be the first proper test for Clan 2.0 as The Devils have started the season fairly well, most recently defeating Coventry, who themselves are having a less than perfect start to the 2011/12 season.

Unfortunately my footballing commitments will see me travelling back from Dundee while this game is on, so I'll be keeping my eyes glued to my phone for updates, just like I did when narrowly avoiding death by puck.

However, regardless of the result and indeed any of the future results, I know this will be a season to remember. The players, the fans and the urgency are a there to make season 2 a success. Whether we are in the Arena, The Puck Stop or The SnoBar or coaxing others to join us for games, we believe that our team can make an impact this year.

A Trophy at the end of it would be a good memento to remind us of the season as well....

Mon The Clan!

Clan Match Report: Braehead Clan 6 - Dundee Stars 0 24/09/2011

Braehead Clan 6 - Dundee Stars 0

The Clan made a magnificent return the Braehead Arena with a comprehensive 6 goal whitewash of Dundee Stars.

Goals from Jordan Krestanovich, Vince Connon, Jimmy Jorgensen, Adam Walker and Ryan Campbell, as well as a debut shut out for Jaakko Suomalainen, meant that the Clan's new season was opened in style. The new look squad took to the ice in forn of just over 2500 of Bannister's Purple Army, and the treated the fans to a competent display of hockey.

Decked out in this season's new white home kit, the new players were introduced to the crowd to cheers along side first season returnees such as Kyle Bruce, Tim Wedderburn and Captain Krestanovich. With the franchise's debut season a relative success under Bruce Richardson, Drew Bannister knew that the bar for this season would be set high, one of the first things needing doing would be to start the season with a bang.

After a cagey opening, Clan clicked in to gear as Connon scooped the puck past Whitley on 8:40. It was a deserved lead and one that the home crowd raised the roof for. Key to continued success this season was the retention of former Colorado Avalanche forward Jordan Krestanovich, and he started this season as he ended last with a clinical second goal of the night. Picking up a loose puck around centre ice, he drove down the right hand side before blasting high beyond the Stars nettie at 16:58.

The second period was played much more defensively by Bannister's charges, almost as if to see what Clan's new number 1 Suomalainen could bring to the table. The Finn had an impressive period, keeping out all comers with a string of glove, stick and pad stops. "Sumo" had a great debut, which his team mates built upon in the 3rd.

Krestanovich got his second of the night 5 minutes in to the 3rd, with Jorgensen netting off the back pipe for a debut goal less than a minute later. the blades had come off Dundee and their puck retention got poorer and poorer as the game continued, which didn't do much to stop the waves of Clan attack.

The final goals were scored by a pair of players who chose to return to The Clan for Season 2. Adam Walker's strike forced Dundee to bring in McGill for the defenceless Whitley, and his first task was to pick the 6th goal of the night, from Ryan Campbell out of his net.

It was an emphatic, confident and professional performance from both the old and the new guys. Jade Galbraith played his part with 2 assists, while Matty Haywood showed his tough side with a few spells in the box, as did Coach Bannister. Jorgensen and the behemoth that is Brock McPherson made astute debuts, with the latter striking the post with a great strike.

The game ended 6-0 to Braehead with Krestanovich pipping Suomalainen to the MVP award. Stars minder Whitley picked up his side's gong, giving the small Dundee crowd who had travelled down something to cheer. The performance bodes well for the season, and the crowd can look forward to another exciting season at Braehead Arena, with Cardiff visiting next Saturday night.

KJ WellCast with BLJ and Flemi

KJ WellCast with BLJ and Flemi by krisjack. Uploaded with SoundCloud iPhone