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Stats Centre
We are working on an archive of matches, stats and players from BIH in the past few years.
How do you solve a Jono?
How do you solve a Jono? Well I guess the real question is how do you solve a problem like Jonathan Phillips's knee? Well the solution comes in two parts. Firstly the Steelers need to get a full diagnosis on their skipper and go from there. The having said that Jono will be out for around three months if he requires surgery. Personally if he requires surgery I would like to think it would be perhaps a little longer than three months. I see no point in rushing back a player who has a reoccurring injury, especially an injury of this nature. Let's face it how many sporting career's have ended at the hands of a knee ligament injury!
The second part of the solution gives me a heavy sense of de ja vu. It was only last season that I wrote a blog for this website speculating on the players that then Steelers coach Ben Simon could be looking at to cover Jono's injury. Here we are not twelve months later and the same question will be puzzling Ryan Finnerty. Well thinking back to the four players I came up with as possible options all played in the EPL and to be honest that is where Finnerty is going to have to look this time around. I find it unlikely that any Elite league player could be acquired at this stage. So if we take a look at the players in that league i can only draw the same conclusions i did last season.
One of my candidates was the player the Steelers signed and is still with the club today (Tom Squires). The other choices were Andrew Hemmings who started the season with Basingstoke but ended it with the Guildford Flames. I chose him after he had a very solid year 2 seasons ago but perhaps due to the mid season upheaval of moving teams he faltered a little in his offensive numbers. James Archer is Sheffield born and bred and starred alongside Tony Hand for Manchester last season. He looks to do the same this year but a good offensive producer at EPL level must tick some of the boxes that Finnerty will be looking at. The last option is the guy I would have gone for last season. Matt Towe worked his way up to the EPL level with his hometown club the Sheffield Scimitars before a 3 year stint with the Cardiff Devils. It was his last season in Cardiff where he proved to me he belonged at this level. Strangely he dropped down to the EPL with Guildford and while he must be happy there surely if his hometown club came calling he would find it hard to turn down.
Who else could fit the bill? Well current Steeldogs captain Greg Wood is a guy with Elite league experience but perhaps lacks top level offense. The transition would be very easy with him being yet again a Sheffielder. Another option could be Welsh born Basingstoke Bison Joe Miller. Miller has good size and was a prolific scorer a few years go when the Peterborough Phantoms were in their pomp winning several EPL trophies. He also has played Elite League hockey icing for the Manchester Phoenix and the Coventry Blaze. Finally a sentimental and probably unlikely option. Guildford Flames captain David Longstaff spent five seasons at the House Of Steel and returned back in August as part of the Festival of Hockey. I don't think for a single minute he is on the Steelers radar but this is hockey and you never know.
Well who would i pick? My opinion hasn't changed since last year. Matt Towe offers the best like for like replacement in my mind. A very hard working industrious player. The only thing that could be lacking is offense but that was my opinion before last season. When it was all said and done he scored 77 points in 54 games last year. I would go for Towe. Of the three new names I came up with I would go for Joe Miller. A decent scorer in previous years but its his size that tops things for me. A solid 6'1" tall and just shy of 200lbs is impressive by British player standards.
Who will Finnerty go for? Only he knows that but who would you go for?
0-3 |
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| 12th March 2006 19:00 | ||
5-3 |
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| 12th March 2006 19:00 | ||
4-5 |
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| 12th March 2006 19:00 | ||
1-4 |
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| 12th March 2006 19:00 | ||
4-4 |
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| 11th March 2006 19:00 | ||
2-4 |
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| 11th March 2006 19:00 | ||
| Club | GP | W | L | OL | GF | GA | Pts |
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5-8 |
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| 19th March 2006 19:00 | ||
5-1 |
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| 19th March 2006 19:00 | ||
4-1 |
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| 19th March 2006 19:00 | ||
5-2 |
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| 19th March 2006 19:00 | ||
3-7 |
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| 19th March 2006 19:00 | ||
1-1 |
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| 19th March 2006 19:00 | ||
| Club | GP | W | L | OL | GF | GA | Pts |
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- Adam Walker
- Alex Birch
- Andy Pierce
- Chris Gent
- Christopher Beal
- Craig Simpson
- Dave Simms
- Elliott Stanley
- Gareth Chalmers
- James Broughton
- James Gordon
- Katy Madgwick
- Luke Catterson
- Mark Briggs
- Mark Duell
- Mat Young
- Patrick Smyth
- Promotion
- Russ Morrell
- Seanna Murdock
- Stephen Dowson
- Stewart Roberts
- Tom Forster
- Vicki Smart
- William Lyon
