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Who will be the new GB coach?
by James Broughton
Right then Paul Thompson has shocked the British hockey world today. Thompson has stepped down from his job as head coach of Great Britain. Now the given reason for this is that Thompson believes he can't give the job the attention it deserves with the current situation in Coventry and must focus his energies there. Thompson was coach of Great Britain for four years and did a cracking job during his tenure. For me we must look at two things here. First was this the right thing to do by Paul Thompson? Second who should replace him?
Right then for me the first question is no doubt difficult as I don't believe Thommo has taken this decision lightly. From what I understand the situation in Coventry is not a good one. There problems exist because of a drop in sponsorship money coming into the club. Hardly surprising considering the economy right now and their fan base is shrinking. That been said while it is clear they have problems the non official word coming out of Coventry is that the club will survive. So it is not the existence of the club that is in question but the quality of their existence. Now I don't pretend to know this as fact but it is a conclusion based on what several different people have said. People from Blaze club officials to Steelers fans who went down on Saturday to help sell tickets etc. The next thing to look at is the Great Britain job itself. While I am sure there is more to it than turning up after the playoffs, playing a couple of friendly games and then going away for the world championships. It does make you wonder considering that all our games are within the same month of the year how much extra Thompson needs to put into the GB job say now in December. Of course he will be looking at players up and down the land all year round and I am in no way questioning his commitment. However when you consider Thompson sees all the players in the top flight on a regular basis during his job as Coventry coach. Then there is the a theory which I agree with and that is this. Half of the Great Britain squad if not more picks itself. Let’s face it its true and is true of most national teams. The best players always get picked if they are available.
So with all this said was it the right thing to do by Thompson? Frankly I don't think it was but I can certainly see why he has done it. It was not the right thing for team GB but who knows maybe it was the right thing for Paul Thompson. Only Paul can answer that question but I don't think he will be able to answer it until after the end of the season and after Great Britain have played in late April. Personally I think it was a decision he could have delayed in making but perhaps he wanted to give IHUK as much time as possible to name his replacement.
So with that said who should replace him? There will be many names thrown around in the coming days. It is however for me a very simple choice. They either go for someone involved or has been involved with the British game or a complete outsider who comes in with now motives other than to make the team a success. For me they can't follow most Elite league clubs down the player coach route. It has to be a full proper head coach. So that rules out everyone except Doug Christiansen. He has coached in this league for several years and knows our game. He did a decent job with a low budget team up in Edinburgh and has put together a good title contending team in Belfast. He may very well be the favourite for the job at this early stage. The only other person I feel within the British game that should be considered is Manchester Phoenix coach Tony Hand. hand maybe player coach at Phoenix but he is retired from the national team so would run the bench for GB. He has had success in the EPL and as coached for nearly 10 years including assisting Thompson for the national side. I truly believe that no one else should be considered. People in Nottingham will want Corey Neilson. Frankly we need Corey playing like he did last year for GB. Plus I am not convinced he is the best of coaches he just has the best opportunity to win been at the club he is. Rob Wilson's name could pop up as a candidate as he too has assisted Thompson for GB but for me he should only be considered if he comes back to the British game. Who knows maybe he will put in for the Dundee job hmm maybe not. Italy or Dundee i know where his agent would prefer to travel for his client meetings!
The only other option is that IHUK look to recruit someone completely new to British hockey. That could literally be anyone but here's a thought. A couple of seasons ago ex NHL coach Kevin Constantine was linked to the Steelers top job. He said at the time that he would love the challenge of working in Britain. Well this job certainly would be a challenge maybe it would interest him.
Thanks for reading.
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| 12th March 2006 19:00 | ||
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| 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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4-1 |
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5-2 |
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3-7 |
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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
