FMJ Flashback - 31st October/1st November

SATURDAY 31st OCTOBER 2009 

Basingstoke Bison 4-8 Manchester Phoenix

Phoenix Scorers: Boothroyd 0+1, Payette 2+1, G. Wood 1+1, Hand 1+2, Neil 0+2, Courtenay 2+1, Walker 2+0, Hagelberg 0+3
Phoenix MVP: #29 Adam Walker
Period Scores: 2-1, 1-5, 1-2
PIMs: n/a
Shots: n/a

We seem to enjoy blitzing the Bison away from home, we've put 15 past them at their place in two games now. Highlight for me is Paysie scoring his first goals, they're long overdue and he deserves a lot more than he's been getting.

HIGHLIGHTS

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SUNDAY 1st NOVEMBER 2009

Manchester Phoenix 6-3 Swindon Wildcats

Phoenix Scorers: Mattsson 1+0, Hand 1+3, Graham 0+1, Lachowicz 0+2, Courtenay 1+1, Walker 1+1, Bowie 2+0
Phoenix MVP: #44 Jaakko Hagelberg
Period Scores: 1-2, 5-1, 0-0
PIMs: 8-4
Shots: 35-33

Another second period blitz here, this time in the space of six minutes. Phoenix dominated the first period and yet it was the 'Cats who went into the break with the lead thanks to a couple of Steve Fone howlers. Phoenix composed themselves for the second period and it showed, the Wildcats never knew what hit them - goal #2 came at 24:22 while goal #6 came at 30:38. It was the most dominant display I've ever seen in such a short space of time and the Phoenix quite rightly shut up shop after that, the only blip being a spectacular Jozef Kohut goal fifteen seconds from time. The third was more of the same, with the Wildcats' short bench telling and Manchester quite happy to shut the game down. Adam Summerfield was given the last six minutes in goal and was never really tested, with just four tired shots coming his way.

The big factor for me was Swindon's depelted blueline. Already missing the superhuman Jan Krajicek and Andy Finn, they also lost Joe Baird in the warmup as he snapped a skate blade. Not having a spare, he was forced to sit on the bench for the game and looked thoroughly fed up throughout. This left the Wildcats with new Latvian Andrejs Lavrenovs and seventeen year old James Griffin as their only natural Ds, with Aaron Nell, Lee Richardson and Ryan Aldridge dropping back when they needed a rest. A word of young Mr. Griffin, actually. For a lad his age to come into a game, double-shift at short notice and not look out of his depth at any time against this Phoenix team is bloody impressive, especially when he was subject to some pretty rough treatment from Payette and Ben Wood throughout. Well done lad, you were our game MVP.

HIGHLIGHTS


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Weekend MVP then. For breaking his goal duck in great fashion and contributing far more to this team than he's given credit for every night, we give it to Andre Payette.

Nerdgasm

What's our power level?

It's over nine thousand!

Oh yeah, and we suck at live updates. Twitter should serve from now on 'cos if we did do a blog post as well we'd not have time to actually, you know, watch the game.

Testing

Short notice, we know, but FMJ will be testing out live updates again cos Becky got an iPhone this week :)

Twitter updates should run as normal.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

FMJ Flashback - 24th/25th October

Now featuring PIMs! Because I'm a div and forgot to put them in every single previous edition.

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SATURDAY 24th OCTOBER 2009 

Bracknell Bees 0-6 Manchester Phoenix

Phoenix Scorers: Mattsson 1+0, Payette 0+1, G. Wood 0+1, Graham 1+0, Lachowicz 0+2, B. Wood 0+1, Courtenay 2+1, Walker 1+1, Bowie 1+0, Hagelberg 0+1
Phoenix MVP: #31 Stephen Fone
Period Scores: 0-1, 0-2, 0-3
PIMs: 8-8
Shots: 22-54

All reports say that despite the scoreline, this was by far the team's most complete performance so far this season. Fone had to work hard for his shutout and the defence gave him plenty of help. Most encouraging of all Ed keeps on scoring, here with two howitzers that Carl Ambler still hasn't seen.

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SUNDAY 25th OCTOBER 2009

Manchester Phoenix 1-6 Slough Jets

Phoenix Scorers: Hand 0+1, Courtenay 1+0, Hagelberg 0+1
Phoenix MVP: #8 Greg Wood
Period Scores: 0-0, 0-2, 1-4
PIMs: 6-6
Shots: 33-35

Outplayed, outcoached and outmatched. Just a bad night overall for Phoenix, nothing they did ever got going and pretty much everything went wrong. They worked all night, but Rockman was outstanding and would perhaps be unlucky not to get a shutout. I'm taking nothing away from the Jets, though. By far the best team we've played so far, relentless on the forecheck, stifling defensively and stuck to their systems to expose our weaknesses every time. 6-1 does not flatter them in the slightest. Also, bloody good show in remaining on the ice to acknowledge our MOMs after theirs and tapping their sticks. Well done, lads.

Simply a case of being second best in every department for Phoenix, we just need to put it behind us and not dwell on it. Nothing more to say, really. A 6-1 loss doesn't necessitate further comment.

HIGHLIGHTS


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Weekend MVP. With his first assist on Saturday and a never-say-die performance on Sunday as he tried everything to get the team going, Macclesfield's finest Ben Wood is proving himself to be one hell of a big, nasty grinder in the making.

Facebook

Having just realised that this never got a post of its own...

Check us out on Facebook!

Whilst you're there, take a gander at EPLupdates, The Breakaway, The Pyre and The Angry Budgie.

Peace out.

Marketing Committee Meeting - Wednesday 21st October 2009

Notes from Wednesday's meeting concerning the way forward for marketing the club:

Neil Morris opened the meeting, explaining that what Phoenix lacks is man-power. In the office there are only 2 full time staff, the rest, rightly or wrongly, comes from bits and pieces done by Comtec employees. Volunteers do most other jobs on match days and covering the Phoenix during the week.

The formation of the board itself is due to so many people sending in ideas that don't get used and then wondering why. Neil Morris also made the announcement that he doesn't read the forum, so this is not an effective medium for sending ideas through to him. Lack of man power was explained as the main reason why the ideas that do get through don't get used.

The commercial board will be made up of a handful of sponsors and some purposeful fans. Sponsors have been selected by Neil Morris; Tony Jones of Synergy, Peter Millington of Millington's, Carl Dillon from RSD Sports and Nathan Harrop from Hyundai and a possible two more yet to confirm. Neil Morris insisted on fans putting their name forwards only if they could contribute fully and give the time necessary.

A page will be set up on the website for the board, there will be a suggestion box at the rink and if necessary someone will be monitoring the forums. Jim "Tambo" Piper also offered the idea posted by a forum user for setting up a mailbox for ideas. All ideas can then be "filtered, funnelled and then we can move forward." Neil Morris then opened the floor for volunteers to step forward.

Martin Higgins was first in, who has previously worked with Sale Sharks and his offer, and his ideas, were promptly snapped up by Neil Morris. A different take on things was also mentioned - as most fans in the room were very close to the club, what could be needed is someone a step away from the club and, as Martin is a new fan this year, it could help the club to have someone around who is less invested.

Mike "Fishcake" Thorpe then stepped forward with ideas including tickets for £10 (although conceding that such a move is not an option at the moment due to crowd numbers) and setting up the tried and tested method of unsigned bands of using "street teams" to spread awareness of the team in the local areas and making sure the club isn't just another brand vying for attention - being cheeky/mischievous as a way of getting more attention was Mike's thought on this. Whilst this idea has been tried, it was suggested a way of getting more people to help would be using the programme and match night announcements to get people on board. Finally, leafleting at other sporting events was suggested.

The notion of having more, bigger banners on the side of the rink was rejected due to the phenomenally high cost.

10,000 posters have gone out around Manchester, along with 5000 leaflets. Sponsors are buying tickets at half price and then giving them away to customers. Phoenix now have coverage on ITV (4min slot on Mondays), Channel M (9min slot) and BBC GMR. Rock Radio and Magic FM also run regular commercials and cover the Phoenix in their sporting announcements, Manchester Online (MEN) have an Ice Hockey page and Channel M will have one soon.

Ben Knight, the brains behind the Official Manchester Phoenix podcast, then stepped forward to insist that the usual answer given, particularly on the forum, of "that has been tried and this is the problem" is not a good enough answer. The board should be finding alternatives for those ideas that face obstacles but could prove to be lucrative. Existing fans and ST holders shoudn't be the answer through further "milking", the focus now should be in getting more people through the doors - most fans work in the catchment area of the Phoenix with people whose details could be passed on for opportunities with local businesses.

Alan Delaney noted that, as a driver and speaking to people around Greater Manchester, he finds people still recognise the Storm brand but don't know of the existence of the Phoenix. He then commented on the lack of crowd numbers and suggested that away fans should not be ignored in the promotions - maybe having a £10 flat rate for away fans. Neil Morris revealed that a new incentive for away fans is to be announced and will be league-wide. This acknowledges that, whilst the Phoenix are struggling, there are other teams in the EPL who need more help than we do. All away teams have also been informed of ways of booking through Mags to avoid extra fees through paypal, credit cards etc.

Further ideas concerning away fans was offering a deal with tickets and local hotels since most will be travelling from a considerable distance. This was tried last year but there wasn't enough uptake from the fans despite the club pushing the promotions fervently. Sunday night games make this an unrealistic deal. This may be organised for further Saturday games pending talks.

Neil's response to the question of whether any research has been done to find out how existing fans first found the sport was that the biggest answer is free tickets. The club acknowledge that this works, but it needs to be done properly and in big numbers. This year, the club hope to actively chase up those that come on free tickets (maybe by using the players to call fans) to try and get them to come back.

Pete "Menace" Hagan stepped forward to offer his support, particularly with the street teams which was followed up by both myself and Matt. Further to that, I raised the point that whilst free tickets work, it's possible that a higher conversion between tickets given out and people actually turning up at the game could be achieved by offering tickets for a heavily reduced price - people are less likely to forget about it if they've paid something. Also - marketing should be aimed at everyone, not focussed on just families.

Diane Daley asked how the club is marketing itself to students. Whilst Phoenix had a good presence at freshers week, no student unions have anything on their websites etc. Deals with the University ice hockey team could be chased, these were used last year. Also, since the rink owns the beer, it's unlikely a beer promotion would be possible.

Martin Higgins then offered two further ideas - getting a board advertising the Phoenix at the outdoor ice rink that is constructed in Spinningfields each winter. This is something that is already being pursued by the club. His second idea was to get fans to wear their shirts at a different sporting event as this proved to be a successful marketing tool for the rugby clubs. Unfortunately, as Tony Jones already does this and has never had any interest, its success for the Phoenix may not be as noticeable.

Chuck-a-puck is going to make a return to the Dome, however the first batch of foam pucks were lost at sea. Rubber frisbees will also be thrown as close as possible to the Menace. In period breaks, of course.

It was then acknowledged that one issue with such committees is the response from other fans that the same people are the ones that make up such groups. [As an aside - There are still many more people needed to help this get off the ground an become effective - I implore all those interested, get in touch with the club, make your interest known. This doesn't need to be the same people as usual. All help is welcome, please offer it. The same people fill these roles because it's the same people who volunteer.]

Andrew Baker asked about the possibility of a Supporters Club. This is something that the board can look at organising and populating. Mike Davidson offered his support in any endeavours as a volunteer.

Ben "Silent Ben" Haddock raised the point that awareness country-wide is low on ice hockey. Teams all over the country should be pushing to raise awareness of hockey - what it is, where it is played, how it differs and is similar to the bigger sports in Britain. Following from that, it was suggested that good and effective ideas should be shared amongst other clubs to raise an overall awareness. Neil Morris confirmed that the league are planning to pool the marketing ideas from the clubs and have set up their own marketing board. [We finally have a chance to show clubs working together, rather than the usual "us and them" feeling that dominates all factions of the sport. This, in my opinion, can only be a good thing.]

The positives of the EPL were then discussed following a question over whether the fans feel that the move has proven to be the right one. Junior numbers are already rising as there is now a clear path through to the most senior of the Phoenix teams and the plans for a hockey academy, with consistent coaching approaches and set ups, are well underway. The survival of the ENL team is a big factor as the aim for this is for it to become a farm team, so the club can get back to seeing more home-grown talents in the line up.

Neil then asked if anyone would like to put their name forward or if anyone had any issues with the people who have put their name forward. There were no objections. He also asked for those in the room to prompt people they thought would be good on the board to put their names forward.

So that's yer lot. Please put yourself forward if you feel you can help. All offers and ideas are being considered. This is OUR club, and we're the ones that can turn it into something great. A positive attitude is needed for a change so this can move forward.

The Life and Times of Tony and Ed, Intergalactic Hockey Things

Anfthagn-9 was spored on the distant world of Nizh'lzh (a.k.a. Basri II) orbiting the star Proxima Centauri, 4.2 light years from Earth. The resident Ixitx, the world's dominant species, had for years been hoping to send a 'diplomat-mass' to the newly-discovered hive-world of Earth in the Sol system to establish contact and expand their knowledge base of this curious planet not dissimilar to their own. Two Earth weeks after his birthing Anfthagn-9 was deemed fitting for the role, exhibiting above average environmental adaptability and an affinity to other species far above any other Ixitxlish in his biosphere. In Ixitx solar year 426.M32, Terran year 1981, he made landfall on Earth on a small island close to one of the northern continents, in the city he would come to know as Edinburgh. There he assimilated the body and identity of a young human male named Anthony Hand, whom he inadvertently vapourised upon landing. He felt an instant attachment to this individual, and after several microseconds realised both this world and his own shared a pasttime - the sport of 'ice hockey', which he could now neither spell nor pronounce in his native tongue having taken on a rudimentary, by comparison, human body. He felt this was the best way to integrate fully, utilising his skills as a 'hockey' player inherited from his own world.

With his superior Ixitxlish mind he was soon able to dominate the local junior ranks all the while collecting data about his immediate surroundings, though Anfthagn-9 did have a lot of trouble understanding the Edinburgh dialect at first as standard Ixitxlish language exists as a subsonic frequency below that of human recognition. Five Terran Years later his skills, as foreseen, allowed him to travel to the larger continent to the west on a reconnaissance mission under the guise of a 'training camp invite' with one of the major hockey powers of the time. He returned to Edinburgh soon after, citing "undisclosed personal reasons" in his report back to Nizh'lzh. Ixitxlish nobles began to doubt Anfthagn-9's suitability for the diplomatic mission, worrying that he was becoming personally attached to his new home. Their worries were confirmed when Anfthagn-9 cut off contact with his homeworld altogether, his last report declaring he would remain on Earth to "learn more of its inhabitants and popularise the concept of hockey" and would "not return to Nizh'lzh until the mission is complete".

Anfthagn-9 continued in his quest over the years, becoming a figurehead for the sport and using his otherworldly skills as a magnet for new people to learn about. All the while, he was secretly breeding a hybrid lifeform, integrating parts of his own biological makeup into those of a standard human male. In TY1989 his work was complete, and lifeform Edoyhid-27 took its first steps. Anfthagn-9's bio-engineering skills were limited however and the hybrid lifeform had a series of defects in appearance and demanour, ranging from reduced senses to non-functional facial muscles. Still, this did not stop him integrating into the large western continent that Anfthagn-9 had left several years ago. Drawing upon his own history Anfthagn-9 ordered Edoyhid-27 to assimilate a junior hockey player he had come across named Ed Courtenay. He wished for a second pair of eyes on this world, and Edoyhid-27 was the perfect specimen. Edoyhid-27 went on to great fame and reached the pinnacle of the sport, enabling him to gather a great deal of data that he would soon return to his creator with.

In TY1997 he did just that, joining Anfthagn-9's team based in the city of Sheffield. Their telekinetic abilities, a natural Ixitxlish by-product of a creator/subject relationship, meant the pair became a true force together. Eventually Edoyhid-27 chose to forge his own path, staying in Sheffield while his mentor moved back to the north of the island. However, he did not feel quite ready to take his own steps and a year later followed his mentor north. Sadly, this partnership only lasted a season longer as Anfthagn-9 was given the responsibility of molding a brand new team in his own image, something which the natural creator in him could not ignore. Edoyhid-27 felt rejected by what he saw as abandonment, and after a final year in the north he returned to the continent in the West where he made his name. There he began to plot, and as a mixture of anger and determination spurred him on to great statistical achievements he decided to prove to his master that he was, once and for all, the superior lifeform.

Three Terran Years later, he returned. In what was much the same move taken by his creator years ago, Edoyhid-27 was given a team of his own, ironically the same team that Anfthagn-9 had left just weeks earlier to return to Edinburgh. He would defeat all comers, and prove once and for all he was the greater of the two. Single-minded, he used every trick he knew, the human half of his mind overriding the strong morals and honour of the Ixitxlish half. He had even resorted to brain-scrubbing a folk hero from the sport in the West, Edoyhid-27 convincing this 'Theo' that he was his master and would reward him with incalculable riches. Anfthagn-9 was shocked by his creation's appearance back on these shores and was unable to focus on his own team, so disappointed was he. In the end, Edoyhid-27 triumphed, and yet he felt a little empty. Was it all worth it? Was it worth disappointing, perhaps even humiliating, his creator in this way? For three more years the two battled, Anfthagn-9 moving to a bustling metropolis in the centre of the landmass in hope of drawing upon greater resources and information to find why his creation did such a thing. Edoyhid-27's human side would be his downfall, his mind staying strong but his body growing weak, as his Ixitxlish rationality won through and conceded that Anfthagn-9 was, indeed, the stronger of them all along.

In the end, the two were reunited in TY2009 at the team named 'Phoenix'. Led by Anfthagn-9, who had nurtured them for several years and to whom they were as dear as his native Edinburgh, they chose to leave the competition they had battled across for four years, their Ixitxlish souls growing ashamed at the exhibition of humanity's vices. They found a new competition that would test their aging bodies as they came ever closer to the date at which they would have to return home (or "retire" as they kept telling the humans), vowing to enjoy this world while they were still a part of it and hoping to pass on their teachings to a new generation of humans.

Plus they really liked grilled steak.

More Channel M Stuff

From what will soon be a regular slot on Sky channel 203, Adam Walker was in the studio yesterday. We saw him leaving Urbis in his car after this, actually. We waved at him. He didn't wave back. Git.

FMJ Flashback - 17th/18th October

SATURDAY 17th OCTOBER 2009 

Slough Jets 5-3 Manchester Phoenix

Phoenix Scorers: G. Wood 1+0, Hand 0+2, Lachowicz 1+0, Courtenay 1+1, Walker 0+1, Hagelberg 0+1
Phoenix MVP: #44 Jaakko Hagelberg
Period Scores: 2-2, 2-1, 1-0
Shots: 50-32

With the whole Phoenix team suffering from the flu this was always going to be a tough ask against a red-hot Jets side. While it wasn't a great performance anyway Manchester had no energy with which to get any sort of momentum going and Slough were outstanding in sticking to a game plan that paid off perfectly. Still, only the second loss of the season and with some obvious areas where the game was lost.

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SUNDAY 18th OCTOBER 2009

Manchester Phoenix 6-5 Basingstoke Bison (after Overtime)

Phoenix Scorers: Mattsson 1+1, Payette 0+1, Hand 2+2, Lachowicz 0+1, Courtenay 0+4, Walker 2+0, Bowie 1+0, Hagelberg 0+1
Phoenix MVP: #27 Ed Courtenay
Period Scores: 1-3, 2-1, 2-1, 1-0
Shots: TBC

Holy shit, what a game. Basingstoke always have provided great competition and this was one of the best. To say our D was often chaotic and Fone had a nightmare to come out of that with an OT win is excellent, if a bit of daylight robbery. Tony Hand is still the best player in this country in any league and orchestrated the whole thing, ably assisted by Ed who is getting better by the game thus proving both ourselves and everyone else who doubted him a fortnight ago very wrong.

Well, the fight. He's Fat, He's Round, He Bounces On The Ground Nicky Chinn had been goading Payette from the opening faceoff with no bite, and when Wiggins had his turn Tony let Andre off the leash. Good fight with Wiggins giving as good as he got, but it became more one-sided as it went on and in the end two huge punches by Payette dropped him. Speaking of Wiggins, I like him a lot, reminds me of Kevin Bergin in that he seems to be able to do a bit of everything and will back down from nobody. My kind of player.

Officiating in this game has been a bugbear for several Bison fans, but I don't have a clue why they're calling for bias. Goodwin called a solid game and the reason for the lopsided PIM count (6 for Phoenix, 30 for Bison) is a case of silly penalties by Basingstoke players who should know better. Both the too many NBT players on the ice call to create a 5-on-3 and Ciccarello's hooking call in OT, responsible for the GTG and GWG respectively, were unforgivable and I hope those players responsible are set for a week of bag skates down in Hampshire.

As for poor Greg Wood, he collided awkwardly with a Bison player in the corner and bounced his face hard off the jutty-outy bit between the boards and plexi. Was down for a while bleeding from the cheek and went straight off. Saw him at the start of the second leaving the Dome with his parents and he was away with the fairies with the entirety of one side of his face bruised. Greg himself confirmed this afternoon that he's got a concussion, which is all we bloody need.

HIGHLIGHTS

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Weekend MVP. Who else but Sir Tony Of Hand?

FMJ Flashback - 10th/11th October

Dear Mr. Courtenay,

I am deeply sorry for calling you out based on your piss-poor start to the season. Please play like this every game, it's a bloody joy to behold.

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SATURDAY 10th OCTOBER 2009 

Manchester Phoenix 6-4 Sheffield Scimitars

Phoenix Scorers: Hand 2+1, Lachowicz 1+0, Courtenay 1+2, Walker 1+1, Bowie 1+0, Hagelberg 0+1
Phoenix MVP: #9 Tony Hand
Period Scores: 2-1, 0-2, 4-1
Shots: 35-39

Well, Scims games are proving to be highlights in the fixture list, and Saturday may be one of the best games the Dome's ever seen. Phoenix looked dead and buried with four minutes to go after a dogged Scimitars squad made the most of a bad night at the office for Stephen Fone, and then Tony Hand scored a goal that only he could conceive, skating round the back of the net and banking the puck in off the back of Raitanen's arm at a ridiculous angle. Phoenix showed a remarkable poise and patience in this game, scoring from two horrendous turnovers by Scims players in front of their own net and playing a war of attrition despite being behind late on before pouncing to seal the game. The big guns showed up all at once for the first time this year, and they had to otherwise we're looking at a loss here. Iain Bowie continues to be the heartbeat of the team, nearly getting a Gordie Howe in the first period alone by going toe-to-toe with super-talented pissant Robert Farmer despite giving up about six inches and thirty pounds.

HIGHLIGHTS

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SUNDAY 4th OCTOBER 2009

Peterborough Phantoms 3-5 Manchester Phoenix

Phoenix Scorers: G. Wood 0+2, Hand 0+2, Courtenay 1+2, Bowie 0+2, Hagelberg 3+0
Phoenix MVP: #4 Luke Boothroyd
Period Scores: 2-1, 0-3, 1-1
Shots: 32-46

Phantoms are a much better team than their results suggest and they now seem to be starting to get their shizzle going. This was a firefight between two teams with some extremely talented forwards, Jaakko Hagelberg and Maris Ziedins trading hattricks but Phoenix's superior depth prevailing in the end. Again, look at the stats, the right players showed up for this one and made the difference.

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Never thought I'd do this in previous weeks, but stand up Big Ed as our Weekend MVP. He played out of his skin for sixty minutes and contributed at both ends of the ice - yes, Ed Courtenay was playing two-way hockey. No, I'm not making that up.