Gough no longer interested in running Hull Stingrays
HULL businessman Nic Gough has told the Mail he is no longer interested in running Hull Stingrays for the 2012-13 season.
Gough, together with the club's assistant coach Bobby McEwan, had intended to buy Stingrays from its current Coventry-based management team.
His decision comes just 48 hours after Elite League clubs voted to change next season's format, leaving Stingrays in a northern-based conference group.
It leaves McEwan to run the business on his own, but it remains unclear how that will affect current player-coach Sylvain Cloutier's future at the club
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Comments
by VoiceNreason
Thursday, May 31 2012, 10:20AM
“JetMansDad
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First of all the 2 conference winners DO become seeds 1 and 2 in the play-offs. So thats an advantage for starters.
2nd, As its a results business Stingrays with the right team will win far more games and that must what Bobby McEwan is thinking about. Yes the travel and gates are an issues but rumours suggest that the league will pay for the extra games over the 3 in scotland.
Whilst it dont look goood for Hull it may just may prove to be good for winning games at least.
For starters Hull must have Scottish weekends and that may also help reduce costs.
Bobby also sounded quite calm and relaxed about it all on the radio. So maybe he is furhter down the road than first appears here.
One last thing, Tristan Harpers interview that appeared in the fail was done over 2 weeks ago he has said. So again the Daily Fail lives upto its name.”
by chrisih2010
Thursday, May 31 2012, 9:02AM
“With the new league format I just do not see it being viable to run a team in the EIHL from Hull.
The fact that Belfast is further away from all the teams in the so called southern conference than Hull is just proves that its a 2 tier league. Why put Belfast in with teams that Hull are only 40 mins & an hour away from? Instead isolate Hull totally with trips of a minimum 5 to 6 hours. Is this due to the Steelers being dumped out of the play offs by the Rays?
The sport in the UK has once again shown its total incompetence at getting it right and making it a sustainable sport that can grow.
If Bobby has voted in favour of the new format then I'm afraid his heart has overuled his head as nobody in their right mind running a team from Hull would agree to playing in that format.
It really doesnt bode well for the future of hockey in general in the UK and certainly not Hull”
by JetmansDad
Wednesday, May 30 2012, 6:40PM
“It is selling it short somewhat to call it a "Northern-based" conference. Two other clubs have already unofficially confirmed that it will consist of the four Scottish based teams plus the Stingrays. The only positive from the club's point of view is the potential to win more games because they will be playing more games against teams they are more competitive with.
However, it doesn't make qualifying for the play-offs any easier as they will still be taking the top 8 point scoring teams across the league as a whole and not 4 from each conference. Also, 16 of the 26 away games require the team to travel to Scotland (and I cannot imagine the EIHL will manage to come up with a schedule that enables the 'Rays to combine too many of those into fewer trips), and they will have one less game against both Nottingham and Sheffield which are the games that tend to draw the biggest crowds of both home and away fans.
It also reduces any hope of building meaningful local rivalries, as exposure to the more local teams will be reduced, whilst those teams will play more times against each other thus enhancing their local rivalries.
And how long before the Stingrays are the outsiders intruding on the four local rivals in Scotland who constitute the rest of their conference?
Oh ... and has anyone noticed how much further North (and how much nearer Scotland) Belfast is than Hull, and Giants will be playing in the Southern conference.
Anyway, depressing news about Nic Gough pulling out. In all seriousness, I hope Bobby can find a way to make this work, but I fear this might be too much for him to pull off by himself unless he has another financial backer we don't know about.”
by VoiceNreason
Wednesday, May 30 2012, 6:05PM
“eh up hdm system strikes again.”
by VoiceNreason
Wednesday, May 30 2012, 5:55PM
“Can anyone really blame him for doing so ? What an utter and complete joke British hockey is ? I bet it has something to do with the document that the Coventry mob want him to sign. I dont blame him at all for pulling out of that. Sad but British hockey gets all it deserves. imo.
In some ways its almost criminal.”
by VoiceNreason
Wednesday, May 30 2012, 5:50PM
“Can anyone seriously blame him ? British Hockey is a complete joke. The recent events over the league format just confirms as much. If we could drop to the EPL at least with Clouts Tendler Silverthorn Boucher we would have 4 good imports for that level. Then again never rule anything out. I bet he will not sign the owner transfer document that the Coventry mob want him to.”