Who Are They?

[Carl Racki]

In a poorly written article at 101sports by Travis Green, he rips Schwartz pretty good and insinuates that he was one of the culprits behind the team "quitting" on Hitch. I've been watching this franchise since I was knee high to a grasshopper and unfortunately attended the 8-0 thrashing from the Canucks that ended up being Keenan's last game at home, it was obvious then that that team had quit on their coach. Watching now it is harder for me to figure out, so I ask the question, who are these guys that the media keep referring to as "certain handful of players" (in Green's words) that are responsible? And why the frank are those players still around if they are the ones that keep politicking behind the scenes? Watching the current Blues play it is obvious that most of their problems are of the intangible variety (Allen's brutality notwithstanding), with blown coverages, boneheaded mistakes and general lack of engagement. Having never played or coached professionally, why is it so hard for the Blues to capture the secret sauce that leads to prolonged success?

Going into the year I thought the upgrades they had made were the right ones. I agreed with every move Armstrong made. Now another coach is a dead man walking and the season borders on a wasted one. Who in your opinions are the players to blame?

[theohall]

Watch how the Blues supposed transition game is supposed to work on line changes. It is brutally poor coaching.

When the Blues D has clear control in their own end and delays so the forwards can change, not one forward works back to the Blues zone. They all stay beyond center ice waiting for a 70' pass from a defenseman, who is usually being pressured by an opposing forward by this point. On top of that - two of those forwards are usually stationary on the opposite wings on on the blueline. Tell me who wins a race to the puck in the corner where it winds up most of the time on this play? A stationary guy at the blueline or a defender already closer to his own goal line?

The coach can keep preaching the "effort" and "urgency" line until the cows come home. When his strategy puts players in positions to fail, no amount of effort or urgency will overcome said strategy.