Simmsey column: There is no panic at Sheffield Steelers

There was despair from the fans, players and coaches. The team that dominated Cardiff seven days earlier just didn’t look the same.

So what now? Well you get back up, dust yourself off, and try even harder.

This week they will be hard at it because as a group they remain committed to the team goals and success.

On Monday the coach thought they were close to pulling off a new signing, it still may happen but we are in a signing battle with a couple of big European sides. Fingers crossed. A new face will give everyone a boost, that’s what happens when you sign a new player.

One player, however good, doesn’t swing it. It’s the collective 22 players that do that.

The Steelers only get better as a group, as a team. We have seen this Sheffield side dismantle every other club in the league at some point this season. There are a few who like to follow the tabloid football course of calling for this coach or this player’s head.

If the club did everything a minority of vocal fans wanted we’d have a new team every week.

The biggest thing is that we don’t panic. The club is the most experienced in the league in this situations, coaches and players who have been there and done it before.

The reality though is that to win we have to get more consistent. This coming weekend is for clear heads, strong leadership and a united club. Fans at iceSheffield on Saturday we will be 100% behind the team, The coaches and captains, the leaders, they won’t be panicking I assure you.

Last weekend we got away from being hard to beat. We were easy to beat, we gave a very good side 80% of their goals – it was like Christmas.

On Saturday, I hope we go back to being stubborn, dogmatic, disciplined. With the talent on the team the chances will come, but first of all let’s be hard to beat. That’s the starting point.

I know a lot of supporters criticised the move to shake the lines up last Saturday, a move designed to get some offence from a couple of players who had been struggling to find the net.

After the defeat the lines were blamed, what nonsense, it wasn’t the line combinations it was individual errors.

Then when the lines moved back on Sunday, well that didn’t help did: the same errors cost us.

There is a couple of weeks left for the right player to be added to the squad, we wont add a player for the sake of it.

One big plus point these past few weeks is the form of Colton Fretter.

He is a special talent isn’t he. A player who can make something out of nothing.

I remember Paul Thompson telling me this summer after signing Frets that he was excited about seeing a fully fit Colton but that after such a long it may be after Christmas before we got to see the best from him. How right was that.

Everyone at the club is so pleased for him that his incredible hard work and focus to get back has paid off. He is a top chap who really cares. Our club is a lot better club with him in the room, on the ice and as we have seen recently on the scoreboard.

IceSheffield on Saturday it is then folks – see you there – remember, we get up, we dust ourselves down and we work harder, all of us.