Gratton Has Left The Building

Click here or read below for my article on why the Edinburgh Capitals head coach resigned from the club this week. It was published on http://www.britishicehockey.co.uk/.

Gratton Has Left The Building

Edinburgh Capitals head coach Brad Gratton resigned from his post on Wednesday despite being in only his fourth month in charge. So let the conspiracy stories begin...

One thing for sure is that the timing does seem a little odd. The Capitals last fixture was on Halloween where they fell 4-1 to the Sheffield Steelers in Edinburgh, yet Gratton handed in his resignation on Wednesday morning, just hours before the return fixture against the Steelers.

To add more fuel to the fire, the day after the 4-1 defeat to Sheffield, The Scotsman ran a story with the Canadian-born Gratton where he came out all guns blazing, claiming if the players didn't buck up their ideas “they will sit on the bench or in the stands. I will go down to nine guys. We're losing with fifteen and we can lose with nine." Clearly he was feeling let down by his players.

This backs up a theory amongst some fans that there was unrest in the changing room. However, Scott Neil, the Capitals owner gave a press release on Wednesday after the resignation, which indicated that Gratton actually felt “restricted by the resources” that Edinburgh could offer. So the question is, did Gratton feel that the lack of money and facilities available were holding him back, or was the problem the players?

In an interview published today, The Scotsman managed to get a few words from Gratton as he left. He revealed that he felt the players he had signed could have done a decent job in the Elite League. “I've brought some quality players in here...this group of players has talent.” He then spoke of how he wished “it was a better situation” as “things have not been happening”.

He surely must have known the lack of resources that Edinburgh have for a professional ice hockey team before he accepted the job and his “over the last few weeks, things have not been happening” comment could possibly point to player problems and unrest. If he is adamant that the quality of player is there, then the indication would be that the players were unhappy at something.

This is all pure speculation, but the press release from Neil bemoaning resources could quite easily be a diversion away from dressing room problems. Either way, it has been a disappointing start for the Caps, sitting in 8^th place out of 10. One things for sure, if there is a problem in the dressing room, it needs to be sorted soon or the playoffs will be an impossible target.

Neil may bring in a new coach, or he may try and appoint one of the current players as player/coach and use the extra funds for another player. Slovakian born Martin Cingel could be the perfect choice. He is now in his ninth season at the Capitals and despite his lack of coaching experience, he knows the club through and through. Whether he wants it or not is another question.