i blame the blues ad-men maybe i need to take my vote back and call it higher ups whom one would think oked the media blitz if nothing else.
you simply can’t stoke up the fans expectations on a team this young. inconsistancy is the hallmark of youth and we see it every night in flashes of skill followed with failures to finish

if i were designing a quick and stable fix i’d want this:

a) a number one d-man. paradoxically i think the blues, long on d talent, need a true #1 more than ever, this sydor and brewer mentorship isn’t good enough. look at what pronger and macinnis did to igor zabranski and todd reirdon and a horde of others. damn they looked good. for a while. pronger has massively elivated a ‘left for dead’ d prospect in his new home as well. to quicken the learning curve and make use of a young offensive minded d (junland, pietro, or the guy coming next year) we need a great two-way d-man. period.

b) set lines for the kids. i really don’t care if the top lines keep rotating, nothing clicked and kariya and backes et al certainly deserve a wake-up call. but im not sure consistancy is helped on the kids by doing that sort of thing. since andy calls his lines by color the kid line can be the third line by ice time or even the forth, but if they play, practice, and sit together you’d think they would start to trust each other.

and

c) as much as i dislike the goon lines, i’m thinking the blues need a try 3 person goon line. backes and oshie are not playing with the flying elbows they had previously. while the team is fast, it is also young :) and doesnt seem that tough to play against. especiually on home ice. 4 fights a game is about right. and i am serious on this. the vets need to be handled as vets, the kids need space and at least one epic d-man in the note, and until things gel, there should be blood on the ice every single period. period.

Keep in mind, the Blues ALWAYS start slow. This is nothing out of the ordinary. I think the media got a little carried away in the miracle we pulled off last year and expected it to immediately carry over at the start of the season. Then, well, it sort of did. We accomplished the unexpected. We beat Detroit in Sweden 2 games in a row!! No one expected that from us, but we did it. No one expected us to make the playoffs last year, but we did it. Notice a trend? We play better when we’re facing a big challenge, something that no one expects us to accomplish.

First off (and maybe out of order but maybe the most valid): Andy Murray led this team to the playoffs last year. Don’t tell me it was the players that got us there on their own. Sure they were out there making the effort, but Andy Murray is the one that coached them to where they wound up. Dump and Chase worked just fine for our end of the season push. We wanted it. The guys skated for the puck, the pushed the other team around. They were led by Andy Murray. The team was young, inexperienced players. Eric Johnson, Paul Kariya, Andy McDonald, Eric Brewer were all out with injuries. We had guys up from Peoria playing for the playoffs. Andy Murray helped get them there.

No, Keith Tkachuk is not a huge goal scorer, but that man WANTS to play for the Blues. He’s said it himself that this is where he wants to be and he doesn’t care what line he’s on. Proof of that should be in his contract. What big Walt IS is a LEADER. He’s a veteran who knows what needs to be done and helps to do it. You simply cannot have a team composed of all young NHL players. You NEED someone who’s been around the league for a while to help those other guys gain experience. His big body crashing the net, screening goalies, causing mayhem in front of the net is what the Blues need if Andy Mac, Paul Kariya, Brad Boyes, David Perron, any of those guys are going to be successful with their pretty shots. You think he’s done and washed up? Then why were so many teams looking to sign him last year? That should tell you something. It should say more that the Blues decided to keep him. Yes he is a fan favorite, and you can bet your sweet ass that he sells tickets, he sells jerseys, and he sells the Blues. Don’t tell me he’s not useful. You don’t have to be a huge goal scorer to be considered useful to a team.

I will agree with you slightly on Paul Kariya. He used to be great; he used to put up tons of goals. Not so much anymore. Maybe he just needs to get on a roll, I don’t know. Maybe we need to stop thinking of him as Paul Kariya from the past, when he was regarded as highly as Ovechkin & Crosby are now. Kariya isn’t a sniper at the moment; he is more like a play maker. Play makers aren’t always the ones to score the goals; they help the other guys score the goals. And right now, with the way the Blues are playing in general, we need all the help we can get when it comes to goal scoring whether it’s in the form of a pass, an assist or an actual goal.

Ok yes, David Backes has had a slow start. MOST of the Blues have had a slow start. It’s an excuse yes, and no, excuses don’t get you anywhere. But he’s out there trying and he is a true power forward. From what I’ve been told, power forwards aren’t always supposed to score a whole ton of goals, they’re supposed to check people, crash the net, get in the way, create plays AND score. Historically he’s a slow starter, and you know what, I guess that’s ok by me so long as he gets rolling as the season moves forward. In the past few seasons he’s been increasing his total goals/point each year. What does that statistically say for this year? More goals/point than last year. Sure it could be a challenge, but so what. Even if he ties what he did last year, that’s cool. Personally, I’m glad we have him and we’re not playing against him. We don’t call him Chuck Norris for nothing. Enough said.

As for Eric Brewer & Barrett Jackman…I can go either way on Brewer. But let’s say this. He wears that "C" for a reason. Andy Murray didn’t take it away while he was injured for a reason. No he’s not a goal producer, and sure he’s pretty damn rusty right now (someone get out the WD-40 please) but he is a defensive defenseman. Yes he’s made mistakes (put a couple goals in on his own net…but that can happen to any defenseman in front of his own goal) Give him some time, see what comes of it. It disgusts me that he gets booed at introductions. I don’t see you out there playing, and it’s not like he’s the worst player out there. Cut the guy some slack. When it comes to Jackman however, I disagree with you 100%. Jackman is an asset to the Blues, not a liability. He’s tough back there on defense and he gets the job done. He also sticks up for other players (more so than some of our other defense). I think the Blues feel confident when he’s back there. And while I will defend Sydor as well, I only mention him because quite frankly, he’s accident prone and a liability if you want to call it that, yet you don’t mention him in your rantings. I don’t understand that. You can’t just isolate the handful of players you don’t like and ignore the fact that it’s the team as a whole that contributes to wins, losses, how we play in general. And keep in mind, Defense is there to play DEFENSE. They’re not supposed to be on offense, it’s just an extra bonus when you get those who can.

Cam Janssen is a waste of space? You are sadly mistaken. No he’s not a goal scorer, he’s not playmaker, he’s out there for a purpose and he does it well. He knows his role. Why else would he complain when he isn’t playing when there have been opportunities for a player of his caliber to be useful to a team? Can you seriously tell me you expect Winchester or Crombeem to do the majority of our brawling? Guys in the league are not near as intimidated by them as they are Cam Janssen. Cam knows how to fight and does it well. Do you think Winchester or Crombeen would stand a chance against say, Steve Ott? Even if they could, those guys can’t be expected to be producing forwards and enforcers, nor can Cam be expected to defend his whole team on his own. And as we mentioned earlier this week, Cam has learned WHEN to fight and when to walk away, not to mention he’s becoming a decent puck handler and can create things. Not to mention Cam is one of the fan favorites, he’s from St. Louis and was super excited to come here to play. The enforcers play just as important of a role in the game as snipers, playmakers, goalies etc. Cam deserves to stay, Cam needs to stay.

Brad Boyes Boyes Boyes. Yes, we all know he’s having issues hitting the net. He shoots wide, he shoots high, but you know what? He shoots. And I’ll be willing to bet that you think it’s just as awesome when he hits that top shelf from the outside of the circle off a pass from his team mate. Take enough shots, something WILL go in. Boyes is the closest thing to a sniper we have. Sure snipers are supposed to be pin-point accurate, but if you take into consideration ALL the factors in a hockey game that can influence that? You can probably understand why he’s having a hard time getting it in the net. At least he’s shooting. And when he gets it all dialed in just right…you better watch out because that net will be on fire.

As far as T.J. Oshie & Patrik Berglund – Yes, it appears they are facing the sophomore slump, but the entire team is facing a slump. Call it bad play, call it facing hot goal tenders, call it whatever, but mostly I think its bad luck. I think part of the issue is that other teams/players know more of what to expect from Oshie this year so he doesn’t have the same advantage as he did last year. And you know, Bergs started out hot last year and then fizzled out for a significant part of the season. No he’s not producing at the level that we expect, but NO ONE IS. Give the kids a break; they’re still KIDS for crying out loud. They’ll learn. More experience equals better players, but that experience has to be earned as well. You can’t just half ass it out there and expect everything to be handed to you. Work for it.

You say that Winchester & Crombeen are out there and do what is expected, you have no complaint with them. Last I checked, forwards are expected to score & make plays. Crombeen hasn’t scored much since we first brought him up last year. I don’t see those guys lighting up the goal lamp this year. If you say these two have done whats expected, then where do you get off bashing Tkachuck above for not producing? Walt does whats expected of him: create mayhem and score. I don’t know about you but I sure haven’t seen that from the younger guys near as consistently.

In regards to benching players…If you didn’t notice, benching Perron sure seemed to send a message to the kid. He’s working his ass off out there now. Benching players, regardless of who it is…it WORKS. I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again. Playing here is not a right, it is EARNED. If you don’t realize you’re not trying hard enough out there, it’s the coach’s job to park you and force you to realize it. It’s not like the guys are being benched for a month or sent to the minors, it’s a game or two and that seems to be a good eye opener. Personally I think Kariya & maybe even Backes need to be benched a game or two to light the fires under their asses.

I can’t quite comprehend your logic in the draft situation. Very rarely do those kids play right away. Most of them aren’t quite ready, most of them are almost too young! It only makes sense to give them a try, see how they do, and then make a decision based on the observations. Or would you rather we throw kids out there who aren’t ready and have them get injured and then totally lose that pick completely? I just don’t understand what you expect. The guys make a decision based on many many factors and it seems that the Blues know what they’re doing because our future Blues are consistently on the top of the list. That should say something. And so far, our kids are working out just fine.

It sounds to me that what you want is a team composed of players like Ovechkin or Crosby and no one else. Well guess what? Those guys are EXCEPTIONS to the rule. You’re quick to criticize when we’re in a little slump. You want to toss a coach that should have won the Jack Adams. You want a perfect team with a perfect coach and you want it NOW. Got news for ya it’s just not something that’s obtainable. You can’t have a team of only Ovechkins.

Be realistic, have a little faith & give it a little time. The season is young. We will put the hammer down when the time comes.

Personally, I’ll take my Blues just the way they are.

LET’S GO BLUES!!!

never want to put myself in a position to root against my team. Writing giant diatribes about how shitty my team is, from foundation to roofshingles, does just that. Now, if they play well, you’re kind of in a situation where you either have to admit your wrong or you have to justify it with, “well, they’re beating the odds.”

If they suck the rest of the way, you’re sort of cat-birding it because “I told you so!”

Your team is not in your control. You can believe in the management’s ability to build it wisely or you can make yourself cold and wet pissing into the wind.

Again, everyone can do what they want, but a simple example is this:
Last year the resurgent Blues coughed up a lead at home. Some guy in our section started booing and bitching waaay too early. The ladies who sit next to me finally had enough and asked them if they were rooting for the team or against them. Angryness ensued.

The Blues made an incredible turnaround and climbed back in and won the game. I made a point of turning around to look at the early booers and that they were reluctantly shrugging and mid-fiving one another while the rest of us jumped up and down and high-fived and hugged strangers.

Why be the guy who can’t root for your team full-time and want success? It’s not a lot of fun to be the other guy. It’s all out of your control anyway. Enjoy the highs, blow off the lows. Don’t be the guy who is mid-fiving and secretly wishing he was right and not wrong.

Man, so now its a conspiracy and we’re being sheep blindly following what we’re told? Get over yourself.

The Blues aren’t playing well. Fine, I’ll agree. The fact that you want to chop up our roster not a quarter of the way into the season is just ridiculous. As stated before. If we have a team of all young kids, we would be so wont for experience, it would be awful. Just because you don’t like guys doesn’t mean they needed to be traded.

If you don’t like the team so much, and hate our management so much, I have an idea. QUIT WATCHING! How you say our management is bad is beyond me. They are responsible for getting us guys like Oshie, Perron, and Berglund. Just because they haven’t gone out and thrown money at some high priced free agent that may or may not be a short term fix is a GOOD idea. They are saying they want to be a team from within the organization. That takes time. It isn’t something that will be fixed overnight. They have stuck to their guns and I personally am proud of them for it. Or maybe you’d be happy with them signing four or five free agent guys, then not being able to resign them and having to start all over.

If you’re really so worried about being the “laughing stock” of the NHL then I hear the detroit or chicago bandwagon has some more room. Go jump on. Me? I’m content to watch a team grow and mature to come into their own. Sure it make take a few years, but I think it will be worth it.

And that is: What if you’re wrong. If you really have been a Blues fan as long as you say you have, it sure will suck for you if the Blues’ system brings home a cup in a few years, and you will be the guy “mid-fiving”, to borrow gallagher’s term. Of course, by then, you will probably have probably already forgotten all about this and jumped back on the bandwagon. You see, what you did isn’t hard. Anyone can pick apart a struggling team and claim to be “seeing what IS”. What takes intelligence and hockey knowledge is to take a nuanced point of view and see the bright spots as well as trying to isolate the weaknesses. I think some of your criticism is WAAAY off-base, but I will give you the benefit of the doubt and assume that it was just a result of you over-reaching to make your point and not a reflection of your hockey knowledge.
You’re probably saying right now, “But what if I’m right?”. Fair enough. Maybe you are right. Maybe our drafting sucks. Maybe our coaching staff is inadequate. Maybe our players are all washed up, and this front office/ownership group will never help bring a cup to St. Louis. If that turns out to be the case, I would say “Congratulations. You were right all along.” I just know that, being a Blues fan, I would never want to be congratulated for the Blues’ failure, and I don’t want to be mid-fiving if they win a cup.

If you all want to keep pretending like everything is going to be rainbows and sunshine, great. Time will tell. Eventually you will all be saying what I said, this team and this management is no different than those who drove away the fans in the first place.

Was filled with stuff I didn’t say, I was just playing your game.

and then I shaved.

They both have to have the last word.
Leaving the room and letting the blood fly. When they come out needing stitches I just get that wound glue out.
It did generate alot of comments. Well done boys

I’ve not so much paid attention to the Blues, but as of Thursday I thought they weren’t acting like a team. But as of Saturday, at least they thought they were giving a rat’s ass.

I think this rant was quite empty. And WAY too early. Talk to me at the end of December. Are we still flopping around like fish out of water? Then we need to do shit to the squad, up to and not discluding the termination of a coach. Until then . . . there’s a system.

This is way worse than the spam I hit other sites with. I almost wanted to watch meatspin after reading this.
(Note to self: If I ever REALLY want to piss people off I should go write novel on a diehard site that proves I’m a moron bandwagon fan. Then I should continue to argue the point to try and get the diehard fans to agree with me)

Don’t feed the troll ladies and gents. When I first saw this post I was tempted to write a multi-paragraph retort about how even before the year I thought we were a couple years away in the rebuilding process, but I stoped, and realized it would get me in nothing but a pointless war of words like above.

Apparently it saved me 4 days of getting very angry like I used to do when I was younger. Yay Self Control!