Clash of cultures is proving fruitful

Nov 17 2007 by Stuart Rayner, The Journal

Derek Campbell came to Newcastle to further his education, and in coach Rob Wilson the Canadian has found the perfect man to teach him, he tells Stuart Rayner

SPEAK to Rob Wilson about Derek Campbell and he will tell you the laid-back left-winger is ageing him prematurely. But the clash of cultures between the Vipers coach and his top scorer is proving an explosive mix which has powered the Newcastle side to the top of ice hockey’s Elite League.

Campbell’s positive, care-free attitude is the very antithesis to the cagey, defensive approach which comes so naturally to his coach. Wilson has blamed the speedy winger for turning his hair grey – when he is not causing him to pull it out.

But while the pair might differ totally in their approach they have one thing in common: a passion for winning. That is why the 27-year-old will be a key component of his Canadian compatriot’s tactical masterplan when the Vipers entertain second-placed Coventry Blaze at Newcastle Arena this evening (face-off 6.30pm).

The opportunity to further his off-ice education was a big factor in luring Campbell to Tyneside, but working with the 39-year-old former defenceman is proving a crash course in ice hockey.

“What he wants out of me is consistency, the same with all the players,” said the 6ft 1in Ontarian. “Consistency for him is first defensively, then offence. You’ve got to respect a coach who thinks like that.

“I called the coach the morning after the Edinburgh game and he said he had a few more grey hairs because of me! He’s definitely defensive-minded and he’s trying to instill that in our line. We’re doing a pretty good job defensively so far but there’s always room for improvement.”

Outside observers have remarked at the transformation in Campbell since leaving Manchester Phoenix this summer. Despite the constant cajoling to embrace the ugly side of the game, the smiling forward seems to genuinely enjoy the challenge of adapting to Wilson’s approach.

“Him and I get along really well, he’s a really good coach,” insists Campbell. “To tell you the truth it (Wilson’s emphasis on defence) is not frustrating at all, because at this point in my career I just want to get better.

“As a team we’re at that point where we just want to win. That’s the general consensus in the club right now – we just want two points every night. We don’t really care about individual stats or anything like that.”

At his current rate, Campbell is well on course to beat last season’s points tally of 71 (26 goals and 45 assists) from his debut Elite League campaign, the best of a career which until then had been based in North America.

Having brought the likes of Jeff Hutchins, Colin Shields and Todd Jackson to the club in an attempt to up his side’s pace and goal threat, Wilson accepts the accompanying frustrations as a price worth paying.

“I’m going to pull my hair out with him sometimes and I’ve told him he drives me nuts but he’s a very good player,” said Wilson. “He’s got such speed and creates so much but he’s good defensively as well. You want them all to play well defensively but they can’t always do that.”

It has been suggested in some quarters that the Phoenix did not want to keep Campbell but he refutes the suggestion.

“It was a good deal to come here, financially and also with the school programme the Vipers have,” says Campbell, studying for a business degree at Newcastle College as part of the package. “I heard great things about Newcastle this year. It’s a good hockey town and the organisation is going up.

“We have great fans here and they love the action, the intensity, the fighting and the hitting. But the bottom line is they want to win as well. They come here and support us so we have to make sure we put on a good show every time.”

The Vipers’ transformation from bottom-of-the-table strugglers to title contenders has been remarkable and Campbell has no hesitation in giving credit to Wilson.

“It’s down to the coach because when I first got here that’s what he wanted to do, design a team that was going to win” he says. “He just wanted to finish first. As a team we want to be confident and realistic as well. When you’re sitting top, it’s not unrealistic to want everything.”

Coventry will be smarting after last week’s 2-1 defeat at home to the Vipers. The Blaze, though, have two games in hand and after being knocked off their perch, Campbell is acutely aware they will be out for revenge.

“When you’re on top everyone wants to knock you off,” he said. “That’s going to be every game we play from here on in. They’re going to come out strongly and we know that. We’ve got to come out physically and hit hard. We’ve got to play defensively then let the defence trigger the offence.”

It could almost be his coach talking.