Rob Wilson demands Newcastle Vipers get tough

Mar 13 2010 by Stuart Rayner, The Journal

ROB Wilson has ordered his Newcastle Vipers side to be more physical to avoid the humiliation of picking up the Elite League’s wooden spoon, writes STUART RAYNER.

The Vipers go into the penultimate weekend of the season with the spectre of last place looming.

They should have enough to see off Hull, five points back with four games to play. But they ought to have had enough to see off the Yorkshire side on Wednesday. They lost 3-2.

Next weekend’s games are against Belfast Giants and Nottingham Panthers – second and third in the table. So it is at home to Edinburgh Capitals tonight and in Hull tomorrow that they must gather the points to keep them clear of the bottom.

Canadian coach Wilson has long argued that unless teams finish top, their final position is an irrelevance but professional pride means he is desperate not to end up last.

“In my head I never think about it,” he insisted. “But it will hurt everybody. If it doesn’t hurt there’s something wrong with you.

“I want to finish first and win every game but I know that’s not realistic. I take it to heart whenever we lose.

“Don’t get me wrong, though, I want to win on Saturday night more than any night for a long time.”

The way to do that, he believes, is by toughening up. “The guys need to start being more physical, to start packing and whacking more,” he argued. “Hockey’s a physical game and sometimes we haven’t been as physical as we’ve needed to be.

“We don’t really have a physical team. We’re the lowest budget team in the league and had to fit guys into what we could afford. Sometimes big, tough guys cost more money – especially guys who can play.”