Master v pupil as Newcastle face Blaze
Oct 9 2010 by Stuart Rayner, The Journal
DANNY Stewart learned a lot of things about coaching from Paul Thompson, but none more important than the value of patience.
Master meets pupil this weekend as Thompson’s Coventry Blaze take on Stewart’s Newcastle Eagles home-and-away in the Elite League this weekend.
Having spent four seasons at the Blaze under Thompson, Stewart admits he has learned lessons from the Great Britain coach.
“I’ve asked Tommo for a lot of advice, especially in the summer over the recruiting process,” Stewart revealed. “He gave me some advice.
“Playing for Coventry for four years you bring some of that into your own coaching. It’s not just Tommo, it’s the other coaches I’ve worked under as well.
“One of the most important things I learned from Tommo is that giving guys time to buy into the system and gel is important. Coaches can be too quick to decide this guy isn’t the guy I want to make changes.
“It’s really important with the import players. Guys are not only adjusting to the style of play, but also to a new culture.”
Stewart, of course, has an all-new Vipers team, and the rookie coach recorded his first points last week – a penalty shots defeat at Braehead Clan and a maiden victory in the Whitley Bay return.
“It was a good weekend,” player-coach Stewart reflected. “One win doesn’t make everything a whole lot better, but the guys were excited and I was excited to get our first win.
“It was definitely a relief. We always want to get the win but it was how the plays played that encouraged me. The guys are really starting to buy into the system.
“Even in the game we struggled in a little bit there were times the guys were doing what I asked, its just a matter of being consistent.
“I’ve always been the type to not single out players. Every guy’s brought something different. No one’s disappointed me, I’m happy with the guys.
“Coming off last season when we (Coventry) won the championship, I think they’ve really improved since then. They’re playing quite well this season after a slow start.”
The Vipers will be without Polish forward Jaroslaw Rzeszutko, who broke his wrist last week. Newcastle are casting the net for replacements, but Stewart is not expecting to land any.
“Jaroslaw Rzeszutko will get his cast off in about three weeks and we’ll see how it’s healed,” commented Stewart. “After that it will be at least another week.
“We’ve been looking at replacements but if you’re going to bring in an import player you’ve got to sort out all sorts of things, like visas. If it’s someone from north America, then by the time you’ve got it sorted out, Jaro could almost be ready to return. We can still run three lines at the moment, so it’s nothing to worry about.”
