Features

Interview with Andy Costigan - recruitment, rinks and rumours!

Thursday, 25th May 2006

With the recruitment for the returning Manchester Phoenix team well underway, Richard Allan caught up with Andy Costigan to find out what's been going on behind the scenes with the progress of the signing campaign, the new rink and the Junior Development system.


Richard Allan:
So far the signings for Manchester Phoenix have all been British, with Tony Hand picking Joe Miller, Adam Walker and Matty Compton as his first three signings.  Are there any more Brits in the pipeline?  (inference of the lowered import levels etc)

Andy Costigan:
Yes is the quick and easy answer to this one Richard. Tony and I speak all the time and we are very keen to add at least one or two more with some experience of playing in the Elite League if we possibly can. If for whatever reason players with that experience are not available then, we are prepared to look at players from other leagues to give them a chance to step up and be a part of a professional organisation.

RA:
Matty Compton comes to us from the same team as Dave Clancy, Phoenix's previous back-up goalie.  Are there any clues yet as to who Matty will be serving as back-up to?

AC:
I'd love to tell you who we've got our eyes on but, I'd have to shoot you (laughs). I'm sure everyone appreciates that the Number One goalie is a key signing - look at Koenig in Newcastle and Minard in Belfast last season, both highly influential guys - so this is one signing we're not rushing into. What I can say is that we have identified 3 or 4 possible candidates and the research on them is progressing. We've had some help on one of them in particular and depending upon what his current teams ideas for next season are, he could emerge as the favourite. Having said that, I don't think this signing will be finalised for a couple of weeks yet.

RA:
Already this off season there have been several signings and re-signings at other teams, with some players either staying on at their current teams, or moving from team to team.  Are there any plans to bring some familiar names to Manchester for the forthcoming season?

AC:
Hmmm, that's a leading question (laughs again). It depends upon how you interpret the word familiar really. It's probably fair (and best) to say that there has been some interest in coming to Manchester from players who are known from previous experience in the UK - other than that I can't really say more. Bear in mind, we had no re-signing to do, so technically - all our signings are new (laughs again). How's that for nimble word-working ?

RA:
Since Phoenix confirmed the plans to return to action, I'm guessing that we've received a fair few CVs from players.  What kind of calibre players have we received interest from?

AC:
We've had interest from players of all calibres. College players from North America, seasoned pros from North America and Europe, up and coming Brits looking to learn from Tony... and why wouldn't they? And (this will seem unkind) some journeymen looking for another season to play. Overall though, the big thing is no shortage of CVs' coming in is the pleasing thing. Last season, at this time, teams were reporting a shortage of players - not so this summer.

RA:
Every summer, the signing rumour mill cranks into action, with fans speculating about which players will end up at which teams.  Does Tony Hand ever take a look at these rumours, and does he take the fans expectations into consideration when picking players?

AC:
To be honest Richard, Tony and I haven't discussed the forums. I take a wander round them from time to time and read with a smile some of the alleged interest and links to players. Quite whether Tony does, I honestly don't know. He's pretty busy with the leads we're checking out and dealing with the agents who are contacting him directly. In terms of fans expectations, I think we'll all find that Tony is recruiting a team that will buy into and play to a system he has a very definite minds eye view of... and if that means that players some or all of us would like to see in Manchester don't come here, then as long as the team Tony does recruit does the job that's expected of them then we all get some new favourites to applaud. At the end of the day, Tony has been employed to and entrusted with making the re-born Phoenix a competitive team, and trust me, he's got no interest whatsoever in us being also-rans.

RA:
With the Junior trials coming up in July, has Tony Hand picked his coaching staff for the Junior Development system yet?   Are there plans for Phoenix-brand Junior teams to take part in league competition this coming season?

AC:
Selection of the junior coaching staff is currently underway and Tony has a large input into that being the Head Coach of the club. We had a good response to the advert we ran and just as we did in selecting Tony for his role, we're doing the homework on the applicants and then the decisions will be made. Yes, the club have begun the process of registering teams at Under 14, Under 16 and Under 19 levels for next season. The ultimate aim, probably for next year, will be for teams at Under 10 and Under 12 level as well.

RA:
How is the building of the new rink progressing?  Has a date been set for the grand opening?

AC:
The early groundwork is well under way in preparation for the foundations and the building itself is well underway in Finland. As for the big day of opening, that slot on the calendar is still to be finalised. There's a tremendous amount of work to do and to some extent the weather could have some determining effect... so can everyone please get their prayer mat out and mutter a few mantras for a long, dry summer... why should the South get all the drought conditions, we'll gladly trade them some rain for sun (laughs).

RA:
Will there be a pre-season event for the fans to meet the new players and pick their seats at the new rink?

AC:
I'm sure the seat selecting opportunity will arise and quite soon I would think as we're finalising the structure of season ticket packages and individual game ticket costs. I'm sure a seating plan will surface very soon and so we'd urge those that have definite designs on a certain area of the rink to book their place as quick as they can. As for a pre-season event, we'd love to do a Meet-the-Team event and we'll do everything we can to arrange one. The fans are key to the success of the team and the club, so the chance to chin-wag and grab that first photo and autograph will certainly happen.

RA:
Other teams seem to be issuing press releases with speculation about player signings, rather than confirmed news.  As Phoenix's press officer, what do you make of this change in approach? 

AC:
It's an interesting question Richard and one I'll answer this way. By and large, I ignore such reports. I've seen the "Phoenix chasing Petricko and Krajicek..." stories, and I've chosen to ignore them publicly. I have however spoken to Newcastle and suggested that they check their informant (laughs). At this time of year, all clubs are looking to keep themselves to the forefront of the news pages, be they in the press or on club websites. And a little bit of rumour never did anyone any real harm, as long as it's basically factual and not fiction. I know some teams get upset if they feel they've been scooped on a signing by someone not connected with the club or player involved, and we've been in that boat in the past - it is frustrating. If I see or hear a rumour that is getting a little too close to the mark where we are concerned, I might blow in the rumour-mongers ear to agree a stop to it - by and large, most of us know each other and respect how far we can run a rumour before really upsetting each other.

RA:
If you could sign any player, past or present, from any league in the world, who would you most like to see in a Manchester Phoenix jersey?

AC:
Oh crikey Richard - even you haven't got that big a cheque book (laughs again). I'm going to go back a few years and name the Red Army first line from Tretiak in goal, through Fetisov and Kasatonov on defence to Krutov, Larionov and Makarov up front - quite simply the best ever six players for one club on the ice at any one time... in my opinion. I'd like Steve Yzerman as the team captain and a whole host of NHLers. On a more realistic front and naming some guys who played here and if you could bring them back at their peak... Oleg Sinkov was a genius for the Metros, Vasily Vasilenko did a great job for Dumfries... Rick Fera and Dan Dorion were phenomenal players in their time. Storm fans would remember Janne Niskala as a young talent we had in Manchester and (somewhat bigheadedly) I was pleased to be part of the process that saw him come and play here. I could name a hundred players and still want more... and that is the beauty of this type of question, it hasn't got a wrong answer.

Thanks Richard, always a pleasure to talk with you - now go find me Bill Gates chequebook and time machine to recruit my squad (laughs)... and get ready for another signing !!

Andy Costigan was interviewed on Wednesday May 24th 2006