Taking an early 4-0 lead had the fans settling into their seats for a Sunday evening snooze as their team had it easy against a Newcastle with such a short bench that they deserved credit for even bothering to show up. Just nine men had taken the ice for the injury hit team and with the score at four they’d have been forgiven for rolling over and taking the thumping that appeared to be coming their way.

The Giants though didn’t want to shame their opponents by running up the score and so backed off, changed goalies to back-up Nathan Craze and decided to coast home to victory, though if you ask me I think sticking on your back-up is more shaming to your opponent at how easy you are having it than continuing to score goals and so with their minds on the bar afterwards the Vipers seized the initiative and started clawing their way back into the game.

I’ve always said you cannot just turn it on and off and back on again at will and this proved to be the case yet again last night as the Giants suddenly found the Vipers within a goal and the Giants had no way to respond. Sure the Vipers goalie stood on his head with that many shots coming his way but against nine men the Giants ought to have found a way – especially when it came to shutting the game down and stepping up defensively.

The biggest tactical error by Steve Thornton was thinking at 4-0 the game was over and that it was okay to stick Craze into goals. This isn’t a shot at Craze who has looked solid anytime he has been called upon but when Murphy was doing well between the pipes and with so much game still to go, it seems strange changing the goalie.

The reaction of the crowd clearly said it all and while I am not the type to boo myself, one can certainly understand where some of the fans are coming from. If the Giants were bottom of the league like Hull and perhaps just not good enough but trying their best, you could understand. But when you’re near the top, supposed to be challenging for a title and tactically you screw around and blow a point the the fans will naturally be angry.

Steve Thornton said it was the “most embarrassed I’ve ever been in my pro career,” going on to say “All losses hurt but the guys just checked out. It’s not good enough and it’s unfair for the fans to have to come and watch that.”

Thornton went on to say that there will likely be changes in the coming weeks because if not and if performances like this continue, his job will be on the line.

Thornton’s job shouldn’t be on the line however. This result is frustrating and poor but this is sport and sometimes it happens, there are no guarantees so there is no point kicking and screaming too much. You pay your money, you take your chances. Thornton had a good year in charge last year and for the most part this season the Giants have been competitive and in there challenging so a few tough defeats and one very shocking effort shouldn’t quite had the coach on the chopping block. In only his second season with the team Thornton deserves the time to work his way out of this hole by doing what it takes, be it player changes or not, to get back to winning ways.

The Giants have back-to-back games against Nottingham coming up, two games which have become so crucial now. Nottingham are on good form but two big results here and this showing last night will be forgotten about because this is sport and it’s a fickle business.

Both games were close but the telling factor might well have been the injuries to key personnel, namely the Giants coach Steve Thornton who missed the games and couldn’t even make the trip to the away fixture because of his injuries. The short bench was never going to help, especially against a team like the Blaze and so these game came at the worst possible time. The Giants will now lick their wounds over the Christmas period and look to get back on track heading through the festive season and into the new year.

Both Pat Bateman and Steve Thornton picked up two goals and three assists while six other players registered multi-point games including Mark Morrison who grabbed his first goal of the season. Captain and top points scorer Colin Shields took until the seventh goal to get on the board and that was only with an assist as his quiet night allowed for nearly everyone else to get on board. In fact, only defenseman Michael Jacobsen and young forward Robbie Brown failed to pick up a point.

The highlight of the night however was the McMorrow goal. While on a hat trick Pat Bateman decided to pass up the opportunity to shoot for a team-mate who normally does the dirty work with his fists. McMorrow finished the tap-in and his celebration though was one that had the Giants benched doubled over laughing and the crowd equally entertained: He threw his glove in the air and proceeded to replicate shooting it with the but-end of his stick like a someone with a shut-gun hunting a bird. I guess when you don’t score very often as an enforcer and finally get your first goal at home, you have to make the most of it. An entertainer with his fists tonight he did it by putting the puck in the net.

The win sent the Giants back on top of the Elite League at least for a day or so until Coventry, who with games in hand, played again. But the team is really coming together now, everyone is contributing and the message to the league is clear that with an 11-3 win here and an 8-2 win last week against Edinburgh, the Giants mean business. Their next opposition is indeed the Capitals on Sunday.

I’ve often preached the ‘give it more time’ theory and that teams need time to settle, gel and get rolling as they should, but even this year from afar things look a little shaky. Maybe it’s the terrible powerplay record, the lack of goals from a normally goal happy team or that we were shutout so easily last night, but for all that its worth, I will stick by my theory and give it to ten games before really pressing down on the panic button of which my hand is only just starting to reach for.

Thornton had a good year last year as coach and an improvement was expected on the two trophies and 4th place finish so immediately people are starting to question some of the signings after results have went a little south, but we’ve had worse runs in the past and bounced back and perhaps it’s better they struggle a little out of the game than in the final run-in later in the year.

Someone said that the Steelers fans were calling for Matsos’ head this time last year after they got off to an equally bad start and look what happened to them: He took them to the league and playoff double. So some perspective is required.