INVICTA Dynamos player coach Carl Greenhous has made an impassioned plea on the club's website in an attempt to rectify fortunes at the Gillingham Ice Bowl.

Greenhous said: “At the moment we are a team in dire straits. Morale has hit rock bottom and the confidence levels of many players have fallen to new lows.

“No team likes to lose. And it perpetuates a vicious circle. Losses lower your confidence, lowered confidence levels lead to more losses. We are in a downward spiral at the moment, but the only ones who can pull ourselves out of it are we the players.”

Dynamos fans have been very critical of recent performances and while Greenhous accepts they have every right to voice opinions he said: “What the team needs now is support more than ever. When heads are low and times rough, every cheer helps.”

Greenhous also lays blame at his own door, which has prompted fans to wish that other players would take the same kind of responsibility for the playing crisis.

Greenhous then dissects what has been going wrong. Off the ice he sees the inability to draw much-needed new signings because the poor state of the Ice Bowl as a major stumbling block.

On the ice he says: “The problem is that we show flashes of brilliance tempered by periods of absolute mediocrity. And the brilliance does not outshine the mediocrity.

“I am at a loss as to how to get us to correct the mistakes that we make again and again. And it is the same mistakes night after night.

“The two that I think have hurt us for what I would guess are 80 per cent of our goals against are not picking up the odd man on a rush, and failure to clear the puck from our own end which leads to defensive zone coverage breakdowns.

“As coach I can only plead with players to be more patient, to concentrate harder and to make better decisions on the ice.”

This weekend the Dynamos' opponents could not be more different -- high-flying Milton Keynes Lightning in the cup tomorrow and struggling Haringey Racers in the English National Premier League on Sunday -- both on the road.

Captain Phil Chard said: “Things may not be going well, but we should still beat Haringey hands down and we need a game like this to get back some confidence. Also if we get anything out of the Milton Keynes games, that would be a massive boost.”

*Dynamos' short roster problem increased this week with the news that Paul Hume has quit.

Team captain Phil Chard told the club website: “Paul approached us on Tuesday night and said that unfortunately he was struggling to combine hockey and his studies. He is currently studying for a degree and obviously needs to give that priority.

“We are not aware of any intention for Paul to transfer to another club. He has simply told us that he wants to quit playing. We wish him well with his studies.”