But some within the game are worried that the influx of imports will stifle the careers of promising British juniors Gary Moran doesn’t think so “You’ve got to move with the times,” he declared. Other coaches please note: a “good guy” in Dampier’s book is, for instance, Jamie Leach, who has played more than 100 games in the NHL.Peter Woods, the Basingstoke coach, is proud to have attracted Blake Knox from the Edmonton Oilers. Like all his fellow coaches, Woods is convinced that the coming season is going to be the hardest ever. “I think the level of play is going to be a lot stronger,” he said “Every team will be competitive. I think the league will be very exciting and very close.”No doubt. Alex Dampier, the Sheffield coach, knows that his life is about to get harder He chooses a pool analogy.

“We got caught behind the eight-ball a bit,” he said, “because we had players signed on long-term contracts and then this Bosman thing came along.” But he has brought in “one or two good guys”. They can play rough-style hockey – any player in the world can take a hit.”Taking a leaf out of Kevin Keegan’s book, Brebant has gone for quantity as well as quality: he’s brought in “15 or 16 players”. I got one with a broken ankle, one with a knee, no, two with knees, it’s awful…”The team that he and all the other bosses must pursue is the Sheffield Steelers, last year’s grand slam winners. It seems that he is going to need them: Brebant already has an injury crisis “It’s unbelievable,” he lamented “Here I am making preparations, losing players… Know what I mean?One who has made the transition to presenter without the need of a leotard or a name change is Gary Lineker, back from his Olympic stint and newly installed as the host of Football Focus on Grandstand (BBC1).At least, it is called Football Focus, but this is not the cosy studio chat of old. After 26 years’ experience of North American higher education I am intrigued by the current English preoccupation with examination content, style, marking and administration (Letters, 25 August).

Is this not a case of the tail wagging the dog? From the viewpoint of further education, surely concern should be with evaluation of future potential rather than present knowledge.
In Canada, entry to higher education is based upon completion of high school and qualification in requisite subjects, determined by the intended field of study. The necessary assessments are made by the individual high school, based on continuous evaluation of coursework and project assignments. Formal examinations, external or internal, do not enter into the picture.My own children, returning to this country for university, encountered their first formal exams at university and obtained good degrees. Clearly they did not suffer from an elementary, middle- and high-school education freed from the trauma of exam-centred programmes.J V ThirgoodRothbury, Northumberland. John Gilbert’s “Children for sale” (25 August) was a stark eye- opener on the reality for vulnerable children on our streets.

However, I found his comments on “under-paid, under-trained bullies often to be found in children’s homes” unrepresentative. I have worked in many children’s homes in different counties and found deeply caring, responsible staff who go well beyond the call of duty in supporting vulnerable youngsters. Pay levels and training had no bearing on their professionalism. Isolated cases of abuse do not reflect a picture of widespread abuse by staff

Ralph E Bell
Oxford. Rebellion is a treasonable offence even in the unruly world of sport but it is difficult not to sympathise with the English and Welsh rugby clubs who declared their intention to revolt against their respective unions on the eve of yesterday’s launch of the new season.