Does the Boneyard have any impact in terms of WM's decision making?

[sportsart]

How much influence do we have on the decisions Warde makes regarding the current failure of our FB coaching situation. I say coaching failure because I believe if you give RE this team, we go bowling the last 2 years, and maybe this year as well.

We know the media visits the BY and we also know the coaching staff has someone peeking in on us. (I believe all schools monitor forums to see if insiders, from both sides, share info that the coach needs to know about).

We are certainly the rabid fan base all schools have and, frankly need, but do we influence the AD in any way? While we may not donate like the Burtons of the world, we certainly create interest to others and have to mean something in the big picture.

There are thousands registered here on the BY, though I'm sure plenty have fallen by the wayside. If there are 1000 actual participants here, and our circle of influence is X 10, should Warde pay attention to us?

 

[Husky25]

How much influence do we have on the decisions Warde makes regarding the current failure of our FB coaching situation. I say coaching failure because I believe if you give RE this team, we go bowling the last 2 years, and maybe this year as well.

We know the media visits the BY and we also know the coaching staff has someone peeking in on us. (I believe all schools monitor forums to see if insiders, from both sides, share info that the coach needs to know about).

We are certainly the rabid fan base all schools have and, frankly need, but do we influence the AD in any way? While we may not donate like the Burtons of the world, we certainly create interest to others and have to mean something in the big picture.

There are thousands registered here on the BY, though I'm sure plenty have fallen by the wayside. If there are 1000 actual participants here, and our circle of influence is X 10, should Warde pay attention to us?

I believe he monitors (I know that word has a certain stigma around these parts) the general attitude of The Boneyard...i.e. senses the frustration of the fanbase... but I also believe he takes it in stride. There are many here who also are calling for his job as well. At the end of the day, if a coach, GM, or athletic director take their marching orders from the fan base, they be a part thereof in relatively short order.

That said, I think he gives the general feeling its proper attention.

 

[sportsart]

I believe he monitors (I know that word has a certain stigma around these parts) the general attitude of The Boneyard...i.e. senses the frustration of the fanbase... but I also believe he takes it in stride. There are many here who also are calling for his job as well. At the end of the day, if a coach, GM, or athletic director take their marching orders from the fan base, they be a part thereof in relatively short order.

That said, I think he gives the general feeling its proper attention.

All AD's take their marching orders from their fan base. It's just a matter of how much money you donate and how much influence you have on the rest of the fan base. I think we have a small to medium influence of the fan base. Actually, now that I think about it, the students have an even bigger influence.

If the students had a petition with 7,500 signatures stating we will not be attending any more games until a change is made, he would have to listen.

 

[Carl Spackler]

What Warde Manuel needs to understand is that UCONN football, is that like everything else at UCONN, the football program is also expected to be a regular winner. It's just been in the shadow of the enormity of the successes of the basketball programs.

#1. Since 1985, we've had three consecutive losing seasons once (1999-2001). We've had winning seasons in 15 of 24 seasons from 1986-2010. We've had 5 conference titles in those 24 seasons (two in the 80s, one in the 90s' and two in the 2000s).

It's not Michigan level of winning, but it is winning.


I would not be happy to find out that decision makers at UCONN, are making decisions based on what people write on this website.

 

[Stinger92860]

I would expect that UConn uses social analytics to view sentiment analysis. Included in the data would be this forum as well as blogs and articles. I suspect we are trending down.

 

[Husky25]

All AD's take their marching orders from their fan base. It's just a matter of how much money you donate and how much influence you have on the rest of the fan base. I think we have a small to medium influence of the fan base. Actually, now that I think about it, the students have an even bigger influence.

If the students had a petition with 7,500 signatures stating we will not be attending any more games until a change is made, he would have to listen.

The two entities are mutually exclusive. There is no direct correlation between fan sentiment and the actions of a coach, AD, or GM (Financial support is indirect).

The Patriots went 5-11 in the 2000 and were 0-2 when Brady took over. They started 2001 1-3, and their All Pro QB was out with a life (not just career) threatening injury. True Patriots' fans were calling for Belichick's job. What if Belichick benched Bledsoe in 2000 in favor of Michael Bishop based on his pre-season (a vocal minority wanted that as well)?

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

God I hope not.

 

[businesslawyer]

Unless Warde Manual is the world's biggest idiot, he doesn't need to listen to the fanbase to know that P is not capable of getting this ship back on course and needs to go. So hopefully the answer to the original question is "it doesn't matter," because he's gone before the end of the season whether the answer is yes or no.

 

[sportsart]

If this forum did not exist and UConn was left to their own devices to market this program, you could have kissed it good bye a long time ago.

Seriously. Do you think the BB forum has no impact on what UConn thinks about the fan base? Take away the rabid base of any program and you have a flatline.

That is why the media has been talking about PP being fired and that is why Warde has made the statements he has made.

If the media is checking us out, so is the UConn AD.

I'm not saying we have a major influence, but we do have a seat at the table.

 

[geordi]

God I hope not.

Me too. I'd hate to have my job dependent on the whims of a fan base that will change at a moment's notice. It's like a politician not making the right decision because the lunatic fringe is against it and is more vocal.

 

[sportsart]

Silly me. I guess the fans don't matter and AD's only base their hiring's and firing's on their own expertise. Seriously...?

I guess we are always going to remain small time because I can tell you right now, in the P5 conferences, the pressure from their fans (donors are fans but with bigger influence) is what speeds up the process.

I didn't say Warde looks to the BY and then makes his decisions. I guess I am getting the answer to the question I asked but certainly don't agree with it.

Forget about sending emails to Warde or Susan or any of the media horde. We don't matter after all.

 

[StoweD210]

I'm pretty sure they have been looking at my posts pretty closely.

Successful people have been stealing my thoughts and ideas in ways I cannot prove for years.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

Silly me. I guess the fans don't matter and AD's only base their hiring's and firing's on their own expertise. Seriously...?

I guess we are always going to remain small time because I can tell you right now, in the P5 conferences, the pressure from their fans (donors are fans but with bigger influence) is what speeds up the process.

I didn't say Warde looks to the BY and then makes his decisions. I guess I am getting the answer to the question I asked but certainly don't agree with it.

Forget about sending emails to Warde or Susan or any of the media horde. We don't matter after all.

It's not that I disagree, but 15,000 empty seats for USF sends a stronger message than any of us lunatics here on the BY. Fans have had a voice since forever before the internet was invented by Al Gore.

 

[Husky25]

If this forum did not exist and UConn was left to their own devices to market this program, you could have kissed it good bye a long time ago.

There are less than 3,600 members of this forum and not all of them post on all sports. I know many a football season ticket holder that does not know about or read the Boneyard, so you are saying that less than 10% of the capacity of Rentschler Field has a significant say on the day-to-day goings on at 2095 Hillside Road, Storrs? I tend to believe it is less than you think...though monitored.

Seriously. Do you think the BB forum has no impact on what UConn thinks about the fan base? Take away the rabid base of any program and you have a flatline.

The way the Athletic Department has treated the students and John Q. Arena-goer over the past 27 years indicates that they placate more to the corporation/heavy donor. Basketball began its rise to prominence prior to widespread use of the Internet.

That is why the media has been talking about PP being fired and that is why Warde has made the statements he has made.

I think Mr. Manuel has many tools at his disposal including a prominent UConn Athletic Department message board.

If the media is checking us out, so is the UConn AD.

I'm not saying we have a major influence, but we do have a seat at the table.

I don't dispute that he is aware of this board or other forums, such as Desmond Connor's chats. I dispute the level to which the fan has influence on the day-to-day operations of the Athletic Department. As Geodi said, typically it is the lunatic fringe that is the vocal minority and if a coach, AD, GM did their job to placate the vocal lunatic fringe minority, they might as well join them.

 

[Carl Spackler]

Silly me. I guess the fans don't matter and AD's only base their hiring's and firing's on their own expertise. Seriously...?

I guess we are always going to remain small time because I can tell you right now, in the P5 conferences, the pressure from their fans (donors are fans but with bigger influence) is what speeds up the process.

I didn't say Warde looks to the BY and then makes his decisions. I guess I am getting the answer to the question I asked but certainly don't agree with it.

Forget about sending emails to Warde or Susan or any of the media horde. We don't matter after all.

I'm not sure exactly what you're fishing for dude. Of course the website matters. There have been plenty of things suggested around here, that does make it way into the offices, and out onto the streets.

BUT:

Don't you think that if you had something to say to the Athletic Director or University president, it would be better to actually email it to them, or tell them over the phone, or personally - rather than post it on this website?

 

[Carl Spackler]

There are less than 3,600 members of this forum and not all of them post on all sports. I know many a football season ticket holder that does not know about or read the Boneyard, so you are saying that less than 10% of the capacity of Rentschler Field has a significant say on the day-to-day goings on at 2095 Hillside Road, Storrs? I tend to believe it is less than you think...though monitored.

.

I think that about sums it all up nicely. I wonder how UCONN football, basketball ticket buyers, alumni, and fans actually read the boneyard, because I bet the number is significantly greater than the number of people that actually write, but anyone wishing to actually convey a message to the athletic director, (or anyone else at UCONN) is much better served by actually contacting said person.

 

[John]

How much influence do we have on the decisions Warde makes regarding the current failure of our FB coaching situation. I say coaching failure because I believe if you give RE this team, we go bowling the last 2 years, and maybe this year as well.

We know the media visits the BY and we also know the coaching staff has someone peeking in on us. (I believe all schools monitor forums to see if insiders, from both sides, share info that the coach needs to know about).

We are certainly the rabid fan base all schools have and, frankly need, but do we influence the AD in any way? While we may not donate like the Burtons of the world, we certainly create interest to others and have to mean something in the big picture.

There are thousands registered here on the BY, though I'm sure plenty have fallen by the wayside. If there are 1000 actual participants here, and our circle of influence is X 10, should Warde pay attention to us?

If any chief executive of a multi-million dollar enterprise ever based his decisions on what a bunch of riff-raff say in a chatroom, then that chief executive really needs to be keel-hauled.

God I hope he doesn't even read this board.

 

[sportsart]

It's not that I disagree, but 15,000 empty seats for USF sends a stronger message than any of us lunatics here on the BY. Fans have had a voice since forever before the internet was invented by Al Gore.

I guess I thought the die hards on here, plus the student section would have an influence of 15,000. I'm pretty sure there are many people who come here to this board and don't post but are caught up in the excitement, during the good times, and draw in their friends to get tickets to games.

Again, I was looking for the pulse of the board and what influence people think we might have. I totally disagree, but then again....I'm just one crazy ass fan.

I will say it again though. The horde pays attention to us and gives them a pulse on what might interest their readers.

 

[sportsart]

If any chief executive of a multi-million dollar enterprise ever based his decisions on what a bunch of riff-raff say in a chatroom, then that chief executive really needs to be keel-hauled.

God I hope he doesn't even read this board.

You guys are missing the point. How many times have we talked about how many people, have X amount of season ticket holders in their group, that are going to, or not going to bowl games.

If there are 500 active posters on here who have had enough, and their influence is times 6, there are 3,000 people who are with the program or not.

I didn't say Warde basis his decision on the BY. Get a grip. I said we are part of the big picture. Burton is just like us. He has more say in the matter because he ponies up more money. That's all.

If the BY did not exist we would be Buffalo, Temple or Miami, OH. When their fans talk, I'm guessing there's an echo.

 

[metsfan2323]

If Warde listened to the Boneyard P would have been gone last fall.

Susan admitted to not be able to stay away from the "Hater Blog" even though it was her new year's resolution.

The Boneyard consensus is often ahead of the curve so they should pay attention. This is a free focus group.

 

[CTMike]

We are the die hards. That's actually a valuable resource for UConn, our insanity aside. That said though- other than gauging the pulse of the hardcores, the "influencers"... We aren't a direct factor in decisions. Indirect, perhaps, but not direct.

 

[ShakyTheMohel]

I agree with most of the comments on here.

I will add that with "big" programs (Texas, Florida, etc..), it is the large donors who drive decisions. A Gator friend of mine told me that the "Bull Gators" (big UF donors) want a coach out, he is out. That is because they will pay for the change. The AD has to listen to the donors.

I am not sure UConn has donors at that level who could influence change...except for maybe Burton.

 

[Skiblets]

They probably throw out the extremes (which means most of us) and look for themes

 

[ConnHuskBask]

I love how everyone is so dismissive of the Boneyards collective opinion. Sure there are lunatics and sure people are reactionary especially after games but for the most part the 4 biggest Boneyard gripes in the past year+ have been:

1) Firing P.
2) Reinstate Foley as OL coach.
3) Giving Ollie a long term deal.
4) Disliking the rebranding (was moderate on the BY but I haven't met a casual fan who likes it).

Doesn't seem like we're too far off here.

 

[Fishy]

Pasqualoni is failing so thoroughly that his job would be in jeopardy even in a vacuum.

I don't think we have much influence there.