Join A Grassroots Movement for Change of AD and MBB Coach

[DOC]

2 hours ago, billikenfan05 said:

I know. I've actually posted on multiple occasions that I don't read. It's not some new insult.

Everything you post is on multiple occasions. 

[willie]

1 hour ago, thetorch said:

The online campaign to dump Ford and hire Schertz/not hire Ahearn had a definite effect on the decisions made in the last few weeks.  

How can you not see this?

Burnergate doesn't happen without the online pressure.  That embarrassment was the tipping point in Ford's tenure.  There was no coming back after that.

The AD's office is still talking about the box of clown noses.  It was a big black eye for them.  May might still have them, he did for several weeks after.

The silly multi year flirtation with Blake Ahearn was put down completely by online pressure.

Schertz as a a candidate was enhanced exponentially by the support of him online.

But yeah the grassroots thing was stupid.

The AD, Board of Trustees, and big boosters all read this board and Billikens Twitter.  What we say does influence and shape their decisions.

I buy some of this but certainly not all. Whether you like him or not May is not a fool. He knew selling tickets and getting donations was going to be a problem. He weighed buyouts vs ticket revenue and made the obvious decision. Did the board help show the overall sentiment. Sure. But don’t think for a minute that if big and middle level donors weren’t ready for a change it wouldn’t happen. I don’t believe the Ahearn stuff was ever a possibility. It was created by comments from Grawer and Holly and was nothing more. Schertz was the obvious candidate from day one. Besides Conrad I doubt anyone else on the Board of Trustees reads this board and he reads it because he is a huge basketball fan. I know you took issue with Courtsides timeline but I think it was pretty accurate. Ps. 90% of the BOT don’t know we have a basketball team. The group of Fred May Bob O Conrad and Doc made this decision and don’t underestimate May. 

[cheeseman]

22 minutes ago, willie said:

I buy some of this but certainly not all. Whether you like him or not May is not a fool. He knew selling tickets and getting donations was going to be a problem. He weighed buyouts vs ticket revenue and made the obvious decision. Did the board help show the overall sentiment. Sure. But don’t think for a minute that if big and middle level donors weren’t ready for a change it wouldn’t happen. I don’t believe the Ahearn stuff was ever a possibility. It was created by comments from Grawer and Holly and was nothing more. Schertz was the obvious candidate from day one. Besides Conrad I doubt anyone else on the Board of Trustees reads this board and he reads it because he is a huge basketball fan. I know you took issue with Courtsides timeline but I think it was pretty accurate. Ps. 90% of the BOT don’t know we have a basketball team. The group of Fred May Bob O Conrad and Doc made this decision and don’t underestimate May. 

That argument Chaiftz and May had after the L of C loss in Chicago was the Emperor has no clothes moment for May.  Now he may have decided then to put a robe on to save his job.  Until that confrontation, I don't think May was going to fire Ford given all the stuff he had said.  

[thetorch]

11 minutes ago, willie said:

I buy some of this but certainly not all. Whether you like him or not May is not a fool. He knew selling tickets and getting donations was going to be a problem. He weighed buyouts vs ticket revenue and made the obvious decision. Did the board help show the overall sentiment. Sure. But don’t think for a minute that if big and middle level donors weren’t ready for a change it wouldn’t happen. I don’t believe the Ahearn stuff was ever a possibility. It was created by comments from Grawer and Holly and was nothing more. Schertz was the obvious candidate from day one. Besides Conrad I doubt anyone else on the Board of Trustees reads this board and he reads it because he is a huge basketball fan. I know you took issue with Courtsides timeline but I think it was pretty accurate. Ps. 90% of the BOT don’t know we have a basketball team. The group of Fred May Bob O Conrad and Doc made this decision and don’t underestimate May. 

We the fans said we wouldn't buy tickets to this garbage.

May fires the coach because fear of revenue loss.

It had nothing to do with the fans though.

Make it make sense please?

 

[willie]

7 minutes ago, thetorch said:

We the fans said we wouldn't buy tickets to this garbage.

May fires the coach because fear of revenue loss.

It had nothing to do with the fans though.

Make it make sense please?

 

That’s what I said . He knew ticket sales and donations was going to be a problem not because 12 people on the Billiken board said they wanted him fired. He has said he doesn’t read this board and I believe him. 

[ACE]

And Ahearn was gonna help sell tickets? this thread cracks me up

[willie]

4 minutes ago, ACE said:

And Ahearn was gonna help sell tickets? this thread cracks me up

This whole Ahearn thing is a fabrication. It was never a consideration. Strictly sports radio bull  

 

 

 

 

 

[HoosierPal]

45 minutes ago, willie said:

This whole Ahearn thing is a fabrication. It was never a consideration. Strictly sports radio bull  

 

 

 

 

 

Willie you are nailing this page of the thread. 

[RiseOfTheBillikens]

5 hours ago, thetorch said:

The online campaign to dump Ford and hire Schertz/not hire Ahearn had a definite effect on the decisions made in the last few weeks.  

How can you not see this?

Burnergate doesn't happen without the online pressure.  That embarrassment was the tipping point in Ford's tenure.  There was no coming back after that.

The AD's office is still talking about the box of clown noses.  It was a big black eye for them.  May might still have them, he did for several weeks after.

The silly multi year flirtation with Blake Ahearn was put down completely by online pressure.

Schertz as a a candidate was enhanced exponentially by the support of him online.

But yeah the grassroots thing was stupid.

The AD, Board of Trustees, and big boosters all read this board and Billikens Twitter.  What we say does influence and shape their decisions.

Great post

[Old guy]

3 hours ago, thetorch said:

We the fans said we wouldn't buy tickets to this garbage.

May fires the coach because fear of revenue loss.

It had nothing to do with the fans though.

Make it make sense please?

 

I think May finally fired Ford not because of fear or revenue loss but to protect his position and standing. Anyway that is my opinion. 

[TRN]

6 hours ago, thetorch said:

The online campaign to dump Ford and hire Schertz/not hire Ahearn had a definite effect on the decisions made in the last few weeks.  

How can you not see this?

Burnergate doesn't happen without the online pressure.  That embarrassment was the tipping point in Ford's tenure.  There was no coming back after that.

The AD's office is still talking about the box of clown noses.  It was a big black eye for them.  May might still have them, he did for several weeks after.

The silly multi year flirtation with Blake Ahearn was put down completely by online pressure.

Schertz as a a candidate was enhanced exponentially by the support of him online.

But yeah the grassroots thing was stupid.

The AD, Board of Trustees, and big boosters all read this board and Billikens Twitter.  What we say does influence and shape their decisions.

Don’t forget the incident in Philly where Ford challenged a St. Joe’s student fan to fight after the game.  Right in front of the Jesuit head of Campus Ministry. That had to be pretty awkward to explain.

[RiseOfTheBillikens]

On 12/1/2023 at 10:24 AM, RiseOfTheBillikens said:

Amazing. We are the new Richmond. 

The people (us) changed the world. I just wanna say it was a rough few months but we have hope again. And hope springs eternal. Or whatever that saying is. 

[cheeseman]

Like most things that happen there are many impetuses that cause it to happen and all of them are not weighted equally.  Big money donors not happy at the end of last year who were pushing May to fire Ford started this ball rolling.  Yes there was discontent among the fan base but it ramped up when rumors pointed to the firing could actually happen.  May dug his heels in perhaps with a big donor or two supporting him - who knows for sure.  Once he hooked his wagon to Ford at the end of the last season his fate was sealed unless Ford pulled a rabbit out of his hat, and we know that did not happen.  If May does run the AD as his own personal fiefdom as some say, then it was inevitable that he would not understand that there were storm clouds forming.  People in this type of a situation find themselves purposely insulated with "yes" people, a false sense of importance and impregnability and thus surprised by the tsunami that hits them.  When he found himself on the wrong side of the biggest donors who also had the ear of the President it was all over but the shouting especially since Fred was leaving and saw no reason to get in the middle of this trainwreck.  Then, the Ford camp did the exact thing they shouldn't have done - screw up from a PR point with public posts defending Ford and attacking the very clients Ford needed to have on his side.  May's public outbursts made him look weak and in fact showed that he actually was.  Some of us saw all this happening long before May ever did - once the money people and the fan base turns on you then rest is just sitting around waiting for it to happen.  Now will he be able to survive who knows but people who are transactional usually do for a while at least until the whole thing comes crashing down from their alienating enough groups over their tenure.  Finally, the change in leadership at SLU may buy him time to clean up his act but that could be a long shot.