Expectations

[tylerdawg]

DFM said it best when he said there is plenty of blame to go around. He of course was talking about our football season.

How do we expect to go toe to toe with the SEC East Champ, SEC WEST Champ, and maybe soon to be ACC Champ, when their conference payout is larger than our entire athletic budget?

How do we plan to grow our athletic budget to compete with these teams if:

We boycott and don't buy season tickets and donate to the program?
We don't have an athletic plan to solicit season ticket holders and CHAMPS donations?

This is GLM47's chicken or egg theory.

I think as football fans we need to be realistic about this past football season. Finishing third in the conference is not bad, it's not great either.

As an administration put together a plan.....period. There are way to many customers asking for this not to do it. Loyal customers outspend others 13 to 1.....realize this and put a plan in place. There is absolutely no excuse for this except pure laziness.

Finally if you are reading this and claim to be a TECH fan buy season tickets to your favorite sport and give what ever amount you feel comfortable with to CHAMPS. Fans are the program. What seperates LSU and TECH? The fans. The fans are the foundation of any good program.

I plan to renew my season tickets and increase my CHAMPS donation. I know this is a polarizing issue but I will not be the weak link in the chain.

[nadB]

Where is the "plan" ??

Show me the "plan".

With no "plan", how can there be any reasonable "expectations" ??

[DogsWin]

We had 24 Seniors/Graduates and 30-something Juniors (many of which were JuCos) on this football team, what should we have expected?

We had similar numbers in 2003 (and lots of JuCos then too), what should we have expected?

How do we expect to win football games with a coach who has proven consistently that he couldn't lead someone to the bathroom, much less a winning record? Slack Bicknell is a guy who STUBBORNLY sticks to the same plays and athletes regardless of whether a player is hurt, psychologically "out of the game",... or whatever.

How do we have confidence in an administration who STUBBORNLY will not pay the $300k (maximum) to cut this dead-weight loser and invest in a true leader?

How does one justify doing the EXACT SAME THINGS we've done for 3 straight years and EXPECT better results from it? At some point fans have to try something different or we are doing EXACTLY what Slack Bicknell is doing.

If Dan Reneau wants to run off the remainder of Tech's loyal fans then so be it.

[TYLERTECHSAS]

DFM said it best when he said there is plenty of blame to go around. He of course was talking about our football season.

How do we expect to go toe to toe with the SEC East Champ, SEC WEST Champ, and maybe soon to be ACC Champ, when their conference payout is larger than our entire athletic budget?

How do we plan to grow our athletic budget to compete with these teams if:

We boycott and don't buy season tickets and donate to the program?
We don't have an athletic plan to solicit season ticket holders and CHAMPS donations?

This is GLM47's chicken or egg theory.

I think as football fans we need to be realistic about this past football season. Finishing third in the conference is not bad, it's not great either.

As an administration put together a plan.....period. There are way to many customers asking for this not to do it. Loyal customers outspend others 13 to 1.....realize this and put a plan in place. There is absolutely no excuse for this except pure laziness.

Finally if you are reading this and claim to be a TECH fan buy season tickets to your favorite sport and give what ever amount you feel comfortable with to CHAMPS. Fans are the program. What seperates LSU and TECH? The fans. The fans are the foundation of any good program.

I plan to renew my season tickets and increase my CHAMPS donation. I know this is a polarizing issue but I will not be the weak link in the chain.

My fellow Tylerite has just posted many good points as well as a brief summary of a few of DFM's thoughts. Who is the "weakest link" is what is being debated. Will it be or is it the customer/fanbase or is it the ADM? Is it both?

For some of us it is a question of whether we wish to pay to be linked to what we see as a very preventable rusting and breaking chain, to use your chain example. It pains us because we all love the chain that is TECH. But we can see and hear parts of that rusty chain slowly breaking apart even as the keepers of the chain are watching wide-eyed seemingly without a care to those that are linked to it or want to be linked to it. In this case, the keepers of the chain are acting as an anchor weighing it down and doing it more damage by not acting at what they see and hear. OK >> I know that example was pretty lame and sappy.

Tylerdawg, owning a business as you do (which is dynamite I might add), that needs it customers/fanbase , I know that you listen to and would never ignore them nor their ideas. In fact, you actively solicit their feedback looking for a better product or a way to run your bus. to create a better product. I sure know you would have a business plan that provided for this as well for future plans for growth of your customer/fanbase. Better yet, what if you thought or heard that one of your managers was causing a problem? What if he was letting your employees be undisciplined in their daily chores in front of your customers? What if your manager was satisfied with an average and/or mediocre product and basically stated such to your employees and customers? What if you or your manager put a good product out there for your customer 50% of the time? You could not and would not make it in this town with an average or mediocre product. Why would you expect anyone to keep coming back to your place of bus. if your product was such? No, as a customer, I would quit coming to your establishment to spend my hard earned money. Would you blame them? Would you try and fix the problem? Would you pink slip your manager?

It is truly our hearts that are being pulled apart here and it is killing us. Heck, none of us on here are even being paid to watch, worry or fix this quickly rusting and breaking chain. And I know that none of us want to be considered or called "the weakest link" where fixing this problem is concerned. However, there comes a time when we need to be willing to say, "You are the weakest link. Goodbye"! Sorry but I couldn't resist guys. We will see from here out who says goodbye and who is told goodbye. These will be interesting and trying times in the life of Louisiana Tech, the Administration, the athletic staff in question and it's fans. May the best solution to this problem and the best people to fix it rise to the top quick. May they have the wisdom and courage to do what is right.

[johnnylightnin]

Where is the "plan" ??

Show me the "plan".

With no "plan", how can there be any reasonable "expectations" ??

EXACTLY!!!!!!

Mr. Oakes knows that he will immediately regain my support when he publishes a progressive plan...not a moment sooner.

[nadB]

Maybe d.r. & j.o. have a "secret" plan, a stealth plan ??

Maybe they don't want to share it, 'cause it ain't working ??

But, then again, maybe they are just "flying by the seat of their pants" ??

None of the above gives rise to much in the way of "Expectations".

jmo

[tylerdawg]

Tylertechsas,

Thanks for the kind words.

You are right. At this point who is the weakest link? All we have is alot of people associated with Tech as either fans, alumni, coaches, and admistrators pointed fingers at each other and laying blame.

I guess my theory is no one is going to point a finger in my direction....or at least that's my thoughts today.

I can see everyones point of view, I just want a new shiny chain.

[Bossdawg]

This is what I expect. I expect a coach that no matter the competition can look his team in the face and be satisfied with the job he is doing and to have that feeling reciprocated back to him in the form of his players playing their balls out for him.

I could really care less if Tech went 2-10 if that team gave its best effort they possibly could and carried the attitude of a coach that says no matter how big and fast the other team is today, my guys will just a little better.

That's all I really expect.

[soccer_dawg9]

I expect us to upgrade our facilities from the "money" games that we played. Paint the stadium and everything else on campus the right color blue or get field turf or do something.

[Gooddawg]

I expect us to upgrade our facilities from the "money" games that we played. Paint the stadium and everything else on campus the right color blue or get field turf or do something.

WRONG soccer dawg, the money we get from "money" games does not even go to the football team! It goes to help keep the entire athletic program afloat b/c we have no season ticket drives in any sport and no plan to help increase giving, etc.

Facility upgrades are a dream without a separate Athletic Foundation! or unless your name is Wade Simoneaux.

[soccer_dawg9]

WRONG soccer dawg, the money we get from "money" games does not even go to the football team! It goes to help keep the entire athletic program afloat b/c we have no season ticket drives in any sport and no plan to help increase giving, etc.

Facility upgrades are a dream without a separate Athletic Foundation! or unless your name is Wade Simoneaux.

I thought CHAMPS was a separate Athletic Foundation. If not, you're right Gooddawg, we do need a separate Athletic Foundation.

[RXDAWG]

Soccer dawg, the money collected from CHAMPS goes to the "general fund" and distributed how the AD seems fit. Even if you designate it for a specific purpose. What do expect? It is the gov't way of doing things. I know how to spend your money better than you do!