Fire Gattuso Bandwagon

[godanesgo99]

Just to clear something up.... the university and athletic department makes no money on concessions. It is part of their overall agreement with Sodexo. Selling 10 hot dogs or 1000 hot dogs doesn't change the athletic departments budget.

[Eli]

10 minutes ago, godanesgo99 said:

Just to clear something up.... the university and athletic department makes no money on concessions. It is part of their overall agreement with Sodexo. Selling 10 hot dogs or 1000 hot dogs doesn't change the athletic departments budget.

When Chartwells left/lost the contract, they had to eliminate like 450 jobs. I'm no expert at contract negotiations but that leads me to believe this contract is a big deal and could have been negotiated better and is yet another issue our university needs to fix. Instead they just caved and let Sodexo keep 100% of the profits (Sodexo wins) instead of negotiating that we'll give you the contract for x% of profits in return (everyone wins).

[godanesgo99]

8 minutes ago, Eli said:

When Chartwells left/lost the contract, they had to eliminate like 450 jobs. I'm no expert at contract negotiations but that leads me to believe this contract is a big deal and could have been negotiated better and is yet another issue our university needs to fix. Instead they just caved and let Sodexo keep 100% of the profits (Sodexo wins) instead of negotiating that we'll give you the contract for x% of profits in return (everyone wins).

I know nothing about the specifics of the deal, but I can tell you that I am sure the university did ok on the deal, just not athletics. Sodexo does other catering on campus and in the campus center. It isn't just athletics. A discount on X in the campus center in exchange for rights to location Y. I am pretty sure UAS does campus wide contracts. I am sure if they removed the catering rights at the athletic events, costs would go up elsewhere.  

[Clickclack]

Congratulations to coach Gattuso for another loss... Record in caa falls to 11-26. That's good for 29.73%...reup him! 

[jimbo]

There’s only one Fall sport at UA which is neither doing well nor competitive in their league. And the coach has been at it for five years. It’s clear a change needs to be made. 

[Eli]

1 hour ago, jimbo said:

There’s only one Fall sport at UA which is neither doing well nor competitive in their league. And the coach has been at it for five years. It’s clear a change needs to be made. 

This is why Bensons support and calls for patience is astounding/baffling. We aren't in our 1st or 2nd year. There is no excuse to be this bad this far into our CAA tenure. 

Edited October 28, 2018 by Eli

[DanesRGood]

Not sure if I've posted in this thread or not but..... Is there any room on this bandwagon?  This has been another embarrassment of a season. 

[Dane96]

I'm going to just leave this here:

Albany's best win is over Morgan State...and that was a "by a nose hair".  Why?  Because Morgan State owns TWO WINS.  The aberration against NC A&T (truly shocking).  There only other win is against downgraded (to DII) Savannah St.

Our other win: St Francis, whose best win is against Delaware State.  We barely survived that game as well.

So, CAA YEAR 5...and we are barely getting by against two HORRIFIC...TRULY HORRIFIC football teams at the FCS level.  

This is not an institutional support problem (there are millions being poured into the program), though I will say we need a better lockerroom and that is a MAJOR issue at our level.  It is not a league we are playing in problem (we competed better against the teams I mentioned above when we were an NEC team with 40 rides.  It is not a facilities problem (aside from the lockerroom).

It's arguably not even a coaching problem, per se.  I say that because it is a LEADERSHIP problem. That is the core of coaching.  So this may not solely be an X and O issue...rather a "do I want be lead by this group" issue.

I wanted to give this Coach a major benefit of the doubt after his blowup at Andy Talley, which was quite ridiculous based on the situation.  Little did we know that it would be a pre-cursor to a style of football coaching that I don't particularly like...one that lacks public accountability when MY TAX dollars and donations pay for the staff salary. I still have not heard Coach stand up and say, "FOLKS...THIS IS ALL ON ME...and I HAVE TO DO A BETTER JOB".  That, would go a long way in my book.  

I've heard he's a great guy off the field...and community driven.  Folks seem to really like him off the field.  I am just no longer willing to give this group of Coaches the benefit of the doubt anymore.  We WERE a football school with a very solid legacy at multiple levels (DIII, DII, FCS Non-Scholly, FCS Scholly (NEC)).  We had a legendary Coaching tree.  We had fans of other schools (talk to any ex-player or fan who went on that Montana trip about what those fans thought of our burgeoning program...it was NOTHING but respect) state we were a huge up and comer.  

Truth is, two schools that are our peers...Monmouth and Stony Brook are doing a lot more than we are...and that legacy we had at football is slowly being systematically destroyed.  

I am beyond giving ANY MORE BENEFIT OF THE DOUBTS TO THIS STAFF.

[Clickclack]

18 minutes ago, Dane96 said:

I'm going to just leave this here:

Albany's best win is over Morgan State...and that was a "by a nose hair".  Why?  Because Morgan State owns TWO WINS.  The aberration against NC A&T (truly shocking).  There only other win is against downgraded (to DII) Savannah St.

Our other win: St Francis, whose best win is against Delaware State.  We barely survived that game as well.

So, CAA YEAR 5...and we are barely getting by against two HORRIFIC...TRULY HORRIFIC football teams at the FCS level.  

This is not an institutional support problem (there are millions being poured into the program), though I will say we need a better lockerroom and that is a MAJOR issue at our level.  It is not a league we are playing in problem (we competed better against the teams I mentioned above when we were an NEC team with 40 rides.  It is not a facilities problem (aside from the lockerroom).

It's arguably not even a coaching problem, per se.  I say that because it is a LEADERSHIP problem. That is the core of coaching.  So this may not solely be an X and O issue...rather a "do I want be lead by this group" issue.

I wanted to give this Coach a major benefit of the doubt after his blowup at Andy Talley, which was quite ridiculous based on the situation.  Little did we know that it would be a pre-cursor to a style of football coaching that I don't particularly like...one that lacks public accountability when MY TAX dollars and donations pay for the staff salary. I still have not heard Coach stand up and say, "FOLKS...THIS IS ALL ON ME...and I HAVE TO DO A BETTER JOB".  That, would go a long way in my book.  

I've heard he's a great guy off the field...and community driven.  Folks seem to really like him off the field.  I am just no longer willing to give this group of Coaches the benefit of the doubt anymore.  We WERE a football school with a very solid legacy at multiple levels (DIII, DII, FCS Non-Scholly, FCS Scholly (NEC)).  We had a legendary Coaching tree.  We had fans of other schools (talk to any ex-player or fan who went on that Montana trip about what those fans thought of our burgeoning program...it was NOTHING but respect) state we were a huge up and comer.  

Truth is, two schools that are our peers...Monmouth and Stony Brook are doing a lot more than we are...and that legacy we had at football is slowly being systematically destroyed.  

I am beyond giving ANY MORE BENEFIT OF THE DOUBTS TO THIS STAFF.

Dude just be patient... What's your problem? It's not his game plan or his players, or his coaches.

 

He was very clear 2 weeks ago... He doesn't know what's wrong or how to fix it. Just keep paying him maybe in year 6 this loser will buy a clue with the money spent on him. 

Edited October 29, 2018 by Clickclack

[Clickclack]

P. S. This about how this... How is it possible that going into year 6 he still can't find a qb?Just think about how critical a qb is and this guy just can't find one that is worth a damn... I mean just think about that level of incompetence. So much revolved around a decent qb and this man just can't recruit one. That to me is shocking and a microcosm of the disaster that has been his regime. 

 

Next year we'll be told we are close... Just need a qb who isn't experienced to grow,need patience etc. And the racket will go on. 

 

I'm praying Benson was smart enough to limit buyout. Pray hard folks... 

 

Benson should probably think long and hard about naming Davis as interim hc even if they keep gg on payroll while they see what it will take in terms of buyout. I'm not sure they can afford to go into next season with no change considering how Gattuso is burning this program to the ground. 

Edited October 29, 2018 by Clickclack

[Eli]

This is the ONLY way that I will give Gattuso the benefit of the doubt, any slack, or forgive him his football transgressions:
 

Quote

Friends, family and UAlbany fans around the country, thank you for attending this press conference as we wrap up the 2018 season.

I would like to take a moment and make a statement regarding my tenure as leader of the UAlbany Great Danes football team.

When I took over for Bob Ford in 2013, I took over a proud program that was on the cusp of greatness. The program had a long history of success at every level they have been in, winning multiple NEC championships along the way. Bob Ford did an amazing job bringing this from a club team to where they were when I took over. Just amazing. Our president would say the job he did was bigly. I was given a great set of tools to work with from a new top of the heap conference to a brand new stadium. Unfortunately, I have failed you all and failed to live up to the expectations set before me. I wrote a check that my football knowledge could not cash.

It's hard sometimes to be a good man and a business-first coach. As such, my first mistake was hiring a staff full of my buddies which ultimately lead to us not having accountability in the program. We did not do good on the recruiting trail and other CAA schools repeatedly ate our lunch on the recruiting trail. We were constantly undersized, slower, less athletic, etc. Additionally, I did the school a giant disservice by putting defensive coaches in charge of the offense, offensive coaches in charge of parking, the team doctor in charge of making sure we had enough dry erase boards, etc. Not only that, but I let my childhood friend Joe Bernard stick around way longer than he should have. Instead of letting him go at the first sign of his ineptitude, I moved him from position to position trying to be a good friend and all it did was hurt each of those units that he lead. In short, I'm a terrible manager and don't know someones strengths when I see them or if they hit me in the face. Last but not least, I apologize that I didn't run my system until I had, like a 25% winning percentage.

That is on me.

I also apologize to all of the players who I subtly blamed in previous news conferences instead of taking ownership in MY program and making sure the buck stopped with me.

That is on me.

I apologize for not understanding basic principles of football...such as confusing the defense with some play action, using passes over the middle to soften up other parts of the field, not blitzing more, making my secondary play tighter, etc. I mean, the list goes on. I now realize that I'm more suited to coaching pee wee football where the players run a 10 minute 40 (if they don't fall over from those giant helmets they wear first) and my bread and butter run up the middle is all there is to the game. I realize I won't have Neven Sussman anymore, but I think I can find someone as good at that level.

I hope that one day the UAlbany football fans, especially those on BigPurpleFans.com, can forgive me.

As such, I have informed Mr. Benson that I will, to borrow a line from Bill Belichick, resign as HC of the UAGD.

I'm so sorry for what I did to your program.

P.S. Click, I unblocked you on twitter. Eli, I'm sorry for telling you via email that you don't know what you're talking about and to shove your opinion up your rear end when you told me I should fire Joe Bernard or throw some more slants. You were right it turns out.
 

Until that happens...well...I wish nothing but flat tires and dead batteries on Gattuso. Hopefully the man never freakin leaves his driveway and as Click said, Davis takes over as Interim. Even if Losetusso stays on the payroll.

Yep, I'm that bored.

Edited October 29, 2018 by Eli

[Eli]

Update...I will update it a final time after all the stats are released for the whole CAA season at the end of the year.

*Note: items in bold haven't been updated since we were 5 games into the season*

 

Worsened:

- Scoring offense is scoring 1.4 points less per game, moving from 8th to 9th
- Scoring defense is allowing 1.3 points more per game, moving from 9th to 11th
- Total defense has gone up from 379.7 to 398.5, moving us from 6th to dead freakin last (12th)
- Rushing offense has gone from 138.3 to 113.6, moving us from 7th to 9th
- Rushing defense has gone from a respectable 84 yards per game (ranked 2nd) to 143.1 (ranked 8th)
- Our kickoff return average went from 17.5 to 16.5, moving us from 10th to 11th
- Our kickoff coverage net average went from 37.7 to 36.3, going from 7th to 11th
- Our opponent 1st downs rank went from 7th to 11th
- Our 3rd down conversation rate went from 31.6% to 28.7%, going from 8th to 11th
- We are dead last in 4th down conversions
- Our time of possession went from 27 min, 35 seconds to 26 min, 56 seconds, second to last (11th)

Improved:

- Total offense has gone up 5 yards per game, moving us from 9th to 7th
- Pass offense has gone up from 215 yards per game to 246, moving us from 9th to 3rd
- We're still last in pass defense (by 20 yards), but the number has gone from 295.7 to 255.4
- Our punt return average went from 0 to 9.3, good for 4th overall
- Our FG kicking went from 80% to 90.1%, tops in the league
- Our PAT kicking went from 75% to 89.5%, but we only moved from 11th to 10th
- Our punting got slightly better, going from 27.4 yards net avg to 31.1, moving from 12th to 11th
- Our sacks by ranking went from 10th to 7th
- Our first down rank went from 9th to 8th
- Our opponent 3rd down conversion rate went from 41.5% to 35.9%, going from 9th to 7th
- We are committing less penalties, going from 93.3 ypg to 71.4, going from 11th to 10th
- Opponents now commit the most penalties against us, at 78ypg

 

Edited October 29, 2018 by Eli

[Phoenix]

Posting here instead of the Delaware thread. The 'remove Gattuso and name an interim HC while negotiating a buyout just so Gattuso doesn't coach' idea simply doesn't make sense to me. With the caveat that I'm not a sports attorney..Gattuso's contract is for the position of Head Coach. Removing him..but not firing him (?)..and putting in an interim is just semantics. It would be in violation of his contract and he would have a right to have the entirety of the his contract paid out.

The max extension was..and now more obviously is..a mistake. But I still don't envision a scenario where he is bought out after this year. It's simply too much money. Has the university ever bought out a HC contract that we know of in the DI era..even just one year's worth? And that even applies to the 'we can't afford not to' argument..if we don' have the money, we don't have the money. 

[Clickclack]

30 minutes ago, Phoenix said:

Posting here instead of the Delaware thread. The 'remove Gattuso and name an interim HC while negotiating a buyout just so Gattuso doesn't coach' idea simply doesn't make sense to me. With the caveat that I'm not a sports attorney..Gattuso's contract is for the position of Head Coach. Removing him..but not firing him (?)..and putting in an interim is just semantics. It would be in violation of his contract and he would have a right to have the entirety of the his contract paid out.

The max extension was..and now more obviously is..a mistake. But I still don't envision a scenario where he is bought out after this year. It's simply too much money. Has the university ever bought out a HC contract that we know of in the DI era..even just one year's worth? And that even applies to the 'we can't afford not to' argument..if we don' have the money, we don't have the money. 

It's not uncommon for coaches that do not perform to expectations to be bought out. The term buyout implies a payout of lesser than the full contracted amount in order to amicably separate. Some players or coaches even say pro-leagues will take less to be released from their contract in order to get out of  a bad situation. What that buyout amount is to settle the terms of the contracts is negotiable. However, in this case I agree with you, they can try but he has no prospects after getting let go from Albany as a HC so he has no incentive to give a single nickel back. It's plainly obvious that Benson extension was a colossal blunder and as much as it pains me, I agree with you. What I wish for and what will probably happen, him continuing to wreck this program are two distinctly different things. 

 

My suggestion to elevate Davis is predicated on my view that Gattuso is a detrimental force to the success of UA Football and is a net negative. While sidelining him will do NOTHING to eleveate the financial burden of carrying him as dead weight, new voice and new hungry blood could at least restore some semblance of stability or at least start to reattach the bottom that has fallen out of this program. 

 

The reality is, Benson is going to do whatever he thinks is right regardless of how much I as one individual/fan pout, stomp my feet in protest etc. My only card is to not renew or support this failed regime financially. If enough folks feel the same way, Benson may be compelled to act but the reality is; it is way to much money owed so I know the far more likely thing is they will continue to drag this albatross of a contract for years to come. 

Edited November 1, 2018 by Clickclack

[UAalum72]

1 hour ago, Phoenix said:

Has the university ever bought out a HC contract that we know of in the DI era..even just one year's worth? And that even applies to the 'we can't afford not to' argument..if we don' have the money, we don't have the money. 

Don’t remember the circumstances when Scott Beeten was let go in mid-2001 basketball season, firing or quitting.  Or if Mari Warner was just not renewed after two very bad seasons under difficult conditions at the start of the D-I era.