MGB: Firing Benford midseason would be a bad move for UNT

MeanGreen_MBA · January 23, 2017

5 minutes ago, UNT90 said:

So you are fine with it, then.

Your anger and hatred has blinded you. If you actually read what he says: EagleMBA is NOT fine with it.....how did you miss that? Your just looking for a reason to spew more of your jibber-jabber....

untjim1995 · January 23, 2017

I think you fire Benford now because you want to send the message to the players who will be here after this season that we recognize that this has been a colossal failure and that only because we fired the football coach, the womens hoops coach, and the AD in the year before, causing us to have to buy out several years of contracts, has Benford even been given the chance to coach this team, meaning we are righting the ship here as soon as we could possibly afford to do it (if it is for any other reason other than money, we might as well as just close up the AD).

That time is now.

We watched attendance go from averaging around 3500 a game to about 1000 in five years. That loss of revenue was easy to see occurring, but the leaders of the school that had forever run the program on known costs are no longer in charge. Smatresk and Baker have shown more interest in athletic spending and overall attention. To me, the easiest thing to do here is just cut bait. But even if they wait--and we go 0-18 or 1-17 in conference play--the lesson here needs to be that Benford will be the last in a line of revenue coaches that were gifted with extra seasons because of our cheap ways, only to see us "rewarded" with even worse results than any of the other seasons previous. This cannot happen ever again in football or mens hoops--otherwise, you are just telling everyone that we are just the same ol' North Texas (State), that all we care about our teams to do is bring in cash to cover expenses of the entire department, nothing more. And that level of direction will insure that we will continue drawing somewhere between 10-20% in real attendance at the Super Pit and nothing above the 15k we usually average overall in attendance over at Apogee. But its my belief that Smatresk, Baker, his staff, and Littrell all have bigger goals than anything that has been in place in Denton ever before.

Travis Scott · January 23, 2017

I was disappointed again to wake up on Monday morning and see Benford still employed at UNT. Very frustrating.

UNT90 · January 23, 2017

58 minutes ago, MeanGreen_MBA said:

Your anger and hatred has blinded you. If you actually read what he says: EagleMBA is NOT fine with it.....how did you miss that? Your just looking for a reason to spew more of your jibber-jabber....

People can read those highlighted words and decide for themselves.

TIgreen01 · January 23, 2017

1 hour ago, MeanGreenHoops said:

I think Vito makes a good point about it wouldn't make much sense to do it during the season, because really at this point it's way past too late. Even though serious programs would have made a move in year 1 or 2, even programs that just marginally cared would have done it last year. So doing it during the last part of the 5th year is nearly pointless.

It's not going to give me much faith in the AD or President or whomever to do it now, because it went on way too long anyway. It would be a nice gesture or schadenfreude for the fans if it happened during the season, but I agree with @TheTastyGreek just wait until after signing day and do it.

This is exactly how I feel on the subject.

At this point, firing him mid-season feels more like getting revenge for what has happened to our program during his tenure. I don't see Wren or anyone else in our administration going down that road.

Army of Dad · January 24, 2017

4 hours ago, EagleMBA said:

The reasons I am remaining as calm as possible while waiting for the inevitable:

1) Does anyone know if there is an ironclad agreement in place which says between the lines that, barring an incident of moral turpitude, TB is allowed to coach his final season to conclusion? Tied to RV's "retirement" agreement?

2) This season is done in 7 weeks; I'm choosing to take a longer, future view of the program.

3) Given the demonstrated performance and record to date, any additional wins will be meaningless. I would like to see the players win a few more for THEM, but it won't mean much in the overall scheme of things.

4) Given the importance of the replacement hire, I want TheWren to take as much time as he needs to "get it right". In the short time he has been here, there has been a lot of high-priority things on his plate. This is another and he will get to it in the proper sequence. I have faith in his abilities and can be patient.

For my friend UNT90, I am not fine with 0 - 18 but what will be, will be. I do pray that will not happen and the guys finish on a better note...I'm just not betting the beer money on it.

Just my opinion. Further Affiant Sayeth Not!

1) That's yet another in a horrid possible excuses to keep him here even one minute longer.

2) The future is now for at least some of the few fans this program has left. Inaction by Wren means the damage continues.

3) I thought a similar thing last year and yet failute still waddles around on the sideline.

4) If Wren can't see the damage being done I have no faith he will get a new hire right at all. He will have all the time he needs and can actually start having a search firm working on it once he fires Benford. Acting now (or very soon) will only increase the time available to make a hiring decision and get us toward the head of the line for coaching musical chairs.

UNT90 · January 24, 2017

4 minutes ago, Army of Dad said:

1) That's yet another in a horrid possible excuses to keep him here even one minute longer.

2) The future is now for at least some of the few fans this program has left. Inaction by Wren means the damage continues.

3) I thought a similar thing last year and yet failute still waddles around on the sideline.

4) If Wren can't see the damage being done I have no faith he will get a new hire right at all. He will have all the time he needs and can actually start having a search firm working on it once he fires Benford. Acting now (or very soon) will only increase the time available to make a hiring decision and get us toward the head of the line for coaching musical chairs.

To think RV gave 2 S about anyone but himself in his buyout negotiation is extremely... naive.

Edited January 24, 2017 by UNT90

the green rokemi · January 24, 2017

C'mon guys, remember Varsity Blues? Let the players coach themselves. That's the best option! Can't be any worse. Shoot, it may not look any different from what we've been watching

Aquila_Viridis · January 24, 2017

Get someone else in there to lead - on a strictly interim basis - now. If nothing else it will be a learning experience to see if someone - and I mean anyone - can get some improvement. Talk about losing the players! They've got to be tired of losing too.

TreeFiddy · January 24, 2017

1 hour ago, Army of Dad said:

1) That's yet another in a horrid possible excuses to keep him here even one minute longer.

2) The future is now for at least some of the few fans this program has left. Inaction by Wren means the damage continues.

3) I thought a similar thing last year and yet failute still waddles around on the sideline.

4) If Wren can't see the damage being done I have no faith he will get a new hire right at all. He will have all the time he needs and can actually start having a search firm working on it once he fires Benford. Acting now (or very soon) will only increase the time available to make a hiring decision and get us toward the head of the line for coaching musical chairs.

I would be very disappointed if I learned that the search is not already underway and discussions ongoing with agents. I get it that the coaches themselves are not likely in discussions yet, but lists have surely been made and phone calls well underway.

Army of Dad · January 24, 2017

13 hours ago, TreeFiddy said:

I would be very disappointed if I learned that the search is not already underway and discussions ongoing with agents. I get it that the coaches themselves are not likely in discussions yet, but lists have surely been made and phone calls well underway.

I would also be disappointed. That they started doing it with a coach under contract.

Prospective coaches won't care Beenfired was canned during his fifth year after two (that's right, TWO) 20 loss seasons. They might be put off by conducting a search before the current coach is officially let go.

Edited January 24, 2017 by Army of Dad

Cerebus · January 24, 2017

20 hours ago, UNT Mean Green said:

I would think "commitment" from that level of administration would be to back Wren Baker with the budgetary resources necessary to handle a firing and / or hiring, which in this case, appears like we will be able to see when that time comes.

This is more or less my level of thinking. I was sure of the universities commitment when the fired the previous AD. I WAS sure of it when they increased the pool for coaches salaries for the new hire.