Not at all. We offered and he said no. In the process we made Auburn overpay with a lot of money for a coach they don’t like and really don’t want. Mark my words this contract, especially the amount, will not go over well with the fans at Auburn.
Don’t know they showed they’re slicker, but they sure used us to their benefit. I still think this had one good effect though. At least I hope it does. And that is this: maybe the Springdale cult of Gus will stop doing all in their power to get him here & better yet, become as enamored with our program as they are the coach they want leading it.
That would be great, but they’ve shown no capacity to blame him for anything. They’ll spin it to “he just wanted to win” or “we didn’t do enough to get him”.
Steve Sullivan is starting to but he has plenty of Gussites in the media, too. Irwin is probably the King and then there are many others. One of the saddest events of the week?
Stoerner slobbering over Gus for days and talking about how we should wait weeks/months if that is what it took.
Winning this one looked like overpaying for a coach that was not a sure thing to drastically change the fortunes of Arkansas football. I wasn’t on the bus or a hater. There isn’t a coach out there, including Gus, that we have been connected to so far that will make me do cartwheels or that will send me into a fit of depression. A hungry Morris or Norvell-type up-and-comer should be cheaper and may make us grateful that this prayer went unanswered. Plus, we made Auburn pay through the nose for a coach they don’t truly believe in. Auburn may have won a pyrrhic victory here. The game may have been well played by Arkansas, through sheer dumb luck rather than by design.
Winning this one looked like overpaying for a coach that was not a sure thing to drastically change the fortunes of Arkansas football. I wasn’t on the bus or a hater. There isn’t a coach out there, including Gus, that we have been connected to so far that will make me do cartwheels or that will send me into a fit of depression. A hungry Morris or Norvell-type up-and-comer should be cheaper and may make us grateful that this prayer went unanswered. Plus, we made Auburn pay through the nose for a coach they don’t truly believe in. Auburn may have won a pyrrhic victory here. The game may have been well played by Arkansas, through sheer dumb luck rather than by design.
This may not be completely fair. Malzahn had two playoff teams heading into town in his last three games. It wouldn’t have been outrageous for them to lose both and end the season 8-4. I doubt Auburn was going to fight hard to keep him in that case. Likewise, I doubt anybody was particularly confident that Auburn would win both. Circumstances changed a lot when they pulled out the Bama win. I’m skeptical that any coach at Arkansas is ultimately going to look like they were worth being the highest paid skipper in the land. You’re usually not going to be disappointed if you expect people to act in their own self-interest.
This may not be completely fair. Malzahn had two playoff teams heading into town in his last three games. It wouldn’t have been outrageous for them to lose both and end the season 8-4. I doubt Auburn was going to fight hard to keep him in that case. Likewise, I doubt anybody was particularly confident that Auburn would win both. Circumstances changed a lot when they pulled out the Bama win. I’m skeptical that any coach at Arkansas is ultimately going to look like they were worth being the highest paid skipper in the land. You’re usually not going to be disappointed if you expect people to act in their own self-interest.[/[quote]
Good point, and I’ll add…shouldn’t be outraged when they do.
I agree with both of you that we should expect people to act in their own self interest. I’m not mad at Gus for being the phony that he is.
And, I’m not “enraged” about anything.
I AM very disappointed that the UA gatekeepers have made some seemingly rash decisions that do not appear to have been very well thought out.
I might be wrong. Maybe their plan was: Fire the AD hastily and against a ton of prior performance evals and pay him a big buyout, replace him with an interim AD with very minimal hiring experience, fire the failed HC and pay him a big buyout, empanel an AD search committee, name the the fired AD’s lieutenant as his interim successor with authority to hire the new HC, make an outrageous offer to a HC while claiming financial shortfalls and just after paying big buyouts, and potentially hire a new HC before hiring his boss.
But, if so, my disappointment in those gatekeepers is the same as if they had no real plan.
My hope is that we get lucky and it all works out despite what seem to be less-than-ideal circumstances.
No doubt a shared hope of everyone on this forum and every real Hog fan wherever they be. I think there was a plan. As plans are wont to do, it went way awry. You may or may not be on target with your (above) assumptions, but you are 100% correct that we will, as is usually the case, need lots of luck - as its generally a roll of the dice whenever a new HC takes over.