Bo Pelini, from a player’s parents eyes.

[sd'sker]

How am I overreacting? By raising the concept that Bo could be more friendly with the fans?

 

That's hardly a new concept. We've been discussing it for years.

i think it is pretty simple. bo has a bad public image. usually this is not a big deal. but if you want a fanbase that is patient, that has your back, and supports you during the tough times, it certainly helps if they like you on a personal level. but if you have an acrimonious relationship with fans, do not expect much support when things get tough.

[Mavric]

That's just it. "The fans" aren't lashing out at Bo. The vast, vast majority of us are behind him. He's our coach, our guy, and while he's here he gets our support. Those fans are with him today, through the A&M fiasco in 2009, the various incidents making local and national news throughout his career, even through the tape release earlier this year and the really bad day he had last Friday. The vocal fans who are truly against Bo are the minority, and lash out on social media. There are no boos in the stadium, no scorn heaped on him as he walks around town.

Honest question, because I'd like to think this is true and it probably is, but what are you basing this off of? If I go by the people who post on this board, I'd say it's 50/50 at best. Of the people I know personally who are more than casual fans, a good percentage of them wanted Bo gone before the Iowa debacle. I went to three games this year (Wyoming, UCLA & Michigan St.) so two were pretty early in the year and I didn't really talk to anyone specifically about it but from the cat-calls around me, there would be quite a few that wouldn't mind changes. And the local media seem to be fairly split as well. Just curious.

[HuskerRedDread]

Truly not understanding the overreaction here. It's a simple concept - Bo expects the fans to show up and cheer 60 minutes a game. The fans should expect the coach that wants that to not be a dick to them.

How is he a dick to the fans exactly? He may not be warm and fuzzy enough for some of you, but that's not being a dick. I'm not talking about an old scrap of audio when he was privately venting about the douches in the stadium that were booing his team at half time and didn't stick around for the come back. We've all had those moments venting about a friend, parent, child, spouse, boss, employee or whatever that we'd be ashamed of if they were recorded and played publicly. I've asked this before and still haven't gotten a meaningful answer. Aside from getting on his knees and kissing your ass at the coffee shop, what exactly do you expect him to do differently?

 

 

Just be a better representative of the state. Whether or not you agree, no one likes Bo Pelini outside of Nebraska. No one wants to hire him, the local and national medias are against him. Bo is the only thing that people know about Nebraska right now. He has not done anything to me personally. I just want someone who gives us a positive perception from a national perspective. I do not think Bo is doing that.

 

That's B.S. Your comment shows that you are speaking from your own opinion and not the perception of those on the outside of Nebraska.

 

The way he runs the program is a great representation of "Nebraska". The dumb things that many fans complain about from Bo, I've seen much much worse from many Nebraskans in day to day life. My job takes me back and forth from Nebraska and Texas throughout the year and I have conversed with many fans of other programs and I honestly have yet to hold a conversation with more negative thing said about Pelini by any of them than I've hear from the some so-called Husker fans on message boards. Bo is no saint. That's never an argument, but he is a passionate man, who is passionate about his players, and want them to succeed on and off the field as much as their own parents would like them to. He is willing to step in the way of ridicule to defend each and every single one of them both right and wrong as well as get in their face about issues. I have yet to speak to someone whom has actually had a personal encounter with Pelini speak of him in any negative light. It's always the ignorance of those who simply feed off of the media's perception who try to be verbal about him not representing the Nebraska way. The day some sanction comes down on his program or the players openly begin to present themselves as less than respectful citizens, or the graduation rate on his team drops, etc......then I'll join the group suggesting that he isn't representing the state correctly.

[Stumpy1]

The reason Bo is not viewed as a likeable person throughout the nation is because of the media...Before you go and say something about the media has nothing to do with it, then why don't we ever see anything about Brian Kelly, Saban, Muschamp and their actions. They all have as bad a temper as Bo and have been shown many times blowing up on TV but nothing ever gets said about it.

[knapplc]

That's just it. "The fans" aren't lashing out at Bo. The vast, vast majority of us are behind him. He's our coach, our guy, and while he's here he gets our support. Those fans are with him today, through the A&M fiasco in 2009, the various incidents making local and national news throughout his career, even through the tape release earlier this year and the really bad day he had last Friday. The vocal fans who are truly against Bo are the minority, and lash out on social media. There are no boos in the stadium, no scorn heaped on him as he walks around town.

Honest question, because I'd like to think this is true and it probably is, but what are you basing this off of? If I go by the people who post on this board, I'd say it's 50/50 at best. Of the people I know personally who are more than casual fans, a good percentage of them wanted Bo gone before the Iowa debacle. I went to three games this year (Wyoming, UCLA & Michigan St.) so two were pretty early in the year and I didn't really talk to anyone specifically about it but from the cat-calls around me, there would be quite a few that wouldn't mind changes. And the local media seem to be fairly split as well. Just curious.

 

It's my opinion based on conversations I've had with folks. Most are unhappy with the product on the field, and most think "changes" should be made, but most don't think firing Bo should be one of those changes. It's always an option in the discussion, but it's rarely the preferred option.

[skersfan]

Out side the state of Nebraska, talking with Nebraska fans, Bo is not a favorite. Most do not feel he represents the State, University and the program as it should be. But this is not something new, has been since the A&M game.

 

In state I have no idea of the loyalty to Bo. It sounds about 50/50 on this board, but this is such a tiny sliver of the fan base. More Diehard fans than the normal I think.

 

Very few will be truly disappointed in Bo leaving if it were to happen. Most that support him state that finding someone as good or better is their main concern. Not that they think he is doing a tremendous job, that we are making steps in the right direction. Very few make those comments it seems.

 

We have him for another year, we all need to make the best of it, hope he figures out how to handle the team, the press and the fans. As a group we need this to happen.

[Elbow Bursitis]

Truly not understanding the overreaction here. It's a simple concept - Bo expects the fans to show up and cheer 60 minutes a game. The fans should expect the coach that wants that to not be a dick to them.

How is he a dick to the fans exactly? He may not be warm and fuzzy enough for some of you, but that's not being a dick. I'm not talking about an old scrap of audio when he was privately venting about the douches in the stadium that were booing his team at half time and didn't stick around for the come back. We've all had those moments venting about a friend, parent, child, spouse, boss, employee or whatever that we'd be ashamed of if they were recorded and played publicly. I've asked this before and still haven't gotten a meaningful answer. Aside from getting on his knees and kissing your ass at the coffee shop, what exactly do you expect him to do differently?

 

 

Just be a better representative of the state. Whether or not you agree, no one likes Bo Pelini outside of Nebraska. No one wants to hire him, the local and national medias are against him. Bo is the only thing that people know about Nebraska right now. He has not done anything to me personally. I just want someone who gives us a positive perception from a national perspective. I do not think Bo is doing that.

 

That's B.S. Your comment shows that you are speaking from your own opinion and not the perception of those on the outside of Nebraska.

 

The way he runs the program is a great representation of "Nebraska". The dumb things that many fans complain about from Bo, I've seen much much worse from many Nebraskans in day to day life. My job takes me back and forth from Nebraska and Texas throughout the year and I have conversed with many fans of other programs and I honestly have yet to hold a conversation with more negative thing said about Pelini by any of them than I've hear from the some so-called Husker fans on message boards. Bo is no saint. That's never an argument, but he is a passionate man, who is passionate about his players, and want them to succeed on and off the field as much as their own parents would like them to. He is willing to step in the way of ridicule to defend each and every single one of them both right and wrong as well as get in their face about issues. I have yet to speak to someone whom has actually had a personal encounter with Pelini speak of him in any negative light. It's always the ignorance of those who simply feed off of the media's perception who try to be verbal about him not representing the Nebraska way. The day some sanction comes down on his program or the players openly begin to present themselves as less than respectful citizens, or the graduation rate on his team drops, etc......then I'll join the group suggesting that he isn't representing the state correctly.

 

I am not some simpleton that believes everything that the media says. I guess the conversations that we are having are just totally different. Perhaps that is a reflection of our personal opinions in some way. For the people outside the state, they do not know anything about our graduation rates or Bo doing it the "right" way. They see the blowups, the blow outs, and the press conferences. I tend to think that perception does matter and at times there is some truth to it. I applaud Bo for his emphasis on life outside of football and education. Those are honorable things. You just don't see those things on the news because those kind of things are expected out of coaches. There is only a handful of coaches that I would place in the total scumbag category.

 

The whole other part of it is that Bo's whole process is taking a long time and people, including myself, are getting restless. People got restless when Dr Tom could not beat Oklahoma, but that was his only hurdle. I think we have lots of issues to overcome and after 6 years we might only be half way there.

[Ric Flair]

As others have noted, there's no reason Bo can be nice to the players and can't be nice to the fans. Those things aren't mutually exclusive.

 

And Bo does himself a world of damage by antagonizing the fans and then picking fights with the media. Since the fans have limited access to news about the team, they rely on what the media tells them. And at this point, both a significant percentage of the fans and the media aren't fans of Bo.

 

A coach can get away with being a dick if he's a winner. And he can get away with underperforming, at least for awhile, if he's a nice guy. The problem for Bo is that he's gone out of his way to alienate the fans and media and that his teams have underperformed expectations. That's the combo that gets coaches fired.

[TheSker]

Very few will be truly disappointed in Bo leaving if it were to happen..

This may be an example of media influence.......how do you know this is correct?

[TheSker]

And at this point, both a significant percentage of the fans and the media aren't fans of Bo.

Is there anything to back this up other than media polls?

[Ric Flair]

And at this point, both a significant percentage of the fans and the media aren't fans of Bo.

Is there anything to back this up other than media polls?

 

I'm not sure what other evidence there would be. Like others, I can point to anecdotal examples from conversations with people.

[Redux]

The reason Bo is not viewed as a likeable person throughout the nation is because of the media...Before you go and say something about the media has nothing to do with it, then why don't we ever see anything about Brian Kelly, Saban, Muschamp and their actions. They all have as bad a temper as Bo and have been shown many times blowing up on TV but nothing ever gets said about it.

 

Because they know the fanbase is turning against him and they want to dump fuel on the fire. Saban and Muschamp are just as bad if not worse yet they are in the SEC and ESPN has a vested interest in them. Kelly is a rager too but the fanbase seems happy with him so they don't worry about him until the situation turns toxic. Bo looks the part of an angry mofo who could snap at any given moment, even if he's in a good mood. They want that on film, hence the paparazzi style coverage during games. It's not fair but yes Bo's "attitude" brings it out. Doesn't bother me in the slightest or offend me. The #1 JUCO DT signed because of Bo's passion, after an awful loss, to our "rival". Must not be as damaging as they paint it to be.

[skersfan]

Thesker

 

You can read it on this message board. Most that seem to want Bo, and I guess I feel the same way, say that replacing him would be hard for this program to do. Not that they love him, that he is doing a great job, but the fear of being worse drives most of the keep Bo crowd. He is not loved by this fan base, or at least nothing like Tom and Bob were.

 

They did when he was hired, but Bo put himself in the position he is in. The media didn't. He was known to be a hot head when he was hired the second time. The media follows those leads, and he fulfilled them.

 

I have changed my opinion of him greatly over the years, far more positive than at first, but I do not feel he represents the program as I want it represented. His outbursts are an embarrassment, and they are regular. You do not hear of the graduation rates, the kids staying out of trouble any where but in Nebraska is my guess, so what you get is a guy who is seen (in an outsiders eyes) as a guy that abuses his power, screams at refs, and acts like he has lost his mind. That is Bo outside of Nebraska.

 

As far as winning changing everything, for me that has no bearing. I think we did pretty good this year. Had some bad play calling a few times, but I did not expect a great season. I saw last season for what it was, a lot of luck winning some games, and with less experience this year, could be worse. Some improvement was shown, but Bo took a giant step back in his actions last Friday. That bothers me more than the wins and losses.

[Cina]

What I find interesting here is the intermingling of "the fans" and "the media". Some people seem to lump them together (such as in a statement like "Bo is a jerk to the fans/media"), but I remember in Bo's earlier years here, when he would spout off at the media during a press conference, everyone I talked to was in approval of his blunt handling of those "slimy media-types". What's changed? When Bo insults the media are there fans who take this to heart? Are we just tired of his antics now that he's been here a while? Is it just fuel for people's "fire Bo"...uh...fire?

 

Or maybe this is just all begging the question of how much fans are influenced by the media, and how much the media is reflective of the fans.

 

(On a side note, am I the only person getting an error when trying to go to the huskerland.net story?)

[TheSker]

Thesker

 

You can read it on this message board.

Yes, and on this message board the height my computer showed was under 800 people (less than 1% of Memorial Stadium capacity)....and that was this past Saturday morning with people looking for "news". I think significantly less than that actually post. I have no idea if it's actually representative or not.....but I know the negativity I read on Huskerboard toward Pelini is not shared by the other Husker groups I am part of.