Another decision Mitch deserves credit for...(sarcasm alert)

[MTcatfan]

I mean really, will someone higher up please save Mitch from himself...:sAng_banghead2:



http://blogs.courier-journal.com/ukbeat/2012/11/26/ugly-numbers-surface-uk-stops-keeping-records/




I mean this is really pathetic...You don't like the numbers so the solution is to stop recording them...:mad0176:


boy thats leadership...

[Darrell KSR]

Ouch.

[MTcatfan]

And yes Mick before you write it...I have joined the dark side:sSW_darthvader:

[UKHistory]

It is not a record if you don't have it. I am ashamed of UK for this. I really am. Hiding in this manner is basically ignoring a problem and not wanting to address it.

[catmanjack]

And why Mitch should not be making this hire but looking for a job himself.
Really starting to worry about the President also.
Does he not realize the situation UK football is in and the hands that he has left the hiring of the coach in.

[goodycat]

This is just another thumb of the nose to UK's fans. I have not been getting into the for or against Mitch debates, but this just reeks of arrogance. Unfortunately, it is in keeping with the tone of everything else that has transpired surrounding the firing of Joker and the subsequent coaching search.

[Terminus]

It is not a record if you don't have it. I am ashamed of UK for this. I really am. Hiding in this manner is basically ignoring a problem and not wanting to address it.

Sadly, I agree. That's even more embarrassing than the actual attendance, IMO.

[UKHistory]

He has been looking for another job. That is part of the problem. You want a straight shooter. Manipulating numbers and now just ignoring them is a horrible business practice.


And why Mitch should not be making this hire but looking for a job himself.
Really starting to worry about the President also.
Does he not realize the situation UK football is in and the hands that he has left the hiring of the coach in.

[TonyRay]

I thought the problem was the coaching? The reason for the no shows was because of the product on the field and the direction of the program. Whether the hire will remedy is yet to be determined but whether or not we under recorded or not all attendance numbers doesn't really mean much at this point. The real problem is fixing the football program and giving the fans a reason to return. It will take dynamic coach who can sell his views of where he intends to take things in his era!

[catmanjack]

The real scary part is that I truly believe that Mitch would have kept Joker if he could have gotten a couple more wins.
And by hiding the numbers that tells me right there he would have.

This whole football program has been run into the ground by the AD and his friend the football coach when neither had a clue.

If the new coach is smart he will do like Cal and request a go between him and the AD to get things done and going in the right direction. SEE CAL works well for him.

[MTcatfan]

This is just another thumb of the nose to UK's fans. I have not been getting into the for or against Mitch debates, but this just reeks of arrogance. Unfortunately, it is in keeping with the tone of everything else that has transpired surrounding the firing of Joker and the subsequent coaching search.


I have always been a Mitch supporter, I had some email and phone interactions with him his first few years and I thought that he "got it", but like you this whole coaching decision and coaching search has really turned me against him. I can't stand the arrogance, and the "its my way or the highway" attitude. That just doesn't cut it when you are in the position he is in. Plus it just has me seeing him going higher and higher into that ivory tower that previous ADs(CM and Poison Ivy) have lived in where protecting your petty feifdom is more important than being a dynamic leader, and where the fans are the "enemy" instead of your customers.

[TheFabFueder]

If the new coach is smart he will do like Cal and request a go between him and the AD to get things done and going in the right direction. SEE CAL works well for him.

That won't work, unless somebody steps in and HELPS with the hire. Otherwise the new coach won't have the clout to get away with that.

[LakeCat]

With the exception of Terry almostevery poster has left the Barnhart boat. A poll on this forum would IMO be 90% or better for MB to depart. He has burned bridges with the fan base and thus revenue that will be near impossible to rebuild. His self image will not allow him to simply apologize for his mistakes. We are a forgiving people but if you don't ask for it your aren't going to get it. We need some presidential leadership to remedy this situation.

[Catonahottinroof]

Just wow....

At some point your integrity is questioned by stuff like this.

We like to poke fun at other programs getting a bigger carpet to sweep their unmentionables under...much of the same is occurring with Barnhart too.

[KSRBEvans]

I think you can see that this football situation with Mitch puts the lie to the idea that "overall he's done a good job." On paper all sports are equal, but in reality some sports are more equal than others, and football is the "most equal" of all of of them, especially in the SEC. His bunker mentality and now refusal to keep records speaks volumes. You don't see him hiding scheming to conceal the actual attendance figures for soccer.

[CitizenBBN]

The real scary part is that I truly believe that Mitch would have kept Joker if he could have gotten a couple more wins.


Sadly I agree. Scary is definitely the right word.

As was said, this is more embarrassing than the bad numbers. This has become a pitiful debacle. Just as so many of us predicted when Joker was retained fwiw.

[dan_bgblue]

Wonder if they are still keeping attendance records for home games at Rupp?

[CitizenBBN]

Just wow....

At some point your integrity is shot to he!! like a squirrel with a 10 gauge by stuff like this.


Fixed.

[BigBlueBrock]

Indefensible.

[TennesseeCatFan]

I understand the concept that the AD is in charge of the Athletic Department, thus is responsible for anything that happens - but where in that article does it state/imply that this was Barnhart's decision or directive? This just seems like a witchhunt / pile-on.

[BigBlueBrock]

I understand the concept that the AD is in charge of the Athletic Department, thus is responsible for anything that happens - but where in that article does it state/imply that this was Barnhart's decision or directive? This just seems like a witchhunt / pile-on.

This is the kind of thing that, even if someone else had the idea, Mitch would have to sign off on it. If it wasn't his idea and it was done without his knowledge, and if he disagrees with it, then he should correct it publicly. But I wouldn't hold your breath on that.

[MTcatfan]

I understand the concept that the AD is in charge of the Athletic Department, thus is responsible for anything that happens - but where in that article does it state/imply that this was Barnhart's decision or directive? This just seems like a witchhunt / pile-on.

Really? So UK has been reporting actual tickets used the entire season, a freedom of information act forces UK to release those numbers, and then the next game they stop reporting those numbers, and you don't think that the AD would at least be consulted on this decision. And if he was NOT consulted on this decision, then that also shows there are issues within the department where someone thought this was a good idea, and then didn't run it by his bosses to make sure he or she should do it. Ultimately, this falls to Mitch, he either made the decision, rubber stamped the decision or he has to come out and say the decision was made without his knowledge, and that he is reversing the decision, and all three things are a failure of leadership that lies at his feet.

[KSRBEvans]

Stopping record-keeping to conceal information from the public is a very big deal; an AD-level decision, IMHO.

Mitch should be required to explain why he chose to do it. If it was a decision made by someone at a lower level without his knowledge, he should explain that, as well, and what steps he's taken to insure it never happens again.

[catmanjack]

This is not a witch hunt or pile on just look at his record and any sane fan could tell he has botched several big hires and things like not counting attendence to make things look better for his friend, those are bad things that he should not be making or doing.

[TennesseeCatFan]

Disagree that this is the kind of thing he would have to personally approve - this falls under the SID's domain. I do agree that if this issue gets media/fan reactions, he will need to publicly address it.
This is the kind of thing that, even if someone else had the idea, Mitch would have to sign off on it. If it wasn't his idea and it was done without his knowledge, and if he disagrees with it, then he should correct it publicly. But I wouldn't hold your breath on that.

[catmanjack]

I see it as a move he would make knowing that everyone was asking how much money has been lost and what the attendence has been this year.
It was a move to stop some criticism off of him and his friend Joker.

[MTcatfan]

Disagree that this is the kind of thing he would have to personally approve - this falls under the SID's domain. I do agree that if this issue gets media/fan reactions, he will need to publicly address it.

When the process has already been under media scrutiny, and has been used against the athletic department, you should bet your bottom dollar that this is the type of thing the AD should approve. If this is a run of the mill decision made under "good" circumstances, an SID could probably make the decision on their own, but not when the athletic department is losing millions of dollars and part of that loss is based on attendance, which has been a huge hot button topic in discussions about your fired head coach.

Once the media is forced to use a freedom of information act to get the info, a mid-level manager should know better than to make a decision like this...the FOIA should have clued him or her in that this is an important enough of a decision to at least send an email to the AD before decision is made.

[UKHistory]

The problems with football are not just the coach but equally important who hired the last coach and who will hire the next coach. Manipulating ticket numbers, signing poor contracts (playing WKU and allowing the game to be on a Thursday for example) are part of a larger issue: UK doesn't know how to win in football. That goes back before Mitch but the AD's decisions the past few years has hurt my confidence in him.


I thought the problem was the coaching? The reason for the no shows was because of the product on the field and the direction of the program. Whether the hire will remedy is yet to be determined but whether or not we under recorded or not all attendance numbers doesn't really mean much at this point. The real problem is fixing the football program and giving the fans a reason to return. It will take dynamic coach who can sell his views of where he intends to take things in his era!

[CitizenBBN]

Stopping record-keeping to conceal information from the public is a very big deal; an AD-level decision, IMHO.


this. If he didn't make the decision whoever did had some big time guts b/c this was a big decision. It was a given there would be an open records request so it was done to conceal the real number from the media. It was bound to be written about and the decision was that bad press would be better than people knowing the real numbers.

Really doubt anyone would do that without the AD's approval. Maybe not his idea, but he blessed it for sure.

[Catonahottinroof]

A sin of omission. Maybe a little white lie about this funding, this attendance figure, that compliance measure.
It casts doubt on honesty. It's disturbing.

If my employer knew I'd done something that casts doubt on their integrity, my integrity or taints the mutual work product, I would lose my job.
It's something that can be viewed as cause for terminating a contract I'd wager..

[dan_bgblue]

I understand the concept that the AD is in charge of the Athletic Department, thus is responsible for anything that happens - but where in that article does it state/imply that this was Barnhart's decision or directive? This just seems like a witchhunt / pile-on.

In a way I agree that it could be seen that way. Currently though I view it as people looking for more evidence of MB's seemingly lack of competence to bolster the argument for his dismissal or transfer to AD of non revenue sports. When trying to compile evidence to support a view here on the message boards it is rare to see the opposite side of an issue. I am not sure it could be called piling on though. I do not think people are making these comments and bringing the information here just to take shots at MB. There is a level of concern among fans about the AD that has not been seen in a while and the support for his dismissal is growing daily, so I think it is natural to want to talk about what is happening with the program and his lack of effort to correct the issues.

If MB does good things and they are reported in the media he will get kudos for that, but that is not currently happening as, well, I do not know of anything to report that is vitally important to the program that would make him look better in the eyes of the fans

[sieken]

I would venture a guess and say they need this data for record keeping and balancing the books, therefore they probably changed the name of the compartment that this data goes into. This would still give them the data they need and technically would not be lying as it pertains to the record request. Either way, it would still be a thumb of the nose by the AD's office.

[fastkat]

Nobody really cared when CWS was full and they were counting popcorn venders and what not. Now it's a big deal that they aren't giving out or even counting the correct number of actual fans in the seats. As far as balancing the books the only number that matters is the number of tickets sold whether they were used or not. This decision for all we know could have come from the very top and Mitch had no choice but to go along with it. We will probably never know that one.

I like Mitch but I have one leg outside of the boat, a good hire will put both feet back in the boat. I agree with him on the microwave society, people want things NOW not tomorrow. As for fans with an agenda sure there are you can go to any message board for just about any school and there are people that post the same thing over and over . There was one poster on the old old site a couple years ago that posted over and over about how Morgan Newton should have been starting over Mike Hartline, he really knew what he was talking about.

Message boards are for opinions and that's mine. Blast away, LOL

(edit) Message boards are also for spreading information obtained from your cousins sisters boyfriends barber that once cut Cliff Hagens hair.