Two kinds of fans doing damage

[JOHN BLUEBLOOD]

There are 2 kind of fans doing major damage to this program.

1. Solid Tubby supporters - these won't let go of the old coach and will not give the new coach a chance. They completely ignore the fact that Tubby had flaws and left the program in rough shape. These fans will not give Billy a chance and will jump at every chance to critcize and slander the coach - even though they are a minority, the minority can be the loudest.

2. Critics of Tubby - that's right, these fans were so frustrated with Tubby and so excited about Billy G., that they created a hysteria and expectations that no coach could live up to - with the talent available. These fans are feeling so let-down now and aren't looking to the future, patience is needed with these fans.

Rumors are always stretched and the truth lies in between. Billy Donovan coached most of last year w/o a signed deal. If Billy G. and the UK admin can't get together on a contract, we can't control things if Billy G. left - John Pelph, come on home, if you will.

My guess is, players will see improvement by year's end, the contract will be signed, Billy G. will add another good player to Miller/Liggins, PP and Legion will be great players next year and we'll be back in the top-15. Give it time people, quit spreading hurtful rumours that you can't confirm and be supportive of the kids and the staff - they need it now more than ever

[Craig the Blueheart]

Really, I don't see any supporters of Tubby that can't see the good of our current program out there. I see people who still discuss the Tubby era as being a positive time, but I personally don't know a single person who says, "I wish Tubby were still here over our current coach."

The problem that I have is the sarcasm and derogatory jokes toward the old regime. I have no problem with people discussing Tubby; he is a MAJOR part of UK history, but I do have a problem with people who intentionally attempt to start arguments on a chat forum such as this. There are people out there that lurk, and wait for the right time to inject their jab, and it opens up a huge debate.

[WildcatMountaineer]

I thought Tubby coached at Minnesota now?

[RaleighCat]

I understand your premise, John, but I don't see any damage being done to our program.

Look, we're just a bunch of Kentucky fans yakking on a message board. There are several boards x hundreds of fans, but what damage is being done?

Rupp was packed and rockin' last Saturday. The team played much better than most fans thought they would (the really honest ones, anyway). And you know it's going to be full to the rafters when UofL comes to town.

We may get two very important pieces back by SEC play in Jasper/Meeks. And it appears the rest of the team has a collective heartbeat afterall. Rumors about mass tranfers are simply that- rumors. Maybe someone leaves at break, but it's not going to be over anything a fan has done.

Billy Gillispie isn't going to leave, and Barnhart isn't going to make him leave. This contract issue is a non-issue in all reality.

The fanbase has been in a state of panic since the unexpected Gardner-Webb loss. It was a shocking humbling loss. The reaction was justified and expected, IMHO. But no damage has been done. No couches burned. No cars overturned. No signs put in yards (allegedly). No threats have been made. No dogs and cats living together. No mass hysteria.

It's just Kentucky Basketball.

[WildcatMountaineer]

I understand your premise, John, but I don't see any damage being done to our program.

Look, we're just a bunch of Kentucky fans yakking on a message board. There are several boards x hundreds of fans, but what damage is being done?

Rupp was packed and rockin' last Saturday. The team played much better than most fans thought they would (the really honest ones, anyway). And you know it's going to be full to the rafters when UofL comes to town.

We may get two very important pieces back by SEC play in Jasper/Meeks. And it appears the rest of the team has a collective heartbeat afterall. Rumors about mass tranfers are simply that- rumors. Maybe someone leaves at break, but it's not going to be over anything a fan has done.

Billy Gillispie isn't going to leave, and Barnhart isn't going to make him leave. This contract issue is a non-issue in all reality.

The fanbase has been in a state of panic since the unexpected Gardner-Webb loss. It was a shocking humbling loss. The reaction was justified and expected, IMHO. But no damage has been done. No couches burned. No cars overturned. No signs put in yards (allegedly). No threats have been made. No dogs and cats living together. No mass hysteria.

It's just Kentucky Basketball.

I don't even think it's that. I think the fan base has been in a "waiting for the other shoe to drop" mentality for a few years now, and struggling to get out of it.

As with the Legion situation - I mean, if a Freshman transfers after 6 weeks, it's really not that big of a deal. But, throw in the blue and white, and it's huge news.

I still think there's a bunch of growing pains that are going to take place. At the least people can take the cue from Ramel, Joe (to a small extent lately), and some of the guys like AJ Stewart and stop resisting and buying into the system.

[TrueblueCATfan]

Well I am a fan of the University of Kentucky no matter who the coach is..I always said I would support a new coach..I have never once bashed him..not even after the GW loss...I supported Tubby and was one of his biggest fans.so what does that make me any less of a fan now....no..I wish the man the best and I hope he does well
I believe in this basketball coach just as I believed in our football coach

GO CATS ..BEAT IU

[lighthouse]

Well I am a fan of the University of Kentucky no matter who the coach is..I always said I would support a new coach..I have never once bashed him..not even after the GW loss...I supported Tubby and was one of his biggest fans.so what does that make me any less of a fan now....no..I wish the man the best and I hope he does well
I believe in this basketball coach just as I believed in our football coach

GO CATS ..BEAT IU

Folks, we have a winner!!!

[BigBlue75]

Well I am a fan of the University of Kentucky no matter who the coach is..I always said I would support a new coach..I have never once bashed him..not even after the GW loss...I supported Tubby and was one of his biggest fans.so what does that make me any less of a fan now....no..I wish the man the best and I hope he does well
I believe in this basketball coach just as I believed in our football coach

GO CATS ..BEAT IU

Ditto. My sentiments exactly. :thumbup:

[teamchemistry09]

There are 2 kind of fans doing major damage to this program.

1. Solid Tubby supporters - these won't let go of the old coach and will not give the new coach a chance. They completely ignore the fact that Tubby had flaws and left the program in rough shape. These fans will not give Billy a chance and will jump at every chance to critcize and slander the coach - even though they are a minority, the minority can be the loudest.

2. Critics of Tubby - that's right, these fans were so frustrated with Tubby and so excited about Billy G., that they created a hysteria and expectations that no coach could live up to - with the talent available. These fans are feeling so let-down now and aren't looking to the future, patience is needed with these fans.

Rumors are always stretched and the truth lies in between. Billy Donovan coached most of last year w/o a signed deal. If Billy G. and the UK admin can't get together on a contract, we can't control things if Billy G. left - John Pelph, come on home, if you will.

My guess is, players will see improvement by year's end, the contract will be signed, Billy G. will add another good player to Miller/Liggins, PP and Legion will be great players next year and we'll be back in the top-15. Give it time people, quit spreading hurtful rumours that you can't confirm and be supportive of the kids and the staff - they need it now more than ever

What I wish is that everyone would understand is that Tubby didnt leave our program in "rough Shape" He had us in the NCAA EVERY YEAR and had decent recruiting classes all except 1 year. That just happened to be the year before last which we are seeing the effects of now. He brought in Crawford Bradley Jasper Meeks Porter Stevenson Harris Stewart Carter Williams and helped with Patterson. You cant fault him for bringing in any of these guys. Williams will be the only question mark because he is a project. Carter had all the potential in the world but injuries slowed him down physically and mentally. Everyone else is solid contributors to our program. So for everyone who says Tubby left our program in "rough shape" I ask you:

What other coach takes their team to the NCAA for 10 years straight?
What other coach wins over 20 games for 10 years straight?
What other coach wins a national title his first year?
What other coach has a win percentage over that span like him? I think 78%
If you can answer these it will be Coach K or Roy Williams. Tubby was in the same categories as all of the other greats in college basketball

We went 10 years without a final four. Its not the end of the world. We were competing in the SEC and making it to the tourney every year he was coaching us. Tubby was a damn good ball coach but some fans used their ignorance and expected a national title every year. Thats an unrealistic expectation unless you have Wooden on the bench with Al Cinder and Walton on the court. While it would have been nice to have sweet 16s and elite 8s, Tubby did a great job while here. He has moved on, I wish fans would move on as well. We have a new coach and we all know his work ethic. He will do great things with our program and have us competing for a national title in a matter of a few years. Have a little patience this year and support your new coach and stop bashing your old one. If its so easy why didnt they hire you after Pitino left? (Thats not directed to anyone specific just the people who think Tubby did a horrible job)

[WildcatMountaineer]

If you want to argue that Tubby left the program in GOOD shape, then you're wearing Tubby tinted glasses.

He had a great run at UK, and I don't think many would argue that, but it's obvious that the talent level on our team is NOT there. Look at the teams we play. Last weekend UNC had more talent top to bottom than we did. IU this weekend will have more talent.


No one is saying OTS was a bad coach. I think a lot were saying that he was basically driving a Ferrari and putting regular unleaded gas in it and not premium.

[Mark Blueblood]

Really, I don't see any supporters of Tubby that can't see the good of our current program out there. I see people who still discuss the Tubby era as being a positive time, but I personally don't know a single person who says, "I wish Tubby were still here over our current coach."

The problem that I have is the sarcasm and derogatory jokes toward the old regime. I have no problem with people discussing Tubby; he is a MAJOR part of UK history, but I do have a problem with people who intentionally attempt to start arguments on a chat forum such as this. There are people out there that lurk, and wait for the right time to inject their jab, and it opens up a huge debate.

Exactly. As far as "not letting Tubby go" - it has never been his supporters that have failed to move on and support the new regime. Rather, it has been his detractors.

[Katfan74]

Rupp was packed and rockin' last Saturday. The team played much better than most fans thought they would (the really honest ones, anyway).

I agree with this post 100%. We lost by 9, and if I remember correctly someone on this board predicted a loss of 35. One things for sure, even when NC has us down by 20 our boys didn't quit they kept playing as if they still had a chance of winning the game.

GO BIG BLUE.....

[UKS2H]

There are 2 kind of fans doing major damage to this program.

1. Solid Tubby supporters - these won't let go of the old coach and will not give the new coach a chance. They completely ignore the fact that Tubby had flaws and left the program in rough shape. These fans will not give Billy a chance and will jump at every chance to critcize and slander the coach - even though they are a minority, the minority can be the loudest.

2. Critics of Tubby - that's right, these fans were so frustrated with Tubby and so excited about Billy G., that they created a hysteria and expectations that no coach could live up to - with the talent available. These fans are feeling so let-down now and aren't looking to the future, patience is needed with these fans.

Rumors are always stretched and the truth lies in between. Billy Donovan coached most of last year w/o a signed deal. If Billy G. and the UK admin can't get together on a contract, we can't control things if Billy G. left - John Pelph, come on home, if you will.

My guess is, players will see improvement by year's end, the contract will be signed, Billy G. will add another good player to Miller/Liggins, PP and Legion will be great players next year and we'll be back in the top-15. Give it time people, quit spreading hurtful rumours that you can't confirm and be supportive of the kids and the staff - they need it now more than ever

There is nobody on this website damaging our program. I'm sorry to tell you but we're just people posting on a message board.

[JOHN BLUEBLOOD]

[QUOTE=WildcatMountaineer;359571]As with the Legion situation - I mean, if a Freshman transfers after 6 weeks, it's really not that big of a deal. But, throw in the blue and white, and it's huge news.


Great point.

[Adolph Rollingover]

There is nobody on this website damaging our program. I'm sorry to tell you but we're just people posting on a message board.
passion baby passion. Put it in perspective, go to Florida State football boards and see the chat going on about Bowden right now. Wait until they lose to the Cats on New Years Eve. We post because or our passion. Just because you are a UK fan does not mean I agree with your position, but I'm happy you care.

[JOHN BLUEBLOOD]

There is nobody on this website damaging our program. I'm sorry to tell you but we're just people posting on a message board.

I think you underestimate the power of the net. You'll hear media-types mention chatboards and forums quite frequently. Even WLEX-18 has run stories based on rumors taken from TCP and others. I'll bet you anything that players and UK information staff read these quite often.

[DCWildcat]

I haven't seen too many of either group causing too much trouble recently, thank God.

I think the problem is the absurd impulsiveness of many UK fans*. We lose a game and Billy G is a horrible coach. We miss a big man and we'll never get another good recruit. A player might transfer and Billy G doesn't know how to respond to individual differences in his players. These statements fly in the face of reason and patience. Like it or not, there's just not that much accurate stuff you can learn in one game, one recruit, or one freshman. I see all camps on issues of Tubby and Billy G doing these things.

Luckily, none of this is that prevalent on this board. It's overwhelming at some others, though.

*That's not to say this feeling is unique to UK fans. Many other programs have a similar phenomenon (e.g., Alabama and Nebraska football, Yankees baseball, and small cliques of fans of every program). Programs accustomed to winning develop large fanbases accustomed to winning, and when that doesn't happen, they get loud.

[UFWildcat]

I thought Tubby coached at Minnesota now?

So did I. :shrug1:

[UFWildcat]

There is nobody on this website damaging our program. I'm sorry to tell you but we're just people posting on a message board.

:thumbup:

[Wildcatcrazy11]

I'll bet you anything that players and UK information staff read these quite often.

I sure hope not. What a waste of time. Especially for the players. What advatange would come from players or staff reading what fans have to say? I sure they can get the gist of our sentiments without ever getting on the web.

With that said this is a great place for fans. Great source of information and its nice to hear everyone's opinions. Personally though, the players couldn't care less about what I have to say.

[JOHN BLUEBLOOD]

I sure hope not. What a waste of time. Especially for the players. What advatange would come from players or staff reading what fans have to say? I sure they can get the gist of our sentiments without ever getting on the web.

With that said this is a great place for fans. Great source of information and its nice to hear everyone's opinions. Personally though, the players couldn't care less about what I have to say.

Sandy Bell once posted on TCP and it "was her", it was a basic warning about going on player's my-space forums etc,. If you don't think UK Athletics isn't aware of the "major" sites, you're kidding yourself. I'm sure they don't give a rat's---- about most of the content but probe for a "general feeling" of the fans and especially look for problems like Sandy warned about.

yeah, no doubt Coach G isn't on here or Mitch but there are other's hired for the dirty work in life.

[westtncat]

Really, I don't see any supporters of Tubby that can't see the good of our current program out there. I see people who still discuss the Tubby era as being a positive time, but I personally don't know a single person who says, "I wish Tubby were still here over our current coach."

The problem that I have is the sarcasm and derogatory jokes toward the old regime. I have no problem with people discussing Tubby; he is a MAJOR part of UK history, but I do have a problem with people who intentionally attempt to start arguments on a chat forum such as this. There are people out there that lurk, and wait for the right time to inject their jab, and it opens up a huge debate.
inject a jab huh? pot...meet kettle.

[Stucat]

We are all fans and we all have opinions about UK basketball and the state the program is in now or in the future. I know that at times it must seem like we are a pain in the a** but if UK didn't have fans then it would be just another boring college basketball program. The fans bring in the money and the fans is what makes UK unique. Even if some people don't like our fans they still respect the fact that UK has very passionate fans.

[vaPascal]

There are 2 kind of fans doing major damage to this program.

1. Solid Tubby supporters - these won't let go of the old coach and will not give the new coach a chance. They completely ignore the fact that Tubby had flaws and left the program in rough shape. These fans will not give Billy a chance and will jump at every chance to critcize and slander the coach - even though they are a minority, the minority can be the loudest.

2. Critics of Tubby - that's right, these fans were so frustrated with Tubby and so excited about Billy G., that they created a hysteria and expectations that no coach could live up to - with the talent available. These fans are feeling so let-down now and aren't looking to the future, patience is needed with these fans.

Rumors are always stretched and the truth lies in between. Billy Donovan coached most of last year w/o a signed deal. If Billy G. and the UK admin can't get together on a contract, we can't control things if Billy G. left - John Pelph, come on home, if you will.

My guess is, players will see improvement by year's end, the contract will be signed, Billy G. will add another good player to Miller/Liggins, PP and Legion will be great players next year and we'll be back in the top-15. Give it time people, quit spreading hurtful rumours that you can't confirm and be supportive of the kids and the staff - they need it now more than ever

I might phrase it this way:

a) Generally optimistic people
b) People who criticize first, compliment only begrudgingly

Even though both groups aren't 100% in line with reality, the 2nd does far more damage than the first.

[lribookend]

inject a jab huh? pot...meet kettle.

:icon_biggrin::thumbup: I Agree westtncat, but beware....there on some on here who cannot deal with an opinion that disagrees with theirs.

[Doug Hardin]

I really don't see anyone who refuses to give Gillispie a chance because of an undying loyalty to Smith. There are some who will stick up for Tubby when they feel that other fans are being unfair and excessively critical, but to say that there are fans who refuse to acknowledge his flaws is simply inaccurate.