somebody made a Fire Steve Patterson website

[doc longhorn]

It isn't serious yet. It will be a topic for the next president to deal with and whoever that is, they won't do anything the least bit controversial for their first year, so even if people really wanted Patterson out, it wouldn't happen until 2016 at the earliest. That being said, it is becoming more obvious every day that Patterson isn't the right person for the job. The fact that people are keeping track of his blunders means the heat will continue to build until the spring of 2016. Personally, I think by spring 2016 people will have had enough of Patterson and he will be gone. I think he is a dead man walking. There is just too much money at risk to trust the athletic department to Steve Patterson's incompetence. It's never a good sign when the legislature starts meddling in what should be your area of responsibility. 

Sorry Duke, but you couldn't be more wrong about this.  There is zero heat on Patterson.  Just the opposite, in fact.

Saying he is a dead man walking is wishful thinking and nothing more.

And lets clear something else up as well.  Does everyone think the Athletic director has the unilateral power to raise ticket and parking prices for UT?  Is that part of his job description?

Please.

 

[shotime73]

i am siding with doc longhorn on this one i totally agree with u sir

 

[Randolph Duke]

Sorry Duke, but you couldn't be more wrong about this.  There is zero heat on Patterson.  Just the opposite, in fact.

Saying he is a dead man walking is wishful thinking and nothing more.

And lets clear something else up as well.  Does everyone think the Athletic director has the unilateral power to raise ticket and parking prices for UT?  Is that part of his job description?

Please.

You take members of the legislature meddling in Bellmont's business as a positive sign? That makes one of us. 

Patterson is loved by the big money donors and is becoming increasingly despised by the rank and file. I think Patterson is not in the least bit of trouble for at least the next year. I also think he is making it more evident every day that he is not the right man for the job. He simply doesn't understand how to market the football program and his ideas for the basketball program are all geared to mimicking NBA marketing ideas. Summer of 2016 is when the heat on Patterson really starts becoming evident and the president of the university will have to give him a public statement of support.

The fact a small contingent of fans has taken the step of creating the website shows there is at least some level of heat above zero. In the end, this will be a classic battle against the big money donors who Patterson caters to and the average fan who Patterson doesn't give two shits about. It will continue to divide the fanbase and in the end, the program loses. Only catering to the wealthy fans is a long term disaster for the program because it will mean UT athletics will lose a generation of fans who grew up not caring in the least about attending football games. Patterson is absolutely willing to let this happen to accomplish his short term goals. That alone shows he is the wrong guy for the job. 

 

[duqu]

Thanks to both of y'all. Interesting points of view from both sides.

 

[doc longhorn]

You take members of the legislature meddling in Bellmont's business as a positive sign? That makes one of us. 

Patterson is loved by the big money donors and is becoming increasingly despised by the rank and file. I think Patterson is not in the least bit of trouble for at least the next year. I also think he is making it more evident every day that he is not the right man for the job. He simply doesn't understand how to market the football program and his ideas for the basketball program are all geared to mimicking NBA marketing ideas. Summer of 2016 is when the heat on Patterson really starts becoming evident and the president of the university will have to give him a public statement of support.

The fact a small contingent of fans has taken the step of creating the website shows there is at least some level of heat above zero. In the end, this will be a classic battle against the big money donors who Patterson caters to and the average fan who Patterson doesn't give two shits about. It will continue to divide the fanbase and in the end, the program loses. Only catering to the wealthy fans is a long term disaster for the program because it will mean UT athletics will lose a generation of fans who grew up not caring in the least about attending football games. Patterson is absolutely willing to let this happen to accomplish his short term goals. That alone shows he is the wrong guy for the job. 

Duke - you are a smart guy.  But you fall into the delusional category of those that think the fans opinions matter.  You need to get it through your head that Patterson probably cares more about fans opinions than most at UT.  And the only reason he cares is strictly as to how it affects the bottom line.

For some reason you refuse to admit this as a fact - in spite of a hundred years of historical evidence.

Besides, all this being said, I am somewhat privy to what the powers that be are saying about Patterson and the fact is - they love him.  And this includes the BMD's as well.  The ones that don't, are those (and their cohorts) terrified that the pink slip hammer is getting ready to fall on them.  And, trust me, it's coming.

Could all this change?  Sure, no one is irreplaceable.

 

[streettopeschel]

Ha, ha. Look at all the whining.

Patterson was hired to right the football program and the rest of the sports programs. He was hired to do this NOT to appease the fans, but to protect the bottom line. If we are losing on the field, we are losing money.

Every one of you simply refuse to accept that your opinions mean nothing to the powers that be. Only if the turnstiles are affected will they pay attention to you. Right now, Patterson is their personal hero. Bet money on it.

Sorry to sound so cynical, but the truth is a hard pill to swallow.

no shit. Of course it's the truth. We know venting on a message board has no effect. It's just discussion. And to your point about unilaterally raising prices I addressed it above. He serves at the pleasure of the Pres.
I'm not an AD but ive been in the biz world a while. Raising prices for an inferior product seems an odd business model to me. Perhaps we lemmings will obediently march along. Me? Still undecided at this point.

 

[doc longhorn]

no shit. Of course it's the truth. We know venting on a message board has no effect. It's just discussion. And to your point about unilaterally raising prices I addressed it above. He serves at the pleasure of the Pres.

I'm not an AD but ive been in the biz world a while. Raising prices for an inferior product seems an odd business model to me. Perhaps we lemmings will obediently march along. Me? Still undecided at this point.

LOL!  I never said I LIKED it.  It just is the way it is.

However, I, along with you, am mystified at the timing of price raising.  I would expect price increases after a successful season, but not after last year.

Something just doesn't smell right about this to me.  It's not like UT needs the money......or do they?

 

[Randolph Duke]

Duke - you are a smart guy.  But you fall into the delusional category of those that think the fans opinions matter.  You need to get it through your head that Patterson probably cares more about fans opinions that most at UT.  And the only reason he cares is strictly as to how it affects the bottom line.

For some reason you refuse to admit this as a fact - in spite of a hundred years of historical evidence.

Besides, all this being said, I am somewhat privy to what the powers that be are saying about Patterson and the fact is - they love him.  And this includes the BMD's as well.  The ones that don't, are those (and their cohorts) terrified that the pink slip hammer is getting ready to fall on them.  And, trust me, it's coming.

Could all this change?  Sure, no one is irreplaceable.

If Patterson was seen as a powerful AD, no member of the legislature would dare propose a bill that would meddle in the operations of Bellmont the way allowing alcohol to be brought into DKR would and weak leaders don't survive at UT. I'm trying to think of the last time someone in the legislature took direct aim at Bellomont's operations the way this bill would and I can't think of a single instance. 

Last season ticket sales for UT football were the worst we have seen in a long time. For the first time in a generation UT failed to sell out a single home game. The contingent that claims winning solves attendance problems may or may not be right, but even if they are right, if the AD has no ability to generate ticket sales and the driver of tickets is the performance of the team, why is UT paying such an astronomical salary to the AD? $1.4mil/year is not the going rate for an AD who is incapable of developing a marketing plan that sells tickets and delivers value to the average fan.

I'm sure the big donors you are talking to are saying glowing things about Steve Patterson. The big donors are absolutely being catered to. It remains to be seen whether this fall will see a repeat of the abysmal attendance of last year, but seeing how Patterson has not hesitated to disaffect the rank and file fan and has done little (pretty much nothing) to connect with the disaffected fans, I am confident this season's attendance will be as pathetic as last season's. (His comments about ticket prices only going up 6% and the ads during games being down by 11% went over like a lead balloon and only served to convince fans he was tone deaf to feedback being offered)

Like I said, I am sure the 30,000 fans in the suites are thrilled with Steve Patterson. The problem is those 30,000 fans are largely oblivious to the divide being created between them and the other fans that are being ignored by Patterson. 30,000 privileged people may be able to get Steve Patterson to cater to their every whim, but those 30,000 people simply can't support UT football if the rank and file fans and the students give up on attending games. 

 

[J.B. TexasEx]

Like I said, I am sure the 30,000 fans in the suites are thrilled with Steve Patterson. The problem is those 30,000 fans are largely oblivious to the divide being created between them and the other fans that are being ignored by Patterson. 30,000 privileged people may be able to get Steve Patterson to cater to their every whim, but those 30,000 people simply can't support UT football if the rank and file fans and the students give up on attending games. 

30k sounds like a high attendance number for suites. What is the actual number?

 

[streettopeschel]

JMO, but i think you're reading way too much into the legislator/medling angle. seems more like a grandstanding play for a little pub and God knows Texas legislators are not above that.

 

and yeah, i'll say attendance is much more a function of a 5th straight blah year and has little if anything to do with beer sales or 'game day experience'.

 

your larger point that Patterson has underwhelmed so far is well taken.

 

[doc longhorn]

If Patterson was seen as a powerful AD, no member of the legislature would dare propose a bill that would meddle in the operations of Bellmont the way allowing alcohol to be brought into DKR would and weak leaders don't survive at UT. I'm trying to think of the last time someone in the legislature took direct aim at Bellomont's operations the way this bill would and I can't think of a single instance. 

Last season ticket sales for UT football were the worst we have seen in a long time. For the first time in a generation UT failed to sell out a single home game. The contingent that claims winning solves attendance problems may or may not be right, but even if they are right, if the AD has no ability to generate ticket sales and the driver of tickets is the performance of the team, why is UT paying such an astronomical salary to the AD? $1.4mil/year is not the going rate for an AD who is incapable of developing a marketing plan that sells tickets and delivers value to the average fan.

I'm sure the big donors you are talking to are saying glowing things about Steve Patterson. The big donors are absolutely being catered to. It remains to be seen whether this fall will see a repeat of the abysmal attendance of last year, but seeing how Patterson has not hesitated to disaffect the rank and file fan and has done little (pretty much nothing) to connect with the disaffected fans, I am confident this season's attendance will be as pathetic as last season's. (His comments about ticket prices only going up 6% and the ads during games being down by 11% went over like a lead balloon and only served to convince fans he was tone deaf to feedback being offered)

Like I said, I am sure the 30,000 fans in the suites are thrilled with Steve Patterson. The problem is those 30,000 fans are largely oblivious to the divide being created between them and the other fans that are being ignored by Patterson. 30,000 privileged people may be able to get Steve Patterson to cater to their every whim, but those 30,000 people simply can't support UT football if the rank and file fans and the students give up on attending games. 

Let me see if I understand you correctly.

You believe it is the function of the AD to regulate ticket and parking pricing.  You, also, believe it is his responsibility to allow or not to allow beer sales in the stadium.

I'm here to assure you that you couldn't be more wrong about either.  Because, if you were right, he would have more power than the president and the BOR. 

What he does have is the ability to make recommendations.  But he cannot unilateral implement any of this without full approvals.

His real power lies in his ability to hire and fire coaches, reorganize and structure profitable athletic programs that comply with all regulations and within the university's guidelines.  He, also, has a voice and vote in all conference doings that require AD's approvals.

And he STILL cannot do any of this without approvals from, you guessed it, the president and sometimes the BOR.

Now, I want everyone to understand that I am not defending Patterson.  His rep as a colossal pr*ck is well known.  He is, after all, a hatchet man and no one like these types.

But I also know there has been a lot of misinformation said about him - mostly from those with agendas and those that are gossip mongers.

Finally, what were the expectations of Patterson, in the first place?  His very first task was to force Mack out - he did that.  His second most important task was to find a suitable HC for the football program.  I think he was more than successful in this endeavor.

He was also tasked with cleaning out Bellmont of the extraneous jobs.  He is in the process of doing that very thing.

His underlying function was to promote UT's athletic programs and he has certainly been busy doing this as well.  The Mexico/South America negotiations will prove this out.

He is tasked with organizing and implementing a new BB arena and he is doing exactly that - to the absolute delight of the UT powers that be.

No, I see nothing that would indicate he has underwhelmed in his job.  Unless you think Deloss Dodds could have done better?

 

[CCausey11]

Your argument makes too much sense for some folks.  There is no amount of dialogue that can convince the conspiracy theorists otherwise.

I don't have a dog in this fight either way, but I appreciate a lucid conversation/argument.  Thanks

 

[Randolph Duke]

Let me see if I understand you correctly.

You believe it is the function of the AD to regulate ticket and parking pricing. You, also, believe it is his responsibility to allow or not to allow beer sales in the stadium.

I'm here to assure you that you couldn't be more wrong about either. Because, if you were right, he would have more power than the president and the BOR.

What he does have is the ability to make recommendations. But he cannot unilateral implement any of this without full approvals.

His real power lies in his ability to hire and fire coaches, reorganize and structure profitable athletic programs that comply with all regulations and within the university's guidelines. He, also, has a voice and vote in all conference doings that require AD's approvals.

And he STILL cannot do any of this without approvals from, you guessed it, the president and sometimes the BOR.

Now, I want everyone to understand that I am not defending Patterson. His rep as a colossal pr*ck is well known. He is, after all, a hatchet man and no one like these types.

But I also know there has been a lot of misinformation said about him - mostly from those with agendas and those that are gossip mongers.

Finally, what were the expectations of Patterson, in the first place? His very first task was to force Mack out - he did that. His second most important task was to find a suitable HC for the football program. I think he was more than successful in this endeavor.

He was also tasked with cleaning out Bellmont of the extraneous jobs. He is in the process of doing that very thing.

His underlying function was to promote UT's athletic programs and he has certainly been busy doing this as well. The Mexico/South America negotiations will prove this out.

He is tasked with organizing and implementing a new BB arena and he is doing exactly that - to the absolute delight of the UT powers that be.

No, I see nothing that would indicate he has underwhelmed in his job. Unless you think Deloss Dodds could have done better?

Where in the world did you get the impression I expected Patterson to regulate anything? Likewise, where did you get the impression I believed Patterson was granted the responsibility of permitting beer sales. If it was a matter for the regents last spring, I'm pretty sure it is a matter for the regents this spring.

Patterson's responsibility is to lead. He is to set policy the administrative execution of the activities inside Bellmont. Part of those responsibilities include the development of the marketing plan for the football program. He is an utter failure at overseeing marketing, as shown by his lack of any semblance of a plan last season. Patterson is a facilities guy, not a reformer, not a marketing guy and not a visionary.

Supposedly in the twenty months he was AD at ASU he demonstrated he was the right guy for the job at UT. Well, he has been at UT sixteen months and we sure haven't seen any similar dazzling performance. I'm not sure what he is waiting for, but he certainly is not moving very fast at Texas.

Patterson has made it clear he only needs 30,000 people to accomplish his goals, which are to build the south end zone suites, build a new basketball facility and endow the athletics scholarships. He has delivered pretty much nothing for the rank and file fans. It won't take long for the media to pick up on the fact pissing on Patterson will resonate with growing numbers of rank and file fans. Once the media starts pissing on Patterson, it will feed on itself. The new university president will need to do what Steve Patterson thought beneath him - connecting with the rank and file. If he chooses not to and instead only surrounds himself with the elite alumni he will have far less support in the legislature than did Bill Powers.

Its a simple decision. If only the elite matter to the leaders of the university, then they will lose support in the legislature as fewer and fewer rank and file alumni feel the university has anything to offer them past graduation.

The athletics program at UT is important to generate political and financial support for the university from the alumni base. Patterson's arrogance and decision only to cater to the small group alumni with the fat checkbooks is a big mistake. I know the small group of alumni with the fat checkbooks think his strategy is brilliant, but both Patterson and the new president will soon need the support of the rank and file alumni. There will come a time in the not too distant future that the rank and file alumni will get their chance to show just how much they support Steve Patterson. Lol.

The university president at UT cannot afford to keep an athletic director who alienates large groups of the alumni. Patterson may be loved by those he is catering to, but he is a liability to the incoming university president.

 

[HornNdriftwood]

Doc nailed it.

And if it was up to SP we would've had beer at DKR in '14. Cigarroa put the kibosh on that.

 

[doc longhorn]

Where in the world did you get the impression I expected Patterson to regulate anything? Likewise, where did you get the impression I believed Patterson was granted the responsibility of permitting beer sales. If it was a matter for the regents last spring, I'm pretty sure it is a matter for the regents this spring.

Patterson's responsibility is to lead. He is to set policy the administrative execution of the activities inside Bellmont. Part of those responsibilities include the development of the marketing plan for the football program. He is an utter failure at overseeing marketing, as shown by his lack of any semblance of a plan last season. Patterson is a facilities guy, not a reformer, not a marketing guy and not a visionary.

Supposedly in the twenty months he was AD at ASU he demonstrated he was the right guy for the job at UT. Well, he has been at UT sixteen months and we sure haven't seen any similar dazzling performance. I'm not sure what he is waiting for, but he certainly is not moving very fast at Texas.

Patterson has made it clear he only needs 30,000 people to accomplish his goals, which are to build the south end zone suites, build a new basketball facility and endow the athletics scholarships. He has delivered pretty much nothing for the rank and file fans. It won't take long for the media to pick up on the fact pissing on Patterson will resonate with growing numbers of rank and file fans. Once the media starts pissing on Patterson, it will feed on itself. The new university president will need to do what Steve Patterson thought beneath him - connecting with the rank and file. If he chooses not to and instead only surrounds himself with the elite alumni he will have far less support in the legislature than did Bill Powers.

Its a simple decision. If only the elite matter to the leaders of the university, then they will lose support in the legislature as fewer and fewer rank and file alumni feel the university has anything to offer them past graduation.

The athletics program at UT is important to generate political and financial support for the university from the alumni base. Patterson's arrogance and decision only to cater to the small group alumni with the fat checkbooks is a big mistake. I know the small group of alumni with the fat checkbooks think his strategy is brilliant, but both Patterson and the new president will soon need the support of the rank and file alumni. There will come a time in the not too distant future that the rank and file alumni will get their chance to show just how much they support Steve Patterson. Lol.

The university president at UT cannot afford to keep an athletic director who alienates large groups of the alumni. Patterson may be loved by those he is catering to, but he is a liability to the incoming university president.

Forgive me if I got the impression you believed Patterson was responsible for beer sales and ticket prices.  If this is not your belief, then I apologize.

But, once again, where you and I do disagree is your unwavering belief that fan opinion of him will be his demise.  Because let me point out that fan opinion didn't mean diddly regarding Dodds job security.  And don't even get me started on Mack Brown.

Actually, the job responsibilities of the director of athletics at the university of Texas are pretty straight forward.  He is tasked to provide administrative direction and oversight for all of UT's athletic programs.  This is pretty simplistic, but it covers a lot of responsibilities - including hiring, firing, marketing and budget management.  All within the confines of athletics.

Frankly, I've seen no evidence to say he hasn't done or is not doing just that.

Finally, addressing the red highlighted sentence, what were your expectations?  What has he not done that you think Luck or Dodds would have done?

 

[streettopeschel]

maybe beating a dead horse but i'm underwhelmed that my tickets went up 30% after a losing season (and i find his 'we only increased the average cost 6%' to be disingenuous and insulting),  that i now have to pay for parking (after he said in an email many spots allocated went unused. how does that make sense?) and that i'm now restricted from selling MY tickets should i choose to do so. now if the rebuttal is he's just a puppet doing the bidding of the BOR and Pres, they could have had me do it for a fraction of his salary.

all the other stuff (beer sales, game day experience bellmont bloat) is largely white noise to me.

 

[Randolph Duke]

Forgive me if I got the impression you believed Patterson was responsible for beer sales and ticket prices. If this is not your belief, then I apologize.

But, once again, where you and I do disagree is your unwavering belief that fan opinion of him will be his demise. Because let me point out that fan opinion didn't mean diddly regarding Dodds job security. And don't even get me started on Mack Brown.

Actually, the job responsibilities of the director of athletics at the university of Texas are pretty straight forward. He is tasked to provide administrative direction and oversight for all of UT's athletic programs. This is pretty simplistic, but it covers a lot of responsibilities - including hiring, firing, marketing and budget management. All within the confines of athletics.

Frankly, I've seen no evidence to say he hasn't done or is not doing just that.

Finally, addressing the red highlighted sentence, what were your expectations? What has he not done that you think Luck or Dodds would have done?

Quite frankly, I would have expected the UT athletics director to have developed a marketing plan for the football program to take advantage of the beginning of a new coaching era, to have ensured the media and marketing staff was capable of supporting the head football coach, to have done something to build goodwill between himself and the rank and file fans, to have outlined a plan to get Bellmont's spending problem under control, to have offered something to make people believe he was capable of providing leadership and to give the rank and file alumni reason to understand that he actually was the right guy for the job.
Other than pandering to the elite alumni, Patterson's tenure has been an utter failure. He is just the wrong guy for the job.

 

[The Bry-Man81]

maybe beating a dead horse...

Just looking for an excuse to use this GIF lol

 

[java]

Randy,

I'm going to make this pretty short. What makes you think he hasn't outlined a plan to control the spending problem? What makes you think he hasn't done the other things you outlined and that they weren't implemented by Powers? It's possible that things are simply on hold until the new president takes office.

Beagles bay at the moon. I knew of one that would, night after night, climb over a fence with electric wire at the top. In the morning, the darned dog would wander home, climb back over that fence, yelping as she scaled the electric portion of the fence. There is a moral to that story.

I admire your tenacity, but doc is right.

 

[streettopeschel]

Just looking for an excuse to use this GIF lol

well yeah