It's a new week badger fans, and hopefully 5 days from now we will be celebrating a badger victory. The site has really taken off in the past few days. Before the Penn State game, the poll had two votes and now after the game it has over 300. Let's all remember to be civil in the comments and promote meaningful debate over Bret Bielema's employment.
In my opinion, what many fans do not yet realize is that the Badger football program is dangerously close to a fall back into mediocrity. Before Donna Shalala told Pat Richter to get us a coach with some pedigree, the Badger program was a joke. We were the annual easy game for Ohio State and Michigan. In fact, on one road trip, the badgers were limited to 1/2 of the field for their pre-game practice because the opposition's band needed the other half. During this era, which lasted almost 30 years, on a good day Camp Randall would be filled to half capacity.
My point with the history lesson is to show that we have been incredibly lucky these past 18 years. As current students, we have lost the connection to the badger's ugly past. We are not a program with so much success or name recognition that we can safely assume 1 bad year will never turn into 3 or more. With every ugly loss, we risk the badger stars of tomorrow becoming suspicious of the program and looking elsewhere. Before Barry, Ohio State and Michigan would recruit the star Wisconsin high school players for the sole purpose of denying them to Wisconsin. They would ride the bench for 4 years, but that didn't matter because they were riding the bench in Columbus and not in Madison.
I honestly hope Bret turns things around this Saturday and hopefully for the rest of the season. Sometimes we all need a push, be it from an employer, a professor, or our supporters. We need to remind Bret that we are not the same fans that inhabited this campus from 1964-1990. We expect results or at a minimum progress, especially from Barry's highly paid, hand-picked successor.
Edit: Quick update; the half-capacity comment is an exaggeration. Badger fans have always been extremely supportive of the team. It was really only during the Morton tenure that the attendance numbers dropped significantly. Although, the consistent sell-outs we have now are a product of Alvarez and his success.
Monday, October 13, 2008
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50 comments:
hope bret turns it around? no way.
i want him to lose, lose, lose. that way he's out of here quicker.
bielema is all talk and no walk. a second consecutive season of embarassing losses. another season of heart break. another season of thinking about the glory that could have been.
fire bret bielema.
Really? And hire who? Dude, you are in freaking Wisconsin!! No top coach in his right mind would go to WI. The best you'll do in most years is finish behind Michigan, OSU, Iowa and PSU.
The creation of this website is the PERFECT example of the constant lack of class demonstrated by WI fans. I've been all over the Big 10, graduated from Michigan and for 10 years WI fans have been the worst in the conference!
Fire Bielema, Wisconsin. I dare you. You'll end up with a coach from the MAC or Div 1-AA and you'll be choking on your fat sheboygans.
UM Fan in Chicago
wow this is the biggest BS website I have ever seen... Go jump on the bandwagon of some no name team. True badger fans realize the benefits bielema has brought to the program.
the FANS, especially the student fans, should be fired before Bielema
I can't believe what happened at PSU game. The fans were so juiced up al we need was a little help from the team. Bielema must have made a promise to Everidge to get him to transfer that he would play. Please get him off the field, although the other guy isn't any better. It is amazing how the lack of a playmaking Quarterback, D-line, cornerback, makes our team stink. never a big play. The coach needs to make playmakers. They all stare a the sideline to be told what to do.
The benefits Bielema has brought this team? Progression downhill fast? Oh yeah, with a little luck Bielema might beat Cal Poly. So the big UW chicken cancel a game the Badgers could lose, but the fans would enjoy immensely, with a game they will probably win. I guess that is a benefit, unless you are a fan of course.
Alvarez was phenomenal coach, while we can't expect a repeat of his performance, we don't need to pay an unproven and failing Bielema millions. Play some decent, fun non-conference opponents, get the fans on your side Bret. Instead of mugging them for 45-100 bucks to watch Cal-Poly. What a joke
Coach a game, a season a career in a league other than you Pabst Blue Ribbon old man touch league and then make an "educated" comment about Coach B. As bad as you all feel about the losses, I guarantee you Brett feels 10 times worse.
The movement to fire Bielema is not only justified, it is the correct decision. While BB may be 24-8 over his tenure as UWs head coach, he is just 7-7 in his last 14 games and the team is playing uninspired football. Beyond unquantifiable accusations as to how much a coach may or may not have on the effort his players display on Saturday, keep in mind the 12-1 season predominantly players recruited by Barry while this new-look (and mostly awful) Badger team is mostly players from the BB regime. What's the point? BBs players just aren't of the same caliber as the players brought to Madison by Barry, nor anywhere near the level of Michigan, Ohio State, Penn St., the entire SEC, the Big 12, etc. While I went to and graduated from UW (where the school and city will have a special place in my heart), I also am from Florida. Growing up I was an FSU fan, mostly because my uncles played there in the late 70s. These early teams were awful, but the program turned around when Bobby Bowden decided to take the montra "anytime, anywhere." (and he meant it!) For several years Bobby played the Notre Dame's and northern schools until he built a reputation and recruiting base that couldn't be beat, even to this day. My solution for the Badgers is exactly the solution Bobby had: play, play often and play everyone! Schedule the games with ND (a close opponent), the SEC schools, the ACC schools, or whoever will have you. Eventually players who may play for a FSU or UF will realize that they may be able to start as freshman at UW, thus giving us a better recruiting base
I find it funny that Michigan fans are throwing barbs, especially after all of the comments they made about the last class act in the Big Ten, Lloyd Carr. I certainly hope they are enjoying Rich Rod right now--uh, until he jumps ship to the newly vacant spot at Clemson.
Honestly, it looked like the Badgers just quit on Saturday. I can understand someone being more talented or bigger, but quitting and lack of effort is not a good sign. Its also a good sign of bad coaching.
Uh, did the UM fans forget that Tressel was a I-AA coach...yeah, OSU loses in the Nat'l Title games, but they've been there more than UW and Michigan (and the 1997 Huskers team would have beaten the 1997 Michigan team...easily)
In retrospect, the Badger student section is pretty vulgar and classeless...somehow "shoot 'em like a horse" isn't as cute and funny as it used to be. Sometimes I'm ashamed of taking part in that jackassery.
On an unrelated note, maybe it is related, I remember when student section seats were, what, $20 or so from 1999-2002. I went to two games after I graduated and the last one was $40 for student section seats! With the increased capacity in the stadium and the new luxury boxes (why does a public university need luxury boxes by the way?), why do they need to jack up ticket prices for student seats? Maybe to pay exorbantly high salaries for underachieving coaches. Its not as if student tutition is high enough.
I personally think its ridiculous that Wisconsin, one of the better public universities in the US spends so much money on unproven coaches (one 12-1 season is not a full body of work to determine such a high salary, look at good ole Wiess at ND) and make the taxpayers and students pay for that.
So all students have a legitimate beef with an underachieving coach getting paid millions. I don't think great professors such as Laird Boswell, John Sharpless, James Baughmann get paid that much money for a job that actually has a useful impact on society.
Hell, at least none of those men have run around carousing in the Madison bars...what a great example to set for your subordinates.
how do you get an Ohio State graduate off your front porch? Pay him for the pizza.
this is the single most embarrasing team in badgers history
his recruiting versus other big ten teams is lousy behind OSU, illini, Mich state and now Minnesota
offense is completely predictable and one dimensional
so if we do fire Brett. Who do we bring in? Better move fast, Clemson will take the first good one. Washington might be next then Auburn, Syracuse, Tennessee.....
The two SEC teams would get the top picks.
Personally my mind flirts with the idea of Will Muschamps. That guy would bring some great defensive recruits with him. Lord knows Wisconsin needs a defense that can stop the spread!
AWESOME - the movement is picking up steam !!! FIRE BRET BIELEMA !! the guy can't coach, and we're heading for dark days in UW football. Richter had the VISION to see that he had to remove Brad Soderberg, because he WAS NOT ready. Nice guy - just wasn't ready. AND NOW, Barry has to make the tough call ! GET BIELEMA OFF THE SIDELINE!!! PLEASE !!!
Also - just thought we'd update everyone on what is happening at the FIRE BRET BIELEMA organization.
- we are asking fans to send a donation ($1 is fine) directly to the UW Athletic Dept under the heading: FIRE BRET BIELEMA, Attn: Barry Alvarez, 1440 Monroe Street
Madison, WI 53711
LET's MAKE A STATEMENT !!
- we have also started to contact all potential recruits, to advise them to HOLD on their decision to come to Wisconsin. We've used Super Prep, Scout.com, and others to identify all recruits, and their high schools. We can contact the recruits through their high schools. As of last evening, we understand that 3 recruits are now putting their commitment on hold
- we are also looking to have a vendor's booth at the game vs. IL - HOMECOMING. We'll have FIRE BRET-shirts, bumper stickers, signs, etc.; it is good to see that Black is already pitching the t-shirts.
We'll lose to IOWA and IL - guarantee it. WATCH ! Bielema is choking. Yeah right, Scherer is the answer. Good luck with that one Bielema.
If you want Bielema fired then you are an idiot. we lost to a good penn state team and lost to ohio state mainly due to evridge and ohio state being decent. yea we should of beat michigan but EVERY team has losses were they can say they should of won. firing Bielema would be the stupidest thing to do and its not gonna happen any way. if you dont like it then find another team
what did barry alvarez do that was so impressive in his last 6 seasons? the only thing i can think of is beating Michigan in 2005 and beating Auburn in the Capital One Bowl.
I think contacting recruits is kind of rotten, BUT, I understand the strategy. Alvarez and Bielema seem to love each other, and are extremely arrogant (although Alvarez was truly unparalleled coach). It might be a struggle to boot that guy without all effort.
Also a bit worried the fire Bielema crowd is shooting their wad a bit early. They might win some games yet this year, and people (sheep who sit in the stands like docile houseplants, getting angry if a drunk has a little fun) will push back.
Recommendations to Bielema:
1. Immediately apologize for cancelling VA Tech. Beg for forgiveness from the fans. Promise to play anyone, anywhere, anytime. (Yes, the athletic dept might have to give up a little of the almighty dollar...Barry)
2. Promise to never call out players in public again. After Alvarez sold out Moss, he learned to always be positive with players in press. Blaming players cost Bowden his job in Clemson.
3. Build better relations with media.
4. Don't be afraid to lose. The first five offensive safe series against Penn State were the saddest in the last 18 years. Didn't keep the score close anyways.
5. After he does the above. go to the fire bielema people and ask them to not contact recruits, pointing out he is trying to grow into the job.
6. Lose weight.
Bielema and the Badgers have a problem, the sooner he stops with the cliches and acknowledges shortcomings and the legitimacy of anger and pessimism in the fans, the better off WI football will be. Could save his job.
I agree with you on backing out from virginia tech i was really looking forward to that game. but we have always padded our non conference schedule
We need to face the facts WI. cannot win with Bielema recruits. He lived off of Barry's recruits for 3 years.
I guess a million plus a year buys you the right to get embrassed by an 82 year old man on national TV.
I've been suspicious of brets hiring from the beginning. i wonder how many photos of barry he has????, just kidding, he seems like a nice young man, and some day many years from now he may be ready to be a div 1 coach, the part i just don't understand is when barry was getting ready to retire, why didn't we at least interview more coaches??? now it's apparent he's over his head and may have to go to save the program. also, why did we rush to extend his contract and more money, he wasn't going anywhere and would have taken the job intially for less than 6 figures. they won't be paying him that much at des moines high, next year.
Michigan fan in Chicago here again.. Someone posted on this site that "this is the single most embarrassing WI team in history!" Holy shit!! Seriously?! You must be a 10-year old. WI defined the "bottom of the Big 10" for 50 years! It was an annual battle between WI, NW and IN to see who could go winless all season. Your FANS are the most embarrassing in school history and *that* says a LOT. Every since WI started winning in the 90's the fans have been "cream of the douche bag crop" in the entire nation. Bielema should be lucky enough to get canned, get a job at a REAL school and let WI sink back to the bottom. Funny how the only time WI fans showed ANY class is when they were 1-10 every year.
WE ARE LEGIT !!! Check it out !! Baggot made us PAGE 1 on Wisconsin State Journal today, Tuesday, October 14th !!! Page 1 of the SPORTS Page.
www.firebretbielema.com
There it is in BIG BOLD HEADLINES !! The movement is moving on..... FORWARD !!!
We also had 3 callers on with Lucas and Lepay last night. Heller & Murphy will feature their comments about the movement later TODAY - LISTEN - Wednesday 1070AM in Madison.
can some one explain how Bielema "cant" recruit? every body loves John Clay and guess who recuirted him? Bret Bielema, Along with David Gilreath, Garrett Graham and Zach Brown
yea dont forget Bielema is the reason john clay is playing for wisconsin
THIS MESSAGE was sent to ALL MAJOR MEDIA OUTLETS in the state this morning!
DATELINE: TUESDAY, OCTOBER 14th....
This is the beginning of our BLAST media campaign, and we must admit THIS IS THE STORY OF THE YEAR !! If your group has not jumped onto this story, then you are late in the game. First we want to thank the FRONT PAGE coverage of the WISCONSIN STATE JOURNAL in the Sports Section today. Tuesday, October 14th. It is good to see that our website:
www.firebretbielema.com is legit !!!
We also appreciate the dialogue that we've had with Owen Murphy (Heller & Murphy) of 1070 AM - Madison. We plan to have callers into the show this afternoon, to share our views and concerns. Why we need a CHANGE at the head coaching position of UW Football.
We finally thank LePay and Lucas for the very well-stated beginning to their show Monday evening on WIBA 1310. Their comments were well taken, and as a result we have suspended the contacting of all recruits and potential recruits. We'll will no longer be sending e-mails to the identified high schools, and our mailers to the recruits will not be sent.
We wish Bret well, we only want to see him succeed -- somewhere else. This is no different then when a very difficult call needed to be made on Stan Van Gundy or Brad Soderberg. These were very nice men, who just weren't ready to lead a program. And our focus is to gain Barry's attention in making the RIGHT decision.
Some of you have commented about our ANONYMOUS approach. (including Andy in his State Journal commentary) Our identities are not what is important here. What do you want to do, pick a streetfight? In fact, we are close to both Barry and Bret. We are contributors. We have sat with them at many banquets, and even trips. We are young, and we are old. We are long-time ticketholders, and we are students. We need UW to wake up !!
Oh, and WE ARE WISCONSIN fans - but we are not seeing Wisconsin football on Saturdays. We must hold this program up to a standard of beating Ohio State, Michigan, and Penn State on a regular basis !! We will not accept mediocrity. We are tired of fighting Toledo for recruits, and then watching Toledo beat Michigan when we can't.
FORWARD !!!
yes wisconsin lost to michigan this year but they did beat them last year and in 2005. and last year when they beat them they were ranked # 12 and beat Florida in the Capital one bowl so our win over Michigan last year turned out to be big
IOWA is a 3 point favorite over Wisconsin. Weren't we ranked in the Top 10 2 weeks ago?
IOWA.... And we will lose - that is just a cold hard reality.
Then home against ILLINOIS and away vs. MICH STATE. This website won't be able to hold all of the hits when this team is sitting 0-6 or even 1-5 (we'll give Bielema one...)
It will happen - and you read it here first !!
firebretbielema.com=myopia central
Poorly thought out and reactionary views, an exaggerated sense of your own importance, and promotion of a corrosive and impatient culture that can't see beyond the most recent loss (or losses).
Nice work.
Program success requires coaching stability and 2.5 seasons is not a big enough sample size. Bielema deserves time to grow and learn as a coach. The team, and the school, will be much better served by taking that approach than by trying to bring in the next Bobby Petrino.
http://community.sportsbubbler.com/forums/t/61967.aspx
http://www.cafepress.com/popculturehumor/6074570
BAGGOT: http://www.badgerbeat.com/news/article/id/309304
SIGN THE PETITION - WE'LL BE OUT!!
http://www.badgerbeat.com/blog/blog/id/309162
You realize that your idol, alvarez. After winning back to back rose bowls went 9-4, 5-7, 8-6, 7-6. That is going down hill, did you want him fired then too. I'm Embarrassed by you people. Michigan loss is unexcusable but so were loses to cincinatii, and unlv. Relax people
Dont forget Barry Alvarez didnt even take wisconsin to a bowl game in 2001 they only won 5 games
Did you guys forget Bret Bielema beat # 21 Fresno State on the road? not to mention wisconsin is the only big ten team to beat a ranked non conference team this year
Are you people kidding?!! Every one needs to focus on the fact that Bret is human. Have you ever had a conversation with the man or heard him give a speech? The man has a heart of gold and takes his job and players very seriously!!! Fine, we're not winning but it takes more than one man to run a TEAM!!!! If you think the rude comments and this stupid wed site are going to make us win, grow up!! The season isn't over and every game is a new day to prove you all wrong!!! Do you really think some stupid web site is going to get a coach fired? Reality check, is it not your decision. Go Bucky!!! Good luck Coach!!!
OOOOOh.... FRESNO STATE.
That is the standard we want to be held up to.
Are you going to get all "jizzy" if we beat Cal-Poly too?
Who posted that, Bret himself? Yeah, let's continue to schedule Fresno State, Northern IL, Cal-Poly, and the Sisters of the Poor. THAT is the only way Bret will hang on to his precious little (padded) W-L record.....
Say all you want - the FIRE BRET BIELEMA movement has steam. AND YES KIMMY - we have a say! We buy the tickets, we donate to the program, and have some volunteers with $$$$$
We are asking fans to send $1 to FIRE BRET BIELEMA FUND, ATTN: Barry Alvarez, 1440 Monroe Street, Madison, WI 53711
Getting the message out. WE were featured in Baggot's article on the front page of the WI State Journal TODAY - we had 3 callers accepted on Lucas/LePay Monday evening, and we'll have more callers on with BIG UNIT and Heller & Murphy the rest of this week. We also have been accepted on many Chicago sports talk stations.
THIS MOVEMENT is gaining steam - and it will only get hotter when Bret blows another one vs. IOWA, then ILLINOIS, then MICH STATE.
And then watch this site, our t-shirt sales, etc. blow the lid off of the place!!! WOW !!!
Go Rhinos !!!!
(maybe Bret should have supported the band...)
From the ESPN.com "Bottom Ten":
Michigan: "Beaucoups Of Blues": Holy Toledo! The Wolverines have their worst six-game record since 1967 and lost in the Big House to the Utes, Illini and Rockets. But at least the Blue has that win over Bucky
Wisconsin is on the waiting list.
Bielema needs to go...
The author of this site is a joke. How is mailing the recruits and telling them not to come going to help the program? You're giving those with a UW degree a bad name if you really think that will make things better. The fact that you think this website does anything for your cause is laughable. Every coach in America has a site like this, how many ADs do you think pay attention to this BS?
What a bunch of fools. This has got to be a publicity stunt. Contacting recuits so they DON'T come to Wisconsin? It's got to be a joke.
Losers.
I went to a badgers game against ohio state in 1990. To get tickets we walked up to the ticket booth outside the stadium and bought some tickets($17 - on special buy 2 get 1 free). The seats were at the bottom of the upper deck on the 20 yard line.
Someone needs firing on the coaching staff. The last three weeks have been plagued with coaching penalties for no good reason. Illegal formations? Bad coaching. An illegal substitution ON THE ONE YARD LINE? That's utterly incompetent coaching and game management. Not to mention the repeated inability to communicate the plays to the team, resulting in burning off vital timeouts because the coaching staff can't get its act together. Bret Bulimia has been living large off of the Alvarez teams, but he can't recognize talent (e.g. John Clay) when it's right in front of him. Zero imagination on this coaching staff: all they know is "run it up the middle." They pass only when there's no option except to pass, and guess what, geniuses? That's pretty damned easy to defend against.
The Penn State game was the most horrific sporting event I've ever attended, and I was at some games in the Don Morton era. It was just totally embarrassing from start to finish.
And yes - we are now calling him Bielapuke, because somebody on another site said that he was seen puking in a stall at The Dry Bean. Hmmmm..... maybe he should be out recruiting?
As for whether this thing is picking up steam - LISTEN TO THE RADIO !! Heller & Murphy devoted the show to this tonight. It was talked about on LaPay and Lucas last night..... AND IT WAS FRONT PAGE - www.firebretbielema.com - on the WISCONSIN STATE JOURNAL today !!!
This isn't some lame website - it is a movement. And we have confirmation that 3 recruits are now wavering on their commitment. The message is out. Barry will need to address it. (not that losing those recruits is any big deal -- forecasts are that Bucky will have a No. 8 or 9 recruiting class IN THE BIG TEN this year... but see, you drive-by, sit my fanny in the stands fans don't know that)
To the person who said Bielema pads the non conference schedule, and barry alvarez didnt? it was just as bad when he was the coach
All in all, it really doesn't matter, because none of those players, coaches etc care about anyone beyond their little world. The players will try to push their way past you in line everywhere only because they play football at Wisconsin or get away with assualt etc because they play football at Wisconsin.
The only way to prove a point is to stop going to games if you are really disapointed in Bielema. The Badgers have in the past decade feasted on lesser schools in order to put them closer to "Bowl eligibility" and which never helps the players to get ready for the Big Ten season. I hate to say this, but the last Big Ten title won by Wisconsin was courtesy of Minnesota and Michigan (against Penn State....I remember because we all went crazy in the student section in the '99 Iowa game).
This is why I enjoy living halfway around the world and don't allow myself the misery of watching mediocre Badger football. They'll end up winning 8 games and going to some bowl game. Michigan State always folds during the season, Ron Zook is the coach of Illinois, Cal Poly is a high school team and another win or two there. Yeap. Gotta love it.
Instead of buying Badger jerseys or buying "Insider" memberships for Wisconsin football, one should donate money to the departments at the University that need the money, such as the history, english and arts departments.
Three words - Iowa Hawkeyes Tattoo. Enough said.
this site makes me embarassed to be a badger. show some class and respect. try to take an honest look at the state of our football program before ranting and raving and calling for someone's dismissal. we've had a great 10 years, better than most big 10 schools. we won some close games in years past (remember minnesota a few years ago), this year we lost a couple games in the last few minutes. we've had 3 rough weeks of football; that's not enough to give up on the coach or this program. and this other group that is reaching out to recruits?!? are you kidding me??? this is not helping our future regarding recruits, nor will it help bring in a new coach (if bielema does get fired or if he just gets fed up with this crap from the "fans"). i find it pathetic yet amusing that so many of you think you're some kind of expert regarding coaching. if you were an expert at coaching, why weren't you hired? maybe, just maybe, you have no clue what you're talking about. again, this whole thing is an embarassment to badger fans everywhere.
losing to Iowa are you kidding me find a QB and a defense that can stop the run if Bielema doesn't go the coordinators should this team needs some pride and guts.
The Badgers have slowly dwindled since Bielema took over the reigns.
At first it seemed like Bret was going to keep to Wisconsin standard alive, but years later we look like a bottom rung team again.
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