72 Roo

I agree with most of the posters here when we say that this team is horrible. With that being said I am still a supporter of iCoach ( I can't believe I said that, but I did). Here's the deal. I believe he, or any other coach hired to turn around a program, deserves enough time to show he can get it headed in the right direction. To me that's two years. If the evidence isn't there after two years Dr. P should fire his ass. He can go to the university foundation and get the money to eat the rest of the contract and cut our loses. This hire is shaping up to be worse than the hiring of coach Faust, who I think was, and is, a great man. Just a poor D1 football coach. With K.E.N.T. on the horizon, I can't remember a time when I was more depressed about our football team. K.E.N.T. will kick our ass with slightly better talent, far more heart, and better coaching. And that is taking into account K.E.N.T. is led by Doug Martin. Talk about setting the bar low.

I've got a couple questions for the folks who went to the game or those fans who are close to the team. Has the team given up? Have the players tuned out the coaching staff? I know for a fact that the staff is not highly respected by the people who work in athletic administration. When I've talked to other coaches about them they dodge any justment by saying the football staff has a long way to go to build the program. Kind of a non-committal response designed not to get them in trouble with anyone. The way I look at it is these guys are coaches first, then recruiters. Their first responsibility is to coach up the talent that they have and make them productive. If they wait until all the new talent is recruited into our system, we will have better talent, but still no one to coach them up and make them better. They will not be productive w/o someone who can coach. Can these guys coach? If you folks in the know feel they can, I am willing to wait and stick with them. But I'm not seeing any evidence that the staff can coach.

Z.I.P. Thanks for the news. This is a guy who will be heir apparent to Ampai. Caleb continues to keep us on top. Look for news of another stadium expansion to come next summer. Supposely private funding to expand the granstand has been pledged. When that happens look for us to draw croeds over 6,000. Take care. Hope the islands are treating you well and you are another year closer to retiring to Portland.

Whoopee! We are now so low that we have the media offering to soothe our wounds with the encouraging words that we may win some games this season. Boy, do I ever feel better! Did anyone notice that at no point in Tom's article was the coaching staff, or the leadership it brings, was cited as something to have confidence in? I have many doubts about this staff but I am not calling for their heads. I'll give them time to prove themselves. BTW, what I can't figure out is if our secondary is constantly being burned why do we continue to let Carter, our unquestioned best DB, play only offense and not start on D? Is it because the staff wants their people in for the experience and they are writing off this year? That's the cynical part of me coming out, but you gotta wonder about this decisions.

THanks for posting the videp clip from MLS. I thought it was well done. John Bluem was reasonable in it to my way of thinking. Sure he mentioned the streak and how he felt in played out in the minds of our players, but that is the gamemanship that goes on at this level. Caleb's comments were all class. Let's not get too deep into this resentment for OSU. They did what they had to do. We didn't! They played phsyical with 10 men behind the ball and they tried to get us more worried about them than playing our style. When Bluem brought on the extra forwards and dropped the defenders we should have picked up the pace. We didn't. In fact the last 3 minutes of the game OSU controlled the tempo. You could see it slide away. For what it's worth in the Soccer America blog today Bluem saluted the great crowd Akron travels with. He knows it wasn't his team that 7,300 came to see. The number one player in the state, Tripp from Gahanna Lincoln who is coming to Akron, was there with his team. In fact, I counted many high school teams that came just to see the Zips. If we learn from this tie, which seems like a loss, this game could be a blessing as we win a national championship. Forget the other BS and whining that is being posted. We are better than that and we have more class than to bitch.

I love the point Anthony is making and you all are supporting. But let me offer this. I recently came to Akron for a College of Business meeting. I was impressed by the significant change I have noticed on campus in the number of students sporting Akron sportswear. Way better than it has ever been. Can it get better? Of course, but you guys and other Zip supporters are making a difference and don't belittle the affect you are having. To put this in perspective, on Monday I took my daughter to The University of Cincinnati for a visit and review of their medical programs. Few of their students sported UC clothing. They did not even come close to what I saw on our campus. Keep driving for more visible support of Akron in what students wear. But we are on the right track and I believe that with guys like you and Anthony the outward support of our school will continue to get better.

Hate to rain on this love-fest regarding the rebirth of Akron football but I do not see one area in which we are better than NIU. I think you loyal fans want us to be competitive more so than we really are. We are a struggling team with questionable leadership. Thank you for trying to see the glass as half full but in reality it is 90% empty. We will get beat by a better NIU team.

a little more than a Can't or YSU football game? If you are being critical of their programs, be careful. This year both will outdraw Akron in football attendance. But since this is a soccer thread I'll offer that I can't wait until the grandstand is expanded and we are accomodating 5500-6000 for every game. This program is hot!

Buy the cheapest ticket you can and move to the better seats once in the stadium. I live in Columbus and go to many games. The ushers rarely ask to see your tickets. The crowd will not be significant and the Crew staff is pretty loose about letting you move around if there is no big demand for seating. The most fun section to sit in is the Nordecke where all the loyal and crazy supporters of the team sit/stand. It is in the Northeast corner of the stadium. Hope you have fun.

Want to drink beer and watch the KY game this week someplace in c-bus this sat? Cornbread, I don't know if this Saturday will work but I'd like to get together with you and any Columbus Zips in the future. How about sending me a PM with your contact info and we can work on it. Just keep in mind the KY game is going to be very ugly. We may not be able to take more than a half.

Captain, Nice post. It has sparked lots of comment and that's good. Here's mine: 1) Ianello is here to stay for at least 3 years. Dr. P won't can him and eat most of his salary 2) Ianello has yet to show he, or his staff, can coach. They've been out-coached by two highly divergent staffs. They have been unable to prepare a team. They do not manage a game well and the players are showing visible signs that they don't believe in the staff. Watch the sidelines to see their lack of engagement. 3) Let's stop the typical Akron crap of saying the future will be so much better with the talent the new coach is bringing in. Mismanaged talent = loses. This line of thinking also assumes we will keep what talent we have. History shows that in a losing culture talent either leaves or crumbles and new talent never lives up to billing. 4) Our O-line, WR's and DB's are worse than we ever thought. Blow them up and start freshmen and sophmores who can use the experience. We will not win this year and we will not be a factor in the MAC. So start over now. 5) Get used to crowds of 3,000 6) At some time Dr. P has to address the culture of losing that is synonymous with Akron football. Hire people who have been successful. The best predictor of future success is past success. Once you hire them get out of their way and let them attack the culture. This is an area where I feel coach I is over his head and lacking the vision and skills to solve. That being said, we will have to live with point #1 so I hope iCoach can grow and surprise me. I, for one, will not be coming to more games. I can't take seeing this type of product on the field. Coming from Columbus I give up a whole day for this heartbreak. I can't take it. I'll have season tickets available for my more courageous local buddies. There's got to be someone out there to turn this around

Zach, I think you hit the nail on the head. I agree with you and you said it well. The players play with no leadership or passsion. Only Wagner does. They need leadership and a vision. It must come from the coaching staff. This was a terribly prepared team and that's on the staff. GW made brilliant adjustments in the second quarter, so why can't we? I have stated I will give coach I time, but please show you can coach.

Attendance was 10,086 of which half were present. Next home game we will get 3,000. These are the lowest of days to be a Zip.

I feel as much pain as anyone having followed UA athletics for nearly 40 years. But Ianello needs time. Our talent is over-rated, but so is his coaching staff so I don't expect them to make what we got any better. I will buy that we will get better talent thru coach I's great recruits, but again I'll only give him two years to show me. I still think TW deserves time to build his dept also. If we had a great tradition of winning I might be more in favor of pulling the plug, but we have nothing to protect because we has been so bad for decades.

Game: Akron 28, GW 10 Attendance: 10,000 (Very Sad)

My two cents: - This team was not prepared. There is no excuse for 10 penalties, 4 of which were for illegal formation. Inexcusable. - The defense is improved. Our LB's are too small except for Wagner. They could not plug holes or drive ballcarriers back. - Our safeties are not up to D1 standards. Province was repeatedly beaten and Richmond had cover issues too. - Our offensive play calling made Cuse look good. Latina and Powlus need to be removed if that is the best they have. There was no imagination, deception or attacking SU where they didn't expect. With the D-line rush coming so hard was there ever a screen, draw or counter? How about an end around? These guys are showing signs of not being able to take what the D gives you and keep them guessing. They let this team down. - For as good as this coaching staff was supposed to be, I saw no element of the team "coached up". No one seemed better because of the staff. If there was improvement I didn't see it over JD's staff. These guys were supposed to make a difference. - Our O line sucks. Don't give me that crap they are veteran because they are still poor. They can't drive block, they aren't mobile, they can't hold their blocks and they can't open holes. - Attendance next week will be little more than 10,000. - The team shop was nice and full when I was there, but the merchandising is weak. There were no imaginative golf shirts, jackets, T's or sweatshirts. The same old stuff. No reason to spend your money, which I wanted to do. - We are 7-10 years away from building a program that will dominate the MAC. Until then the crowds will be like they were today because Joe Public knows good football and we don't play it or have any winning tradition. - I don't want Ianello's head, but I do want him to fix the problem. Right now we are headed to a 4-8 or 5-7 season with Can't being the better program. That should make anyone sick.

A birdie in the ticket office told me they have sold a little over 7,000 tickets for the game. That does not include students, but does include season ticket holders. We need: 1) the students to come out in droves, 2) SU to bring a ton of fans who don't have tickets and 3) a big walk up from the local fans. I never thought I'd see the day that Can't would outdraw us in any game. Please let it not be so.

Way to go Zips! Way to serve notice we are better than ever! Take it to Wake!

Got to echo Rifle. Last year we had a perfect setup for the Indiana game i.e. weather, big ten opponent, promotion, the stadiumj was still new & a novalty, high hopes for the team, and an exciting start. We should have sold out. Instead 18,000. We have to build a tradition of winning and playing good, exciting football. Until then we can't expect too much. This week attendance prediction: 18,000. It also should be a sell out, but until we start winning, it ain't gonna happen.

Far too many question marks for the Zips this year. Cuse 24, Zips 13.

These kind of issues will always plague the MAC because there is not a commitment to raise the quality of play. BG is preparing to open the Stroth Center on campus. It is a brand new beautiful replacement for Anderson Fieldhouse. The only problem is the seating capacity is 5,000. That speaks volumes about where their administration wants to be with athletics. Nothing like setting the bar low and thinking small. Also OU had a directive this year in which they had to cut $600,000 from their athletics budget. They also wanted a varsity fieldhouse for teams to practice in, especially football. Their solution: put an inflatable dome over a track. I don't know if it got built, but it points out the trouble they are in. The MAC will evolve or die. There can be no in between. I look for Akron to work more closely with the schools who want to improve like CMU, UT, Buffalo, Temple and NIU. They all have similar interests and most want a new or better league.

Our upgraded soccer stadium is beautiful. But, what really makes it better than others is the fans, especially the AK-Rowdies, and the awesome team that plays in it. I defy anyone to match the atmosphere we have! Go Zips! It only looks better than ours in that it appears to have restrooms and concession areas. In our place those are yet to come. They copied our berm seating and I wonder if they will try to get a Rowdies-type group together. Nice place all in all. Ours will be better and bigger.

Lil, Thanks for setting some idiots straight about coach Jeff. Now what you, me and all who care about Akron athletics need to do is build on what Jeff has done. TW has to find someone who has the same vision and talent to keep tennis going in the right direction. I'm not much of a tennis fan, but I support all things Akron so I want to see the program grow. I bet I speak for most, if not all, who are on this board. Since you know the program, keep the pressure on to move ahead and also keep us up to date on what tennis is doing. Thanks and Go Zips!

I appreciate the fact that he took us to heights we never even dreamed of before he arrived. He rebuilt the program and left it far, far better than he inherited it. He is leaving for the number 14 ranked program. Wake has better facilities, resources, pay and a better commitment to playing at the top. I can't blame him at all. Look for a player or recruit to follow him. We were lucky to have a guy this good considering the state of our program. Good luck coach and thanks for your time with the Zips.

Funny you mention tennis, since Coach Wyshner is starting his new job at Wake Forest on Monday. I didn't know he had left. Damn! He was great for the program.