2025 Wisconsin Season Thread

[Mdot21]

very curious to me how guys like Fickell & Frost can be so good one place and so F'ing bad at another place

there are levels to this ish. some guys are cut out for small ball. some aren't cut out for the pressure of helming a big dawg in a P4. 

[Mdot21]

King Barry ain't happy with Wisconsin fans...


https://twitter.com/ESPNMadison/status/1970272993835151553

[847badgerfan]

B1G > XII and >>> AAC.

Before THIS season, Fickell reminded media (and fans and players) that Wisconsin wasn't in the B1G West anymore.

All that happened in 2024 was this:



Come again, clown?

[SFBadger96]

Wisconsin doing throwbacks for the Miami (OH) game in a week.

They are throwing back to 1988 - the worst time in history to be a Wisconsin fan.

WTF?


https://twitter.com/BadgerFootball/status/1958514427705143705

Yikes. This isn't feeling very funny anymore.

And some guy said this a while back:

Listened to Fickell’s press conference from Monday…the only tangible piece of news is the lack of team captains. They have a large group that he’s choosing from, which means they don’t have a small group of obvious leaders. I find that worrisome.

And another guy said this:

The first two games will be telling. If they struggle against Miami (OH) and MTSU, we'll know we can do other things on Saturday this season.

So Barry doesn't like the fans booing. On the one hand, I probably wouldn't do it. On the other, they bought tickets to those football games expecting to see a quality product. That is part of the deal. And McIntosh and Fickell aren't delivering on that. Does it suck for the players? You betcha. You know what else sucks? Paying to watch your tribe--a proud tribe--crumble into a laughing stock, and knowing that change needs to come from the top, but the leaders aren't making those changes. 

So yeah, the booing sucks, but it's the result of a team that is an embarrassment. Does that hurt the players' feelings? Yup. So does getting smoked at home by Maryland. It's up to the leaders to save this thing, and one way to save the players is to show they haven't been abandoned to their fate. They need something to hang onto and Fickell said in his press conference that he doesn't know what that is. Ok, leader, you don't know how to rally the troops, then we need a leader that does. McIntosh firing Fickell would show the players that he knows they aren't getting the leadership they deserve. That's something to rally around.

[Mdot21]

https://twitter.com/badgerbarstool/status/1970505409489416417

[FearlessF]

good luck
most Asian students aren't interested in football

[betarhoalphadelta]

So Barry doesn't like the fans booing.

So yeah, the booing sucks, but it's the result of a team that is an embarrassment. Does that hurt the players' feelings? Yup. So does getting smoked at home by Maryland. It's up to the leaders to save this thing, and one way to save the players is to show they haven't been abandoned to their fate. They need something to hang onto and Fickell said in his press conference that he doesn't know what that is. Ok, leader, you don't know how to rally the troops, then we need a leader that does. McIntosh firing Fickell would show the players that he knows they aren't getting the leadership they deserve. That's something to rally around.

IMHO, fans booing are not really booing the players. They're booing the collective establishment, and it's usually booing the failure of the AD and coaching staff to put a better product on the field. Especially when they were chanting to fire Fickell. They want the best for the players, and realize the players are just trying to do their best. It's the leadership that is the real target of the boos. 

It's like being anti-war but supporting the troops. I can support the troops even if I think the dumbasses in DC are idiots for putting them in harm's way and don't even think the mission is worthwhile. When someone signs 4 years of their life away to put on a military uniform, they don't get to pick and choose where they go. That's why they call them "orders", not "suggestions". So I can support the actual guys on the ground even if I don't think they should be doing what they're asked to do.

So it's not incongruous to support the troops/players while calling for the politicians/coaches' heads. 

(Not intending to be political, but I think the analogy works.)

[847badgerfan]

Exactly.

Barry is out of line with his comments.

[Mdot21]

IMHO, fans booing are not really booing the players. They're booing the collective establishment, and it's usually booing the failure of the AD and coaching staff to put a better product on the field. Especially when they were chanting to fire Fickell. They want the best for the players, and realize the players are just trying to do their best. It's the leadership that is the real target of the boos.

It's like being anti-war but supporting the troops. I can support the troops even if I think the dumbasses in DC are idiots for putting them in harm's way and don't even think the mission is worthwhile. When someone signs 4 years of their life away to put on a military uniform, they don't get to pick and choose where they go. That's why they call them "orders", not "suggestions". So I can support the actual guys on the ground even if I don't think they should be doing what they're asked to do.

So it's not incongruous to support the troops/players while calling for the politicians/coaches' heads.

(Not intending to be political, but I think the analogy works.)

don't think you are political with this- and the analogy is spot on imo.

those fans were booing the leadership and calling for said leadership to hit the road jack and don't look back, not the players. 

[SFBadger96]

FYI, Urban Meyer says the Badgers don't have (or don't want to spend) the money to fire Fickell. Right or wrong the comment is concerning. As are the many reports that suggest that the Badgers simply aren't spending near the money on their football program that everyone else is (or at least the successful programs).

847Badge is correct that if they wait one or two years, they are going to lose a lot of fans in the process--trust they will have to re-earn, which is a tough thing to do.

[847badgerfan]

I remember Barry's first presser when he took the job.

"You'd better get your season tickets now, while you still can."

Those who listened are going to fall off the train - or already have.

[SFBadger96]

King Barry wasn't perfect, but he did know what he wanted the team to be, and he was always focused on that. Even when things weren't going well, he knew what his north star was. Same for his proteges Bielema and Chryst. The same cannot (yet) be said for Fickell. And that is a major failing for a head coach in this kind of a program.

[Temp430]

Alvarez hired and fired Chryst so he knows how to deal with stuff.  At the time I was surprised Barry let Leonhard get away and hired Fickell.  I didn't think Fickell was a good fit in Madison, especially with Longo as his OC.  Perhaps Alvarez thought Leonhard lacked head coaching experience?  Alvarez could have helped out with that.  Hindsight is 20:20.

[MrNubbz]

B1G > XII and >>> AAC.

Before THIS season, Fickell reminded media (and fans and players) that Wisconsin wasn't in the B1G West anymore.

All that happened in 2024 was this:



Come again, clown?

Hey-hey-hey,King Barry wants to talk to you