Does Hogville really matter?

[Porky Pig]

I am not a Nutthugger or hater. I am also not satisfied with the football team, but let me say, and I promise you guys this that message boards are nothing when it comes to hiring and firing coaches. Let's say that the Hogs lose to Auburn by more than two touchdowns. You guys are gonna go crazy. Guess what? No one will read your posts except for the 4,000 or so that are in this club that is called Hogville. And out of that 4,000 I would say that maybe 2,000 go to the games. That's 2 thousand out of 70 that will be at the game. You guys can be replaced at the stadium when things turn around. Go ahead and put the bags on your heads but it will be nothing but a reason for others to stare at you and laugh. What I am saying is that maybe you want the Head Coach and staff replaced but remember you are in the minority. Arkansas football is gonna be okay. Even if Houston remains head coach.

[RBLtoHOG]

yah it matters or i woukdnt be gere

[Lando Calrissian]

yah it matters or i woukdnt be gere

i cORdN't haved sAiD it BEtteR mEseLF

[Lanny]

Month           Unique visitors       Number of visits      Pages          Hits            Bandwidth
Aug2005          29829                 129275               2673760       17443033     72.64 GB
Sep 2005         28423                 117201                3079143      19089193     77.95 GB

Let's see almost 60 thousand unique visitors the past two months.  Yep that would almost fill Razorback Stadium.

[Joe Davis (USS Razorback)]

Well, I could really care less if my post is not a determining factor in the hiring and firing of coaches.  I am not so arrogant that I think the Chancellor is hanging on my every word.  With that said, I am not happy with the state of affairs with the hogs program.  I will not spend a nickle on U of A merchandise, tickets, etc until they take measures to stem the bleeding.  That is my attempt at voicing my input to the determining factor.  Alot of other hog fans are making that choice too.

This board is simply an outlet to express my frustration with the downfall of my beloved hogs.  I write what I feel.  No one needs to be compelled to read my posts and most certainly not to agree.  That does not mean my opinions are any less of value than the so called "faithful fans" who rally around the coaches regardless of the situation. 

The thing is one need not have ones snout stuck up the current staffs hind quarters to be a "real hog fan".  If someone is happy with the current state of Razorback football, this is the coaching staff for them.  I, for one, am most displeased with what has become of the program.  I personally want a change.  I want to be ranked nationally again . . . just not in the bottom ten list as we are now.   

Overall, your premise is correct.  I would hope the powers at hand would spend their time in a more productive way than brooding over a photoshoped Houston Nutt I may have created for the board.  On the other hand, however, You and I are customers in the big picture and we are being sold a substandard product.  This is not a matter of the breaks not going our way or a big play killed us.  This program has a fundamental flaw, coaching.  It is correctable. 

Why should I not believe we can return to greatness?  I am a RAZORBACK! 

[Biggus Piggus]

What I am saying is that maybe you want the Head Coach and staff replaced but remember you are in the minority.

I very much doubt that.

[HighOnHogs]

Let's see almost 60 thousand unique visitors the past two months. Yep that would almost fill Razorback Stadium.

Wow, that's great Lanny!  This board has exploded this past year! 

[Biggus Piggus]

Well, I could really care less if my post is not a determining factor in the hiring and firing of coaches. I am not so arrogant that I think the Chancellor is hanging on my every word. With that said, I am not happy with the state of affairs with the hogs program. I will not spend a nickle on U of A merchandise, tickets, etc until they take measures to stem the bleeding. That is my attempt at voicing my input to the determining factor. Alot of other hog fans are making that choice too.

This board is simply an outlet to express my frustration with the downfall of my beloved hogs. I write what I feel. No one needs to be compelled to read my posts and most certainly not to agree. That does not mean my opinions are any less of value than the so called "faithful fans" who rally around the coaches regardless of the situation.

The thing is one need not have ones snout stuck up the current staffs hind quarters to be a "real hog fan". If someone is happy with the current state of Razorback football, this is the coaching staff for them. I, for one, am most displeased with what has become of the program. I personally want a change. I want to be ranked nationally again . . . just not in the bottom ten list as we are now.

Overall, your premise is correct. I would hope the powers at hand would spend their time in a more productive way than brooding over a photoshoped Houston Nutt I may have created for the board. On the other hand, however, You and I are customers in the big picture and we are being sold a substandard product. This is not a matter of the breaks not going our way or a big play killed us. This program has a fundamental flaw, coaching. It is correctable.

Why should I not believe we can return to greatness? I am a RAZORBACK!

Outstanding post.

[lunchbox72703]

read scott faldon's article over at HogsIllustrated.com, he has put a statistical numbering to the argument that Nutt will never pull this program out of Mid-level Mediocrity.  It's an interesting read.

[BuschHawg]

Excuse me, but I don't think anyone stated that Hogville is alone in this battle. The "5%" makes up a huge group. Hogville is only one discussion board, and there are other board as well where they are expressing the same sentiment. Its on the radio, TV, newspapers, everywhere we turn. The disgust is much bigger than anyone on the hill would like to admit. No need in debating it here. It will ultimately be decided by one thing and one thing only. The math is simple. Empty Seats = Lost Revenue = HDN Fired.

BuschHawg

[HighOnHogs]

The math is simple. Empty Seats = Lost Revenue = HDN Fired.

To all of you who want a rally.  Not showing up for the Auburn game would be the best rally you could come up with as far as the statement you want to make to the Razorback program.

[Hog Bounty Hunter]

I am not a Nutthugger or hater. I am also not satisfied with the football team, but let me say, and I promise you guys this that message boards are nothing when it comes to hiring and firing coaches. Let's say that the Hogs lose to Auburn by more than two touchdowns. You guys are gonna go crazy. Guess what? No one will read your posts except for the 4,000 or so that are in this club that is called Hogville. And out of that 4,000 I would say that maybe 2,000 go to the games. That's 2 thousand out of 70 that will be at the game. You guys can be replaced at the stadium when things turn around. Go ahead and put the bags on your heads but it will be nothing but a reason for others to stare at you and laugh. What I am saying is that maybe you want the Head Coach and staff replaced but remember you are in the minority. Arkansas football is gonna be okay. Even if Houston remains head coach.

Suey you are "Wrong".  I talk to a lot of people around NW Arkansas each day, these are not your average fans they are you donors, your Razorback Club members , the folks whom many sit in the sky boxes and who's opinions actually do matter to Frank. I have yet to find one who is satisfied with the present coach, not one.  In fact I am sure Nutt's support is less than 10% of the fan base.   Overall in the state of all fans I would say it is less than 5%.  No one likes this guy, he needs to go. Frank will come to know this as the complaints continue to come in and the financial statements show dwindling amounts of support.

[drakekllr]

I beleive that there is a huge majority of fans straddling the fence,  waiting to watch the next few games.  If we lose, this board will light up with fire HDN.  I for one want nutt to go.  Firing Nutt did not appear from nowhere.  This sentiment was strung out through the hill last year.  The fans need to support our players, but make sure that the fire hdn is present.  If sales drop that could hurt recruiting, i know, recruiting already sucks.  But we need any advantage to recruit somewhat decent players.  A boycot on merchandise is a good way to go.  Thats just my opinion. 

[BigPapaHawg]

I'm sorry to tell you suey, but the majority of HOG fans that I talk to on a daily to weekly basis, not including the one's that are on this board, they are not at all happy with the job the present coach is doing! So I think your little theory, just isn't very accurate.   

[MCPeePants]

....ITS NOT ALL NUTT is the players also...

Gee...and just who do you think is responsible for giving us those players?

[Call Mr. Sow]

I think whether the board has any role in the hiring and firing of coaches or not is beside the point.  To me, the main role of this board is cathartic. 

After the kind of ankle-grabbing embarassments we've been subjected to the last few years, I believe people need a place to vent, or pretty soon whiskey bottles will be raining down from the stands from frustrated fans who've been led to believe by the media that all is rosy in hogland.

I also think it's important for people to feel like they aren't alone in recognizing the debacle that is the current state of Hog football.  If it wasn't for the message boards and the occasional radio show caller, people watching the news and hearing from Broyles would be left thinking that everyone is just delighted with the state of the Razorback nation. 

Hell, JFB doesn't read message boards, and he's apparently convinced himself that only 1 in 20 hog fans are in favor of a coaching change.  This message board provides an opportunity to disprove that nonsense, and in that sense it is invaluable.

[mikeirwin]

What I am saying is that maybe you want the Head Coach and staff replaced but remember you are in the minority.

There is no way you can prove that.
You're simply tossing out a big guess and expecting the people on this board to accept it.
Just because JFB says 95% want HDN back doesn't make it so.
In Broyles case he wasn't guessing. He made the whole thing up.
That was the biggest whopper he's ever tied to sell to Hog fans.
Remember he said he had the facts to prove it.
What facts ?

[HogDodging]

What I am saying is that maybe you want the Head Coach and staff replaced but remember you are in the minority.

There is no way you can prove that.
You're simply tossing out a big guess and expecting the people on this board to accept it.
Just because JFB says 95% want HDN back doesn't make it so.
In Broyles case he wasn't guessing. He made the whole thing up.
That was the biggest whopper he's ever tied to sell to Hog fans.
Remember he said he had the facts to prove it.
What facts ?

I don't know about that.  Remember when he introduced Jack Crowe as having the "greatest offensive mind since Lou Holtz"?
That one is pretty close to the 95% statement with its inaccuracy.

[Theolesnort]

Yes Hogville matters it is very therapeutic. And people take note. In the past when I have criticized Nutt it was in a constructive way. Every off season when he talks about opening up the offense I fall for it and get excited, I am a very patient man but all you good people use me for a gage and I am telling you that my confidence in Nutt is 95% gone and the other 5 % is wavering so I think that it is possible that Frank is confused and has his stats reversed. In the past I have tried looking at Nutt objectively and I see potential for the makings of a good coach but when you ignore doing the little things right and paying attention to details and on top of it all start coaching scared then you lose your imagination and confidence and that is where he is now. Nutt is just a shell of the coach he was and could have become. I think his greatest fault is his lack of modesty. Some will think I am full of it for saying that but what I am getting at is that he had to much confidence in himself at one time and instead of building on a foundation or base that he had started in 98 he depended on himself to much. He had a chance to build a outstanding coaching staff but no he felt like he could make up personally for any short falls his cronies had. I am not even going into the off coordinator thing ,that has been beaten to death but from the very first he has needed a top notch recruiting coordinator that not only expanded the recruiting base and went after top notch talent but also divided the recruits into needed positions and kept the numbers in balance. This part of his tenure has actually been the worst thing of all. Totally mystifying!

[Biggus Piggus]

I don't know.  Really, I never even considered whether Hogville mattered as far as the original poster suggested.  I think it would be good PR for the athletic department to begin interacting with message boards, for this is the place where many zealous fans, the fans with the highest interest level, interact.  Does anybody here believe he/she is going to change anything by making posts, no, that's silly.  This board is a running conversation among a handful of people, with thousands of others looking on.

[Theolesnort]

And Biggis don't forget the tailgates and the interaction some of us get there. Many of you never have come and you ought to because it is fun and think how much more fun it would be with some success on the field.

[BirmingHam]

And it is a way for all of us out-of-state Hog fans to keep up with our beloved Hogs.  You guys don't know just how much these boards help us dislocated Hogs.

[Inigo Montoya]

Arkansas football is gonna be okay. Even if Houston remains head coach.

Now that's just sad...

Oh and I read Playboy for the articles!

[GorillaJMonsoon]

People that care about the Razorbacks want to know more about whats going on with them than what Wally has to say, and they want to talk about them, that's what this board is for.  I would say that a person who comes here to discuss the state of the Hogs is more into the Razorbacks than your average bleacher warmer.  I know that a lot of people go to games because it is a social function or they want to be seen in their latest red leather pants and they could care less if the hogs score a touchdown or a home run or whatever.  So you can't judge the interest level by game attendance alone.  And Rick has made it clear that FB and the big boys don't give a s--- for those fans that don't give over 5000K a year, further enraging and alienating the salt of the Razorback Nation.  So what you get is a group of longtime fans that are being told that their opinion doesn't mean squat, no matter how bad the record gets, who now have a place on the web that they can communicate with each other, and what results is a lot of hard earned frustration in both the lack of performance on the field and in the insulting attitude from the top of the program.  That is what Hogville.net gives us, a place to gripe, however pointless the griping may be, it makes us feel better.  And if we feel bad enough about the situation as a mass, then maybe pulling our $ out as a mass will be like one huge boosters influence.  So don't count out the little fan just yet. 

And U.S.S. Razorback, you said: "I would hope the powers at hand would spend their time in a more productive way than brooding over a photoshoped Houston Nutt I may have created for the board."

Every creation of mine is done with the hopes that Nutt of Broyles will see it, if only for the 3 seconds it takes for them to delete it. 

J

[Sound the Horns]

I am not a Nutthugger or hater. I am also not satisfied with the football team, but let me say, and I promise you guys this that message boards are nothing when it comes to hiring and firing coaches. Let's say that the Hogs lose to Auburn by more than two touchdowns. You guys are gonna go crazy. Guess what? No one will read your posts except for the 4,000 or so that are in this club that is called Hogville. And out of that 4,000 I would say that maybe 2,000 go to the games. That's 2 thousand out of 70 that will be at the game. You guys can be replaced at the stadium when things turn around. Go ahead and put the bags on your heads but it will be nothing but a reason for others to stare at you and laugh. What I am saying is that maybe you want the Head Coach and staff replaced but remember you are in the minority. Arkansas football is gonna be okay. Even if Houston remains head coach.

Okay, a new tactic to stop the complaining about Nutt. Lets see, maybe if I tell them they don't matter then all the complaing will decrease. You  started off trying to sound neutral but then you quickly lost your cover.  Keep on digging, the numbers hsv showed you clearly show that you are wrong and that you are a NuttDigger. Better luck next time.

[Porky Pig]

No, I'm sitting right in the middle of a crossroad with Nutt. I am on the fence you could say. It did seem later in my post that I was supporting Nutt but most of the things I have read here and other forums lately are just wildly out in left field. I really am curious and HSV had some very good facts to support that message boards matter. It's just that when you hear a player, coach or official in any sports related office they all talk about message boards like they are just rediculous. And when I say the majority of fans support Nutt, maybe I'm wrong but you guys have to take into effect that most folks over 60 probably do support Nutt and don't want to see him fired. They want some changes in certain areas but do not want a firing. And that is the age group that fills up most of the seats. Just go to a home game and there are tons of folks in that age group. When I walk down to my seats on Razorback row in Fayetteville that is all I see behind me and around me.

[Biggus Piggus]

My mom and dad are over 60, have been going to games since the 1960s, season tickets since the 1970s, and they would ditch Nutt in a second.  They did that all by themselves without any influence from me.  I find the biggest Nutt supporters tend to be people who don't actually watch the games.  Anybody who has lived through eight years of Fayetteville games, I don't know how they can stand him.  And I say that alongside the other stuff I've posted.  Just because he's irritating doesn't mean he has to go.

[HogFather]

Month Unique visitors Number of visits Pages Hits Bandwidth
Aug2005 29829 129275 2673760 17443033 72.64 GB
Sep 2005 28423 117201 3079143 19089193 77.95 GB

Let's see almost 60 thousand unique visitors the past two months. Yep that would almost fill Razorback Stadium.

Fill it?? 60 thousand is about average attendance for RRS.  So I think we got everybody.

[Sound the Horns]

My mom and dad are over 60, have been going to games since the 1960s, season tickets since the 1970s, and they would ditch Nutt in a second. They did that all by themselves without any influence from me. I find the biggest Nutt supporters tend to be people who don't actually watch the games. Anybody who has lived through eight years of Fayetteville games, I don't know how they can stand him. And I say that alongside the other stuff I've posted. Just because he's irritating doesn't mean he has to go.

Good point, my dad and all of his Buddies who are die hard fans and support Super Hog scholarships and such are sick of Nutt. On the other hand, my Mom who could care less about the games but goes to them with my Dad thinks we should keep Nutt around for a little bit longer. Even she is having her doubts at this point but for the most part she wants the homer to stay.

[Thehammer]

I am not a Nutthugger or hater. I am also not satisfied with the football team, but let me say, and I promise you guys this that message boards are nothing when it comes to hiring and firing coaches. Let's say that the Hogs lose to Auburn by more than two touchdowns. You guys are gonna go crazy. Guess what? No one will read your posts except for the 4,000 or so that are in this club that is called Hogville. And out of that 4,000 I would say that maybe 2,000 go to the games. That's 2 thousand out of 70 that will be at the game. You guys can be replaced at the stadium when things turn around. Go ahead and put the bags on your heads but it will be nothing but a reason for others to stare at you and laugh. What I am saying is that maybe you want the Head Coach and staff replaced but remember you are in the minority. Arkansas football is gonna be okay. Even if Houston remains head coach.

darned right hogville is needed.  So are nearly all the message forums in this state (except for woopig.net) because each board attracts different niches of fans from eveywhere in the state.   We deserve to have a voice, because most us have invested a lot of money, time, passion and loyalty to the razorback football program.

When you see message forums literally dry up due to lack of posters;  then you can truly say that nobody cares about razorback football anymore. 

[hawkeyefan17]

Hogville matters to me. When I first moved to Bentonville I was depressed because I never got to talk sports with anyone. My family is into sports but my wife's family who all live around here don't follow sports at all. They like the Hogs but they have no real knowledge of the Hog teams. I joined Hogville because I wanted to talk sports and talk about the Razorbacks.  I am not the type to have a bunch of friends so Hogville is where I get to post my thoughts on the Hogs. Many of my opinions don't match many of the members here but that is what is cool about this board, good topics and conversations through posts.

I could care less if people involved in the athletic department read this board, it's all about fans posting ideas, opinions frustrations and happiness. I post on Hogville but I read other Hog boards. I don't join the other ones because I think posting on a bunch of boards for the same team gets redundant so I post on one Hog board but I do read the others.

Message Boards are here to stay and they matter to those who love their teams and to those who post on them and that is really all that matters. People make fun of me being being one of those "message board geeks" but I don't care. Hogville rocks.

[GorillaJMonsoon]

Most of them also think that they won $1,000,000 from Publishers Clearinghouse because it said so on the envelope.

[Chuck Beavers]

Everyone is overreacting to what Broyles said. As long as Nutt is the coach, the university must PUBLICLY support him. To come out publicly and say, "well, we're not too happy with the way things are going" would not do anyone, the university, the players, or Nutt, any good. It would just undermine everyone and everything.

Even if Broyles and company have already decided to fire Nutt at the end of the season they would still be completely supportive of Nutt until then - publicly.

I not saying they are thinking one way or the other. I just saying you can't tell what is going on from what Frank says publicly.

[Flatline]

Hogville matters.  You have no idea who these people are that post on this board.  Some of them may be large contributors to the Razorback Foundation.  I would bet my life on it.  

[Cornhogio]

No, I'm sitting right in the middle of a crossroad with Nutt. I am on the fence you could say.

You're sitting on a fence in the middle of the road?  I'd probably move if I were you.

[Call Mr. Sow]

Everyone is overreacting to what Broyles said. As long as Nutt is the coach, the university must PUBLICLY support him. To come out publicly and say, "well, we're not too happy with the way things are going" would not do anyone, the university, the players, or Nutt, any good. It would just undermine everyone and everything.

Even if Broyles and company have already decided to fire Nutt at the end of the season they would still be completely supportive of Nutt until then - publicly.

I not saying they are thinking one way or the other. I just saying you can't tell what is going on from what Frank says publicly.

I don't think that people are overreacting to what Broyles said.  I'm sure there's a number of wins it will take for Nutt to keep his job this year, but I suspect the number is two.

People think Broyles isn't going to fire Nutt not just because of what he said, but because he's had his chances in the past and hasn't followed through.  And any AD who wouldn't fire his basketball coach after his team literally quit before the season was over, well, he's not going to be firing a long-term football coach over something small like losing all his games.

[JFHWGBKRIII]

You betcher (bleep) it matters.
We are the most knowledgeable, fanatic fans in all creation.

[PorcineSublime]

My question would be: Are we the 5% or are we representative of the population as a whole? I just wonder if, because we are generally more knowledgeable( read hardcore) than your average "I love that helmet" crowd, does it lead us to be less tolerant of the lack of success? Or do the haters just tend to gravitate to the message boards?

I for one feel that we have a good cross section of the population here. We have folks who are bigtime donors, folks who can't even afford season tickets, and folks who are in between. If we are to believe Frank, then most of us here are 5%'ers and we don't make up a cross section of the population.

I don't know how this plays out, but I still think that the "fans" that matter will be the ones named Lindsey,Tyson, Dicus, et al. If these boys say he goes he goes,if the say he stays, we get another year to gripe about HDN's playcalling. The average fan, aka not RF money men, has little say, and maybe that is how it is everywhere now.

My dilemma is this, last year once the season was over, I placed a self imposed moratorium on HDN bashing once it was obvious he was staying. I just don't know if I can stay positive all winter,spring and early summer before I get aggravated all over again. JMO.WPS

[Jaison Black]

What I am saying is that maybe you want the Head Coach and staff replaced but remember you are in the minority.

There is no way you can prove that.
You're simply tossing out a big guess and expecting the people on this board to accept it.
Just because JFB says 95% want HDN back doesn't make it so.
In Broyles case he wasn't guessing. He made the whole thing up.
That was the biggest whopper he's ever tied to sell to Hog fans.
Remember he said he had the facts to prove it.
What facts ?

So why didn't you ask him for the facts when you interviewed him Mike? You gotta start giving him the hard questions bro.