Nice little column by Wise, posted a couple of hours ago. http://www.washingtonpost.com/sport...d1e064-1ca0-11e2-9cd5-b55c38388962_story.html
“I over-played the fact that we wouldn’t consider him for a job,” Payne said. Wouldn't it be easier to say "I lied to the fan base and the media?"
I have zero problems with Payne saying that, it took some pressure off Ben and let him decide if it was really what he wanted. If you believe anyone in management during any hiring/firing situation, I have two bridges and an ark I'd like to sell you.
Gonna have to agree, to me this is more about protecting Olsen in case things went south if anything.
Yeah, like a troop withdrawal due to an expired status of forces agreement? Ooooohhhh , no I di dint I really don't care, I'm just sayin.
I do manage people. I do not find it necessary to lie. There IS a cost to lying to season ticket holders, and that cost is that your word is never going to be taken fully as true. There is a wide range of things he could have said that would have been sufficient. How about saying, if asked if Ben could be considered coach, "It's too early for us to comment right now on who will be coach. We're looking at several options." He didn't need to go where he went at all! Instead he said (paraphrasing) that he's looking for a far more experienced coach. You see people like Bruce Arena and Sigi Schmidt repeatedly having successful seasons. Ben doesn't have that experience. He needs more before he will be United's coach. That's essentially what he said. I just don't see why it was necessary at all to say. Sorry. Good management tells outright lies to its fan base only as an absolute last resort - if ever. This hardly qualifies and I believe it demonstrates how much he's willing to take the fan base for granted.
The board went full geek again. Do I need to tap my frighteningly accurate knowledge of Deep Space Nine lore again?
Problem is he meant it when he said it. He went back on it later, when he found out that name coaches wouldn't take the job.