Izzo Channels His Inner RichRod; Says of MSU Fans "Shame on Them"
Izzo was on the radio in Lansing yesterday blasting his own fan base. We all remember how well that went over with our football coach 10 years ago.
"It's amazing some of the things that people would say (on a message board) or yell at you of a personal nature. You almost want to tell them, 'Get a life.’” - Rich Rodriguez, Nov. 17, 2008
“First of all, if fans are upset about four losses, they’re crazy. No insult intended. It’s just crazy. I mean, we lost to Duke early in the year. Yes, we lost to our rival twice, and they deserved to beat us – we didn’t play as well as we should. … I just think that if that’s what people expect, shame on them.” - Tom Izzo, March 7, 2018
Story: https://www.landof10.com/michigan-state/michigan-state-bracketology-nca…
when you sell your soul to get the best recruiting class you ever had only for those players to get schooled by their rivals each time they felt compelled to slap the floor.
What's interesting though, is in Ann Arbor, Rich Rod says these things and the fanbase piles on more. Izzo says "shame on them" and they're going to agree with him.
It's not really that interesting. The similarities between the two are minimal. Rich Rod didn't win. Izzo has. You couldn't follow Bo, Mo & Llo and lose as badly/often as RR did. Everything that happened was impacted by that.
I sat at the bar in the restaurant I had lunch at today and was chatting with the Sparty fan bartender about hoops. I watched him go from disappointed in the series with M this year to talking himself into the idea that losing in the B1G Tournament was actually a good thing for MSU because he didn't want to carry their win streak into the NCAA Tournament. I just shook my head.
"Michigan." Come on, say it. "Michigan" beat you.
Just a guess, but I'd imagine the OP is aware that there are many differences between Izzo and Rich Rod. We could post all day about those. I think maybe? the OP was comparing one specific trait, that being a tendency to snarl at one's own fanbase when things aren't going well.
Oh, another guess -- I'm guessing you knew that and were just being contrary. Stop it.
I was just pointing out the similarities in their comments. And that it usually doesn't go over well when you tell your fan base to get a life.
... the FBI gets done with them, their own crotches will have done them in.
Michigan was ahead before MAAR's shot AND Michigan outscored MSU after that shot counted.
MSU needs to stop whining about that 1 shot in an 11 point loss, while ignoring their luck in a few plays.
Michigan football snuffed itself out (temporarily!) with two bad hires. MSU basketball is self-immolating with their bast coach ever and their best class ever. Excellent. Tear yourself apart, Sparty, you crooked bastard.
They recently won 5 in a row against us? That can't be right?
#IzzoKnew
Over-rated.
tommy.....
This is just further proof that all those losers care about is beating Michigan. It will be shamefully ironic when they justify firing both coaches when Mork loses next year.
I've got no problem with what he's saying. He's absolutely right, particularly from the Spartan perspective. And it's pretty universal- Michigan fans would be much the same way, and I would expect Michigan's coach to feel the same way if we were in their shoes.
I realize a lot of posters here just want to take any oppportunity to take shots (cheap or otherwise) at Izzo and Sparty, but there are better postings to do it in.
No, MSU didn't play well against Michigan (and yeah, Beilein and Michigan had quite a bit to do with that). But Izzo's job is not to praise and glorify Michigan, and we should never expect him to, any more than we would want Beilein bowing down to Izzo, or Harbaugh to UFM.
I remember noticing that about Bo- when Michigan lost, I rarely recall giving much credit to the opponent. The reason and blame for the loss usually fell on what Michigan didn't do: "we didn't block/tackle/run the ball well enough." Focused on his team and we he and the coaching staff and players had to take care of.
In Sparty's case, it's not letting a couple of losses to Michigan derail their chances in the NCAA tournament.
Though it was said in frustration, I thought RichRod had a good point at the time, and Izzo was certainly more justified in saying what he did. "Fans" expectations are absurd at times, and the more succesful your program is, the more inflated the expectations. If Michigan had only four losses all year, but two of the losses were to our rival, we'd be pretty pissed off, too. But our coach would also be within his rights and obligations to protect his players and program and tell us calm down.
And Spartan fans are crazy.
he's right. 29-4, a couple of nice wins, no bad losses, and an honest assesment that we are the better team. i don't see the big deal with what he said.
but first it will piss you off.
Yes MSU lost to us twice and I’m sure that sucks for them. But they still won a shitload of games, a Big Ten title, and have as much talent on their roster as anyone in the country. All their goals are still in front of them. So it’s hard for me to blame Izzo.
I think its fine for a coach to keep a fanbase in check at times, almost a responsibility for those with the cachet to do it. I can only imagine it goes over well with the players.
I'd probably do the same thing if I were in Izzo's position. It's important for the players to know you've got their back and aren't buying into the crap people put out on random internet message boards. Nick Saban could walk into Bryant-Denny Stadium, go over the intercom system to a sold-out crowd and tell them that they're all a bunch of toothless, inbred rednecks if he really wanted to. And no one could do a damn thing about it because he wins. People would rather have an asshole who wins than a nice guy who loses.
If RichRod beat OSU and won big football games (or just any football games, really), the media and fanbase wouldn't have hounded him about every little thing. But he sucked, and his teams got humiliated week after week. So anytime he opened his mouth, he opened himself up to attack on all sides.
The Izzos, Meyers, Sabans and Belicheks of the world can say whatever they want to whoever they want, whenever they want. Winning has a way of shutting everyone up and getting everyone to fall in line.
Neither of them were wrong in those statements.
Izzo seems to really be emphasizing his teams achievements this year significantly more than he or anyone normally would (lack of losses and stuff), whether to answer questions, change the topic from "non-basketball" stuff, get mad at his own fanbase, etc.
Not to jump to a conclusion but....he's probably doing this because he wants as many people as possible to remember it after all of it is completely vacated.
is to have a defender harass the h--- out of Winston, as Z did. If a team has a player capbable of that, they are very vulnerable.