Quote
LesBaker
We disagree on Kroenke.
His interests aren't winning titles, he's said so.
It's the coin, he's in this game for the money.
Well, we've been through this before. I'll just summarize my view of SK, based on the Rams and, to a much lesser degree, Arsenal. I dunno much of anything about his other teams.
I am always suspicious of laments based on the accusation that someone is in it for the money. That could be a long conversation on its own, but I'd just stress that, in the long run, money is made by stability and competence.
SK owns one of the most famous football clubs in the world. Of course, that's Arsenal FC, not the Rams. That club is run very, very competently. Year after year they contend for the Premiership crown, compete well in the Champions League, and have recently won the FA cup. Their fans are frustrated that they haven't actually won the Premiership or the Champions' League, but they are a major football club that competes very well in the globe's biggest club competitions.
What I think SK meant about not competing for championships is that he doesn't lose any sleep over the near misses. A Gunners squad that reaches the quarters or semis in the CL and the FA Cup and finishes 2nd or 3rd in the Premiership, thus qualifying for the CL the next season, is a very successful team. Its success level is enough to fill the Emirates and support the Gunners' global brand.
Now, Gunners supporters get frustrated over the team's inability to cross the finish line. Sort of like we old Ram fans ate our livers over the playoff failures of the late 60s through the 70s. But that is ultimately a spoiled perspective. One cannot complain that SK's Gunners or the 70s Rams were incompetently led or bereft of talent.
Not hoisting the trophy DOES NOT mean stinking the joint out.
Of course, SK did not build the Gunner brand. He bought it. And the Rams have to be built from a very low point.
But, as I have before, I will invoke your words in disputing your main point. Yes, SK wants to make money. Actually, he is building an empire and is thinking way beyond money as such. What does that mean for the Rams going forward?
It means that he has GOT to have a Rams club that succeeds. The success of his empire of land and wealth needs the cornerstone team to command respect and interest. It need not necessarily win the SB. But it has GOT to be relevant in the league and the vast and vastly competitive LA sports market. The cachet of residences and retail--the real sources of wealth in the project--need to be linked to a competent NFL team.
I dunno if this convinces you or anyone, but, TBH, in my view the truth of this assessment is self-evident. It is, however, foreign to a sports fan's perspective. SK doesn't live and die with competitive success of the team. He's like Montgomery watching his soldiers playing cricket ... but knowing that cricket was crucial for the army's goals. (Tortured metaphor.) I think this is why so many fans struggle to understand a guy like SK. They see a guy who, unlike a Jerry Jones, seems detached from the team's fortunes. They see a guy who is not responding to the passion that they share.
But the simple fact is that owners don't play or choose players or coach. A team can win with a useless owner, as we did with a decaying Georgia. It doesn't matter if SK loves the team or cares about wins and losses.
What does matter is that he make FO choices that lead to coherent, competent performance in the offices and on the field. To date, his record on this has been less than successful. So why should we expect improvement?
For a simple reason. Money. More specifically, money under wholly changed circumstances. To now, his focus was on moving the team. Ram performance meant very little. Now, the team has had 1 bad year in LA and needs to start improving. SK's would-be empire demands success to the point of relevance.
In that context, I view the situation somewhat differently than many do. I never doubted for a minute that Fisher would not survive another bad year. Many FANS, looking at aloof SK, feared he didn't care and would keep Fisher no matter what. Fisher didn't even finish the season. This should not have surprised anyone. SK hired Fish to move the team. The team is moved. LA demands winning. SK's empire is tied to fans' and media demands. ... ergo Fisher HAD to go LAST year whereas there was no reason for firing him the year before.
OK, enter new coach. But much in the FO has not yet changed. Many on this board feel that leaving Demoff and Snead in place with a very young HC will lead to continued failure. I dunno. I always thought Snead did pretty well. But, let's say that this FO doesn't turn things around next year.
SK WILL NOT tolerate continued failure from his FO. He has GOT to get a team developed that will fire LA up at the opening of the new stadium. He will demand improved football professionalism. The priority in running the team has shifted to football success. For the first time perhaps since Georgia inherited a fine organization, the team MUST start winning games.
So, BECAUSE SK is building an empire, I expect the team to begin to improve its professionalism. It may not happen overnight. It may take a few seasons. It may hit a plateau that frustrates us with playoff losses. But SK will demand at least playoff levels of performance. And that's all I ask of an owner.
