Argo's New HC is.....

[Rammer]

http://www.sportsnet.ca/football/cfl/20 ... os_barker/

Jim Barker, recently of the Calgary Stampeders. He is a good hire to give support all around the Argo's camp, IMO. He was the GM of the Stamps as well, plus he was seen as a regular around the TG lot of McMahon Stadium, so you know he can relate to the CFL fan.

[D]

Jim is a real nice guy, I wish him well but given some of the dead wieght in the office it won't be an easy task

[cromartie]

Jim is a real nice guy, I wish him well but given some of the dead wieght in the office it won't be an easy task

Yes. The beatings will continue until morale improves. Until that front office gets broomed, nothing will change and that's going to turn into a problem for the league if it keeps up.

[Lionheart]

http://www.sportsnet.ca/football/cfl/20 ... os_barker/

plus he was seen as a regular around the TG lot of McMahon Stadium, so you know he can relate to the CFL fan.

A Calgary fan by the name of Sugarfoot and I had a beer with him in Edmonton oh two night before the big game. Not a word of a lie he gave us the first three trick plays of the game.. and sure enough there they were.

[Lionheart]

Jim is a real nice guy, I wish him well but given some of the dead wieght in the office it won't be an easy task

nothing will change and that's going to turn into a problem for the league if it keeps up.

I"m pretty sure as Braley as new owner many things will change fast.... or ... maybe not?? lol

[nelson95]

Nothing like an ex-coach to bring the fans back in Toronto

[WestCoastJoe]

By all accounts, Barker is a good guy.

Can he make something of the Argo mess? Dunno. His track record is just so-so ... IMO.

If Rita and Mohns are still around, Barker will be in quicksand.

[David]

Jim is a real nice guy, I wish him well but given some of the dead wieght in the office it won't be an easy task

Yes. The beatings will continue until morale improves. Until that front office gets broomed, nothing will change and that's going to turn into a problem for the league if it keeps up.

It already is a problem. In short order they have....

* Hired and fired a head coach who continually made bad decisions and lacked a thorough understanding of our game and how to handle his personnel.
* A lame duck GM that now has the dubious honor of running two franchises into the ground.
* Two idiot owners that made public a feasibility study of playing their home games at BMO Field (they can't) and now must spin the merits of playing at Rogers Center to a dwindling fan base.
* Two idiot owners that waffled on whether they want to continue owning the club and publicly tried to find a partner (they couldn't), and must now rely on the league's Sugar Daddy to come to the rescue.

IMO the way the Argonauts have been mismanaged for the past couple of years is far more of a concern than people seem to realize. And now through their incompetence we must "share" an owner? This isn't sitting well with me. For a league that is continually battling an image problem, the last thing we need is the media sinking its teeth into "one guy owning 25% of the league." An unfair accusation maybe, but the numbers don't lie.

As for Jim Barker - great football man, nice guy, solid contacts and credentials, but he was a GM candidate. Since when was he head coaching material? I believe they've just hired the right guy for the wrong job. Yeesh.

DH

[TheLionKing]

http://www.sportsnet.ca/football/cfl/20 ... os_barker/

plus he was seen as a regular around the TG lot of McMahon Stadium, so you know he can relate to the CFL fan.

A Calgary fan by the name of Sugarfoot and I had a beer with him in Edmonton oh two night before the big game. Not a word of a lie he gave us the first three trick plays of the game.. and sure enough there they were.

I guess the key to beating the Argos this year is to have a beer with Barker before the game. He'll spill the beans on what plays they will run.

[Lionut]

...and the CFL Recyclotron strikes again.

I guess the Argos didn't really have a choice. The two "hot assistant" candidates, Chris Jones of Calgary and Scott Milanovich of Montreal, both turned them down, so they had to seek out the one guy whom they knew wouldn't say no. It was like last call at the bar, for God's sake. Last year, it was Mike Benevides who turned them down. Since when do Assistant Coaches turn down an opportunity to run their own show? That tells you everything you need to know about the mess that is the Argos.

Rita, however, seems safe. I gather Braley still likes him for some odd reason, so he gets to stay. Again, only in Argoland does a GM with as miserable a track record as that get to stay on. The sad truth is, though, that there really isn't anyone qualified around the league whom you could persuade to take that job right now under the present circumstances.

I really like Mark Cohon as a Commissioner, but he will need all his skills, plus a little luck, to get that mess sorted out...

[Toppy Vann]

I am underwhelmed. If you want to go to someone who is older guy than why on earth did they not hire a winner - Dave Ritchie.

Even in his coaching prime, he was nothing compared to Dave Ritchie's career in many cities. I don't think his age is a factor if you want to get some instant success and turn the team around. In fact, you could hire with the mandate to bring in a assistant who could replace him if/when he wants to leave. How tough is that to do.