Mountaineers Now

Neal Brown's 'We’re Not 0-10' Comment Has West Virginia Fans Riled Up

The Mountaineer head football coach continues to irk a large portion of the fanbase.

Schuyler Callihan

West Virginia University head coach Neal Brown.
West Virginia University head coach Neal Brown. / Christopher Hall - West Virginia on SI
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West Virginia head coach Neal Brown means well, but sometimes he talks himself right into further ticking off an already irritated fanbase due to a lack of awareness.

During his radio show on Thursday night, Brown was asked about what he would say to those who are frustrated with the program's progress. His response is not being received well.

“First of all, I’m not going to speak for the fans because the last time I did, that turned into a sh**storm, so I’ll avoid that," Brown said. Little did he know the words he would utter next would put him in a similar position with the fans, "What I’ll say is there’s nobody more frustrated with our inconsistencies than myself and our players. If you’re not careful, the negativity will make you believe that we haven’t done anything. We don’t want to be 5-5, but we’re not 0-10. We’ve done some good things in some games we’ve won, but we haven’t been consistent, and that’s a frustrating thing.”

While the statement is correct, Neal, my guy, read the room. Not a soul inside Kegler's Sports Bar and Grill or anyone listening to the radio show wants to hear, "We don’t want to be 5-5, but we’re not 0-10."

Losing five games in year six isn't okay by West Virginia standards. I've said this in the past, and I'll say it here again, too: if Brown had more success in the first five years of his tenure, then a 5-5 record in year six wouldn't be as big of a deal. Teams all around the country have down years.

But aside from a nine-win campaign thanks to a light schedule in 2023, being an average football team has been the norm under Neal Brown. At some point, this thing has to turn, and if it doesn't, then WVU will need to find someone else who can get the program back on track.

Brown was asked a very similar question during his press conference on Monday but stated that he wasn't in "reflective mode" and it wasn't the time to provide an answer.

"I’m kind of in a disgruntled mode of how we played on Saturday and in a mode of getting our guys to play to our capabilities in all three phases at one time. Now, when I get into reflective mode in December, I’ll give you a quality answer. I don’t have one right now.”

Talk about inconsistency.

Brown has stated on numerous occasions after losses that he's not really worried about the team pressing heading into the next week because he believes the players follow the actions of the coach. The same one that stated, "We don’t want to be 5-5, but we’re not 0-10."

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Schuyler Callihan
SCHUYLER CALLIHAN

Publisher of Mountaineers Now on FanNation/Sports Illustrated. Lead recruiting expert and co-host of Between the Eers, Walk Thru GameDay Show, Mountaineers Now Postgame Show, and In the Gun Podcast.

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