Team Sky hire Nygaard?

andyp

I hear rumours that Team Sky have hired Brian Nygaard, formerly PR man at CSC and Saxo Bank, to manage their press relationships next season.

Seems like an odd move to me, given their stated policy on riders and support staff.

frenchfighter

I'm not following this robotic and planned to the n'th degree Team Sky, can you tell me about the policy you refer to? Thanks.

Kléber

He's been signed up already and speaks on behalf of the team already.

I'm not sure about his links to doping though, they must be pretty tenuous. Although I'd like to know whether he was involved in Franck Schleck's "training plans" excuse.

andyp

They've been very clear that they are hiring riders, directeur sportifs and soigneurs who do not have links to doping programs.

Nygaard has been seen as Bjaarne Riis' right hand man throughout his time at CSC and Saxo Bank, a team which has, shall we say, a somewhat chequered history when it comes to doping.

iainf72

It would be a bit rich to have an issue with Nygaard

http://www.scottsunderland.com/Gallery. ... Gallery=50

andyp

How many riders implicated in Puerto were current or ex-CSC riders? Four? (Basso, Hamilton, F Schleck and Jaksche)?

afx237vi

andyp wrote:

How many riders implicated in Puerto were current or ex-CSC riders? Four? (Basso, Hamilton, F Schleck and Jaksche)?

Bartoli.

RichN95.

He's only the press officer - I don't imagine he was administering blood transfusions.

You might as well blacklist the website designer.

afx237vi

By the way, I haven't seen this printed anywhere, and it was so outrageous when I heard it that I literally couldn't believe my ears, but when Brailsford was talking to David Harmon during the men's RR at the Worlds last week, didn't he say he was hiring one of CSC's old doctor's?! I think that trumps a PR man.

Like I say... it was such a WTF-moment I did wonder whether my ears were playing tricks on me and whether that was actually what he said.

Kléber

andyp wrote:

How many riders implicated in Puerto were current or ex-CSC riders? Four? (Basso, Hamilton, F Schleck and Jaksche)?

Riis was sending his riders to Cecchini, who was in turn sending them to Fuentes for "training plans". I'd name other riders using Cecchini on the CSC squad but it would probably sadden some readers on here, so I'll leave others to research this if they like.

Hiring Nygaard isn't too sinister. If the closest Sky come to doping is hiring the PR man who helped Riis cook up some whopper pork pies then they will be rivalling some of the French teams for fair play.

iainf72

One of the ones you mention is quite often linked to Puerto too.

Saxo riders aren't forbidden from working with Cecchini, are they? It's just he's not the trainer for the team?

afx237vi

RichN95 wrote:

He's only the press officer - I don't imagine he was administering blood transfusions.

You might as well blacklist the website designer.

But then again I remember Luuc Eisenga (then the T-Mobile PR man) going on Eurosport after Ullrich and Sevilla were kicked out in 2006 and telling what we now know to be blatant lies about what the team was getting up to.

andyp

The PR officer is the face of the team to the press. If he's an accomplished liar, like Luuc Eisenga was as afx mentions, then it sets a bad precedent in my opinion.

Then again, one imagines that 'being an accomplished liar' is high up on any PR job description.

moray_gub

afx237vi wrote:

RichN95 wrote:

He's only the press officer - I don't imagine he was administering blood transfusions.

You might as well blacklist the website designer.

But then again I remember Luuc Eisenga (then the T-Mobile PR man) going on Eurosport after Ullrich and Sevilla were kicked out in 2006 and telling what we now know to be blatant lies about what the team was getting up to.

Telling porkies occasionally is all part of a press officers job imo, as Rich more or less says further up how far do you take this the coach driver or the guy who books the hotel rooms ?

andyp

I see both Rich's and MG's point, but if Team Sky are going to be holier than thou when it comes to doping, surely they need to consider the implications of moves like this?

moray_gub

afx237vi wrote:

RichN95 wrote:

He's only the press officer - I don't imagine he was administering blood transfusions.

You might as well blacklist the website designer.

But then again I remember Luuc Eisenga (then the T-Mobile PR man) going on Eurosport after Ullrich and Sevilla were kicked out in 2006 and telling what we now know to be blatant lies about what the team was getting up to.

Consider that maybe too him it wasnt lies after all he aint gonna be around when the blood bags are beiing tossed around , maybe he didnt know and why should he ?

RichN95.

andyp wrote:

The PR officer is the face of the team to the press. If he's an accomplished liar, like Luuc Eisenga was as afx mentions, then it sets a bad precedent in my opinion.

Then again, one imagines that 'being an accomplished liar' is high up on any PR job description.

The last thing you want in a Press Officer is someone who tells the truth all the time.

The first thing this Eisenga fellow would have known about OP was when the press got hold of it.

moray_gub

andyp wrote:

I see both Rich's and MG's point, but if Team Sky are going to be holier than thou when it comes to doping, surely they need to consider the implications of moves like this?

Like most people they wouldnt associate an ex hack or pr man or whatever you want to call him with doping in previous teams. Its taking guilt by association to ridiculous levels imo.

afx237vi

Moray Gub wrote:

afx237vi wrote:

RichN95 wrote:

He's only the press officer - I don't imagine he was administering blood transfusions.

You might as well blacklist the website designer.

But then again I remember Luuc Eisenga (then the T-Mobile PR man) going on Eurosport after Ullrich and Sevilla were kicked out in 2006 and telling what we now know to be blatant lies about what the team was getting up to.

Consider that maybe too him it wasnt lies after all he aint gonna be around when the blood bags are beiing tossed around , maybe he didnt know and why should he ?

He probably should have guessed something was a bit odd when he was the only guy from T-Mobile sitting at the hotel dinner table the night everyone else went to Freiburg

I see what you're saying though. It's just a job, the PR man just spins whatever the team is telling him into something the media wants to hear. But then I agree with what Andy says too. Why get Nygaard? A press officer doesn't need to have experience of a cycling team - so why not get someone from a different area (ie not cycling)?

RichN95.

afx237vi wrote:

A press officer doesn't need to have experience of a cycling team - so why not get someone from a different area (ie not cycling)?

Because he already has an existing relationship with all of the press.

andyp

My understanding of how CSC/Saxo Bank work is that Nygaard is much more than the PR man. He's effectively Riis' second in command.

Anyway, I don't care that much, just wanted to liven up a dull Friday afternoon.

moray_gub

afx237vi wrote:

Moray Gub wrote:

afx237vi wrote:

RichN95 wrote:

He's only the press officer - I don't imagine he was administering blood transfusions.

You might as well blacklist the website designer.

But then again I remember Luuc Eisenga (then the T-Mobile PR man) going on Eurosport after Ullrich and Sevilla were kicked out in 2006 and telling what we now know to be blatant lies about what the team was getting up to.

Consider that maybe too him it wasnt lies after all he aint gonna be around when the blood bags are beiing tossed around , maybe he didnt know and why should he ?

He probably should have guessed something was a bit odd when he was the only guy from T-Mobile sitting at the hotel dinner table the night everyone else went to Freiburg

I see what you're saying though. It's just a job, the PR man just spins whatever the team is telling him into something the media wants to hear. But then I agree with what Andy says too. Why get Nygaard? A press officer doesn't need to have experience of a cycling team - so why not get someone from a different area (ie not cycling)?

Why should you need to do that tho ,if you can get a press officer who has background in pro cycling why would you not hire him ?

moray_gub

andyp wrote:

My understanding of how CSC/Saxo Bank work is that Nygaard is much more than the PR man. He's effectively Riis' second in command.

Anyway, I don't care that much, just wanted to liven up a dull Friday afternoon.

So what does a second in command do then drive motorcycles with cooled panniers or what ?.......................likewise re : dull friday afternoon they can hire Josef Goebbels for all i care.............ok maybe thats taking things a bit far

afx237vi

Moray Gub wrote:

afx237vi wrote:

I see what you're saying though. It's just a job, the PR man just spins whatever the team is telling him into something the media wants to hear. But then I agree with what Andy says too. Why get Nygaard? A press officer doesn't need to have experience of a cycling team - so why not get someone from a different area (ie not cycling)?

Why should you need to do that tho ,if you can get a press officer who has background in pro cycling why would you not hire him ?

Image, nothing more. Karl Rove was pretty good at his job too, had all the right connections and probably only did what GWB told him to do... but I think it would raise a few eyebrows if he was welcomed into the Obama administration.

(Yes, that is an extremely tortured analogy.)

Besides, how hard is it to get the phone number of Procycling off yell.com?

andyp

Moray Gub wrote:

So what does a second in command do then drive motorcycles with cooled panniers or what ?.......................likewise re : dull friday afternoon they can hire Josef Goebbels for all i care.............ok maybe thats taking things a bit far

I'd pay good money to see Dave Brailsford putting a positive step on that one! (I bet he'd give it a bloody good go).

samb01

andyp wrote:

My understanding of how CSC/Saxo Bank work is that Nygaard is much more than the PR man. He's effectively Riis' second in command.

How did you come to such an understanding?

If he was somehow 'second in command' at Riis Cycling, wouldn't this move be a huge step down for him,? A significant relegation?

AndyRubio

In my stream-of-consciousness inner dialogue I often refer to Brailsford as the British Bjarne, and Nygard has always been Bjarne's Mini-Me - so from a baldness perspective, the move to Sky makes perfect sense.

takethehighroad

Surely there's plenty of people in Sky who have got connections to the press? I know they're just the money men but I'm sure that if Davey B asked for help they'd give it

cougie

Cant see what the fuss is about really. The guy knows his PR. Theres nothing to link him directly to any scandals.

EVERYONE in procycling could be linked indirectly to doping scandals if you look at it - you wouldnt be able to put together any team.

Kléber

No direct link to scandals but the view from some journalists is that the Dane has been complicit in cooking up some whooping pork pies to deflect and dodge doping scandals. For example he apparently brokered the "training plans" idea for Schleck Senior.

All good work for a slick PR man, that's what they do... but some might see this as a something that's not quite in line with the image of transparency the new team wants to portray. We can each make our minds up of course.

dave_1

andyp wrote:

My understanding of how CSC/Saxo Bank work is that Nygaard is much more than the PR man. He's effectively Riis' second in command.

Anyway, I don't care that much, just wanted to liven up a dull Friday afternoon.

your understanding of that team? :shock: ... you are well connected obviously to claim to know what goes on inside that team or are you just trying to sound so...