Cricket

[dave birch]

A few years back, Johnson was the bowler he is today. For some reason, the Aussie coaches wanted to change his action so that it would induce more swing. The evidence was for all to see in the tour of the English summer. He was soooo bad, and it continued until the past English summer, but he regained much of his original action (down to Lillee, maybe).

We'll see if he can reduce the saffers the way he did those years back. I hope he can.

Apropos KP, if there's no one better at the moment to replace him, why shaft him. He can be the game breaker, he's proved it many times before.

[thenodrog]

Apropos KP, if there's no one better at the moment to replace him, why shaft him. He can be the game breaker, he's proved it many times before.

No doubt you've often heard the saying "If it aint broke dont fix it." Well this is the counter argument. I find it odd that after months of crowing about Australia's superiority over England that you now criticise when we take remedial action.

Nobody is indespensible and change needs to be continual and progressive. Switching sport but look at the rejuvination of Germany under Joachim Low's 'out with the old and in with the new' policy. (better I suggest if someone could get Woy to.). Low binned off many of Germany's tired old stalwarts to much criticism but the new look Germany performed brilliantly.

Edited February 6, 2014 by thenodrog

[SouthAussieRover]

Im inclined to think Johnson hit a purple patch in the recent series and will revert to his erratic self...even though he has somehow taken over 200 Test wickets.

I see that Smith says Australia are talking bull.

I hope that the Australians are put back in their place just to quieten some of the locals down.

[somersetrover]

The Pietersen situation is an odd one as he has always been troubling in dressing rooms be it at Natal, Notts, Hants or England. However I can't help but feel that he is a scape goat as his influence in the dressing room obviously wasn't a problem when England won home and away to Australia or when they beat India 4-0 to go to 1 in the world, or when they won the T20 WC. My biggest problem with dropping Pietersen is the fact that Cook had a choice in the matter and I feel that you go down a dangerous road when your captain effectively becomes a selector as Australia found out when they made Clarke a selector.

My Team for the first test against Sri Lanka would be. Cook*, Chopra, Taylor, Bell, Vince, Davies†, Stokes, Barker, Broad, Onions, Panesar.

And I'd give the head coach role to either Tom Moody or Mickey Arthur.

Edited February 6, 2014 by somersetrover

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

We someone from outside in as a head coach. Forget Ashley Giles.

[thenodrog]

The Pietersen situation is an odd one as he has always been troubling in dressing rooms be it at Natal, Notts, Hants or England. However I can't help but feel that he is a scape goat as his influence in the dressing room obviously wasn't a problem when England won home and away to Australia or when they beat India 4-0 to go to 1 in the world, or when they won the T20 WC. My biggest problem with dropping Pietersen is the fact that Cook had a choice in the matter and I feel that you go down a dangerous road when your captain effectively becomes a selector as Australia found out when they made Clarke a selector.

I heard on the radio this week that it was Cookes personal intervention that got Pieterson re-instated when he'd been dropped previously for being a knob. I guess he must have bitten the hand that fed him somewhere along the ashes tour.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

I heard on the radio this week that it was Cookes personal intervention that got Pieterson re-instated when he'd been dropped previously for being a knob. I guess he must have bitten the hand that fed him somewhere along the ashes tour.

Petersen's @#/? off every team he's ever played for. There's one common denominator in this equation - Kevin Petersen.

[Baz]

Its a failure of management if you cant get Pieterson (or any top player) on the park. You build for the future by bringing in players to a experienced winning team, replacing players when there are people better than them, not because you dont like them. KP has another 5 years at top level left, to me its a tragedy to see him removed so people who arent up to it to gain caps.

Englands failings are far more down to poor bowling, and Trotts demise from being the brick on which we stopped collapses and built an innings by tieing up an end.

[jim mk2]

I disagree about England's failings, which have been about the batting and very little else. We have failed to make a decent first innings total in goodness knows how long, certainly not this winter and not last summer either. I cannot remember the last time we posted a total of 350 plus never mind more than 400. You cannot win Test matches unless you make good scores, and our batsmen have consistently failed. Trott was a big loss but he is not the only one who has failed. On another note, Kirsten has ruled himself out of the England reckoning because of family ties which makes Giles more or less a shoe-in for the coaching job. A poor choice in my view.

[Guest Norbert]

Giles=The same old boy's network staying in. It's not like the one day matches were any better than the Ashes.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

Giles=The same old boy's network staying in. It's not like the one day matches were any better than the Ashes.

Correct, building for failure at present.

[Baz]

I disagree about England's failings, which have been about the batting and very little else. We have failed to make a decent first innings total in goodness knows how long, certainly not this winter and not last summer either. I cannot remember the last time we posted a total of 350 plus never mind more than 400. You cannot win Test matches unless you make good scores, and our batsmen have consistently failed. Trott was a big loss but he is not the only one who has failed. On another note, Kirsten has ruled himself out of the England reckoning because of family ties which makes Giles more or less a shoe-in for the coaching job. A poor choice in my view.

The difference I think is closely related to our mid-innings collapses versus the strength of the mid-order batting of the Aussies, you can blame both the bowling and also the batting for this, as there are reasons on both sides. In the summer our bowlers got us out of a few messes, in the winter they havent.

[jim mk2]

Yes, the bowlers have come to our rescue many times recently but they can only paper over the failures of the batsmen so many times. Priority for the new coach must be the batting - which as I have said has been poor for a long time.

[Steve Kean's Hypnotoad]

Its a failure of management if you cant get Pieterson (or any top player) on the park. You build for the future by bringing in players to a experienced winning team, replacing players when there are people better than them, not because you dont like them. KP has another 5 years at top level left, to me its a tragedy to see him removed so people who arent up to it to gain caps.

Totally agree. Professional sport isn't about building a squad of well-rounded, decent individuals. Its about building a squad of the very best players, regardless of their personalities, and getting it to work. Thats good management. Dumping every "trouble-maker" in the team isn't good management, its giving up and reducing the one thing that wins matches, ability.

[thenodrog]

Totally agree. Professional sport isn't about building a squad of well-rounded, decent individuals. Its about building a squad of the very best players, regardless of their personalities, and getting it to work. Thats good management. Dumping every "trouble-maker" in the team isn't good management, its giving up and reducing the one thing that wins matches, ability.

Ive frequently pointed out that my cricketing knowledge could probably be written on the back of a stamp but in my lifetime I'd have to say that the match winners at Test match level are nearly always the bowlers. Most teams have a few quality batsman and middle order is usually Ok but the quality of the bowlers are almost always the difference.

btw Steve.... I'm sure this Ashes series has proven that as a necessary ingredient for success attitude is right up there if not above ability.

Edited February 8, 2014 by thenodrog

[Al]

Totally agree. Professional sport isn't about building a squad of well-rounded, decent individuals. Its about building a squad of the very best players, regardless of their personalities, and getting it to work. Thats good management. Dumping every "trouble-maker" in the team isn't good management, its giving up and reducing the one thing that wins matches, ability.

If Australia dumped all their nasty characters they would have no team.

[chaddyrovers]

from Today's Sunday Mail

Flower wasn't KP's only England target... he had it in for Cook and Prior, too

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/cricket/article-2554839/Kevin-Pietersen-did-not-just-want-rid-Andy-Flower-Alastair-Cook-Matt-Prior-sights-also.html#ixzz2sovsqNtm

Flower backs Peter Moores(Lancashire head coach) for a second stint as England's team director

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/cricket/article-2554886/Andy-Flower-backs-Peter-Moores-second-stint-Englands-team-director.html#ixzz2sowOmJiT

EXCLUSIVE: All over on the whistle... KP's cheery tune after final Ashes dismissal was the final straw for England as more clashes with Flower and Cook are revealed

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/cricket/article-2553386/Kevin-Pietersen-whistled-cheery-tune-final-dismissal-Ashes-England.html#ixzz2sowoNWdA

[neekoy]

Done!

and Neekoy, talk to me sometime, you might learn something, rather than make some bland uninformed comment.

Hi Dave, you might have missed my sly point

[Steve Kean's Hypnotoad]

Well Australia just absolutely took apart the no.1 ranked team in the world on their own patch. Making the removal of Flower an all the more ludicrous decision in my opinion.

[broadsword]

He walked, he wasn't removed

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

from Today's Sunday Mail

Flower wasn't KP's only England target... he had it in for Cook and Prior, too http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/cricket/article-2554839/Kevin-Pietersen-did-not-just-want-rid-Andy-Flower-Alastair-Cook-Matt-Prior-sights-also.html#ixzz2sovsqNtm

Flower backs Peter Moores(Lancashire head coach) for a second stint as England's team director http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/cricket/article-2554886/Andy-Flower-backs-Peter-Moores-second-stint-Englands-team-director.html#ixzz2sowOmJiT

EXCLUSIVE: All over on the whistle... KP's cheery tune after final Ashes dismissal was the final straw for England as more clashes with Flower and Cook are revealedhttp://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/cricket/article-2553386/Kevin-Pietersen-whistled-cheery-tune-final-dismissal-Ashes-England.html#ixzz2sowoNWdA

Great batsman but Pietersen has been trouble every where he's played,

[thenodrog]

Well Australia just absolutely took apart the no.1 ranked team in the world on their own patch. Making the removal of Flower an all the more ludicrous decision in my opinion.

Does rather add a different perspective to the ashes series. And that Mitchell Johnson validated my comments completely about half a dozen posts back. Edited February 16, 2014 by thenodrog

[Guest Norbert]

I watched some highlights today, and Johnson was unplayable. Smacked one guy on the side of his head, and looked fantastic.

As for Flower, the team was spineless, aimless, weak and unimaginative from the first ball to the last. Flower should have gone, as should Cook (as his role as captain) and Gooch. The worst ever Ashes series, with players leaving half way through because they're burnt out, the dressing room falling out with each other and people say we should have kept that set up? Amazing.

We need someone who can do what Lehmann has done with the Aussies, and fire the players up and bring in a few leftfield choices.And we need to get rid of these stupid committees of selectors and the captain and just get the coach to pick the squad. Have scouts assisting him, but not have the captain involved. Almost every other sport does it, so why not cricket?

[neekoy]

Johnson is just on another level at the moment, shame he is 32 and not 22

[thenodrog]

Johnson is just on another level at the moment, shame he is 32 and not 22

Is it hell! What's he been taking?