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UKLaxfan
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Ashes 2013-14

Postby UKLaxfan Fri Nov 22, 2013 1:09 pm

isn't sport great, one day you're the dog the next you're the lamp post

England collapsed like ... (fill in witty comment here)

I can't as I'm too sad at the moment, from 82-2 to 91-8 in 10 overs

apparently Mitchell ("He bowls to the left, he bowls to the right") Johnson has turned into the secret lovechild of Lillee & Thompson at their peak. He even has the silly handlebars tache

Lyons has become as scary as Warne in his heyday except as a finger spinner not a leggy

and the Gabba become a minefield to English batsmen with Aussies chucking hand grenades at them

6 wickets for 9 runs

then Broad comes in who has been vilified since he arrived and knocks off 32 against the same bunch of pie chuckers.

It was like a scene from Space Jam (terrible film) where players lose their mojo

Day Two of Five Test series but my word that was horrible to watch

long way to go and all that but there must be a temptation just to pack up early and go home as this was a bad joke for England cricket

Barmy Army were in good voice
still enjoy the "God Save Your Queen"

time to burn another set of bails - RIP

rumour has it there is a new sign over the entrance gate to the Gabbatoir - "Abandon hope all ye who enter here"

what say ye?
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Re: Ashes 2013-14

Postby UKLaxfan Sat Nov 23, 2013 10:40 am

Day 3
England 24-2

Michael Carberry - unlucky ball span back to knock bails off
why won't give him a proper helmet?
looks like team boy

Trotty - gone walkabout on the crease

KP - Kamikaze opening run tried to run out his skipper

just 537 needed in 2 days with 8 rabbits in the hutch
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Re: Ashes 2013-14

Postby UKLaxfan Sun Nov 24, 2013 2:40 pm

1-0 Aussies

Does anyone else ever want to punch Nasser Hussain on his nose?

some players made mistakes to 90mph bowling and he claims they have psychological problems on National TV, scrambled brains no less
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Re: Ashes 2013-14

Postby PhilH Sun Nov 24, 2013 6:45 pm

I had a bad feeing that this might happen. I thought the 3-0 summer result flattered us. They have bounced back from bad first tests before, but this will take a big momentum shift.
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Re: Ashes 2013-14

Postby UKLaxfan Fri Dec 06, 2013 10:01 pm

PhilH wrote:I had a bad feeing that this might happen. I thought the 3-0 summer result flattered us. They have bounced back from bad first tests before, but this will take a big momentum shift.


Phil:
you got that right, it makes painful viewing

so much for the drop in pitch, Cook & Root or the 2 remaining verbs as the Aussies call them, looked like a cat on a hot tin roof

Root in particular is showing feline tendencies, skittish and playfully wafting at things outside off stump and using up his nine lives. He must have some Jedi in him as well as he has developed a habit of closing his eyes before the ball gets to him and using The Force. I'm not sure how successful this stratagem will be?

I'm old school and believe in the old fashioned eyes open watch the ball technique.

Boycott is hilarious as a commentator and bringing out the classics
- There's more brains in a chocolate mouse.
- mother hanging out the washing
- playing down Waterloo Line and ball went down Bakerloo
- Fred Truman were fast

Oh well just 570 to match Aussies and Perth next at least it's sunny 8)
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Re: Ashes 2013-14

Postby UKLaxfan Tue Jan 21, 2014 7:22 am

So 5-0 whitewash and complete capitulation

if Carlsberg did bad tours...
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Re: Ashes 2013-14

Postby PhilH Wed Jan 22, 2014 8:51 pm

Have you ever seen a team destroyed so comprehensively?

First test of last Summer; we won by a few runs, mainly because we were used to winning and they were used to losing. Fast forward to the 2nd ODI and it had completely reversed. Didn't really look in doubt that their last pair would get the runs. I think we could score 500 in the next ODI and they would still knock them off!
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Re: Ashes 2013-14

Postby UKLaxfan Thu Jan 23, 2014 2:40 am

Short answer = No

I watched all of it and followed TMS with Boycott

it was horrible

The Americans have a phrase "intestinal fortitude" the England team showed a complete lack of this skill

Mitchell Johnson bowled fast upto 95mph but none of the English batsmen showed any willingness to face him abd the tail turned into lemmings throwing their wicket away to avoid him.

Boycott called 5-0 whitewash during 1st Test and he was spot on

never mind a rebuild... I would blow it up and start again

Pietersen - thanks and goodbye

it's difficult to express exactly how poor this tour has been

I was living in Australia many years ago when the Aussies lost badly and most of the talking heads on sports shows didn't want to let them back in the Country. The ones that did want to let them back in, wanted to have them publicly flogged for treason,

Central contracts means no accountability for lack of performance
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Re: Ashes 2013-14

Postby davidmcculloch81 Fri Jan 24, 2014 3:04 pm

UKLaxfan wrote:Pietersen - thanks and goodbye


From another forum thread...
UKLaxfan wrote:coaches should use stats


http://stats.espncricinfo.com/the-ashes-2013/engine/records/averages/batting_bowling_by_team.html?id=7362;team=1;type=series
http://stats.espncricinfo.com/the-ashes-2013-14/engine/records/averages/batting_bowling_by_team.html?id=7899;team=1;type=series

Kevin Pietersen Ashes 2013
2nd highest England run scorer
3rd highest England average (only reason not 2nd is because Woakes scored 42 in two innings and was not out for one)

Kevin Pietersen Ashes 2013/14
Highest England run scorer
2nd highest England average

So yeah, definitely KP's fault

#scapegoat
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Re: Ashes 2013-14

Postby PhilH Sun Jan 26, 2014 2:42 pm

A difficult one. His stats show he has done relatively well but we all know he has only done OK at best. I see him as the icing on the cake of the batting line up. The only trouble is that there wasn't any cake this tour! To be fair to him he did try to farm the strike against Johnson one innings and it wasn't his fault that everyone got out to Lyon at the other end.

If he isn't causing trouble in the background and genuinely wants to play then I think he should be in the team, otherwise perhaps it is time for him to do the 20/20 tour like Chris Gayle and a few others.
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Re: Ashes 2013-14

Postby davidmcculloch81 Tue Feb 04, 2014 9:27 pm

Shambles
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Re: Ashes 2013-14

Postby UKLaxfan Wed Feb 05, 2014 5:20 am

davidmcculloch81 wrote:Shambles

Why shambles?

Because he has been dropped?

there are lots of examples of addition by subtraction in team sports

UVA and the Brattons 2011
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Re: Ashes 2013-14

Postby davidmcculloch81 Wed Feb 05, 2014 9:40 am

More the way in which it has been communicated to the England fans:

ECB Managing Director, Paul Downton:
"The time is right to rebuild not only the team but also the team ethic."
"Everyone was aware that there was a need to begin the long-term planning after the Australia tour. Therefore we have decided the time is right to look to the future."

This is skirting around the issue. The fans deserve a little bit more honesty in justifying the decision to drop arguably their best performer and certainly most exciting in a decade.

You have often argued, Dave, that we don't celebrate arrogance and competitiveness in our sportsmen enough. Here, alongside perhaps Ronnie O'Sullivan, we have one of our most naturally gifted sportsmen and it appears that we are ready to throw him to the dogs for no justifiable reason after one bad tour. A tour in which he outperformed most of his teammates.

Without any real justification it just stinks of scapegoat-ism of an easy target.
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Re: Ashes 2013-14

Postby the pom Wed Feb 05, 2014 1:50 pm

I agree with Davo on this one.

but we don't know he may of been a complete tool and a disruption to the team off the pitch.
League restructure I told you so 10/3/2011(looking good on this one)
Prem division to two leagues will result in the prem division failing and being combined with Nemla 22/3/2012
the proposed restructure to 8 teams in each prem league will only last a couple of years until it has to be restructured again due to teams dropping out. 13/12/2012
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Re: Ashes 2013-14

Postby UKLaxfan Wed Feb 05, 2014 5:22 pm

davidmcculloch81 wrote:More the way in which it has been communicated to the England fans:

ECB Managing Director, Paul Downton:
"The time is right to rebuild not only the team but also the team ethic."
"Everyone was aware that there was a need to begin the long-term planning after the Australia tour. Therefore we have decided the time is right to look to the future."

This is skirting around the issue. The fans deserve a little bit more honesty in justifying the decision to drop arguably their best performer and certainly most exciting in a decade.

You have often argued, Dave, that we don't celebrate arrogance and competitiveness in our sportsmen enough. Here, alongside perhaps Ronnie O'Sullivan, we have one of our most naturally gifted sportsmen and it appears that we are ready to throw him to the dogs for no justifiable reason after one bad tour. A tour in which he outperformed most of his teammates.

Without any real justification it just stinks of scapegoat-ism of an easy target.


I don't recall ever arguing to celebrate arrogance

Ronnie O'Sullivan is a good example, he has been his own worst enemy at times over the years, walking away from his sport on more than one occasion. The major difference is he plays an individual sport.
when he goes off the rails he only impacts himself not his team.

As for disclosure, fans may want whatever they want but they don't have the right to know what went on, there may well be legal ramifications and liability on full disclosure. More likely is that the ECB Management want to establish an inner circle of trust where what happens in the changing room stays in the changing room.

The announcement says everything you need to know in PR speak
"The time is right to rebuild not only the team but also the team ethic."

this is the equivalent of "tired & emotional" in the press meaning drunk

KP had obviously been acting against the Team ethic

KP is a loose cannon, as likely to destroy his own team as the opposition

you have to accept him or cut him loose, he has pushed things too far hence a unanimous decision to say goodbye

Paul Downton interviewed a number of senior players in the squad and didn't find any who supported KP

We will probably find out what KP did eventually but they have no incentive for them to announce now, that's what book deals are for and even then you don't always get full disclosure

Omerta
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Re: Ashes 2013-14

Postby davidmcculloch81 Thu Feb 06, 2014 8:58 am

Agree with some of what you say. This about sums it up for me...

http://www.espncricinfo.com/england/content/story/716589.html
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Re: Ashes 2013-14

Postby UKLaxfan Thu Feb 06, 2014 9:33 am

Davo,
read that and a number of other articles on the subject, including some social media

It's an interesting subject, maverick vs team. celebrity vs athlete

there was a poll on SkySports "What's the Story?" and 79% of fans voted that he shouldn't have been sacked

they also showed that KP is capable of making £4M + in next year as he is free to go on T20 World tour IPL, BB, CPL etc

the thing it keeps coming back to is that for all the talent as a batsman KP has, he must have been a right royal pain in the ass for all of his team mates to prefer him not to be there.

These are sensible, intelligent, professional sportsmen who can't cope with KPs antics even though they have probably all benefited from win bonuses off the back of KP in the past.

History is littered with sports people who could cause trouble on their own in a cupboard

Ty Cobb (Baseball) comes to mind who was universally hated by all his peers

there may even be some closer to home who will remain nameless
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Re: Ashes 2013-14

Postby UKLacrosse Thu Feb 06, 2014 2:20 pm

It appears incredible that the ECB have taken this seemingly unprecedented action regarding KP.
I'm in two minds about KP, partly because he's a massive talent, but along with that talent comes a massive ego. He almost appears hypo when interviewed on occasions and difficult to really understand what opinion he is trying to express.

Sport is littered with top performers with equally large ego's that makes them difficult to manager within a team environment, but that's what man management, and leadership (captaincy) is all about. Anyone can be a leader, manager or captain, when everything is running smoothly. Vaughan suggested that one maverick, or huge ego, in a team should be manageable, if the manager and captain are doing their job.

Why did the ECB decide to take this unprecedented step? Surely it would have been more appropriate to announce that a full in depth review of the disastrous tour would be made where no one's place in the squad would be guaranteed, including the captain!? Cook hardly comes out of this as the unchallenged option as captain, surely? There are lots of questions about Cook's role ... selections (both before and during), batting orders, field placings, even down to winning or losing the toss, for goodness sake. If Cook can't do better and achieve closer to 50:50 then we need to question why he can't do better? :roll: :D
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Re: Ashes 2013-14

Postby UKLaxfan Thu Feb 06, 2014 8:31 pm

for me it's risk and return

don't know who said it but "make exceptions for exceptional people"

you have to figure that lots of people were man managing him, finding ways for him to coexist with the other players because of his talent.

At some point though when his performance goes down and the negative influence his is having is going up a decision has to be made.

otherwise KP or any other player could do what they want when they want.

His performances in Australia showed complete contempt for playing for the game

it was as though he didn't care about situation or result, and showed petulance, that as far as he was concerned he was all that mattered, not his team mates, not the fans, it was ugly at times.

It was like watching a small child trapped in a man's body having a hissy fit,

there is no point having a coach or captain if an individual rebels & undermines them

Think John Terry at World Cup 2010 and his bizarre press conference where he was going to sort things out

Capello played it brilliantly by giving Terry enough rope to hang himself, to show the World what an egotistic maniac he was

in a team sport KP ended up as Billy No Mates (again)

and as for his bezzy mate Piers Morgan, that ought to be a sackable offense in it's own right
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Re: Ashes 2013-14

Postby UKLaxfan Thu Feb 06, 2014 8:40 pm

Sir Alex Ferguson is seen by many as one of the best man managers in football history

part of that is making difficult decisions for the benefit of the team

he has had many talented players with huge egos

one common theme throughout his career was that whenever any of them became a detriment to performance on the field they were shown the door, no matter how talented individually
- Paul Ince
- Jaap Stam
- David Beckham
- Roy Keane
- Ruud Van Nistlehorse

KP isn't the first and won't be the last to believe their own hype

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