There seems to be no end to the twists and turns surrounding the England captain and coach story. Kevin Pietersen suffered a nasty backlash last week from some sections of the media that was completely undeserved. KP should be applauded for having the courage to object to certain issues.
There were rumours doing the rounds about senior players such as Flintoff and Harmison choosing to side with Peter Moores but these stories were rubbished by both men. As time goes on it seems Pietersen is the victim in all this and not Moores or his pals at the ECB.
We now learn that the ECB asked KP to compile a report about how best to take the England team forward. The contents of this report were then used to knife him in the back. Apparently the ECB chairman Giles Clarke is not a KP fan and wanted him out so it makes you wonder who was really behind the leaks to the press.
Fair play to Pietersen he stood up for what he felt was right and the ECB did not like it one bit. The appointment of Moores as head coach was exposed for what it was and for that crime they obviously decided KP had to go. Clarke is up for re-election in March and after this episode some would say English cricket would benefit from some changes in the ECB.
The Complete Cricket Trading Solution For Betfair.
Tuesday, 13 January 2009
Thursday, 8 January 2009
Long Way Round For Strauss
Having to appoint a new captain and a head coach is not the best start to an Ashes year but it became more inevitable as the week progressed. Any chance Pietersen had of clinging on to the captaincy disappeared when Flintoff and others refused to back him. Flintoff recently spoke about how in his experience the captaincy was a lonely job and would always support his skipper 100% because of that. Those words seem a bit hollow now after he chose to side with Moores.
The ECB knew exactly what they were getting when they decided to appoint Pietersen and he raised concerns at that early stage about the head coach. It was no secret that some elements of the dressing room were indifferent towards him even before he became skipper. The same whispers get wheeled out about him being selfish and arrogant although some will say he is a confident player who does not lack self belief. Whatever you want to call it all great sportsman have it in abundance. Pietersen is a winner and that might not go down well with the people who accept losing.
Many people were not completely convinced that KP was captaincy material in the first place. He is in good company because most of his team mates are not potential skippers either. It seems most of the team has attempted captaincy in the past few years and the fact most of them did not excel in the role tells its own sorry story. Flintoff got drunk and decided to become the skipper of a boat, Collingwood did not want the one day job preferring instead to concentrate on playing and even Vaughan stood down from his role as test captain.
After leading the team to an impressive series win over Pakistan in 2006, it was widely expected Andrew Strauss would keep the job for the Ashes series in Australia. Instead the ECB sprung a surprise and gave the job to Flintoff instead. He never enjoyed any success during his short reign and said he felt let down by some players. That sounds familiar they should put it in the job description.
Rumours suggest the next coach will be Tom Moody if things go according to plan. He is an experienced coach who ticks all the right boxes. The appointment of Moody would command respect among senior players. How ironic it would be if both he and Strauss get the jobs they should have been offered a long time ago.
The Complete Cricket Trading Solution For Betfair.
The ECB knew exactly what they were getting when they decided to appoint Pietersen and he raised concerns at that early stage about the head coach. It was no secret that some elements of the dressing room were indifferent towards him even before he became skipper. The same whispers get wheeled out about him being selfish and arrogant although some will say he is a confident player who does not lack self belief. Whatever you want to call it all great sportsman have it in abundance. Pietersen is a winner and that might not go down well with the people who accept losing.
Many people were not completely convinced that KP was captaincy material in the first place. He is in good company because most of his team mates are not potential skippers either. It seems most of the team has attempted captaincy in the past few years and the fact most of them did not excel in the role tells its own sorry story. Flintoff got drunk and decided to become the skipper of a boat, Collingwood did not want the one day job preferring instead to concentrate on playing and even Vaughan stood down from his role as test captain.
After leading the team to an impressive series win over Pakistan in 2006, it was widely expected Andrew Strauss would keep the job for the Ashes series in Australia. Instead the ECB sprung a surprise and gave the job to Flintoff instead. He never enjoyed any success during his short reign and said he felt let down by some players. That sounds familiar they should put it in the job description.
Rumours suggest the next coach will be Tom Moody if things go according to plan. He is an experienced coach who ticks all the right boxes. The appointment of Moody would command respect among senior players. How ironic it would be if both he and Strauss get the jobs they should have been offered a long time ago.
The Complete Cricket Trading Solution For Betfair.
Monday, 5 January 2009
World Class Coach Required
The breakdown in the relationship between England captain Kevin Pietersen and the coach Peter Moores has stirred up plenty of debate. If they have to decide between the two then it is a no-brainer and KP wins every time. People may say the captain should not be able dictate who the coach is. That is a fair point but if the coach were up to the required standard that would not happen anyway.
The episode has highlighted the fact Moores should never have been appointed in the first place. If this job for the boy’s appointment had occurred in football, there would be a national outcry. The fact nobody else was interviewed after the departure of Duncan Fletcher was an absolute disgrace. At the time we were told they wanted an Englishman and to promote from within but, things have not worked out.
We keep hearing about Hugh Morris and his diplomatic skills but if he and others at the ECB were looking after the best interests of the England cricket team rather than their good friend Moores we would not have this fiasco. Fletcher should have been replaced with an experienced coach instead of someone who the ECB hoped would do a good job.
Moores is a manufactured coach who has been fast tracked to the position he now occupies. He has been England coach for nearly two years and in that time we have gone backwards. There is no point trying to repair the relationship between the two men and a change needs to be made now. If the coach is replaced, he will depart with a six figure compensation package which is not bad going in the current economic climate.
The next coach will be a crucial appointment and the ECB needs to make sure it is a good one. We need a top class coach and nationality should not be an issue. It has been said that candidates are in short supply but they will come up with an impressive shortlist if they put their minds into it.
The Complete Cricket Trading Solution For Betfair.
The episode has highlighted the fact Moores should never have been appointed in the first place. If this job for the boy’s appointment had occurred in football, there would be a national outcry. The fact nobody else was interviewed after the departure of Duncan Fletcher was an absolute disgrace. At the time we were told they wanted an Englishman and to promote from within but, things have not worked out.
We keep hearing about Hugh Morris and his diplomatic skills but if he and others at the ECB were looking after the best interests of the England cricket team rather than their good friend Moores we would not have this fiasco. Fletcher should have been replaced with an experienced coach instead of someone who the ECB hoped would do a good job.
Moores is a manufactured coach who has been fast tracked to the position he now occupies. He has been England coach for nearly two years and in that time we have gone backwards. There is no point trying to repair the relationship between the two men and a change needs to be made now. If the coach is replaced, he will depart with a six figure compensation package which is not bad going in the current economic climate.
The next coach will be a crucial appointment and the ECB needs to make sure it is a good one. We need a top class coach and nationality should not be an issue. It has been said that candidates are in short supply but they will come up with an impressive shortlist if they put their minds into it.
The Complete Cricket Trading Solution For Betfair.
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