maxh
2nd XI player
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Post by maxh on Dec 16, 2014 14:44:40 GMT
Not many coming out of this tour well at all.
Chopping and changing yet Cook and Morgan seem completely undroppable.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 16, 2014 15:12:24 GMT
Has KP hacked George Dobell's twitter account?
He's quite hilarious on Cook's travails in this final ODI:
< With that boundary, Downton appoints Cook captain until 2048.>
< I was thinking of knocking down Big Ben and replacing it with a statue of Cook.>
< Cook getting some luck and looking bit more solid. If he digs in, we should be level by tea time tomorrow.>
<Go, Alastair. Just go.>
Seriously, some respect to Dodgy, for humble news reporters - as opposed to ex-England captains who can say what they like with impunity - are seldom so critical of those in high places, as they depend upon the likes of Downton and Moores for their tip-offs and stories. Dobell is going out on a limb with such mockery, and you have to admire him for it. He's not popular in the England camp at the best of times but this is going to render him totally persona non grata - until Cook goes, at least.
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Post by hhsussex on Dec 16, 2014 15:37:08 GMT
Has KP hacked George Dobell's twitter account? He's quite hilarious on Cook's travails in this final ODI: < With that boundary, Downton appoints Cook captain until 2048.> < I was thinking of knocking down Big Ben and replacing it with a statue of Cook.> < Cook getting some luck and looking bit more solid. If he digs in, we should be level by tea time tomorrow.> <Go, Alastair. Just go.> Seriously, some respect to Dodgy, for humble news reporters - as opposed to ex-England captains who can say what they like with impunity - are seldom so critical of those in high places, as they depend upon the likes of Downton and Moores for their tip-offs and stories. Dobell is going out on a limb with such mockery, and you have to admire him for it. He's not popular in the England camp at the best of times but this is going to render him totally persona non grata - until Cook goes, at least. True enough, but I get the feeling there has been a general open season declared now on Cook by most commentators. David Hopps: Out for 32 from 49 balls. So that's in then. Time for series 3 Game of Thrones. I'm a bit behind.and also James Taylor's displays "surprising" says Paul Downton. No it wasn't. Memo: watch some more cricket thenOnly Blowers remains true to his core beliefs and innate profesiionalism: Great Dinner at Queensland Club: Pickled Gold Coast King Prawns, Wagyu Rib Fillet & Caremalised Bowen Mango Cheek! Sensational |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 16, 2014 17:55:39 GMT
Good old Blowers. No doubt after his splendid dinner, he then told the one about "the batsman's Holding, the bowler's Willey" and the Aggers/Johnners 'couldn't get his leg over' joke. Just in case there was someone present who hadn't heard them 100 times before...
Meanwhile, Dobell has the answer that will transform England from Sri Lanka's whipping boys into world cup winners:
<England bowled out in 9 of last 12 ODIs. Surely the leading Eng-qualified run-scorer in 2014 domestic List A cricket - Trott - worth a go?>
In his own rather different way, has young Dobbers become as predictable as old Blowers !!?
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Post by flashblade on Dec 17, 2014 7:56:38 GMT
Has Alastair Cook been prompted by his bosses to change the tone and emphasis of his comments on his one day role?
Per BBC site:
"Alastair Cook says he has to "wait and see" if he is to remain as England's one-day captain, and that he can have "no complaints" if he is stood down."
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maxh
2nd XI player
Posts: 96
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Post by maxh on Dec 17, 2014 9:02:54 GMT
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 17, 2014 9:34:42 GMT
The fact that Downton - who is not a selector - will attend Friday's selection meeting suggests to me that the England selectors are now minded to remove Cook and Downton is attending to tell them that they cannot do so.
One might imagine his intervention will go something like this: "If you drop Cook, it will make everybody think KP was right and it will make those who run English cricket look like idiots."
And we can't have that, can we?
One trusts that the selectors will have the wherewithal to respond: "But if we keep him as captain we will look even bigger idiots."
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Post by flashblade on Dec 17, 2014 9:57:12 GMT
The fact that Downton - who is not a selector - will attend Friday's selection meeting suggests to me that the England selectors are now minded to remove Cook and Downton is attending to tell them that they cannot do so. One might imagine his intervention will go something like this: "If you drop Cook, it will make everybody think KP was right and it will make those who run English cricket look like idiots." And we can't have that, can we? One trusts that the selectors will have the wherewithal to respond: "But if we keep him as captain we will look even bigger idiots." - or possibly so he can discuss with them how Cook's departure should be handled? |
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duleep
2nd XI player
Posts: 10
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Post by duleep on Dec 17, 2014 10:03:31 GMT
The fact that Downton - who is not a selector - will attend Friday's selection meeting suggests to me that the England selectors are now minded to remove Cook and Downton is attending to tell them that they cannot do so. One might imagine his intervention will go something like this: "If you drop Cook, it will make everybody think KP was right and it will make those who run English cricket look like idiots." And we can't have that, can we? One trusts that the selectors will have the wherewithal to respond: "But if we keep him as captain we will look even bigger idiots." The question of whether the English Selectors are idiots hasn't been in doubt for some time in relation to the one day captaincy, but it is part of Downton's job to avoid a sneaking suspicion becoming confirmed as the official position. If this is really about justification of KP's ramblings, then the position is even more worrying. What concerns me is that all this is undermining Cook's position as England's best opening batsmen in Test cricket. I'm less concerned as to whether Cook is the best ODI captain as I'm firmly convinced that the lack of imagination and formulaic approach of "management" will make little difference - whoever has their name at the top of the teamsheet. |
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Post by hhsussex on Dec 17, 2014 10:11:59 GMT
The fact that Downton - who is not a selector - will attend Friday's selection meeting suggests to me that the England selectors are now minded to remove Cook and Downton is attending to tell them that they cannot do so. One might imagine his intervention will go something like this: "If you drop Cook, it will make everybody think KP was right and it will make those who run English cricket look like idiots." And we can't have that, can we? One trusts that the selectors will have the wherewithal to respond: "But if we keep him as captain we will look even bigger idiots." - or possibly so he can discuss with them how Cook's departure should be handled? Yes, I'm with flashblade on this. I think Downton's position has always been quite equivocal, and even when he is describing Cook as a "natural leader" ( www.espncricinfo.com/sri-lanka-v-england-2014-15/content/story/810581.html), he is also stressing that Cook's form has to improve to justify his place. As far as I can see his argument runs: 1. I inherited a side that was being undermined by personality disputes and the cult of player power. I resolved to change this. 2. To that end I got rid of Pietersen, having lost Swann to injory, and later in the summer Prior's injury and absence of form helped my cause. 3. I installed Cook as a "pair of safe hands", knowing his blandness and lack of strong personal traits, but reasoning that we needed some continuity. 4. During the summer we brought on the talents of Ballance, Moeen Ali, helped Roo to rediscover form and had modest successes with introducing new bowlers. 5. We don't have any expectations of doing much at this World Cup - hence my references to building a team for 2017 or 2019, but it would help if we could get through into the New Year without another change of captain. 6. Now that Cook has failed to find any one day form, to add to his mediocre Test form, perhaps its time to get in a replacement, but we don't want to confuse the two issues until we're sure of a long term successor in a ll formats, so we'll persevere with Morgan as his deputy and possibly as the fall-guy for the 2015 WC if we have to shaft Cook. 7. OK, Cook's had it - let's make sure these selectors understand this time its final: Cook out. According to this scenario Morgan will take the blame for a largely unsuccessful World Cup without prejudicing the appointment of an all-formats Captain to take over in 2015. That sacrificies the opportunity to experiment with Bopara as one-day Captain, but perhaps protects Root, whom I see as the next "natural captain" from being the sacrificial victim. |
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Post by Wicked Cricket on Dec 17, 2014 10:48:22 GMT
All through this Cook debacle, it is the power and influence of social media that stands out. If Piers Morgan had not
rallied the troops and created the 'Back KP Campaign' would any of this have happened?
The situation is now so black and white that Cook is nothing more than a pawn in some political power struggle between Twitter
and the ECB. Quite extraordinary! This could never have happened even 5 years ago.
What Twitter has done is cut through the 'you scratch my back...' and general political machinations between the ECB and press
and allowed the common man to have a voice. All you need is an influential and powerful orchestrator/leader ie. Piers Morgan.
Is Paul Downton's job on the line if Cook does go? How powerful is Twitter?
The ECB have behaved like intransigent fools, imho. They should have eaten humble pie and put Cook out of his misery months
ago. But the ogre of Pietersen's shadow looming over them and their fear of 'doing the right thing', in case KP is proven
correct with his calls for Cook to go, once more shows the fragility of the Board's set up.
PS: Back in the Summer, the ECB refused any England player to communicate with Piers Morgan. If they did that player
was severely reprimanded.
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Post by gerryshedd on Dec 17, 2014 11:17:33 GMT
Piers Morgan as the voice of the common man? You must be joking! I don't know any cricket lover who thinks of Piers Morgan as anything other than a complete idiot who is irrelevant to any serious debate about the game.
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Post by hhsussex on Dec 17, 2014 11:57:20 GMT
All through this Cook debacle, it is the power and influence of social media that stands out. If Piers Morgan had not rallied the troops and created the 'Back KP Campaign' would any of this have happened? A bit hard to separate cause and effect there, s and f. "Any of this" presumably is the determination of the ECB to keep Cook as England captain despite evidence to the contrary of his leadership skills and all-round playing ability. Once the decision had been made to sack Pietersen then it seems to be inevitable they would wish to put up a strong opposition. In that context Moron's witterings and Pietersen's self-serving product placement are quite irrelevant.The situation is now so black and white that Cook is nothing more than a pawn in some political power struggle between Twitter and the ECB. Quite extraordinary! This could never have happened even 5 years ago. It was during 2009 that Twitter moved up from 21st to 3rd in ranking amongst social media sites, so 5 years ago it is possible that Twitter would have influence amongst casual observers of the game. However its hard to see Twitter as an organisation or concerted force that opposes ECB. Rather it is a platform for a wide range of misaffections and should not be regarded as anything more than that.What Twitter has done is cut through the 'you scratch my back...' and general political machinations between the ECB and press and allowed the common man to have a voice. All you need is an influential and powerful orchestrator/leader ie. Piers Morgan. Once again you over-estimate the nature of Twitter and its users; criticism of Cook and the ECB, which is not confined to Twitter, but which is widespread amongst discussion sites like this one, all of the printed media and most broadcat types, is unanimous in its contempt of Cook's abilities and the ECB's hamfistedness, yet none of it has had the slightest effect whatsoever. And most people regard Morgan as joke nowadays, with his powerbase in declineIs Paul Downton's job on the line if Cook does go? How powerful is Twitter? No and "as powerful as any other soap-box, depending on how loud you shout and whose ear you catch"The ECB have behaved like intransigent fools, imho. They should have eaten humble pie and put Cook out of his misery months ago. But the ogre of Pietersen's shadow looming over them and their fear of 'doing the right thing', in case KP is proven correct with his calls for Cook to go, once more shows the fragility of the Board's set up. Like Piers Moron, Pietersen is a back number. The issue was open until he stopped making runs in any kind of cricket last summer. His book publication kept the pot boiling for a while but he has now been dropped by The Delhi Daredevils and his career, rather like the life of George V, is peacefully drawing to a close. Many other, more powerful; hands, have their knives in Cook's back. As for Pietersen, it remains to be seen who will administer that final lethal injection - probably Moron, now he is no longer bankable.
PS: Back in the Summer, the ECB refused any England player to communicate with Piers Morgan. If they did that player was severely reprimanded. |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 17, 2014 12:51:35 GMT
Pietersen is a back number. The issue was open until he stopped making runs in any kind of cricket last summer. His book publication kept the pot boiling for a while but he has now been dropped by The Delhi Daredevils and his career, rather like the life of George V, is peacefully drawing to a close. Many other, more powerful; hands, have their knives in Cook's back. As for Pietersen, it remains to be seen who will administer that final lethal injection - probably Moron, now he is no longer bankable.
Presumably there will be plenty of other IPL teams who will bid for Pietersen? Delhi Daredevils also 'dropped' Vijay, who I watched make a fantastic century in the second test in Brisbane on Sky last night (he batted so well he kept me up until 4 am, the bugger!) Wouldn't be at all surprised if Pietersen bounces back with a glut of runs in the Big Bash, which I think starts tomorrow. Couldn't care less about Piers Morgan but I think I know what s&f is driving at. The reason Downton and co have been so intransigent in their support for Cook is that they struck a cynical and dirty deal with him - crap on KP for us and we will look after you forever, basically. ps: on edit - what happened to all these people from Cook to Prior who threatened that in the very near future the time would come for them to tell us the truth about Pietersen, which would for once and for all expose what a nasty devious lying b*****d he is? We're still waiting and it has to be said that the charge sheet against him that has been made public so far remains ridiculously thin and unconvincing... |
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Post by hhsussex on Dec 17, 2014 13:18:07 GMT
The reason Downton and co have been so intransigent in their support for Cook is that they struck a cynical and dirty deal with him - crap on KP for us and we will look after you forever, basically. I think that's a very romantic view, borderman. It isn't about Cook crapping on Pietersen - after all Pietersen can do that for himself, and does so regularly in larger and more disgusting quantities - but more to do with a traditional hierarchical structure hiring and firing at will, without responsibility to a wider stakeholding. Hence the well-connected Morris is discarded in favour of the even better-connected Downton, whose task it then becomes to manage the mess that Morris created through inattention and his star-struck adulation of the prima donnas. Downton did job 1, axe Pietersen, and is now weighing up when - not how or if - to dispose of Cook and to appoint someone malleable. I think he has his eyes on Root, who he thinks is young enough to be swayed, but I believe Root to be a much tougher cookie than his press pretends. As for Cook, no doubt he hung on gratefully to the lifeline offered, but the fact is that he is in decline and no-one now cares whether that decline could be reversed for any format of the game. For that, I believe, we have to thank the machinations of the ECB, and the supine nature of those within the county cricket structure whose mouths have been stuffed with gold. |
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