Unpicking the Seam

A blog on cricket and other sports

[unpickingtheseam]

The Shattered Legacy

THE LEGACY

“We want to leave a legacy that is a very important factor” Ehab Allam Feb 2016

WALKING AWAY

"But the community can say "go away" and I will go within 24 hours." Assem Allam Jan 2014

20 July 2016 - Still here “To ensure stability during the transfer window, the Club can confirm that takeover talks have been placed on hold until the summer window closes.’

22 July 2016 - The main man who has kept the club stable Steve Bruce feels forced to resign.

“There are no two ways about it - I have never said something and then gone back on it." Assem Allam Jan 2014

THE PRICE OF FOOTBALL

“I hope I will live to see football watched by every housewife and child – make the tickets £10, £5. Watching football should be like breathing air – free of charge.” Assem Allam

Consessions removed from Disabled

SAME ZONE PRICE FOR ALL: REGARDLESS OF AGE AND STATUS   Membership Brochure 

Consessions removed from Juniors and OAPs

THE COMMUNITY

“The council can have it (the SMC) for £1, have it for the community.” Assem Allam March 2015

Prior to evicting community groups from the Airco Arena

THE REGULATORS

“No-one on earth is allowed to question my business decisions - I won't allow it” Assem Allam Jan 2014 At last some truth from the owners.

http://www.hullcitytigers.com Management systematically remove the name Hull City from all communications, social media and merchandise. Hull City don’t believe the rules on concessions apply to Hull City

THE MANAGER

Credit where credit is due the appointed the most successful manager in the Club’s history.  Over the last three years since the owners refused to accept the name change result he has had do so much more than manage the team he has  had to tread the line between the board as the owners refuse any form of consultation and engagement.

They than watch the first team squad go from 25 to 20 with end of loans and releases, then incur 4 long term injuries and make no progress in recruitment forcing our MOST SUCCESSFUL MANAGER and STABALISING FORCE to walk away.

THE FANS

"My vision is for Hull City to be owned 40 per cent by local business owners from Hull and 60 per cent the fans." Assem Allam November 2010

becomes

“They can die as soon as they want” Assem Allam December 2013

Hull City criticised in rejection of name change for considering fans views irrelevant.

CONCLUSION A legacy damaged beyond repair through lack of self awareness, lack of knowledge of football, refusal to learn and unyielding arrogance. Show some dignity, some self respect, some humility and Go Now.

[unpickingtheseam]

F… A… Justice for City

Firstly I declare myself as an avid Hull City supporter and I am pleased that the FA is considering the supporters views about the proposed name change.  

As a Hull City supporter this post my sound at times like the ranting of a man with a chip on his shoulder.  It is not, I like to think that I am a fair man so it pains me when I perceive injustice and at the heart of the premier football league there is a lot to feel aggrieved about.

I have often thought that the 'top' teams and home teams get more of a rub of the green than their opponents from referees.  This week however has highlighted inequities more than most and I want to use my own team as an example, after all I watch them more than I do other teams.

George Boyd has been banned for spitting, spitting is disgusting, but was the evidence compelling and convincing?  After all despite Joe Hart saying he didn't spit the panel who decide these things decided he did.  This was based on high definition super slo mo, which also caught a veritable thunderstorm of spittle emanate from Joe Harts mouth as he took issue with what he saw as a dive.  I don't want to digress too much and I don't condone diving, but let me point out that Hart came storming out, certainly did not get the ball nor did he get Boyd.  Had Boyd stood his ground he may well have been clattered.  So with Spitgate how could the panel decide it was deliberate?  If they have never issued any spittle unintentionally when speaking or shouting they are probably unique amongst men.  So why was Boyd not given the benefit of the doubt particularly given Hart's comments?

This brings about where the sense of injustice comes because the FA's own rules are creating differences rather than resolving them.  No action could be taken against Hart for what Alan Pardew might have described as 'pushing Boyd away with his head', something which the FA might term head butting him.  Why because Lee Mason booked him at the time.  Mr Mason was wrong to only book him, I know this because Yannick Sagbo was sent off against Norwich earlier in the season for aiming his head in the same way against a defender, Alan Pardew was 'sent off' and vilfied for the same thing only two weeks previously.  England's goalkeeper was treated differently.  Only Mr Mason knows why he didn't send Hart off, maybe because he had given one big decision against Manchester City earlier by sending Kompany off.  Mr Bumble said the law is an ass, and with regard to FA disciplinary rules the same clearly applies.  Just because Mr Mason failed to do his job properly why should Hart get away with something that Sagbo didn't. Injustice.  Mr Mason also denied Hull City a stonewall penalty for a push on Boyd, by Fernandinho, incidentally he penalised Dzeko twice in quick succession for much lighter touches in our half of the pitch. Injustice.

Is this an isolated incident? No.  Allen Mcgregor was sent off for aiming a kick at a Palace player and served a three match ban.  Yaya Toure kicked a Norwich player on the floor and received nothing, the FA law is an ass. Wayne Rooney petulantly kicked Tom Huddlestone and was penalised, but not booked,  no further action. Injustice.

Talking about Tom Huddlestone he was sent off by the supposed best referee in the country for two soft fouls, Gareth Barry put two of our players out of the game at Goodison with two over the top tackles the Danny Graham should have been a yellow, could have been a red, the Sone Aluko one was a hello, should have been a red. Injustice.

Does this mean that we have not had decisions go in our favour? No, against Norwich and West Ham we were awarded penalties that were on the soft side.  This balances out against Palace and Swansea were we had good claims turned down.  In all four cases the teams playing were in the same mini league peer group and all decisions favoured the home side.  Is this what people mean when it evens out over the season? Maybe Tottenham got a penalty against us that the top ref apologised for and then suffered a similarly bad call against Chelsea.  Evened out for Spurs than, but no bloody good to us! The referee in both cases was Michael Oliver, the beneficiary the bigger home club.

I am sure fans of other clubs could compile similar lists.  What hurts is the inequity of it all, seeing three players sent off for us, when opposition players have been let off with the same or worse offences stick in the craw.

The FA rules are quite frankly nonsense.  The referring standard is neither good enough nor fair enough to sit behind what the referee saw and reported.  Joe Hart should serve the same ban as Mcgregor. Yay Toure should have served the same ban as Sagbo.

It would be nice to know what action is taken to improve the consistency of refereeing and to discipline referees who blatantly take the wrong action. If Mr Mason saw Hart put his head into Boyd's why did he not send him off? Why?  Referees should have microphones and be allowed to speak to the media after the games.  

I don't envy referees their job, which is why the disciplinary rules should be there to help achieve consistency, they are self evidently not doing that so they need to be changed.

Finally, the evidence on Boyd was not compelling, not proven should have been the outcome.  Be fair that is all we ask.

[unpickingtheseam]

KP or not KP

Until someone fronts up and definitively says what Kevin Pietersen does in the dressing room that can't be managed I am firmly on his side.

The decision to sacrifice him looks nothing more than scapegoating.  I was lucky enough (lucky being an interesting choice of words) to attend the first three winter tests.  England played well generally for the first two and a half sessions of each match then fell away like lemmings off a cliff.

They were poorly led and the senior players KP included failed to front up.  KP is rightly vilified for some poor shots, my own favourites being suckered into spooning a catch to one of two mid-wickets at Adelaide and hitting Lyon to long off at Perth when the match was saveable even winnable.  Aside from Carberry leaving straight ones we have other highly rated batsmen who played equally poor shots Cook hooking at Adelaide, Root sweeping Lyon's first ball to deep square leg.  However, the worst I saw KP included was Ian Bell, who seems to evade criticism, hitting a Smith full toss to wide mid on at Adelaide.  Adelaide really was a scene of crimes and misdemeanours.  When I got home Bell played an equally abject shot to get out first ball at Melbourne.  Bell often looks a million dollars and plays fantastic innings, but why is KP singled out for these shots that are not in the interests of the team?  Surely slapping a full toss or half volley in the air when as a class batsmen you can hit them along the deck are equally worthy of condemnation. Looking at the senior players, Swann looked disinterested from day one kicking his heels at second slip, he clearly has his mind elsewhere.  Jimmy Anderson never has the best body language and by his own admission under performed except perhaps in the all important sledging competition. Prior performed so badly as to be dropped and he may find it difficult to find his way back into the team.  When he was playing he didi at elast talk to the skipper and often seemed to be setting the field. I would exempt Stuart Broad from much criticism.  He has never been my favourite player as I think his attitude sometimes has got ahead of his contribution, but in Australia he stood up to be counted, taking a fearful barrage from the Aussie press and fans, yet performed admirably. This takes me on to the two protagonists Cook and Pietersen.  At Brisbane KP as normal relegated to the outfield did occasionally saunter in to offer advice on what to do, how to get Haddin maybe (it was either not very good advice or ignored!).  He engaged with the fans in the outfield and carried himself well.  He under performed with the bat  and generally found ways to get himself out that he should have avoided.  As he showed at Perth he can be patient, but he  wasn't often enough.  Add him to the list of senior players who disappointed.

Alistair Cook seems like a nice guy and can be a formidable opening bat, I wouldn't wish on anyone the relentless press conferences after every defeat and he might have been afforded more support from the management.  But let's face facts he is not a very good Captain.  He is inexperienced, unimaginative and exudes a diffidence with his body language that contrasted in extreme terms with his opposite number Clarke. Looking at his predecessors as Captain, Hussain was pugnacious and bristled a bit like Ponting, Vaughan was all positivity and confidence, Flintoff whilst pretty hopeless as a leader did have a certain follow me charisma and Andrew Strauss exuded a no nonsense  clarity of purpose.  Cook has non of these, and I don't want to criticise him for that, but the end result is he does not look or appear like a leader. As such I don't believe he should have had a say in KP's future.  He looks dangerously like a captain by default.  Those who say it should have waited until the Flower replacement is in place were right.  I gather senior players may have been consulted about KP's continued involvement, if so that is scandalous because few if any of them should be inked in for the next game on form alone. The brains trust that came up with the decision to sack KP need to come clean on their reasons, explain why no other senior under performers are being given the same treatment as 'we build for the future' and in the case of Cook, Whitaker and Giles need to look at their own positions.  The squad and one day teams also contributed to the calamitous tour.  Giles in particular looks a hypocrite labelling KP a million dollar asset one day and joining in the stoning next.  No doubt his bosses have marked down his acquiescence as the good sign for a future leader! As a footnote I was singularly unimpressed that Cook and other senior players were unprepared to walk over towards the England fans at the end of each match to acknowledge their support, particularly at Perth where it was relentless on the lass day.  Yes he mentioned them at the tail end of his podium interviews, but to me was symptomatic of a man in a bubble.  A Captain needs to be outward looking.  If he is to continue he needs a mentor to help him improve.

[unpickingtheseam]

(Be) Rating the Referee

It is very hard being a Hull City supporter.  Referees make it harder.  On Tuesday night against Crystal Palace my beloved team were denied two penalties, one clear cut the other a 50:50 call and had our goalkeeper sent off for waving a leg at a Palace player who had jumped at him studs up.

Last year at Palace they were awarded two penalties, the first was soft, the second downright absurd when a player was ruled to handle the ball as he threw himself in front of a cross to block the ball.  Bearing this in mind I went to Selhurst Park expecting the worst.

In our last sojourn in the Premier League referees showed a big club or home bias, notably at Everton where Fellaini was allowed to be dubbed when he should have been sent off, Burnley when Geovanni was sent off, Arsenal in the cup when Mike Riley, yes the boss man, went on a spree of booking City players for the slightest infringement when City were leading! There were others, plenty of them favouring the top teams.  The same is happening this season.  The only teams we have had any luck against are at home against Norwich when we got a 50:50 call for a penalty and against West Ham when Kevin Friend did us a favour.

There are a lot of examples that have gone the other way.  The referee on Tuesday was one Roger East, a sort of Howard Webb lite.  The Jelavic penalty claim was similar to the one we won against Norwich and interestingly similar to the one Villa were given at home against WBA.  The second one when Long was barged over - full contact with the player, no contact with the ball, penalty all day every day.

By the letter of the law he had a case for sending off McGregor, in the same way that Nielsen had justification for sending off Beckham v Argentina although there was even less contact here.  Bearing in mind O'Keefe had just jumped in studs up, McGregor had a right to be a touch peeved.  

I would like to contrast this incident with Michael Oliver's performance on Boxing Day when City hosted Man Utd.  We were in the lead early doors and Rooney was getting ticked off, he petulantly kicked Huddlestone after he had passed the ball, it wasn't a tackle it was a kick.  Mr Oliver saw it, we know that because he gave a free kick.  Did he send Rooney off - no, did he book Rooney - no.  This is the same Mr Oliver whose boss, Mr Riley had to apologise over the gift of a penalty to Spurs that cost us the game.  During the Man Utd game Mr Oliver appeared intimidated by the bigger team as Evra, Rooney, Welbeck and others took it upon them selves to referee the game.  He booked Januzaj soon after he came on for a foul, before United completed their comeback the youngster blatantly dived, Mr Oliver knew this because he waved play on - did he book Januzaj for simulation, did he hell.  In the 90th minute he finally sent a United player off Valencia for a second bookable offence the heinous crime of kicking the ball away.  Mr Oliver in both games was diabolical and favoured the bigger side to the extent that his competency is questionable.

One other poor instance of refereeing was at Everton again were two City players were put out of action by over the top studs up tackles from Gareth Barry.  How Barry stayed on the pitch to be the best player only Neil Swarbrick can answer. Interestingly the great Howard gave Tom Huddlestone two yellow cards at Norwich for fouls that were so trivial compared to Barry’s at Everton that you wonder what referees see.

And answer he should, Steve Bruce regularly asks referees to come out and explain their decisions.  So they should, Managers have mandatory press conferences why not referees two.  Mic them up as well fans deserve better, players deserve better than the inconsistencies that we have to suffer on a regular basis.  There is a case for implementing some form of video replaying at the request of the referees, it works in other sports.  The game is fast it is hard to referee with players practicing so many dark arts so give them a bit of help.  It is not just refereeing against Hull City, Mike Jones and the hapless Andre Marriner seem to get so much wrong that it is untrue.

I have noticed in cricket umpires readily give out numbers 9,10,11 LBW quicker than they give out top order batsmen because they don't expect them to be able to bat.  In the same way referees sub-consciously expect big clubs to triumph over smaller clubs and their decisions often seem to support this outcome.

I believe that these actions whilst initially exposing the referees to a bit of pressure would improve the standard over the long run removing some of the witting or unwitting bias.

 I am afraid that until something is done the Anglo Saxon may come out again and again, for which I am sorry in advance.

[unpickingtheseam]

Losing the Plot

I am a 51 year old chartered accountant who travels from Hampshire to Hull to support my football team, Hull City yet to my clubs chairman I am a hooligan.  Chanting City til I die and We are Hull City is a distraction yet these have been chanted regularly at games before the proposed name 'shortening'.

'They can die as soon as they want, as long as they leave the club for the majority who just want to watch good football.'  Dr Allam would no doubt lump me in with the majority being a West Stand season ticket holder, but the more he talks the more likely he is to bring the latent militant out in me.

If he is being accurately quoted his turn of phrase is nothing short of slanderous and never in my memory has a man, for whom there was so much goodwill,  done so much in such a short time to alienate so many!  He is clearly too arrogant to listen or to employ a PR adviser who would advise him that less is more when it comes to public utterances.

I was not happy with his proposed change but unlike Dr Allam, I, like many involved in the campaign, was prepared to listen to his case and the research behind the proposed name change.

Now I am just flabbergasted, stunned by the insensitivity, disregard and hubris of the man.  He labels the demonstration as undermining the team, if he even considered for one moment eating humble pie he could unite everyone again, but he is eroding goodwill.

Is there nobody at the club prepared to stand up to him?  Clearly not they would be shown the door.

I continue to be grateful for what he has done for the club, but he should not slander or label people who disagree with him.  With my season ticket, away games and travel I have spent 4 figures already this season following Hull City, whilst this does not convey anywhere the rights that a £70m injection of funding does surely it does merit respect from the Club chairman.

I would love to have a conversation with Dr A, I am no militant, just an ordinary paying punter.  If he thinks so little of me and the other thousands who have signed petitions, worn badges and scarves just what was his gift to the people of Hull really meant to be?

[unpickingtheseam]

After the Gabba

it is now a few days since the early end of the first Ashes test and all the physical and metaphorical finger jabbing and it is time for some sober reflection from the perspective of a travelling cricket fan.

I am here in Australia for the first three tests with my better half. We came out with our now grown children for the Melbourne and Sydney tests of 2006-7 so we are 0-3 and more than used to defeat.  It all started promisingly, the first two sessions on Thursday were stonking.  I am not normally a big fan of Stuart Broad, but he was magnificent sticking a proverbial two fingers up to the baiting chanting of a crowd stirred up by the local Murdoch press.  From then on it was down hill  as Mitch the magnificent joined Haddin and turned the match.  Friday was embarrassing after the first 45 minutes, Saturday was made worse by listening to my beloved Hull City AFC lose to Crystal Palace.

There was false hope on Sunday as Cook and Bell batted in a seemingly untroubled fashion and then again when hail and rain fell.  However, the fact that we were a long way from home was obvious, the puddles on the field dried as quickly as they had formed.  There was to be no meteorological salvation. Still the good lady and I are used to having spare days in Australia.

What did I make of it all?  Mitchell Johnson was fast and furious, backed up by Harris.  Their spinner out bowled ours, Haddin looked better than the Aussie top order until the pugnacious Warner and stylish Clarke showed what they were made of.  Rogers, Watson, Smith and Bailey barely contributed, Siddle got donated a couple of wickets.  So we lost to half a team, unfortunately Broad aside and a typically fighting innings from the Captain England largely failed to turn up.  The second innings efforts of Bell and Root against the short stuff were possible straws to clutch.  Alistair Cook could do worse than adopt a more ostentatious Captaincy style, maybe not quite so pointed as Michael Clarke, but at times in the field there seemed to be a number of people trying to take charge of the England side, not quite so much when Clarke and Warner were charging along strangely!

What of all the aggro.  I have played cricket at club level for a long time and you got odd bits of boorish behaviour.  I was naively shocked at what went on at the Gabba, there should be no need for the in your face stuff demonstrated by a few players (mostly from the home side).  A more demonstrative approach to match management from the umpires would undoubtedly have helped.  The on field umpires were so laid back it was untrue.  I know you need to re-hydrate in these hot climates, but unofficial drinks every other over is surely beyond the pail.

We are now on a mid tour break in Port Douglas before heading to round 2 of this slug fest in Adelaide.  England have shown they can regroup in the past, they badly need to do so again.  The unfortunate return home of Trott should led to greater pulling together and confederacy amongst those that remain.

We will be travelling with hope and some expectation.Come on England

[unpickingtheseam]

Hull City - Football team of Culture

There is now an opportunity for Dr Allam to show he is a great leader by accepting he may not have called this one right and to build bridges with  the Council and get Hull City Football Club, nickname the Tigers front and centre of the City of Culture arrangements.

Dr Allam has once again shown him to be completely intransigent with no feeling for the people of the City of Hull he so wants to 'give back to'.  He claims it is a vocal minority of 200 or so fans who are campaigning against the proposed name change yet he is not prepared to ballot fans.  The actions of a man who doesn't believe his own words.

The City of Culture award is a shot in the arm for the Council so will only make this arrogant man more determined and fixated, when he should be embracing the business opportunities it affords by tapping into the CITY brand.  Lords knows we are playing more cultured football than ever. 

It is interesting that Kingston upon Thames drop the river from their name whilst the unpretentious salt of the earth folk up North drop the Kingston when referring to their birthplace.  All the Capital of Culture references have been to the City of Hull. 

I don't doubt his business credentials - would I be able to buy my own football club, but Dr Allam has iterated his desire to stabalise the club for the future, step 1 should be to stabalise and maintain your core customer base.

I know nothing about the far east market, but I know that Manchester United were successful first and then did the hard miles with pre season tours.  As Martin Samuels said in his article the other day, think sport, think Tigers, think American franchises.  Think Hull, think City, think football team and 2017 UK City of Culture.

Give back Dr Allam by LISTENING.   No one however successful has a monopoly on being right, you said yourself you don't understand football, you certainly don't understand football fans, football tradition or the way support passes down through generations.  There is no substance provided yet in justifying the change and the responses to perfectly reasonable journalistic questions showed that it is little more than a gut reaction to distance the club from the Council. 

What Dr Allam does understand is fans loyalty to their club.  It does not operate like other businesses, if you are pissed off wih Tesco you shop at Morrisons or Sainsbury's, you might transfer your banking from Barclays to Nat West. However, you would no more transfer allegencies from Hull City to York, Scunthorpe or Leeds than you would stick pins in your eyes.  Dr Allam sees fans continuing to support Newcastle, Blackburn, Cardiff and Birmingham in spite of their owners.  Yes some fans might make the grandiose gesture of handing in their season tickets for Dr Allams promised refund yet how many does it require to impact a man who has put in multi millions of debt to keep the club going?  My own son is toying with such a course of action, but I would encourage him to stick with the team that is part of his heritage, but he is his own man and wants stand up for what is right.  Dr Allam was vague last week in his media interviews regarding of the timing of any further shortening (not a change he insists) of the name.  I wonder whether he has an investor lined up and, if so, what they would have made about his bizarre PR own goal last week.  He badly needs a new public relations strategy.

There is now an opportunity for Dr Allam to show he is a great leader by accepting he may not have called this one right and to build bridges with  the Council and get Hull City Football Club, nickname the Tigers front and centre of the City of Culture arrangements.  I believe he knows it makes sense but is letting stubborn pride get in the way. 

Lead don't dictate. 

[unpickingtheseam]

Hull City My Heritage

Hull City AFC's Chairman, Assem Allam claims that he bought the club for the fans, yet he refuses to countenance that the fans have any rights or say in the naming of the team and in an interview on Radio Humberside this morning appeared to deliberately muddy the water and set out to alienate them.  Over the years I, like many, have spent thousands and thousands of pounds following City, he has no right to dismiss this fact so cavalierly.

Until 11 November I was prepared to to give him the benefit of the doubt, he undoubtedly saved our club, and for that I am grateful.  However, yesterday's statement showed the fans to be used as a pawn in his games with the Council. He showed how petty he can be in May by refusing an open top bus tour through the City.

Dr Allam claims to be grateful to the people of Hull for welcoming him in and giving him a chance to build his life and career.  This is the City of Hull we are talking about.I am proud to come from the City of Kingston upon Hull.  City status is something that is granted and not dismissed. I think City also is a unifying term that potentially brings all the people of Hull and its surrounding villages together.  Unfortunately in Dr Allam's world he associates it only with the council hence is offensive comments about it being lousy

Dr Allam also would I am sure say he is a family man, yet his ideas for renaming Hull City AFC are divisive amongst fans and within families. My son who travels up with me from South London for every home game will not go next season if the name is changed to Hull Tigers and as he believes that Dr Allam does not care about the fan views  he has not got the enthusiasm this season.  Until yesterday I have been more pragmatic being born in Hull and raised in Hessle, City are in my DNA.  However, I would become collateral damage as would I really want to travel up to every game without meeting my son in London and getting the train up together?  We have had a number of discussions about it.  This issue is discussed on other fans forums.

The City council don't come out of this well, but in his interview this morning I can understand just what a difficult man Dr Allam is to deal with.  His responses to questions about the research where disrespectful, full of obfuscation and completely and unashamedly arrogant.

It is hard when you are a life long fan of a club and they are in the top flight for only the third year in their history to see someone prepared to cause such angst and unrest amongst the people he 'bought' the club for.   He has a right to want some return on his investment or at least to minimise his losses.  It is a real mess and one of his own making.

I have been watching them for 45 years and find it all rather heartbreaking.

[unpickingtheseam]

The Ashes

Watching England against Australia in the 5th Test reminded me for a long time of watching Greg Norman against Nick Faldo in the 1996 US Masters.

On was flamboyant and entertaining the other ruthlessly efficient.  The efficiency won the day in 1996, and for much of the summer of 2013 this was the story again.  As a patriotic Englishman I am delighted that we won the Ashes, but I admired the Aussies for the way they went about there business and the way they played the game.  From Ashton Agar's dynamic foray into the cricketing conscience, to Michael Clarke reigniting a test match stifled to near death by England's moribund display on Friday they played the game in a way that entertained.

It was plainly wrong for the crowd at the Oval to boo Michael Clarke even in a pantomime way yesterday.  I may be unfair suggesting it but you get the impression that Alistair Cook and Andy Flower would have been happy for the players to have shaken hands at 5pm with Australia 150-2 off 65 overs.  

There are some fine cricketers in the England team with a variety of characteristics, but at the moment there seems to be a dull pragmatism about the leaderships exemplified with the pitiful over rate when under pressure.  Sure umpires need to make a better fist of clamping down on this, but the players need to remember their responsibility they have to the watching public.

Stuart Broad should have walked in the first test and his behaviour did him no credit, it was good to see he seemed to learn his lesson by walking later in the series having been set a example by the likes of Jonny Bairstow amongst others.  The international cricketer is a role model, much as other sportsmen and women, it would be nice for them to remember this.

The commentators suggesting that the umpires should let the game finish last night were totally unfair.  England were clearly in a winning position why should they get the benefit of the umpires changing their approach from previous matches.  Clearly the ICC needs to remind umpires that the game is an entertainment as well because earlier in the series they came off when they shouldn't - i know this because each time Ian Botham quoted the sage of cricket Bob Willis - 'show me the coffins' when the umpires felt it was insufficiently light to be considered safe.

So well done England, but huge congratulations to Michael Clarke and his team for playing entertaining cricket, but for a couple of key sessions there was little to choose between the teams.

[unpickingtheseam]

From a Trott to a Walk

Watching Nick Compton struggle for a run on Sunday night was painful.  A man wanting something so bad he had become tortured and it was a merciful release to see him out.  In walked Jonathan Trott a man secure in his own skin and with his place assured.

His batting that late evening was quite honestly a disgrace.  If he can't play for the team I would send him a message by dropping him from the one day series.  He was at the wicket with the Captain whom was scoring freely.  This is test cricket it is hard was Trott's justification.  On Monday morning if not exactly swinging from the hip he did come out with some positive intent and scored quicker, surely someone must have had a word, if so why had the Captain not had a word mid way through the Sunday evening boreathon.

Two things should be considered; England were miles ahead in the game, having decided to bat again it was the batters job to get the out of sight as efficiently as possible, secondly, there were spectators who had paid around about £40 to be entertained. On planet Trott non of this seemed to register at the time or in his vacuous self justification afterwards.

This is why the England followers have not warmed to him, not because he was born in South Africa, but because on Planet Trott his cause seems more important that the teams cause.  If it is not so perceptions make it appear so!  Similarly in one day cricket he rarely seems to press the accelerator pedal early enough, yes you need solidity in the batting but for all his status and average how many batters have perished going for runs lost by Trott's sedentary pace.

Contrast with Matt Prior and the new kids on the block Root and Bairstow who seem selfless in the extreme. Whilst not wanting to be critical of only Warwickshire batsmen was it only me that thought that Ian Bell looked the junior partner in his partnership with Joe Root in the first innings.  One option for the first Ashes test is to send him back to the county to regain some consistency, he seems to have been starting recent series badly and rescuing some credibility in the last matches of the rubber.

[unpickingtheseam]

England v India Lessons Learned?

With England's terrific 2nd test win against India it would be tempted to think that everything was suddenly rosy and the only way was up, but.......

The test was one because England had 4 players who were at or close to the top of their game.  In the England first innings Cook and Pietersen got 75% of the runs scored and in the match Panesar and Swann got 95% of the wickets.  

Aside from that Compton continued to show promise following up the second innings 100 partnership with Cook at Ahmedabad with two 50 stands in Mumbai.  It was particularly refreshing to see him attack the small target at the end.  Prior was solid and Patel chipped in with a 50 partnership.

Aside from that Anderson, Broad, Trott and Bairstow barely contributed aside from the odd catch.  Anderson bowled tightly, but unthreateningly. Bairstow started OK before succumbing.  The fact that he could have been reprieved on a technicality should not disguise the fact that he prodded one up in the air.  The we get on to Trott who can't buy a run and doesn't no whether to go forward or backwards.  Broad who bowled poorly, did not bat much better.  The fact that he was allegedly ill the day before means his selection was dubious.

So what lessons have been learned:

1. It was folly to leave Monty out of the first test.  It has happened before and is far from being the safe option!

2. Pietersen has learned his own lessons about defence against spinners.

3. Chase down a small total aggressively

Lessons to learn

1. Don't select players on reputation when they are out of form and less than 100% - Broad.

2. Samit Patel is no more than a part time bowler at test level - not really a fifth bowler.

3. Batsmen like Trott and Bell struggle in these conditions so don't expect numbers 8,9 to score heavily - shortening the tail at the expense of wicket taking bowlers is a false economy.

4. Matt Prior is good enough to bat at number 6 (and higher).

5. Don't have mid on and mid off giving an easy single early in a batsman's innings

In the next test in Calcutta let's see an allround team performance from selection through to application.  The adage of not changing a winning team should not really apply here as so few contributed. There must be a temptation to freshen up the pace attack totally as Michael Vaughan did in New Zealand when he brought in Anderson and Broad for Hoggard and Harmison.  Finn and Onions/Meaker would be interesting.  

The batting is more interesting as there are so many options - Trott, Bell, Bairstow, Morgan, Root, Patel for 3 places - the bold, gamblers selection Root (or KP) at 3, Bairstow and Morgan 5 & 6- the cautious selection Trott, Bell and Patel.   Why not go for a middle ground Bell, Morgan, Patel.  I like that Morgan has worked on his technique since last year and as a left hander mixes things up a bit.  [If Pietersen would bat at 3 I would give Bairstow another chance in place of Bell because he showed last summer with the short ball that he can change his approach.]  I would be tempted to bat Prior at 6 and Patel at 7 to get him used to the position which gives the opportunity for England to play 3 seamers and 2 spinners in other conditions (New Zealand/England).  

Learn the lesson - change from a position of strength.

[unpickingtheseam]

England v India the need for change

There is a lot of discussion on Sky about changes required in the England line up for the second test.  Changes will be made maybe only one or two with Bell out for Bairstow and Monty in for Bresnan.  There maybe should be more finding a place for Finn (Broad, but he has been made vice captain), Morgan for Patel or more radically for Trott.

More fundamentally however England need to look to the longer term.  There have been two constants in the last 12 months; lamentable batting against spin on slow pitches and indifferent catching throughout.

The discussions on the batting vacillate between technique and muddled thinking.  The problems have been evident since the first test against Pakistan in UAE.  If it is technique Graham Gooch should go, if it is thinking then the team Psychologist should also go.  The players who are struggling should look at the Captain as an example of how not to get bogged down and then play your own game after getting in.  Whilst they are in India they could do a lot worse than have a quiet word with Rahul Dravid as Gooch is successor given his record in all conditions.  

As for the fielding get rid of the fielding coach.  I am not quite sure what went through Jimmy Anderson's mind when Pujara lobbed one up off the leading edge.  I am not saying it would have changed the result, but it could have been a very different match had he not got another 200 runs. As a stop gap measure Paul Collingwood is out working with the host broadcaster he could work with them.  Incidentally he is the sort of gritty battling cricketer they could have done with in Ahmedabad.

Finally the ICC need to grow some.  It is no good letting the home board dictate whether to use the DR system.  Either all in or all out.  The standard of decision making in this match suggests that all in would be appropriate - the seamers got some iffy decisions the slow bowlers drew a complete blank despite low bounce and on occasions some very moderate turn.  The umpires - and both men standing in this game are decent umpires - need help.  The supporters and viewers have also got used to it.  It would be interesting to know whether the umpires themselves no have a consensus approving it's use.  There was some suggestion that it is a senior batsmen in India who is against it, on balance it was the Indian bowlers who were badly done to in this match (Samit Patel) apart.  ICC should mandate it immediately.

[unpickingtheseam]

England in India

I am an unashamed cricket fanatic.  I would normally be looking forward to setting my alarm early to listen to test match special commentary, but i feel strangely unexcited about the imminent start of the England v India test side. All being well this time next year I will be in Australia - a promise to myselfto go on a full Ashes tour having gone half way around the world for Christmas 2006 only to arrive for the dead rubbers in Melbourne and Sydney.

So why am I underwhelmed by the forthcoming test series?  I don't really know.  Both teams are in transition.  India's much vaunted top order of the last decade and a half is being replaced, Dravid and Laxman gone, the little master living to some degree of past glories and the openers misfiring of late.

England changing in a different way with a new man at the tiller but a poor recent record against sub continent opposition on their travels.  Have they learnt from last winter when the much heralded Ajmal and the less heralded Herath gave them such problems.  

Another reason maybe that India give the impression of being less engaged by test cricket from the Board of Control through the team to the crowds.

Maybe my perspective will change when the series starts, after all there is much to look at.   Will England be prepared to abandon the four man attack that they have deployed pretty relentlessly.  Given that a couple of bowlers have pulled up already they need to for that reason alone.  If they go with five will Samit Patel get a chance as the 5th man, his batting thus far justifies inclusion, but is there faith in his bowling - can he do the job Bresnan has done in the past.  Will England select the pace bowlers on form and fitness, if so will they be prepared if they under perform to leave out Swann or the recently nominated vice Captain Broad if they under perform as they arguably have done of late.  The shape of the team is interesting as Bairstow is the man in possession of the number 6 slot, the notorious reintegration of Pietersen means there is not a mid order slot available.  Bell will start in the first test rightly or wrongly.  He went on last winters tours with a reputation of being a good player of slow bowling and failed lamentably.  He will miss the second test, if whoever comes in does OK will the management be brave enough to leave him out?

What of Trott the enigma and specialist fine leg.  Can he regain his hunger for long productive innings after a several modest series.

I am started to get more excited about it as I contemplate the questions, there is a lot to find out about this England team.  I am sure that Cook and Pietersen will be the two most productive batsmen, Prior will play his usual unselfish innings and if fit Finn will make some inroads, other than that a lot to play for and my hope is that the management and selection are a bit more proactive than they were in the summer.  They have proved that it is hard to stay at the top having done all the hard work getting there.  The art is knowing what to change when you are winning not to wait until you are losing.  

[unpickingtheseam]

Am I too old for Cricket? - End of Season Blues

It's October and I feel the same way that I have for the last 5 or six years - This past Cricket season was probably my last.  For the last 38 years I have been playing club cricket  in either Yorkshire, London or Hampshire.  In the early years two or three games a week more recently Saturdays only and then with the passing years missing more games.

Having passed 50 - years not runs - it is all getting a little bit hard.  The thoughts on a Saturday morning have changed from opening the curtains and hoping for sunshine to being slightly relieved when it is raining.  Let's face it 2012 was a bit of a washout. The weather, Olympics, holiday and more weather contrived to limit me to barely half a dozen games.  Additionally I missed a game with illness.  I used to get out there on one leg with broken fingers or flu, but not anymore.

The rot set in in 2008 when I had a sabbatical from work and the normal family holiday that usually was limited to fitting around two weekends was extended to missing the last five weeks of the season.  Coincidentally the last match before the break was the penultimate I scored 50.  The last time was the last game of the season when I got back.  Since then the runs have dried up.

Even in the years leading up to then I had thought of quitting, but I play for a one team club and we were all ageing together.  There has been a responsibility to my teammates to keep going to keep the club going.

The 2009 season got off to a slow start, my football team were in the premiership for the first time ever so watching sport became more important than playing.  When I did play I was press ganged into keeping wicket, fine on a Saturday, but agony by Monday when I had to climb up from the bowels of Bank tube station to work.  2009, 2010, 2011 I carried on playing 6, 9 and 9 games respectively.  Maybe they don't need me so much?  Strangely when I do play I want to keep wicket, the pain of recovery is preferable to the humiliation of chasing in the outfield and the ever more pathetic return throw to the wicket.  My team mates know they have to meet my throw half way, not because it is a professional relay, but because that is as far as the slow parabola will reach.

In October I am retired, at the club AGM in December I am seeing whether the club will keep going, by April I am available if they are short.  So what of 2013,  right now I am retired, but in the local pub the other night a team more local to me were advertising for players of any standard to help keep the club going - maybe I can reinvent my self as a slow bowler (very slow).  

Or maybe I'll be back at the club I have played for for 20 years for another one last season.

[unpickingtheseam]

Twenty 20 Hindsight

Why is Stuart Broad captain of England in T20 internationals?  When he was made captain Andrew Strauss was not in the team and Alistair Cook had only just been appointed captain for ODI, neither featured in the T20 and Kevin Pietersen the obvious senior player was not going to be considered having surrendered the top job to the background of the ignominious Peter Moores saga.

Broad was apparently Hobson's choice, but why?  He had negligible captaincy experience.  Does that matter in the shortest form of the gap - in some ways it matters more because you have to react so quickly, however individual decisions can quickly get glossed over when a game can change so quickly.  As a bowler he lacks the flexibility of many others who succeed in the game with little variation, no killer yorker nor range of slower balls.  His batting in all forms has deteriorated markedly from the days when he was talked about as a potential genuine all rounder.

The abject England display against India highlighted the problem:

- muddled selection, one spinner who bowled his overs cheaply compared to four quicker bowlers all going at over 8 an over;

- inflexible bowling options, why are England the only team who are not prepared to have their slow man bowling in the power play?  Is this an inflexible captain or a senior player refusing and therefore a weak captain.  Michael Yardy who also had a better economy rate then most did it.

- Clueless epidemic of horizontal bat shots leading to embarassing downfall only rescued from total ignominy by a last wicket partnership by our 'non' batters Finn and Dernbach.

Going into selection in more detail why not 3 spinners and 2 seamers?  Arguably that would mean leaving out Dernbach of Finn.  However, Consider the fact that Swann, Dernbach, Finn, Patel and Bopara all have better economy rates than Broad. Ironically Bopara has the best strike rate and again Swann, Finn and Dernbach are ahead of Broad.

This suggests a bowling attack of Dernbach, Finn, Swann, Bopara and Patel supported by Wright.  Bopara's batting has been abject, but given the love of stats why not play him as a bowling all rounder particularly on slow wickets.  Collingwood also has a better strike rate than Broad suggesting this sort of bowling may work well.  Also what about Danny Briggs, Hampshire have a track record of success over the last three years the batting may rely on others, but what about Briggs bowling and why wasn't Chris Wood in the squad to provide some left arm variety.

So if you pick on form and statistics and horses for courses Broad would not play so who should captain - Morgan, Swann.  Pick the right team and then worry about the Captain.  Save Broad for other formats and tell him to work on his batting again!

[unpickingtheseam]

Central Contracts and Wicket Keepers

Craig Kieswetter has been awarded an incremental contract for the coming year, a renewal of his existing agreement which suggests that he is still thought of as the number one wicketkeeper/batsman in one day internationals. Subjective evidence based on the naked eye of the spectator would suggest that he is somewhat fortunate.  

Batting

Kieswetter has a superior one day batting average to Matt Prior 30 to 24 and in T20 - 24 to 21 although in the latter Prior actually has a better strike rate.  Do these stats paint the whole story?

Prior has improved year on year in test cricket as both a wicket keeper and batsman yet in one day cricket he has been treated a bit like a Ramprakash, in and out up and down the order.  He has proved time and again to be the most selfless of batsman, putting his foot to the pedal to the benefit of the team.  He successfully bats high in the order in one day cricket for Sussex.

Kieswetter has been a consistent presence at the top of the order until he was moved down to accommodate Pietersen and then Bell.  Has he delivered?  To me he flatters to deceive unrolling sumptuous cover drives before surrendering tamely to a defensive shot or a lofted drive.  In T20 as well as Prior, Lumb and Wright both have superior strike rates.

They both favour the offside and strive to improve on their legside weaknesses.

Wicket Keeping

Matt Prior is whatever the opposite of a a shadow of his former self is.  The hard handed flapper who first played for England has been replaced by an assured confident and capable stumper who misses very little.  The consistency of the England test side selection has led to fewer misunderstandings with first slip.

Kieswetter is a competent, but unsophisticated stopper.  He doesn't fit the traditional idea of a wicket keeper being tall and somewhat angular. Of late he has been showing off an impressive line in hollywood dives as he anticipates sweeps and reverse sweeps, to date these have been unsuccessful, but he will succeed one day.  They do enhance the overall impression that he is more goalkeeper than wicketkeeper.

Assisting the Captain With DRS the wicket keeper has an important role to play.  England have clearly been better at this in Test cricket than in One day internationals.  This may well be attributable to Strauss position at first slip and unflappable level headedness, Cook is more reliant on the wicketkeeper.  The nature of one day cricket may make it harder for a wicket keeper to be as effective judge, Kieswetter is struggling a bit at the moment.  Prior is a stronger candidate based on the test experience and partnership he has had with Strauss.

Conclusion

It is never an open and shut case, the objectivity of stats on balance gives the one day role to Kieswetter and one can argue that he has not let England down.  On the other hand he has rarely set things alike aside from pleasing 30 run cameos.  He neither bats in one day cricket like a finisher, nor does he he open in T20 with the explosiveness of other international openers.  There are other factors in the equation - does Jonny Bairstow get enough time to work on his keeping to fulfil the role in either format?  Will Pietersen come back into the fold and change the team batting dynamic?

Kieswetter's clueless effort in the aborted nine over slapathon at Old Trafford has only emphasised my view - Prior for me 100 times out of 100.

[unpickingtheseam]

For when the one Great Scorer comes to write against your name, He marks - not that you won or lost - but how you played the game.

Grantland Rice, American Sports journalist