Nasser- Toughen up England

http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/england/content/current/story/331477.html

Here here.

Funnily enough, England are headed back to that stage in 1999 where Nasser took over with the team declining at a horrible rate.

Not sure he was a great captain, but as a bloke who didn't hold back and told more than a few people more than a few home truths, he turned the ship around.

"Team England" 2008 seems a bit cosy for my liking. Too much back-patting for all their positives and good times...

Hussain criticised England's policy of players constantly leaving the field. "I want to see England tougher in the field as well. They need consistency in personnel and that includes fielding positions," he said. "By that I mean that players should stay on the field at all times, not pop off for a break any time they feel like it."


"I know this makes me sound a bit fogeyish and I know it wound up Ricky Ponting during the 2005 Ashes but I think the constant to-ing and fro-ing of players is bad. First, it causes the captain a headache with fielding positions and secondly it exhibits a mental softness that is bad for the team. If you cannot stay on the field for two hours during a fielding session, what chance have you got of batting for seven hours?"

I agree with what he is saying ...but surely the 2005 Ashes was a time when an accusation of mental softness could not be made against England ...Exception that proves the rule?

embee wrote:

Hussain criticised England's policy of players constantly leaving the field. "I want to see England tougher in the field as well. They need consistency in personnel and that includes fielding positions," he said. "By that I mean that players should stay on the field at all times, not pop off for a break any time they feel like it."


"I know this makes me sound a bit fogeyish and I know it wound up Ricky Ponting during the 2005 Ashes but I think the constant to-ing and fro-ing of players is bad. First, it causes the captain a headache with fielding positions and secondly it exhibits a mental softness that is bad for the team. If you cannot stay on the field for two hours during a fielding session, what chance have you got of batting for seven hours?"

I agree with what he is saying ...but surely the 2005 Ashes was a time when an accusation of mental softness could not be made against England ...Exception that proves the rule?

England threw in some pretty panic-stricken batting collapses in that series too.

Both innings at Lord's (155, 180), 2nd digs at Edgbaston (182), the small run-chase at Trent Bridge (129/7) and they were in the shit at 126/5 when Pietersen saved the 5th Test at the Oval.

Maybe the 2005 Ashes was planned to give the quick bowlers a break AND to get some super fielders onto the park (Penney Pratt etc) ...when it's done on tour and you replace one carthorse fast bowler with another carthorse fast bowler it can have some negative perceptions .

There was some soft batting ...but the bowling (Lords 2nd innings excepted) didn't really give the Ozzie a break

This is the same Nasser who would chip a fingernail & miss two Tests?

Yes.

England are "tough" but in stupid ways such as Jellygate.

Also, since Jones and Flintoff got crocked, the bowling has not had enough depth to mount a serious challenge in tests.

Mick Sawyer wrote:This is the same Nasser who would chip a fingernail & miss two Tests?

He used to break a bone in his fingers all the time, so 'chip a nail' is hardly fair.
And was tough as hell, he may not have been the greatest batsman but I can guarantee you on dodgy wickets he would be the only one of our line up who could be arsed to tough it out.

Words to live by:

Henry wrote:http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/england/content/current/story/331477.html

Here here.

As opposed to "Hear Hear" ??

But, yes agree wholeheartedly.
England need more balls and imagination with less cronyisms and 'dreams of yesteryear'.

Naz was the epitome of a hard nosed and dogged fighter who turned England around with sheer
grit (and Feltch) before gifting a team "on the verge" to Vawn to collect the accolades in 2005.

Where Naz differs from the present incumbent is that he kicked arse and told it like it was.
Vaughan meanwhile, "takes positives" from games where the team has been out-played and out-thought.

Actually, if people actually listened to Vaughan's interviews when we lose, the majority of the time he says it's not good enough and that we were outplayed and we must improve. All this banging on about "Vaughan's positives" is boring.

And if he does point out that there are a few positives (i.e. Panesar bowled well so we've got a good spinner or Cook batted really well) now and then, I don't see the problem. These are facts. He doesn't do it as a way of covering up the cracks. He always accepts that we weren't good enough. As long as he acknowledges the areas where we're underpar and need to improve there's nothing wrong with giving a few team members that have done well credit.

This sad fixation with "positives" is feeble-minded tosh.

Lara Lara Laughs wrote:

This sad fixation with "positives" is feeble-minded tosh.

Spare us the lecture love. They've been strutting around like its still 2005 recently.

How have they?

You seriously think that before they go out to bat they think "Oh well, we won the Ashes 3 years ago, we don't need to try"? You're deluded.

Lara Lara Laughs wrote:

You seriously think that before they go out to bat they think "Oh well, we won the Ashes 3 years ago, we don't need to try"? You're deluded.

Where did I say that you loon?

They have most certainly been acting billy big boots recently without having the results to back it up.

Yeah.

A) Show me some evidence that they've been acting "billy big boots" and they're not just crap? That's just your unsupported inference.

B) Even if they were being "billy big boots" it doesn't justify bleating about Vaughan's positives when he very clearly points out that we're not good enough.

Yeah, I'd start of by saying that there's an inordinate amount of hubris around this 'Team England', not only that but I totally agree with Nasser about the batting. I've been saying since I've been on these forums - about 2003 - that the England boys throw their wickets away like tw@ts. After many a series win, I'd highlight it and get the old "Stop moaning, jive-talkin' sucka, we won didn't we?" To which I'd say "Yep, but we wont always have the bowlers to dig us out of a hole".

And look at us now - a f*ckin sham. P1ss-weak, girly sh!tbag collapses all over the place - bowlers fuct up the sh!tter for more than 500 runs. Dropped catches galore.

I'd flog the c*nts - no, not sell them... whip the sh!ts like the little invertabrates they are.

Batfink Begins wrote:Yeah, I'd start of by saying that there's an inordinate amount of hubris around this 'Team England', not only that but I totally agree with Nasser about the batting. I've been saying since I've been on these forums - about 2003 - that the England boys throw their wickets away like tw@ts. After many a series win, I'd highlight it and get the old "Stop moaning, jive-talkin' sucka, we won didn't we?" To which I'd say "Yep, but we wont always have the bowlers to dig us out of a hole".

And look at us now - a f*ckin sham. P1ss-weak, girly sh!tbag collapses all over the place - bowlers fuct up the sh!tter for more than 500 runs. Dropped catches galore.

I'd flog the c*nts - no, not sell them... whip the sh!ts like the little invertabrates they are.

Sage

The Jelly Bean affair last year for example, Matt Prior acting like a total arse, the hurling of the ball over the stumps by all the fielders to make them look 'tough'

You can only look tough on the field if you back it up with results.

As for the 'positives' BS, I think most of us are fed up hearing that after the latest defeat - time for some hometruths.

To be fair to old Micker, he used to bag the shoite out of us after a win - maybe he just likes to say the opposite.

JKLever wrote:The Jelly Bean affair last year for example, Matt Prior acting like a total arse, the hurling of the ball over the stumps by all the fielders to make them look 'tough'

You can only look tough on the field if you back it up with results.

As for the 'positives' BS, I think most of us are fed up hearing that after the latest defeat - time for some hometruths.

The jelly bean affair was a bit of fun and has no bearing on the performances. Matt Prior is Matt Prior. He didn't even play in the Ashes so he naturally acts like a tough guy. And throwing the ball over the stumps is something loads of teams have done at one point or another.

The only "spin" we need right now in an England team is that delivered by Monty, Swanny and KP .
The rest of the guff Vawney can go stick up his new-mate Alastair Campbell's Wrecktum.

Lara Lara Laughs wrote:Te jelly bean affair was a bit of fun and has no bearing on the performances. Matt Prior is Matt Prior. He didn't even play in the Ashes so he naturally acts like a tough guy. And throwing the ball over the stumps is something loads of teams have done at one point or another.

Yih, loads of it was press hype and nothing else. Wonder what c*nt came up with that whole 'Porsche' thing. There does seem to be some sort of tough stigma attached to throwing the ball. Take Mick for instance, he's a mild-mannered bloke who when chatted at or the ball's thrown at him just lets it roll off, yet during the whole "We're tough" Ashes 2005, he was beaming that ball in again and again. Alls I can say is maybe the sports psychologists came up with some weird theorum.

Merlin wrote:The only "spin" we need right now in an England team is that delivered by Monty, Swanny and KP .
The rest of the guff Vawney can go stick up his new-mate Alastair Campbell's Wrecktum.

Cor, you're as camp as the Glastonbury main field and as b!tchy as Battersea Dog's home and as bitter as Murphys apparently isn't.

Batfink Begins wrote:

Merlin wrote:The only "spin" we need right now in an England team is that delivered by Monty, Swanny and KP .
The rest of the guff Vawney can go stick up his new-mate Alastair Campbell's Wrecktum.

Cor, you're as camp as the Glastonbury main field and as b!tchy as Battersea Dog's home and as bitter as Murphys apparently isn't.

PMSL

Truth hurts though.
Gimme Naz anyday.
And Guiness ...