West Indies v England, 5th Test, Port of Spain, Mar 6 - 10

Demelza wrote:

tac wrote:

Demelza wrote:Yes, I don't think they could've tried harder. Who do you think didn't then? Calling me names makes you look very clever, BTW.

Intent implies a lot more than just trying hard . . . do you honestly think England played with "intent" throughout the series?

Obviously, if they were trying hard, it was their intent to win!

Oh dear. Dumbmelza . . .

eowyn wrote:

Demelza wrote:Yes, I don't think they could've tried harder. Who do you think didn't then? Calling me names makes you look very clever, BTW.

Harmison for starters.

I think Harmison tried his hardest. He's just rubbish.

Would someone please give me a view on why Harmison is a dirty word at the minute? I hardly saw him bowl in the games he played, just a last few overs at Antigua I think, where the view seemed to be he was pulling his weight, bowling well, despite feeling off colour. I've kind of missed the beef with him.

What did I miss that ended in a p!ss poor Sidebottom being picked over him and Flower opening a can of verbal whoop ass on Harmison?

Was it usual issues, or something else?

Ta.

So has Hamlet booked himself an Ashes berth or what???

Not so much Hamlet as Omelette. An underdone one.

Or didn't you mean Harmison?

Harmison, for the umpteenth consequtive series has just failed to locate a cricketing brain. He often bowls fast, and gets steepling bounce. But it is always misdirected and he never bowls to a coherent plan. Infact so few are the occasions when he has they are very much looking like isolated flukes.

He could have been an all-time great. But then so too could Mark Ramprakash. Time to cut our losses with him.

"Or didn't you mean Harmison?"

I meant the tragic Danish prince.

Yorkie Jill wrote:Would someone please give me a view on why Harmison is a dirty word at the minute?

Well since 2005 he's taking his wickets closer to 40 than 35.

He's turned up for 2 series totally half arsed. And he'd rather be a postman in Ashington.

Yorkie Jill wrote:Would someone please give me a view on why Harmison is a dirty word at the minute? I hardly saw him bowl in the games he played, just a last few overs at Antigua I think, where the view seemed to be he was pulling his weight, bowling well, despite feeling off colour. I've kind of missed the beef with him.

What did I miss that ended in a p!ss poor Sidebottom being picked over him and Flower opening a can of verbal whoop ass on Harmison?

Was it usual issues, or something else?

Ta.

I think more or less the usual issues, Jill.

When the going gets tough, Harmi doesn't really get going.

When you need him to spark (and strike), he too rarely turns it on.

I would agree with Dem to an extent, in that it isn't purely attitude, or purely courage - he doesn't have the guile (or whatever it is) to be incisive enough, a thinking enough bowler with an ability to turn that thought and variation into action, when it matters.

The fact that he "looks likely to" on numerous occasions in a sense only makes it worse.

tac wrote:Oh dear. Dumbmelza . . .

Yes, Garry it's a funny name, isn't it and coming from someone who can't even string together more than one sentence about cricket makes it even funnier

OP Tipping wrote:"Or didn't you mean Harmison?"

I meant the tragic Danish prince.

Ah. The arm-jarred Danish prince.

Errrr ... no.

Damn...

Yorkie Jill wrote:Would someone please give me a view on why Harmison is a dirty word at the minute? I hardly saw him bowl in the games he played, just a last few overs at Antigua I think, where the view seemed to be he was pulling his weight, bowling well, despite feeling off colour. I've kind of missed the beef with him.

What did I miss that ended in a p!ss poor Sidebottom being picked over him and Flower opening a can of verbal whoop ass on Harmison?

Was it usual issues, or something else?

Ta.

Turned up in India - newly centrally-contracted - unfit. Dropped after one game of 80mph dollies.

Turned up to the Windies claiming to be "more fit". Still bowled 80mph dollies.

Got dropped again. Wrote in his newspaper article that he didn't understand why he'd been dropped and needed to get some "face time" with Cap'n Straws to explain where he's going wrong and what he needs to do to get back in the side. Cue much rolling of eyes as Harmison himself had previous gone on record saying that he's no use to anyone if he's bowling 80mph dollies.

How long can England keep holding his hand, reassuring him, stroking his mane? He's a full grown man, a father of three (or more), yet is incapable of taking responsibility for any kind of decision making, preparation, practice, self-refection. And he's got over 200 Test wickets but seems to know nothing about fast bowling - constantly deferring to whichever bowling coach has become his latest crutch.

I think rather than Harmison being particularly terrible (like, say, in South Africa 04) England have just had a gutful of his bullshit and decided enough is enough. They can't wait forever for him to suddenly shake of his four-year malaise. It's not going to happen.

Ok, thanks all. Summed up nicely.


I can't help thinking - and I in no way condone this, because who doesn't miss the success? - that Harmison was his best doing his job first of all with Flintoff, second of all, with Hoggard, and I guess 3rd of all with Jones or Anderson. To say nothing of having Vaughan as captain. The press make a lot of him getting homesick and all that, but for those couple of years at least, he did good.

He's not looked the same since the attack went teats up, which is the shame, because had he been a different character, maybe he'd have said 'Man I'm lucky. I'm 6' 4, I'm fast, I get massive bounce, I can maim batsmen like Punter sans effort, heck, I even have fun batting at 11. I'd love to make the most of that and lead England's attack'

but he didn't.

That's it in a big bad nutshell, sadly.

I think he had all reasonable encouragement as well as riot acts. What can you do?

If I work it out, I'll let you know. Then I'll build my time machine and go back and make Ramps and Hick good, and stop Gough getting injured so much.

It's just that likely

OP Tipping wrote:So has Hamlet booked himself an Ashes berth or what???

"The time is out of joint—O cursèd spite,
That ever I was born to set it right!"

Act I, sc.v.

The ball is out of joint - oh curse this shite
That ever I was picked to seam it right.

Allan D wrote:

OP Tipping wrote:So has Hamlet booked himself an Ashes berth or what???

"The time is out of joint—O cursèd spite,
That ever I was born to set it right!"

Act I, sc.v.

Did you see that on "High School Musical"?

tac wrote:

Allan D wrote:

OP Tipping wrote:So has Hamlet booked himself an Ashes berth or what???

"The time is out of joint—O cursèd spite,
That ever I was born to set it right!"

Act I, sc.v.

Did you see that on "High School Musical"?

taccy in Disney teen movie fan shocker.

Zat wrote:

tac wrote:

Allan D wrote:

OP Tipping wrote:So has Hamlet booked himself an Ashes berth or what???

"The time is out of joint—O cursèd spite,
That ever I was born to set it right!"

Act I, sc.v.

Did you see that on "High School Musical"?

taccy in Disney teen movie fan shocker.

FFS, zatty . . .

I was thinking more ... taccy, dog-bone.

I was thinking more . . . twat.

Really Dem? I would never have guessed.

It's simple word association.

tac = twat =