Custom Bats Cricket Forum
General Cricket => World Cricket => England => Topic started by: uknsaunders on December 08, 2014, 05:01:17 PM
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http://www.espncricinfo.com/blogs/content/story/808091.html (http://www.espncricinfo.com/blogs/content/story/808091.html)
says it all really
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Scary how close to the truth it is tho
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Cricket run by fools, very accurate.
Anyone else fed up with hearing the corporate cricket clap trap used now days such as 'we didn't execute our skills', just say 'we performed badly or we were cr8p today'. I can't imagine Beefy or Lamb saying such nonsense, but today's cricket puppets roll out the same lines over and over again. Skills, skill, skills......agggghhh >:(
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yes very much so
Cricket and most def the England side, need to reinguage with the average cricket fan.Jon agnew wrote this at the end of last season on the BBC
So far......we ain't seen much of a change from England
I would like to see the players being a bit more frank with the press 'yeah...it was a bad shot I know or 'bowling was a bit off today it just didn't quite come out right'
I don't want to hear 'executing our skills' or 'right areas' any longer.It's corporate words in a sporting environment-don't work for some of us....
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It doesn't and isn't working for anyone
Just alienates em further from the paying public
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And yet how many on here own england replica kit? Pay for t20, ODI or test tickets?? Even pay for sky... Not quite so alienated then
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Just don't heap in those working for the ecb in development doing lots of great work with the elite game. Those trying to raise participation and embed player pathways on an ever decreasing budget do an excellent job.
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Just don't heap in those working for the ecb in development doing lots of great work with the elite game. Those trying to raise participation and embed player pathways on an ever decreasing budget do an excellent job.
serious question to people. Do 'we' actually think all these development officers, county under whatever teams actually do anything useful?? Has the standards actually risen in the last 10 years due to it and all these 'experts' (experts because they do a degree or hold some NVQ), or is it worse/the same as before.. if it's no better, why not get rid and use all that saved cash on club facilities and just scout the leagues for the top players.
I mean, all I see on sundays is lots of youngsters swanning around in gloucestershire young cricketer tops, hats and hoodies.. 99.9% are rubbish... so what's the point
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serious question to people. Do 'we' actually think all these development officers, county under whatever teams actually do anything useful?? Has the standards actually risen in the last 10 years due to it and all these 'experts' (experts because they do a degree or hold some NVQ), or is it worse/the same as before.. if it's no better, why not get rid and use all that saved cash on club facilities and just scout the leagues for the top players.
I mean, all I see on sundays is lots of youngsters swanning around in gloucestershire young cricketer tops, hats and hoodies.. 99.9% are rubbish... so what's the point
So when they're a 20-something fourth team ornament they can warm up in (whichever county they're playing in) under 17s gear and feel like a big dog!
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So when they're a 20-something fourth team ornament they can warm up in (whichever county they're playing in) under 17s gear and feel like a big dog!
lol, true. You just see so many tweets from GCB on this under x cricket, that under y cricket.. All I can think is 'who pays for this and does it even remotely provide any benefit for the cost'
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lol, true. You just see so many tweets from GCB on this under x cricket, that under y cricket.. All I can think is 'who pays for this and does it even remotely provide any benefit for the cost'
Little Johnny's (who's played county age group cricket since age 5, despite not knowing which end of the bat to hold and being scared of the ball) parents "have to buy" county branded shirt, cap, trousers, underwear and sun cream to be allowed to play. Don't know if that covers the cost or not, but having spoken to a county U11 players parent the other week they spend a small fortune on whites.
I wasn't brave enough to ask about match fees, but I got the impression there was an element of "if you pay they'll be allowed to play"
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You only see what you want to see, hey? Have you seen the work done in schools, getting kids engaged in a sport they've never accessed before? Have you seen the school to club links embedded for kids to enjoy playing the game. Not for a hoody or for representative cricket, but just to play the game? Have you seen the adults who have gone back to the game due to new leagues they can play in, whereas before they had one weekend option? You're not going to get your world beaters from those, but the more widespread your foundation, the more chance of future stars coming through... That's what your grassroots development teams are doing. As I said, very different. As an aside, there's a phenomenal amount going into facilities. Still not enough, but get rid of those staff and they'll be white elephants.
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You only see what you want to see, hey? Have you seen the work done in schools, getting kids engaged in a sport they've never accessed before? Have you seen the school to club links embedded for kids to enjoy playing the game. Not for a hoody or for representative cricket, but just to play the game? Have you seen the adults who have gone back to the game due to new leagues they can play in, whereas before they had one weekend option? You're not going to get your world beaters from those, but the more widespread your foundation, the more chance of future stars coming through... That's what your grassroots development teams are doing. As I said, very different. As an aside, there's a phenomenal amount going into facilities. Still not enough, but get rid of those staff and they'll be white elephants.
How many of these kids play for a club because for the parents it's cheap babysitting though?
When coaching the bit I found most frustrating was the kids who would openly state "I don't want to be here, but my mum sends me here because it's 3 hours I'm out of the house and supervised"
Like you say, you only see what you want to see, hey? You can rose tint these schemes as much as you like, but at the end of the day those who want to play will play, those who don't want to won't carry on when they're no longer forced to by their parents...
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You only see what you want to see, hey? Have you seen the work done in schools, getting kids engaged in a sport they've never accessed before? Have you seen the school to club links embedded for kids to enjoy playing the game. Not for a hoody or for representative cricket, but just to play the game? Have you seen the adults who have gone back to the game due to new leagues they can play in, whereas before they had one weekend option? You're not going to get your world beaters from those, but the more widespread your foundation, the more chance of future stars coming through... That's what your grassroots development teams are doing. As I said, very different. As an aside, there's a phenomenal amount going into facilities. Still not enough, but get rid of those staff and they'll be white elephants.
I don't mean to say that some don't do something useful. More that for the cost of all that admin, I'm not sure the 'benefit' is worth it. It's a nice little job though :)
We could make statements that it's useless or that it's unearthing stars and raising participation.. However, lets use the ECB's own stats... playing numbers are down in league cricket... that means they and these 'development' people are failing. just turning out more 'street cricket' isn't really cutting it.
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There are some good coaches working with inner city schools etc who are doing a fantastic job, there are also some good coaches working in clubs who spend their own time trying to help kids enjoy and improve at playing cricket. And these people deserve more credit because its against a back drop of the ecb and counties making a complete hash of bringing youngsters through. If you go to the 'right school' or play for the 'right club' you will do well to mess up your chances of progressing through the youth ranks
. If you don't go to the right school or club you will do well to even get noticed as no one from the county set up will bother to show up to watch.
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Nail on the head
If participation at club level is down hugely, then something's not working
Village crickets on the decline,,
Club crickets standards are dropping
Without attending a decent private school with whatever privelages that grants,, the chances of playing professionally are minuscule
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They are hugely ignorant and tbh rude in my experience, if you are not in their inner circle you don't exist.
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I've mentioned it before on here, and so have many others because you all know, village and club cricket declining is a huge problem that threatens the whole game at grass roots level-the very thing everyone knows is vital and yet no one at the ECB seems to genuinely do anything to protect....
The ECB grants are tailored towards big clubs, big clubs are swallowing up the small clubs,etc,etc...
I also believe the current model does not work but without a complete change of mind-set cricket will continue to decline.There will come a point when the penny finally drops and grass roots becomes a priority again but how and when is anyone's guess.
Has the money the ECB and all the counties got from the SKY deal been re-invested long term?
we know the answer to that I think
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When was the grassroots ever a priority?
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The ECB grants are tailored towards big clubs, big clubs are swallowing up the small clubs,etc,etc...
This to me is one of the biggest problems, more so than shorter games, earlier start times etc. Big clubs are BAD for the game, both in producing better players but also for actually keeping the game alive... The ECB seem to favour having a few elite clubs in each area... however, those clubs just poach and pay players rather than produce players.. they keep the few good kids but most of their kids are discarded or become bored of how they are treated by said big clubs so quit the game.
anyway, none of this is new... Pretty much everyone on this forum knows this, can see this.. Sad to say that the development people, the county boards and the ECB for some reason turn a blind eye and continue to fund projects that will have little impact, fund big clubs and only pick from said big clubs.
Just a little sidenote... Gloucester built a new school and got a large grant from the GCB or ECB (can't remember which sorry)... you are talking 50k+ to build their sportshall.. it's totally unsuited to cricket, for indoor cricket etc.. no viewing area, no roof net, lights have no cages to stop the ball smashing them etc etc.. oh and you have to drag a mat out... What the hell was the point in that. So then when approached to build a CRICKET SPECIFIC site, 10 indoor lanes, 2 indoor pitches, viewing area etc etc... they decline..... very very strange decisions. One will do nothing to promote/maintain cricket.. the other could potentially have been a hub for a county.. very strange decisions
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they just want to play politics with the government makes them feel important. Chance to shine is spread all over the media, but anyone whose from a club and has actually done it know's that in the majority of schools its a complete waste of money. But its lauded as a huge success. Great 100,000 kids who don't want to play cricket have been made to. All the kids in my schools who were interested were already at clubs anyway. Grants and money available only for disabled and girls cricket. I would guess that's about 0.5% of the cricketing population at most. Also money for south asian cricket development, a community that's already nuts about the game. The people who need to be encouraged are from the white working class and west Indian communities.
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This to me is one of the biggest problems, more so than shorter games, earlier start times etc. Big clubs are BAD for the game, both in producing better players but also for actually keeping the game alive... The ECB seem to favour having a few elite clubs in each area... however, those clubs just poach and pay players rather than produce players.. they keep the few good kids but most of their kids are discarded or become bored of how they are treated by said big clubs so quit the game.
anyway, none of this is new... Pretty much everyone on this forum knows this, can see this.. Sad to say that the development people, the county boards and the ECB for some reason turn a blind eye and continue to fund projects that will have little impact, fund big clubs and only pick from said big clubs.
Just a little sidenote... Gloucester built a new school and got a large grant from the GCB or ECB (can't remember which sorry)... you are talking 50k+ to build their sportshall.. it's totally unsuited to cricket, for indoor cricket etc.. no viewing area, no roof net, lights have no cages to stop the ball smashing them etc etc.. oh and you have to drag a mat out... What the hell was the point in that. So then when approached to build a CRICKET SPECIFIC site, 10 indoor lanes, 2 indoor pitches, viewing area etc etc... they decline..... very very strange decisions. One will do nothing to promote/maintain cricket.. the other could potentially have been a hub for a county.. very strange decisions
Great example of the ineptitude at the ECB and county level.
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This was published by the Full Toss Blog today (who have some exceptional bloggers by the way ;) cough)
worth a read
http://www.thefulltoss.com/england-cricket-blog/giles-clarke-is-the-end-in-sight/ (http://www.thefulltoss.com/england-cricket-blog/giles-clarke-is-the-end-in-sight/)
Giles Clarke: is the end in sight?
by Maxie Allen - December 9, 2014
As we've seen, horrendously, during the last couple of weeks, there are more important things in the world than ECB politics.
Come what may, though, the cricket world continues to revolve on its axis. And with each revolution comes another reminder of the caustic mundanities of everyday life.
Of those, few come as corrosive or toxic as the senior management of England's national governing body. But just possibly, change may be afoot.
Rightly overshadowed by recent events, but interesting nonetheless, was Nick Hoult's report in the Daily Telegraph on 28th November.
Giles Clarke is set to be replaced as chairman of the England and Wales Cricket Board by Yorkshire’s Colin Graves in January when a radical shake up of the governing body is expected to begin.
Telegraph Sport understands the changes will be discussed with the 18 county chairmen and the MCC at a two day strategic review meeting beginning on Jan 12.
Clarke is likely to be made president of the ECB in a deal with Graves that will allow him to continue to represent the board at the International Cricket Council. It would free Clarke to pursue his ambition of being chairman of the ICC while clearing the way for Graves, the chairman of Yorkshire, to take power at Lord’s and build a new culture along with the incoming chief executive, Tom Harrison, who officially starts his job in January.
Graves has the backing of the majority of the counties who are desperate for change after becoming increasingly disillusioned with the running of the ECB during a terrible year for the game in this country.
It has become clear in recent weeks that if it went to a vote between Clarke, who has been chairman of the ECB since 2008, and Graves, then the Yorkshireman would win. Clarke’s third term of office is due to end in March and if he were to lose an election he would also see his chances of becoming chairman of the ICC disappear.
Clarke’s powerbase has weakened as support of the counties has drifted away. There is huge dissatisfaction within the county game with how the ECB is run and the emphasis placed on the England team.
Sources have complained that turnover at the ECB has increased in recent years from £80-£140m but the amount filtering down to the counties, around £40m, has not changed.
There are also fears that counties are at risk of financial implosion as the cost of hosting matches and running clubs rises while attendances fall.
The relaunching of the Twenty20 Cup last year only had limited impact on attendances, particularly at the larger Test match grounds. The move to play matches on a Friday night was popular with some counties but at many grounds it had negligible impact. This comes at a time when counties see the huge popularity of Twenty20 tournaments in India, Australia and the West Indies.
Let's assume for now that we can take Hoult's copy at face value. True, none of this has been officially confirmed, but Hoult would not have run the story unless he were very confident of its provenance. What reason would his sources have to invent this tale?
My first reaction, and probably yours too, is joy and relief. In the words of Bob Dylan, we shall be released. Finally, after seven years of nefarious tyranny, this cancerous despot is being crowbarred away from the principal levers of power.
With the possible exception of Gubby Allen the main player in the deselection of Basil D'Oliveira to appease South Africa's apartheid regime Clarke is the greatest scoundrel in the history of English cricket.
This is the man who, before acceding to the chairmanship, as ECB chair of marketing, drove through the transfer of cricket from terrestrial to subscription TV in 2004.
This is the man who since then has fought tooth and nail to keep cricket on Sky and away from the prying eyes of the mass public. To him, people watching the game on unlicensed websites constitutes the "biggest danger"¯ to cricket.
This is the man who sold us down the river. During his tenure as chair, Clarke has systematically transformed English cricket into a sport exclusively for the monied elite, through a regime of ticket hyperinflation, and a extortionate bidding process for the hosting of international fixtures which has jeopardised cricket's entire economy.
This is the man who turned England's cricketers into money-making machines. By relentlessly pumping ever more fixtures into the schedule, swelling it as grotesquely as a foie gras goose liver, he has not only compromised performance and results but damaged the players health and sanity and all for no purpose than lining the ECB's coffers.
This is the man whose board punished players for expressing interest in the IPL, but who posed on the Lord's outfield with a crook and his box of cash.
This is the man who cut the deal for the Big Three. And this is the man whose sole response to Pietersen-gate was to say that English supporters must move on.
Very regrettably, Clarke won't be going completely. This man has no shame. Despite effectively being sacked by the counties, his ego and vanity prevent him from leaving the stage with dignity. Instead, Clarke has demanded the creation of a new and prestigious role, just for him, so he can continue to strut the world stage and besmirch our international reputation. He will still represent us abroad.
Hurrah to the counties for finally seeing sense, although judging by what Hoult reports, their motives for unseating Clarke are entirely self-centred. Of course, we don't know exactly what they're thinking, and many county chairs may have been influenced by the harm he has done to cricket in general.
The health of the counties is vital for English cricket, and they are entitled to fight their corner. But the dynamic behind Clarke's downfall highlights the core structural problem with the governance of English cricket. The ECB chair is elected by the county bosses, so the board will always act in the interests of the counties, and no one else - certainly not the supporters.
We'll talk about Colin Graves in more detail another time. Will he be better than Clarke? He can't be worse.
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PS: we are very touched and flattered by Dmitri's piece about us yesterday. I hope we can sometimes live up to his very kind words. And at the risk of self-indulgence, if there's any admiration going on, the feeling is entirely mutual.
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It would free Clarke to pursue his ambition of being chairman of the ICC
And this is the root of the problem, self serving for his own rewards. Any one who has ambitions of such roles is usually the wrong person to be in the role.
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And this is the root of the problem, self serving for his own rewards. Any one who has ambitions of such roles is usually the wrong person to be in the role.
that is exactly right :)
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The huge problem in English professional sport at the top level is the unyielding desire to make as much money as possible, to the detriment of; grass-roots development, a quality product, talent ID and affordable access to watch and play the game in question - and I'm not just talking about cricket.
Nothing I've seen, from working in the industry for over 15 years, has convinced me otherwise. Especially when that money isn't being directed where its needed...
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So this is what KP's banking on?
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perhaps the ECB are saving up for a nice new office in Dubia
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So this is what KP's banking on?
As long as he gets a pay cheque he wont care who or where it's from.
Saying he wants to play for England again is just a way of keeping himself in the spotlight!
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And this is the root of the problem, self serving for his own rewards. Any one who has ambitions of such roles is usually the wrong person to be in the role.
yes yes yes
modern world says these people have 'ambition'.. I think that anyone who pursues power is the WRONG person to give that power actually to! You want that guy who is the real power behind the success but never blows their trumpet.. usually they don't even bother trying for promotions as they get frustrated as the idiots the business promotes ahead.