*Official* Fourth Test at Headingley

[GIMH]

Pietersen and Flintoff are the only England batsmen who average more against Oz than their career average. I care more about stats with batsmen than bowlers, and that one is damning.

 

[Son Of Coco]

Loved the way he didn't give it back to the crowd, despite having the perfect opportunity to do so.

Athers says something along the lines of "Getting some stick from the crowd this series, anything you want to say to them?

"No, not really"

"**** off you filthy, fat, 4-toothed piss pots" would have been funny though.

 

[BoyBrumby]

Don't take that tone with me sunshine, I'm just the messenger

I cry myself to sleep every night that we're ranked that low, FTR

Aye, 2005 seems more and more like a dream with each passing series now...

 

[pasag]

A student of the Ikki school of charm & diplomacy, is Ricky.

Reading between the lines, I suspect he's more pissed off with the booing than he's publically stated because he's not usually quite so blunt.

Nah, you'd think so, as anyone would have the right to be, but the way he smiled about it when asked shows he's taking it well.

 

[Streetwise]

Loved the way he didn't give it back to the crowd, despite having the perfect opportunity to do so.

Athers says something along the lines of "Getting some stick from the crowd this series, anything you want to say to them?

"No, not really"

Well he really did say something but it was with his bat.

 

[Uppercut]

Flintoff was keen to play here. Should have just ****ing played him.

Cobblers, to be blunt. For a country of our size and participation levels we underperform in all the major team sports we treat semi-seriously (football, cricket, both rugby codes). We haven't even made a final of a major football tournament since '66 and the 2005 Ashes series was a tiny desert island of success in an ocean of failure strecthed back 20 years.

& no-one gives an arse about the FIFA rankings, it's medals on table that matter.

I was indeed referring to cricket, but football's easier to run with. What about how Sven Goran Eriksson was painted as a massive failure after three consecutive big-tournament quarter finals? Comfortable qualification, plenty of victories and the only major defeats were on penalties to a top-class side and to a bizarre Ronaldinho goal against the undisputed best team in the world.

Despite it being the most widely played sport in the world, England seemed to think something was wrong when this was happening. Need to get over themselves IMO.

 

[Pigeon]

A giant middle finger to the boozed up bogans who pass off as English fans.

 

[sledger]

Pietersen and Flintoff are the only England batsmen who average more against Oz than their career average. I care more about stats with batsmen than bowlers, and that one is damning.

What was Michael Vaughan's? just out of interest.

 

[sledger]

I was indeed referring to cricket, but football's easier to run with. What about how Sven Goran Eriksson was painted as a massive failure after three consecutive big-tournament quarter finals? Comfortable qualification, plenty of victories and the only major defeats were on penalties to a top-class side and to a bizarre Ronaldinho goal against the undisputed best team in the world.

Despite it being the most widely played sport in the world, England seemed to think something was wrong when this was happening. Need to get over themselves IMO.

Completely agree with this, there is something very stupid with the bizarre mentality the majority seem to hold when measuring success.

 

[sledger]

Loved the way he didn't give it back to the crowd, despite having the perfect opportunity to do so.

Athers says something along the lines of "Getting some stick from the crowd this series, anything you want to say to them?

"No, not really"

Good for him tbh, got to admire the bloke, has conducted himself exceptionally throughout.

 

[GIMH]

I was indeed referring to cricket, but football's easier to run with. What about how Sven Goran Eriksson was painted as a massive failure after three consecutive big-tournament quarter finals? Comfortable qualification, plenty of victories and the only major defeats were on penalties to a top-class side and to a bizarre Ronaldinho goal against the undisputed best team in the world.

Despite it being the most widely played sport in the world, England seemed to think something was wrong when this was happening. Need to get over themselves IMO.

On the flipside of this, one of the things the likes of the Aussies do so much better than this is their unwillingness to accept defeat. Look at how they came back after, yes, the 2005 Ashes. They went and crushed everyone before them to try and erase the pain of that defeat. Look at what they did in South Africa after losing a series at home for the first time in forever.

We don't have a god-given right to beat anyone or be good, but I think our teams accept that all too easily at times. There is nothing at all wrong with seeking out success and not being happy with what may be perceived as relative success.

To use a similar analogy, when the mighty whites got to the brink of the Prem, do you think when we lost a third play-off semi in a row I thought to myself, "ah well, we have crowds of 8,000 and no right to get this high up so we've done well really," no did I ****, I cried for 3 days

 

[Streetwise]

TBF even the pommie fans are getting to be as boring as the team, every time I watch a series they sing the same songs over and over year after year. Cant they try something different just to liven things up a little bit.

 

[TT Boy]

Do you think Aussie (the poster) drinks Old Jamaican?

 

[GIMH]

A giant middle finger to the boozed up bogans who pass off as English fans.

Piss off yeah

What was Michael Vaughan's? just out of interest.

They didn't show it, would be a lot higher I'd imagine

Showing the bowlers now. Beefy bamboozled by Jimmeh's average against Oz, I think he actually might have forgotten 06-07!

Broad and Flintoff the only bowlers whose averages V Oz are better than their career averages. Broad's career average now 37, hope he can keep improving and get that below 30 this time next year.

 

[Pigeon]

On the flipside of this, one of the things the likes of the Aussies do so much better than this is their unwillingness to accept defeat. Look at how they came back after, yes, the 2005 Ashes. They went and crushed everyone before them to try and erase the pain of that defeat. Look at what they did in South Africa after losing a series at home for the first time in forever.

We don't have a god-given right to beat anyone or be good, but I think our teams accept that all too easily at times. There is nothing at all wrong with seeking out success and not being happy with what may be perceived as relative success.

To use a similar analogy, when the mighty whites got to the brink of the Prem, do you think when we lost a third play-off semi in a row I thought to myself, "ah well, we have crowds of 8,000 and no right to get this high up so we've done well really," no did I ****, I cried for 3 days

Awww. I can feel what you feel now, GeraintismyHero.

 

[GIMH]

TBF even the pommie fans are getting to be as boring as the team, every time I watch a series they sing the same songs over and over year after year. Cant they try something different just to liven things up a little bit.

Best song I heard at this Test came from the Aussies, "Broady, Broady, dude looks like a lady." Now as everyone knows, I like Broady, but I thought that one was clever/

 

[Pigeon]

TBF even the pommie fans are getting to be as boring as the team, every time I watch a series they sing the same songs over and over year after year. Cant they try something different just to liven things up a little bit.

Let the team do something first. Then the fans shall follow.

 

[BoyBrumby]

I was indeed referring to cricket, but football's easier to run with. What about how Sven Goran Eriksson was painted as a massive failure after three consecutive big-tournament quarter finals? Comfortable qualification, plenty of victories and the only major defeats were on penalties to a top-class side and to a bizarre Ronaldinho goal against the undisputed best team in the world.

Despite it being the most widely played sport in the world, England seemed to think something was wrong when this was happening. Need to get over themselves IMO.

It's not that it's wrong as such, but why should we be happy with mediocrity? Compare our record to countries of similar populace/resources (Spain, Italy, France, Germany). It's not realisitic to expect us to win every tournament, but 4 semis ever (three lost) is disgraceful.

 

[sledger]

Do you think Aussie (the poster) drinks Old Jamaican?

Hate that advert, don't understand what an old Jamaican guy in a suit playing cricket inside a dingy factory has to do with the product whatsoever.

 

[zaremba]

Dreadful, dire, depressing. It wouldn't be the Ashes if it didn't feel like this. Anyhow a mixture of a very good Australian performance and an absolutely pathetic English one has contributed to one of the most thorough slappings we have ever had to endure.

That said, it's (somehow) 1-1 going into the final Test at the Oval. Thankfully there's a bit of time for recovery before then. England somehow need to reboot mentally and to treat this as a one-off match, on home territory, with a partisan crowd behind them, and a chance to win the Ashes. And with Freddie (hopefully) returning for his swansong, who knows?

ps congrats to whoever it was that came up with the "Fredless chickens" line.