Something to make Australians happy-Hilditch and Chappell got the chuck

[vic_orthdox]

I think Moody would be a great option as a selector, he has recent experience coaching in the FC system and has been proven overseas as a coach, even if he didn't have the greatest time with WA.

It's not a particularly attractive job though, there will still only be one full time selector and you have to spend most of your time travelling to watch games. Don't know if the Fox guys will be up to it either, they will have to be at OD games when they need to be watching Shield Games, etc. etc.

 

[benchmark00]

I for one hope it's not Rixon.

 

[BoyBrumby]

I for one hope it's not Rixon.

Gonna expand on that, champ?

 

[benchmark00]

Gonna expand on that, champ?

I haven't been overly impressed with him with any of the dealings I've ever had with him, personally.

I just don't think that's the sort of direction Australia need to go down. He can at times be an abrasive character in my experience. I dunno, he's very old fashioned, which I don't doubt can be a good thing, just don't really think he's what we should have at the moment with all the new blokes coming in.

Would love Steve Waugh to do some serious coaching. Now there's a bloke you can set your watch to.

 

[vic_orthdox]

Ricky Ponting would retire immediately.

 

[BoyBrumby]

I haven't been overly impressed with him with any of the dealings I've ever had with him, personally.

I just don't think that's the sort of direction Australia need to go down. He can at times be an abrasive character in my experience. I dunno, he's very old fashioned, which I don't doubt can be a good thing, just don't really think he's what we should have at the moment with all the new blokes coming in.

Would love Steve Waugh to do some serious coaching. Now there's a bloke you can set your watch to.

Interesting.

I've been a bit surprised that he's been so much the favourite given I'd doubt there'd be much competiton for his signature from elsewhere, but Flower has definitely proved that promotion from within can work.

Flower younger, much better player, etc so I dunno.

Fair shout on SRW too. Think the job would be his if he wanted it. Obviously has other stuff going on but, given how much of a patriot he is, think he'll be enticed back at some point.

 

[howardj]

What Australia has been good at in the past has been appointing the right coach for the times. Back in the 1980s Simpson was appointed. He, being a tough task master and no nonsense workaholic, was a good fit for the barren times. Likewise, as much as I think he got way too left-field towards the end, Buchanan was a good appointment in 1999 - he made a great group of players raise their sights. On his first day in the job, he wrote on the white-board in the Gabba dressing rooms "today is the first day of our march towards the Invinicibles". In short, he opened their eyes as to what they could become.

Right now, I think we need someone of Simpson's ilk, rather than Buck's. Certainly, as shown last Summer, we don't need another wet lettuce like Nielsen who just leaves the players to run amok (eg attending functions on match mornings) and leaves the captain with too much on his plate. It's widely known that Flower and Pietersen clashed when Flower ordered no wives on tour. Could you imagine Nielsen standing up to the star Australian players in that way?

 

[Furball]

Ricky Ponting would retire immediately.

Wouldn't be the worst thing.

 

[Furball]

What Australia has been good at in the past has been appointing the right coach for the times. Back in the 1980s Simpson was appointed. He, being a tough task master and no nonsense workaholic, was a good fit for the barren times. Likewise, as much as I think he got way too left-field towards the end, Buchanan was a good appointment in 1999 - he made a great group of players raise their sights. On his first day in the job, he wrote on the white-board in the Gabba dressing rooms "today is the first day of our march towards the Invinicibles". In short, he opened their eyes as to what they could become.

Right now, I think we need someone of Simpson's ilk, rather than Buck's. Certainly, as shown last Summer, we don't need another wet lettuce like Nielsen who just leaves the players to run amok (eg attending functions on match mornings) and leaves the captain with too much on his plate. It's widely known that Flower and Pietersen clashed when Flower ordered no wives on tour. Could you imagine Nielsen standing up to the star Australian players in that way?

Australia need a coach who can take a decent group of players and make them more than the sum of their parts. The bottom line is that the 25-32 age group in Australian cricket, particularly the batsmen, are a seriously underperforming bunch and while there's players in Australia who could certainly prove to be servicable players, like Shaun Marsh or Shane Watson, there's no-one really of the "right" age who looks nailed on for greatness. There's potentially a number 2 team in there if the right coach can be found; Australia won't get to the top until the talented youngsters in their system (Cummings, Hughes, Khawaja, Smith etc) mature, which could take 5 years or more.

 

[howardj]

My reference to needing someone like Simpson kind of accords with what you're saying. We need someone who can be tough and drag a group of younger players through the early stages of their careers. I totally agree that the only way back to the top is if the youngsters like Usman, Cummins, Hughes etc really take off over the next few years.

I like the approach of Andy Flower - he provides real leadership and is sort of a co-pilot with Strauss. He doesn't necessarily run the ship, but he's a co-pilot who takes a lot pressure off the skipper.

 

[Furball]

My reference to needing someone like Simpson kind of accords with what you're saying. We need someone who can be tough and drag a group of younger players through the early stages of their careers. I totally agree that the only way back to the top is if the youngsters like Usman, Cummins, Hughes etc really take off over the next few years.

I like the approach of Andy Flower - he provides real leadership and is sort of a co-pilot with Strauss. He doesn't necessarily run the ship, but he's a co-pilot who takes a lot pressure off the skipper.

No, you need someone who'll take a group of guys like Mitchell Johnson, Shane Watson, Shaun Marsh, and get the maximum out of them. Forget all this pish about throwing youngsters in "because it worked in the 80s" (it didn't), you have a moderately talented team who if moulded correctly will be the number 2 side in the world within a couple of years. In 3-4 years time, hopefully the likes of Cummins, Hughes and Khawaja will have kicked on...that's when you start getting rid of the stalwarts (think Merv Hughes, David Boon etc) and replace them with the superstars (Warne, McGrath, Ponting etc)

 

[Andre]

My issue with Steve Rixon potentially getting the job is that he is, well... Dated. He's been out of regular work until recently and I just can't help but think his best days are gone. I dont think his style of coaching is the right fit for where we are at right now. Him getting the job would remind me of when Knuckles Connolly got the Wallabies job - there was no question he had earnt a crack, but it was probably 10 years too late - the game had sort of passed him by at that stage. Still good enough to make a fist of it, but he didn't quite have his finger on the pulse like he once did. I could see that being a concern with Rixon, plus he's quite a prickly sort of fella which could explode one way or another within the squad.

All that said I'm not sure there is a better home-grown candidate at this stage, although Greg Shippard has earnt a go. One idea that interests ne and that I could see working very well for us is having Rixon as Test match coach (where the values and nuances of the game are timeless, hence he's not handicapped in this form of the game), and someone like a Chuck Berry as ODI and T20 coach - I really like him, he's brave, he is an innovator and he's very strong - wouldn't take a backward step to any player.

 

[howardj]

No, you need someone who'll take a group of guys like Mitchell Johnson, Shane Watson, Shaun Marsh, and get the maximum out of them. Forget all this pish about throwing youngsters in "because it worked in the 80s" (it didn't), you have a moderately talented team who if moulded correctly will be the number 2 side in the world within a couple of years. In 3-4 years time, hopefully the likes of Cummins, Hughes and Khawaja will have kicked on...that's when you start getting rid of the stalwarts (think Merv Hughes, David Boon etc) and replace them with the superstars (Warne, McGrath, Ponting etc)

Unfortunately, there is no room at the moment for the youngsters that you speak of, because the two batting spots where you traditionally introduce young bats are taken up by Hussey and Ponting nether of whom are going anywhere soon. There are no young gun spinners, and two pace bowling spots are taken up by Johnson and Harris who are both in their 30s and are a long way from being dropped. I think we need a tough taskmaster regardless of whether we have the team we currenly have (i.e. still a fairly old team) or a team full of young players.

 

[howardj]

My issue with Steve Rixon potentially getting the job is that he is, well... Dated. He's been out of regular work until recently and I just can't help but think his best days are gone. I dont think his style of coaching is the right fit for where we are at right now. Him getting the job would remind me of when Knuckles Connolly got the Wallabies job - there was no question he had earnt a crack, but it was probably 10 years too late - the game had sort of passed him by at that stage. Still good enough to make a fist of it, but he didn't quite have his finger on the pulse like he once did. I could see that being a concern with Rixon, plus he's quite a prickly sort of fella which could explode one way or another within the squad.

All that said I'm not sure there is a better home-grown candidate at this stage, although Greg Shippard has earnt a go. One idea that interests ne and that I could see working very well for us is having Rixon as Test match coach (where the values and nuances of the game are timeless, hence he's not handicapped in this form of the game), and someone like a Chuck Berry as ODI and T20 coach - I really like him, he's brave, he is an innovator and he's very strong - wouldn't take a backward step to any player.

I think in AFL no doubt you need to be up with modern trends and in touch with the game. But I think particularly in terms of Test cricket, the game is not as fast changing as other sports. Rixon would be as switched on as anybody else in the longer form. Test coaches need a different skillset to AFL coaches.

 

[Furball]

Unfortunately, there is no room at the moment for the youngsters that you speak of, because the two batting spots where you traditionally introduce young bats are taken up by Hussey and Ponting nether of whom are going anywhere soon. There are no young gun spinners, and two pace bowling spots are taken up by Johnson and Harris who are both in their 30s and are a long way from being dropped. I think we need a tough taskmaster regardless of whether we have the team we currenly have (i.e. still a fairly old team) or a team full of young players.

And rightly so, heaven forbid a young player actually earns his spot through weight of performance.

 

[howardj]

Usman doing so, as we speak

Agree though that we need to see more from guys like Smith before he gets recalled, but even he actually rattled off a couple of tons before he got picked

What do you think of Wade over Paine?

I am huge on Wade, reckon he should be next in line after Hadds.

 

[Furball]

Usman doing so, as we speak

Agree though that we need to see more from guys like Smith before he gets recalled, but even he actually rattled off a couple of tons before he got picked

What do you think of Wade over Paine?

I am huge on Wade, reckon he should be next in line after Hadds.

No idea on Wade. Been hugely impressed with Paine from what I've seen from him at Test level, although he seems to suffer from Watsonitis (not such a huge problem when you're batting 7 though), if you reckon there's someone in Shield cricket better than Paine then that's a huge bonus.

 

[uvelocity]

Usman doing so, as we speak

Disappointingly in the 2nd dig. Better late than never though.

 

[vic_orthdox]

The great man speaks.

Greg Chappell says Australia needs to find another champion | Herald Sun

 

[uvelocity]

Australia news: Cricket Australia looks beyond the baggy green | Australia Cricket News | ESPN Cricinfo

what a lot of hot air