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Mike Hesson - Is it time?

Zinzan

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Firstly I should point out this is not a reaction to the latest limp bowling performance against Bangers, It's something I've been thinking about for a while since BMac's retirement.

While Hesson, along with Bmac helped get us through that difficult Ross Taylor debacle in 2012-13, helped reshape the culture within the team & ultimately helped guild us to probably our 3rd best Test era (behind the 80s side & Flem's side around 98-2003), I do think he's now living on borrowed time.

I suppose it's the same with most leadership/coaching positions, even for the good coaches. They add their 2 cents worth, put their mark on the team, but then there's a time when things start to go stale & there's a need for a new dynamic.

It's just the cyclical nature of almost any leadership position, including CEO's in the corporate world. After a while you need that point of difference, that new direction. To keep the things that are working well from the previous regime, while adding something new.

Even putting aside that issue of tenure, from a personality perspective, he and McCullum complimented one another really well, with Bmac being the more aggressive, outwardly confident figure who lead the approach and attitude in the field & Hesson the mild mannered pen pusher in the background. It seemed to work well with Hesson being the yin to BMac's yang.

Now KW has taken over the reigns, we've got two mild mannered, quietly spoken, & non-aggressive chaps with seemingly almost exactly the same personality, I'm not sure this is such a great combination. There's a real sameness to it.

Anyway, I don't want to bag Hesson, because he deserves credit for helping this side to their first WC final, & probably the 3rd best Test period in our history between late 2013- mid 2015, but I can't help feel that for the benefit of NZ cricket moving fwd, that his time should be nigh, especially if KW is going to be our long term skipper.

Thoughts?
 

TheBrand

First Class Debutant
I still rate Hesson as a coach for mainly the reasons you stated, but the thing that has troubled me most has been their selection policies over the last 12 months. It just doesnt have any rhyme or reason to it, at least with BMac/Hesson there was always method to the madness. Well that's how I felt about it anyway.

Could be time for an overhaul though, Jurgensen is doing nothing as bowling coach imo. Haven't heard anything bad about CMac as batting coach but surely there are better out there.
 

Dick Rockett

International Vice-Captain
I've never rated Hesson. He speaks and thinks in corporate managerialism which has infected the players. They don't seem to have personalities or thoughts of their own, and little fire or passion. In Boult's recent interview with Cricinfo he talked about how they're still trying to figure out a way for the bowlers to be effective when they don't have a green seamer to assist them. After so many years of the current regime, I thought that was damning.

I was happy enough with him as McCullum's enabler because things were going so well. Without McCullum, there's no point to Hesson.
 
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NZTailender

I can't believe I ate the whole thing
He's done some good but it's time to go. I think the whole regime needs replacing. Everyones gone off the boil and I fear talents are being mismanaged.
 

Zinzan

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I've never rated Hesson. He speaks and thinks in corporate managerialism which has infected the players.
Lol, I remember you once giving me **** for using the term 'value proposition' when I was trying to make some point.

Fair cop.
 

Zinzan

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No big deal either way, but if the mods could add a poll to this it'd be appreciated.
 

Dick Rockett

International Vice-Captain
Everyones gone off the boil and I fear talents are being mismanaged.
Yeah, the regression of so many players is frightening. Southee, Boult, Henry, Taylor, Bracewell. Even Kane Williamson only scored two international hundreds in all of 2016.
 
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Zinzan

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Indeed, & just to add to the sameness of mild manners non-aggressive personnel at the top, to join Hesson and KW, we have wet-fish Gavy Larsen as head of selectors.
 

The Hutt Rec

International Vice-Captain
Well he is (I think he says himself) less a traditional coach, more a man manager. If that's the case then I don't think he has much case to stay in the role. Selections have been all over the place, the bowling coaching in particular seems to be hugely ineffective, captaincy is vey uninspired, and performances by the players have dropped off alarmingly. I'm struggling to see what he's doing with any success, and to me it points to the side needing a complete overhaul.

Sure we have lost McCullum, but unlike the limited over sides, the test side is still relatively stable from the great run of a few years ago. You could hardly term it a rebuilding phase. I just think the results over the last 12+ months have been inexcusable, and somehow it seems to be met with total ambivalence by everyone involved at NZ Cricket. Not good enough.
 

_Ed_

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He's done some good but it's time to go. I think the whole regime needs replacing. Everyones gone off the boil and I fear talents are being mismanaged.
Yeah, agree with this. I certainly didn't like Hesson to begin with (especially after the Taylor saga), but he proved me wrong and has done really well. But I think a new perspective now would probably do us some good now.

Is there any chance we can interest Fleming in the gig?
 

Zinzan

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Is there any chance we can interest Fleming in the gig?
Flem would be the best bet by a long shot, but I doubt they could pay him enough to keep him away from his lucrative IPL and BBL gigs.
 

Immenso

International Vice-Captain
Maybe. But probably not.

Always found it hard to know how to rate Hesson, but was perfectly happy with cheap background guys like Trist and Aberhart rather than expensive ego guys like Bracewell.

Id rather the time, money and effort was directed towards a decent bowling coach and a decent A program. Rather than coach blaming. That would produce tangible results.

But don't get me wrong, I have absolute contempt for the generation squandering trajectory the blackcaps have headed for the last 2 years. I just don't know yet where to lay all the blame (apart from glaring decline of seam-bowling post Bond).

I think Hesson is being shown as just a mediocre beaurocrat than the super coach. But I'm ok with that if we can get quality specialist coaches in the management.

Don't care about Hesson and Kane both being quiet.
 
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Zinzan

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Don't care about Hesson and Kane both being quiet.
Yeah, I don't care that they're quiet individually. I do care that 3 of the top guys now, KW, Hesson & Gavin Larsen (head of selectors) are all similarly quietly spoken, extremely non-aggressive personalities. It worked well when you've got a confident more outgoing aggressive personality like Bmac to compliment Hesson.
 

Blocky

Banned
The on field character of the team seems to have completely faded, the fielding standards are laughable and it corresponds with the bowling plans being laughable too.

I don't see how Hesson can work with a guy like Williamson, Hesson would be a great foil for the likes of Dion Nash, Chris Cairns, McCullum, Crowe - assertive, extroverted people who drive themselves and their team while they're on the field. He's not a great coach for guys like Williamson, Fleming, Taylor, Vettori who are more naturally introverted characters.

Problem is, we've got no one else in the team that could take the captaincy other than Taylor, at which point you look at the deficiencies in the team and fill them with the coaching staff, we need a Darren Lehmann/Steve Rixon style of coach with this side.
 

hendrix

Hall of Fame Member
The idea that Williamson, Fleming and Vettori are non-aggressive/introverted characters is really strange to me.

Williamson is notoriously private. That doesn't mean he's introverted, and it certainly doesn't mean he's non-aggressive. It means he's private.

Really, we know bugger all about Williamson's character.
 

The Hutt Rec

International Vice-Captain
I can't say I'm too bothered in their personalities or think that it's particularly relevant. I think thought that someone in the set-up (coach or captain) needs to be more attacking - tactically and intent-wise. That's perfectly possible whether you are an introvert or extrovert.
 

Blocky

Banned
The idea that Williamson, Fleming and Vettori are non-aggressive/introverted characters is really strange to me.

Williamson is notoriously private. That doesn't mean he's introverted, and it certainly doesn't mean he's non-aggressive. It means he's private.

Really, we know bugger all about Williamson's character.
Listen to the guy talk, look at his body mannerisms, it's pretty easy to tell what his personality type is.
 

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