Duncan Fletcher Blasts Australia

[Eclipse]

what a load of crap...

 

[marc71178]

He's kidding himself if he thinks Ponting and Gilchrist were out of line. Aggressive body language....turn it up???.......what does he expect?....Punter and Gilly to get on one knee?.... and as for Clarke - he spent half the test in bed and batted down the order. What more does he want?

To be fair though, he did have a point about the not needing a runner issue - suggests he can't have been too bad.

Fletcher is a smug, dull, humourless tool who just got lucky his team were a handy bunch of cricketers who performed above all expectations. Otherwise he would be considered just another also-ran..........which he is.

He's, IMO, the main reason England won the Ashes, because the transformation in English Cricket that he has brought about has been amazing.

Far from just an "also-ran", although if he's a smug, dull, humourless tool, what does that make Ned Flanders?

 

[marc71178]

As Ian Chappell says, "a cricket coach's job is to pick up the balls at the end of practice and make sure that the team bus arrives on time."

Maybe he needs to tell his brother that!

 

[marc71178]

Lucky enough to be given the England job at a time when they had their best group of cricketers for many years despite having bugger-all qualifications.

Yes, that England team of 1999 was full of World beaters wasn't it?!

 

[andyc]

What he said about Clarke was absolute rubbish. I can't say much on the rest cause I don't know all that much about it.

 

[Jono]

Can any Australian cricket fan seriously deny that Gilchrist and Ponting's continous badgering of the umpire was poor form? Seriously, whether you think Duncan should have come out and said this or not, people were complaining about Ponting always confronting the umpire when a Warne LBW appeal was turned down. Is that in the spirit of the game?

 

[Jono]

As for Duncan Fletcher, I dont have time for a man who has less facial expressions than a starfish.

He knew how to smile though, which was enough to set Ponting off

 

[SteveG]

Just remember one important detail, you smug pommy bast*rds...

Your team played well, we played pretty ordinary, you won the Ashes...good for you!!!

If, in 2021, you have not lost the Ashes (after 16 years) then you can gloat as much as you like...but, for now stop your 'holier than thou' attitude...all of Australia knows what English sportsmanship is like...you had to resort to dubious tactics to stop Bradman, you hypocrites.

Season 2006/07 is going to be one long, hot summer for the English.

 

[jlo33692]

Can any Australian cricket fan seriously deny that Gilchrist and Ponting's continous badgering of the umpire was poor form? Seriously, whether you think Duncan should have come out and said this or not, people were complaining about Ponting always confronting the umpire when a Warne LBW appeal was turned down. Is that in the spirit of the game?

Jono,Your right there m8,it was a bit embarassing,I dont know why he would be doing that,it wasnt like the umpire was going to say,oh sorry ricky i didnt see the ball going on to middle stump,gee i will reverse that decision and give him out, The only reason must have been to put pressure on the umpires but having said all that,the umpires dont need our sympathy,they have only to tell them enough and or involve the 3rd umpire and it would be stopped. But yes i cringed as well when Ponting started saying after 4th test that its not his fault if aussies lose the ashes,that to me was a sure sign of defeat.Very much un ponting like,but then again it is the first time he has lost as captain and what is it they say,you find out true character when the pressure is on.

 

[SteveG]

Jono,Your right there m8,it was a bit embarassing,I dont know why he would be doing that,it wasnt like the umpire was going to say,oh sorry ricky i didnt see the ball going on to middle stump,gee i will reverse that decision and give him out, The only reason must have been to put pressure on the umpires but having said all that,the umpires dont need our sympathy,they have only to tell them enough and or involve the 3rd umpire and it would be stopped. But yes i cringed as well when Ponting started saying after 4th test that its not his fault if aussies lose the ashes,that to me was a sure sign of defeat.Very much un ponting like,but then again it is the first time he has lost as captain and what is it they say,you find out true character when the pressure is on.

Had there been any hit of derision or badgering the match referee would have cited the players involved. I don't recall that happening, so therefore the officials did not warrant those actions as detrimental to the spirit of the game.
I agree that Ricky failed in his first real test as captain, and I for one am not a fan of his captaincy, nor Gilchrists'. Shane Warne, despite his off-field problems, should be Australian captain.

But, it seems to me that its the 'in thing' to bag the Australian team, especially by Australian fans. You all forget the achievements of this team, and are very quick to criticise them as soon as they falter...they took the English for granted and paid the ultimate price, it won't happen again.

 

[parttimer]

Can any Australian cricket fan seriously deny that Gilchrist and Ponting's continous badgering of the umpire was poor form? Seriously, whether you think Duncan should have come out and said this or not, people were complaining about Ponting always confronting the umpire when a Warne LBW appeal was turned down. Is that in the spirit of the game?

I will. So many decisions went against Warney, that Ponting and Gilly would have been neligent in their duty as captain and vice captain if they had just let it slide

 

[simmy]

Brilliant! Well said Duncan!

Enough of Ponting complaining to umpires if a decision doesnt go his way. He is an absolute disgrace.

 

[marc71178]

all of Australia knows what English sportsmanship is like...you had to resort to dubious tactics to stop Bradman, you hypocrites.

Because that is so relevant isn't it?

 

[BoyBrumby]

Ponting "disappointed" with Fletcher

From the beeb's website:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/4363366.stm

Pretty much what you'd expect. All a bit of a storm in a teacup I think.

 

[steds]

all of Australia knows what English sportsmanship is like...you had to resort to dubious tactics to stop Bradman, you hypocrites.

I love how it was nearly 100 years ago and all the Aussies still can't let go. It wasn't even against the rules at the time. It may have been dubious, but it was within the rules of the game.

...And did I mention, GET OVER IT!

 

[parttimer]

Fletcher is going about it the right way if he wants Australians to hate his guts..

 

[SirBloody Idiot]

Brilliant! Well said Duncan!

Enough of Ponting complaining to umpires if a decision doesnt go his way. He is an absolute disgrace.

Of course he's a disgrace!

Despite the fact that the ICC hasn't done anything about it, so wouldn't that mean that it is acceptable?

Really, people need to get over trying to insult the Australians at every possible opportunity, because like it or not, they are STILL the best in the world.

 

[honestbharani]

I actually have some sympathy with his comments regarding Gilchrist and Ponting. I just think that kind of thing on the field is extremely poor. I have a high tolerance for behaviours that the ICC clearly doesn't (ie, some sledging, send-offs, etc), but that kind of challenging of the umpire on the field of play, is IMO, just not on. And this stuff isn't exclusively out of Fletcher's recollections - we've seen and heard much of this before. I think a lot of Aussie fans even thought that the fuss we made over "the spirit of the game" was more than a little precious.

He has to be kidding when he relates what motivated his smile at Ponting, though. The crap-eating (sorry, censor, but you know what I mean) grin he was wearing was probably worthy of Michael Douglas - and he's a master of the art.

IF you take challenging the umpires seriously, Warney would get the red card like every game.

 

[honestbharani]

I will. So many decisions went against Warney, that Ponting and Gilly would have been neligent in their duty as captain and vice captain if they had just let it slide

yet, when the same thing was done by Ganguly or Lara, they were questioned and reprimanded. And honestly, I think both of those guys had a much better case than Ponting ever did during the Ashes. Bad decisions always happen, the matter with Lara regarding bad light was something that DID need a bit of discussion and the way the umpires dealt with that was rather poor, IMO.

 

[honestbharani]

Of course he's a disgrace!

Despite the fact that the ICC hasn't done anything about it, so wouldn't that mean that it is acceptable?

Really, people need to get over trying to insult the Australians at every possible opportunity, because like it or not, they are STILL the best in the world.

What does that have to do with this issue? They are not the "best" in the world when it comes to fair play. YOu didn't need to watch the ICC awards OR the Ashes to know that.