And no, we are not being sarcastic. Arsenal have had yet another unsatisfactory and downright inept Summer in the transfer market. Hopefully for disillusioned or even angry Gunners fans, this might force the arrival of much needed reinforcements. Somehow we doubt it however.
This was meant to be the Summer that Arsenal finally came to the top transfer table again, it has proven yet another false dawn. After several seasons of frugality coupled with huge income from the Emirates and upheaval at all of the three clubs that finished above them, this was meant to be their time to step up and challenge at the top again.
Arsene Wenger wields huge unchecked power at Arsenal and for that reason he must bear the brunt of the blame for their utter ineptitude in the transfer market. It is however notable that Arsenal have failed to make any impact in the market since David Dein left. The transfer market is a vipers' nest and Arsenal simply do not seem to know any longer how it works, they no longer have the street smarts.
Wenger continually cries foul of the market, of 'financial doping', of huge inflated fees but the reality is that everyone else is getting on with it and Arsenal are holding on to their Champions League status by the skin of their teeth. They are a million miles from challenging for the important silverware.
It is interesting that the returning Jose Mourinho is insistent that trophies are the only thing that matters. Arsene Wenger has lost all sight of this and his personal crusade against the greater direction that football is taking is at the expense of the wishes of the fans. There could be no doubt that the Emirates faithful would far rather have had the decade that Chelsea have just had rather than theirs.
The 'non' transfer of Gonzalo Higuain was case in point. Arsenal postured and quibbled over the transfer of a proven goalscorer and were simply blown out of the water by Napoli. Granted they are armed with loot bagged from the Edinson Cavani transfer but they should not be able to compete with a team from the top end of the Premiership with crowds of over 60,000 every week and over ten years of CL income.
The simple fact is that Arsene Wenger (not Arsenal it should be said) has a valuation of a player and the rest of the world has another. Napoli understood the necessity to buy the player and simply got on with it.
Wenger's valuation of players is baffling. Higuain is a proven La Liga and International goalscorer, holding his own for Argentina against competition from Carlos Tevez and Sergio Aguero. He is 25 years old. Arsenal it was reported were prepared to pay 22M.
Roberto Soldado is a proven La Liga goalscorer with only a handful of caps for Spain. He is 28 years old - 3 years older than Higuain. Spurs get a little more than half Arsenal's crowds and a fraction of the corporate income and have no CL income. Spurs paid 26M for him.
AVB said that Soldado was relatively expensive but explained that you get what you pay for and he is top quality. That is hard to argue with.
The Luis Suarez soap opera is another non event. Liverpool are aiming to replace Arsenal, they are not going to sell to them. If Arsenal were a true big gun they would up the bid significantly and attempt to try and force it through.
Luis Gustavo was heralded as another top transfer target - and what a minder he could have proven for Jack Wilshire - but again it appears he has been lured (not 100% confirmed yet) instead to Wolfsburg, again a club that could hardly claim to possess anything close to the stature that Arsenal enjoys. None of the Premiership top three would be beaten to a player by Wolfsburg or Napoli.
Paulinho is a player of probably similiar compare to Luis Gustavo. He has more Brazilian caps but has no experience of playing in Europe, but again Spurs stepped up to the plate, bought the player and moved on.
Arsenal have been crying out for a top class keeper and yet the excellent Brazilian Julio Cesar has been available all Summer at a knockdown price.
Wenger is again blaming the referee for the Aston Villa result but it is his lack of transfer activity that is to blame. Buying players effectively is a huge part of football at the top table and Arsenal are simply not up to it anymore.
Much relief was felt when Arsenal beat Spurs to 4th place last season but given their inability to leverage on it, possibly it would have been better to have lost out and really force through some change at the Emirates. Everyone else covets the CL not just because of the revenue but because of the power it allows you to wield in attracting players. Possibly Arsenal just want the revenue it seems.
Arsenal have less than two weeks now to buy new players and this year they cannot blame a Fabregas, Nasri or Van Persie saga for things this time around. More Gervinhos and Mertasackers are simply not the answer.
Whilst others do, Wenger continues to whinge and complain, you can almost imagine him closing the door when he gets home in the evening and stamping his feet shouting 'it's not fair', but then life rarely is - No Nonsense.
Sunday, August 18, 2013
Thursday, August 15, 2013
Blue Ribbons on the Premiership Trophy?
This summer has proven to be a huge phony war with the biggest 'transfers' looking to be non starters. Wayne Rooney, Luis Suarez, Cesc Fabregas and Gareth Bale are all still with their employers of last term. Many newspapers have effectively been sold debating nothing at all it would seem whilst no one seems to be asking who is going to win?
For good order, we are going to dispense with the sponsors' fueled PC notion that six clubs are in contention. There are only three, one of which resides in the posh part of London and the other two from Manchester.
For the champions it has been a largely unsatisfactory summer. It was always going to be a case of after the Lord Mayor's show after 'Sir' left the building - or at least moved office - but the lack of movement in the transfer market must be a concern for fans of the Reds.
The coming of Fabregas was much trumpeted and he would have surely been a superb capture but ultimately an entirely impossible one. ManYoo romped to the title last season but more due to the deficiencies of their competitors rather than this being a vintage team. They remain a side with an ageing defence and a sub standard midfield.
Their biggest transfer story has revolved around a player wishing to depart the club instead. Poor little rich kid Wayne Rooney who badly wishes to fly the nest having been supplanted by RVP. He was oft overlooked by Fergie last season, the Real Madrid match proving the breaking point we are told.
This of course has been music to Chelsea's ears where the newly styled happy one is back where he belongs on the Kings Road. Never one to miss an opportunity to disrupt the opposition, Mourinho hasn't wasted a second in testing Moyes' mettle with two bids for the unsettled Reds No10.
Moyes and ManYoo have so far stood firm and whilst they run the risk of his value plummeting as his contract runs down there appears to be no prospect of them changing their stance.
Chelsea themselves have spent modestly versus last Summer and with less upheaval to their squad and a proven trophy winner returning at the helm they look well placed to challenge for the title again. Hazard and Oscar will be better for a season in the Premiership and Mata has remained. One must also suspect that David Luiz will be the better for Mourinho shining and taking the rough edges off what undoubtedly is an unpolished diamond.
Chelsea however have not addressed last seasons' deficiencies either with questions remaining in central midfield and at centre forward. Marco Van Ginkel has arrived to bolster the midfield but this has been offset by the slightly curious loan move of Oriel Romeu. It is clear Mourinho retains much faith in a fit again Michael Essien, once a mighty force at Stamford Bridge.
Fernando Torres remains and remains an enigma for Chelsea. It could have been expected that Mourinho would have jettisoned him but the owner appears to wish to persevere and it must be a huge temptation for a manager to be the one who revives his career.
Whilst Rooney now appears to be an unlikely arrival, the answer to their problems may be the returning Romelu Lukaku who netted 17 league goals for mid table West Brom last season. He has excelled in pre season and appears to be exactly the type of centre forward that Mourinho craves. If he has a big season then Chelsea may well indeed be true title challengers.
Whilst all around them have pontificated and postured about buying players, Manchester City have simply written the cheques. Like Chelsea they have suffered previously from absurd decision making up top.
Their decisiveness in the transfer market this time around has betrayed their lack of faith in Roberto Mancini last Summer. It begs the question why they extended his contract in the first place? A last gasp Sergio Aguero goal is not the grounds to base your forward strategy on and shows how inexperienced they remain as a club.
In removing Balotelli, Tevez and Mancini they have dispensed with three of the most combustible and negative elements and in Manuel Pellegrini they appear to have brought in an articulate and highly intelligent coach. They also - at at first glance - appear to have bought very well during the Summer although Fernandinho will have to do much to justify his transfer fee.
Losing Sir Alex and with no new players to speak off, ManYoo would appear to have gone backwards. Chelsea will certainly be stronger but it Manchester City who appear to have stolen a march and for that reason we are picking them for the title - No Nonsense.
For good order, we are going to dispense with the sponsors' fueled PC notion that six clubs are in contention. There are only three, one of which resides in the posh part of London and the other two from Manchester.
For the champions it has been a largely unsatisfactory summer. It was always going to be a case of after the Lord Mayor's show after 'Sir' left the building - or at least moved office - but the lack of movement in the transfer market must be a concern for fans of the Reds.
The coming of Fabregas was much trumpeted and he would have surely been a superb capture but ultimately an entirely impossible one. ManYoo romped to the title last season but more due to the deficiencies of their competitors rather than this being a vintage team. They remain a side with an ageing defence and a sub standard midfield.
Their biggest transfer story has revolved around a player wishing to depart the club instead. Poor little rich kid Wayne Rooney who badly wishes to fly the nest having been supplanted by RVP. He was oft overlooked by Fergie last season, the Real Madrid match proving the breaking point we are told.
This of course has been music to Chelsea's ears where the newly styled happy one is back where he belongs on the Kings Road. Never one to miss an opportunity to disrupt the opposition, Mourinho hasn't wasted a second in testing Moyes' mettle with two bids for the unsettled Reds No10.
Moyes and ManYoo have so far stood firm and whilst they run the risk of his value plummeting as his contract runs down there appears to be no prospect of them changing their stance.
Chelsea themselves have spent modestly versus last Summer and with less upheaval to their squad and a proven trophy winner returning at the helm they look well placed to challenge for the title again. Hazard and Oscar will be better for a season in the Premiership and Mata has remained. One must also suspect that David Luiz will be the better for Mourinho shining and taking the rough edges off what undoubtedly is an unpolished diamond.
Chelsea however have not addressed last seasons' deficiencies either with questions remaining in central midfield and at centre forward. Marco Van Ginkel has arrived to bolster the midfield but this has been offset by the slightly curious loan move of Oriel Romeu. It is clear Mourinho retains much faith in a fit again Michael Essien, once a mighty force at Stamford Bridge.
Fernando Torres remains and remains an enigma for Chelsea. It could have been expected that Mourinho would have jettisoned him but the owner appears to wish to persevere and it must be a huge temptation for a manager to be the one who revives his career.
Whilst Rooney now appears to be an unlikely arrival, the answer to their problems may be the returning Romelu Lukaku who netted 17 league goals for mid table West Brom last season. He has excelled in pre season and appears to be exactly the type of centre forward that Mourinho craves. If he has a big season then Chelsea may well indeed be true title challengers.
Whilst all around them have pontificated and postured about buying players, Manchester City have simply written the cheques. Like Chelsea they have suffered previously from absurd decision making up top.
Their decisiveness in the transfer market this time around has betrayed their lack of faith in Roberto Mancini last Summer. It begs the question why they extended his contract in the first place? A last gasp Sergio Aguero goal is not the grounds to base your forward strategy on and shows how inexperienced they remain as a club.
In removing Balotelli, Tevez and Mancini they have dispensed with three of the most combustible and negative elements and in Manuel Pellegrini they appear to have brought in an articulate and highly intelligent coach. They also - at at first glance - appear to have bought very well during the Summer although Fernandinho will have to do much to justify his transfer fee.
Losing Sir Alex and with no new players to speak off, ManYoo would appear to have gone backwards. Chelsea will certainly be stronger but it Manchester City who appear to have stolen a march and for that reason we are picking them for the title - No Nonsense.
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
A Broad margin of victory for England
3-0 with a test to play and England have been comfortable winners of the Ashes, or have they? Whilst the batting in particular has not been of a classic Ashes standard, it has been a hugely intriguing series so far and far closer than the scoreline suggests.
Thinking back to the series as a whole, other than the hugely lopsided Lords Test, most of the games have been fairly even with Australia probably edging it on 'sessions won'. Indeed the Aussies made the very same point in the closely fought 2009 series. England it seems however have the edge in the pressure situations.
There are also two ways of looking at this England performance, one is that the batting looks atrocious and the bowling below the level that they thought they were at. The other spin of course is that England have comfortably beaten Australia with many of their players performing badly below par and if they re-find their form, then look out Australia.
For Australia it must be a very odd position to be in. Michael Clarke, whilst conceding that England have been the better team must be wondering how on earth he has been on the receiving end of such a hammering. One can say that Australia have been unlucky but in their tours of India and England their record is a dismal P 8, W 0, D1, L7 so far in tests. Only a certain amount of those statistics can be attributed to luck.
Much of Australia's problem appears to have been is they came into the series with no actual idea what their best team was and what their batting order should be. Nathan Lyon and Ryan Harris in particular have been two of Australia's best performers with the ball yet neither was included for the first test with Lyon missing out at Lords too. No one also is quite sure what Phillip Hughes has done wrong.
Whilst England have employed the same top 7 for each test, Australia have rejigged their line up for every game with only Rogers, Haddin and Clarke retaining both their places and batting slots.
Another interesting point is that whilst England are 3-0 up, very few of their players have emerged with any credit from this series. Of the batsmen, only Ian Bell could say he has excelled with Kevin Pietersen performing only in spurts. Cook and Trott have disappointed and Matt Prior has not contributed in any way whatsoever with the bat.
If you removed Joe Root's huge knock at Lords then his numbers look horrendous and Johnny Bairstow has emerged with his fragile reputation tarnished even further. Both will have big target signs on them for the Australian fast bowlers if they are indeed selected for the Gabba.
Of the bowlers, Jimmy Anderson has disappointed hugely after the first two tests, Finn was dropped unceremoniously whilst Bresnan has been his usual steady self. Stuart Broad had been largely disappointing until his match winning performance at Durham. Broad can be enigmatic, grumpy even but he remains a match winner.
Having said that, only Graeme Swann the spinner can be said to have performed consistently and reliably during the series so for England's oft vaunted seam attack there is much to ponder.
For Australia, Clarke has led and led well both in the field and with the bat. He has been the recipient of a couple of wonderful deliveries but other than the first innings in Durham has not really given his wicket away cheaply. He has also captained positively in the field.
Rogers and to an extent Watson have done what they can to give support and Warner has been a positive influence on the team since his reintegration. The team looks far more solid without Ed Cowan but one must really question whether Kawaja should be there at the expense of Phil Hughes.
Lower down, Brad Haddin should take huge credit for his performances on this tour both with bat and glove. He was meant to be the poor relation to Matt Prior but has outplayed him in all facets of the game.
Australia's seam attack has pleasantly surprised with Ryan Harris in particular mercurial at times. Siddle has performed as hard and as honestly as you would always expect with him. Starc and the rest have performed to an acceptable level and Watson has provided genuine 'all rounder' back up.
The spin option has been the weakest spot in the Australian line up since a certain S.K. Warne left the scene with players such as Xavier Doherty hopelessly short of the mark. Ashton Ager proved a false dawn - for the moment - but Nathan Lyon has provided some reliable if unspectacular off spin.
Lyon has held up one end pretty well, taken some crucial wickets including Kevin Pietersen twice in the last test. If Australia use him in the same way that England used Ashley Giles in the context of controlling an end to give respite to the quicks, he could become a very useful player for Australia.
Should England finish things off with another victory at the Oval then they will be favourites to repeat their heroics down under from 2010. This blog however has a feeling that Australia will prove a far tougher nut on home turf especially given the brittle nature of the batting line ups meaning that drawn matches are highly unlikely.
4-0, 3-0 or even 3-1 should be seen as a very comfortable margin but there is a strong suspicion that things might be very different come the end of the Sydney test in the New Year - No Nonsense.
Thinking back to the series as a whole, other than the hugely lopsided Lords Test, most of the games have been fairly even with Australia probably edging it on 'sessions won'. Indeed the Aussies made the very same point in the closely fought 2009 series. England it seems however have the edge in the pressure situations.
There are also two ways of looking at this England performance, one is that the batting looks atrocious and the bowling below the level that they thought they were at. The other spin of course is that England have comfortably beaten Australia with many of their players performing badly below par and if they re-find their form, then look out Australia.
For Australia it must be a very odd position to be in. Michael Clarke, whilst conceding that England have been the better team must be wondering how on earth he has been on the receiving end of such a hammering. One can say that Australia have been unlucky but in their tours of India and England their record is a dismal P 8, W 0, D1, L7 so far in tests. Only a certain amount of those statistics can be attributed to luck.
Much of Australia's problem appears to have been is they came into the series with no actual idea what their best team was and what their batting order should be. Nathan Lyon and Ryan Harris in particular have been two of Australia's best performers with the ball yet neither was included for the first test with Lyon missing out at Lords too. No one also is quite sure what Phillip Hughes has done wrong.
Whilst England have employed the same top 7 for each test, Australia have rejigged their line up for every game with only Rogers, Haddin and Clarke retaining both their places and batting slots.
Another interesting point is that whilst England are 3-0 up, very few of their players have emerged with any credit from this series. Of the batsmen, only Ian Bell could say he has excelled with Kevin Pietersen performing only in spurts. Cook and Trott have disappointed and Matt Prior has not contributed in any way whatsoever with the bat.
If you removed Joe Root's huge knock at Lords then his numbers look horrendous and Johnny Bairstow has emerged with his fragile reputation tarnished even further. Both will have big target signs on them for the Australian fast bowlers if they are indeed selected for the Gabba.
Of the bowlers, Jimmy Anderson has disappointed hugely after the first two tests, Finn was dropped unceremoniously whilst Bresnan has been his usual steady self. Stuart Broad had been largely disappointing until his match winning performance at Durham. Broad can be enigmatic, grumpy even but he remains a match winner.
Having said that, only Graeme Swann the spinner can be said to have performed consistently and reliably during the series so for England's oft vaunted seam attack there is much to ponder.
For Australia, Clarke has led and led well both in the field and with the bat. He has been the recipient of a couple of wonderful deliveries but other than the first innings in Durham has not really given his wicket away cheaply. He has also captained positively in the field.
Rogers and to an extent Watson have done what they can to give support and Warner has been a positive influence on the team since his reintegration. The team looks far more solid without Ed Cowan but one must really question whether Kawaja should be there at the expense of Phil Hughes.
Lower down, Brad Haddin should take huge credit for his performances on this tour both with bat and glove. He was meant to be the poor relation to Matt Prior but has outplayed him in all facets of the game.
Australia's seam attack has pleasantly surprised with Ryan Harris in particular mercurial at times. Siddle has performed as hard and as honestly as you would always expect with him. Starc and the rest have performed to an acceptable level and Watson has provided genuine 'all rounder' back up.
The spin option has been the weakest spot in the Australian line up since a certain S.K. Warne left the scene with players such as Xavier Doherty hopelessly short of the mark. Ashton Ager proved a false dawn - for the moment - but Nathan Lyon has provided some reliable if unspectacular off spin.
Lyon has held up one end pretty well, taken some crucial wickets including Kevin Pietersen twice in the last test. If Australia use him in the same way that England used Ashley Giles in the context of controlling an end to give respite to the quicks, he could become a very useful player for Australia.
Should England finish things off with another victory at the Oval then they will be favourites to repeat their heroics down under from 2010. This blog however has a feeling that Australia will prove a far tougher nut on home turf especially given the brittle nature of the batting line ups meaning that drawn matches are highly unlikely.
4-0, 3-0 or even 3-1 should be seen as a very comfortable margin but there is a strong suspicion that things might be very different come the end of the Sydney test in the New Year - No Nonsense.
Monday, August 12, 2013
Bell Tolls for Australia
A finely balanced test match swung back ever so slightly in England's favour yesterday as a fine century from Ian Bell gave England a lead of just over 200 with 5 wickets remaining. It has become rather a cliche but again the first hour this morning will be critical just as it was yesterday with England dismissing the Australian lower order cheaply. Australia need to return the favour today.
England's top order showed far more intent than in the first innings but again it was again blown away. A superb delivery from Ryan Harris took Joe Root's top stump and Cook uncharacteristically flashed at a wide one getting himself out poorly in much the same way that Clarke did in the first innings.
Australia clearly have a plan for Jonathan Trott and they executed it again well yesterday tempting him into gloving a very high bouncer that he simply didn't need to play. He had been going well until that point.
England have never looked better in this series with the bat than when Bell and Pietersen have been at the crease together and again they led the counter-attack with England in deep trouble. Whilst Bell merely continued serenely on, KP changed his game plan to Nathan Lyon and appeared to be well set before getting a leading edge as he attempted to work everything to the onside.
Johnny Bairstow showed much intent but again got out and remains desperately short of runs along with Joe Root, his huge innings at Lords aside.
England again inexplicably persisted with a nightwatchman, this time the No8 batsmen acting as the nightwatchman for the No7 batsman - make of that what you will - but they appear to be in a handy position if they can bat until at least lunch.
Australia however will be firmly fancying their chances also as the pitch appears to be holding up not too badly and we are after all today only on day 4. If they can chase less than 250 then they will probably be favourites. The first hour has not gone well for the batsmen on any day of this test and given Australia will be avoiding it today with the bat and enjoying it with the ball things may well yet swing back their way - No Nonsense.
England's top order showed far more intent than in the first innings but again it was again blown away. A superb delivery from Ryan Harris took Joe Root's top stump and Cook uncharacteristically flashed at a wide one getting himself out poorly in much the same way that Clarke did in the first innings.
Australia clearly have a plan for Jonathan Trott and they executed it again well yesterday tempting him into gloving a very high bouncer that he simply didn't need to play. He had been going well until that point.
England have never looked better in this series with the bat than when Bell and Pietersen have been at the crease together and again they led the counter-attack with England in deep trouble. Whilst Bell merely continued serenely on, KP changed his game plan to Nathan Lyon and appeared to be well set before getting a leading edge as he attempted to work everything to the onside.
Johnny Bairstow showed much intent but again got out and remains desperately short of runs along with Joe Root, his huge innings at Lords aside.
England again inexplicably persisted with a nightwatchman, this time the No8 batsmen acting as the nightwatchman for the No7 batsman - make of that what you will - but they appear to be in a handy position if they can bat until at least lunch.
Australia however will be firmly fancying their chances also as the pitch appears to be holding up not too badly and we are after all today only on day 4. If they can chase less than 250 then they will probably be favourites. The first hour has not gone well for the batsmen on any day of this test and given Australia will be avoiding it today with the bat and enjoying it with the ball things may well yet swing back their way - No Nonsense.
Sunday, August 11, 2013
Rogers bucks the trend
It would seem ridiculous to compare a man coming to test cricket so late in life and scoring his maiden test century at the ripe old age of 35 with the one of the modern greats but there was much in Rogers' innings yesterday that a certain J. Langer would have been proud of.
Rogers' hard earned century yesterday was attritional at times - especially on the score of 96 - but there was much there that Matthew Hayden's less celebrated long term opening partner would have been proud of. Rogers is almost certainly not in Langer's class but his grit and spirit was comparable much in the same way that the lesser talented Brad Haddin so echoes Ian Healey at times.
England's total of 238 was almost certainly sub par but Stuart Broad set about restoring the balance of play with an imperious spell of new ball bowling where he was at times unplayable. Warner and Kawaja both got balls that sucked them in not sure whether to play or not. Clarke played loosely on the drive after seemingly being distracted just before by movement in the crowd rather than off the pitch.
Rogers rode his luck at times during that spell from Broad but that is part of being an opening batsmen. There was yet more tedious DRS controversy with Rogers being given out for edging Broad only to be given not out for the edge but found to be out LBW.
Too many column inches have been given over to DRS and it is not the system that is at fault but the people using it. Yesterday was a classic case of international sportsmen in the shape of the England team simply not knowing the rules. Rogers was not out by the laws of the game and rightly stayed at the crease.
After Smith got out cheaply, Shane Watson was brought to the crease. Again in recent days we had written about the possibility of unshackling him by introducing him lower down the order . Again Watson got out without scoring a century but he played with a lot of freedom given the circumstances. Swapping him with Smith in the order and bringing Hughes back at 3 may answer most of Australia's batting conundrums and give them a settled line up finally.
As is often the case, the first hour this morning could be crucial. A lead of 50-100 runs on this pitch could be priceless although Australia do have to bat last and chasing anything more than 200 is going to be extremely uncomfortable. Brad Haddin has the ability to score quickly and England need to get him out cheaply this morning.
Conditions for bowling looked slightly better yesterday and the pitch should deteriorate from here. Australia were also on the receiving end of a spell of bowling from Broad a level above anything England faced on Friday. Despite that Australia still scored more quickly than England did.
Yesterday we spoke about the problems regarding England's scoring rate and whilst Australia didn't actually 'motor on', much of the reason was due to the early wickets lost to Stuart Broad. For all the talk of Rogers' century being not too aesthetically pleasing he outscored the majority of the English batsmen with a scoring rate over 43 as he anchored the innings.
Had Australia scored at England's rate they would only be 190 overnight and the match looking far more in the balance. England will almost certainly be facing a first innings deficit but they need to be far more positive with the bat or Australia will be playing to level the series at the Oval.
England also need a way to get James Anderson back amongst the wickets and it could simply be a case of too much cricket. Should England get a result at Durham, a rest for Jimmy at the Oval may be a good idea however highly unlikely they would drop their premier bowler. His figures however for the third and fourth tests so far are truly dire and there is long winter to come. For the moment he has lost his 'zip' and the ability to make the ball swing.
It was only ever going to be Tim Bresnan at risk of losing out to Graham Onions but Broad surely showed the value yesterday on this pitch of a tall man hitting the pitch hard with an upright seam.
It is not entirely clear whether Graeme Swann has a problem with his spinning finger but it did seem a little odd watching Trott bowl 3 overs of abject mediocrity yesterday whilst Swann had only put down 5 overs at that point. If England are to dig themselves out of yet another possible hole then Swann in the 4th innings and some promising looking rough could well be a trump card.
One thing that is very clear however is that the supposed gulf in class between the sides does not really exist. If all England's players were playing to their full ability then realistically they are the better side but the truth is that Australia are playing the tougher cricket and England now face a battle to win the series before nervous thought is given to the first day at the Gabba - No Nonsense.
Rogers' hard earned century yesterday was attritional at times - especially on the score of 96 - but there was much there that Matthew Hayden's less celebrated long term opening partner would have been proud of. Rogers is almost certainly not in Langer's class but his grit and spirit was comparable much in the same way that the lesser talented Brad Haddin so echoes Ian Healey at times.
England's total of 238 was almost certainly sub par but Stuart Broad set about restoring the balance of play with an imperious spell of new ball bowling where he was at times unplayable. Warner and Kawaja both got balls that sucked them in not sure whether to play or not. Clarke played loosely on the drive after seemingly being distracted just before by movement in the crowd rather than off the pitch.
Rogers rode his luck at times during that spell from Broad but that is part of being an opening batsmen. There was yet more tedious DRS controversy with Rogers being given out for edging Broad only to be given not out for the edge but found to be out LBW.
Too many column inches have been given over to DRS and it is not the system that is at fault but the people using it. Yesterday was a classic case of international sportsmen in the shape of the England team simply not knowing the rules. Rogers was not out by the laws of the game and rightly stayed at the crease.
After Smith got out cheaply, Shane Watson was brought to the crease. Again in recent days we had written about the possibility of unshackling him by introducing him lower down the order . Again Watson got out without scoring a century but he played with a lot of freedom given the circumstances. Swapping him with Smith in the order and bringing Hughes back at 3 may answer most of Australia's batting conundrums and give them a settled line up finally.
As is often the case, the first hour this morning could be crucial. A lead of 50-100 runs on this pitch could be priceless although Australia do have to bat last and chasing anything more than 200 is going to be extremely uncomfortable. Brad Haddin has the ability to score quickly and England need to get him out cheaply this morning.
Conditions for bowling looked slightly better yesterday and the pitch should deteriorate from here. Australia were also on the receiving end of a spell of bowling from Broad a level above anything England faced on Friday. Despite that Australia still scored more quickly than England did.
Yesterday we spoke about the problems regarding England's scoring rate and whilst Australia didn't actually 'motor on', much of the reason was due to the early wickets lost to Stuart Broad. For all the talk of Rogers' century being not too aesthetically pleasing he outscored the majority of the English batsmen with a scoring rate over 43 as he anchored the innings.
Had Australia scored at England's rate they would only be 190 overnight and the match looking far more in the balance. England will almost certainly be facing a first innings deficit but they need to be far more positive with the bat or Australia will be playing to level the series at the Oval.
England also need a way to get James Anderson back amongst the wickets and it could simply be a case of too much cricket. Should England get a result at Durham, a rest for Jimmy at the Oval may be a good idea however highly unlikely they would drop their premier bowler. His figures however for the third and fourth tests so far are truly dire and there is long winter to come. For the moment he has lost his 'zip' and the ability to make the ball swing.
It was only ever going to be Tim Bresnan at risk of losing out to Graham Onions but Broad surely showed the value yesterday on this pitch of a tall man hitting the pitch hard with an upright seam.
It is not entirely clear whether Graeme Swann has a problem with his spinning finger but it did seem a little odd watching Trott bowl 3 overs of abject mediocrity yesterday whilst Swann had only put down 5 overs at that point. If England are to dig themselves out of yet another possible hole then Swann in the 4th innings and some promising looking rough could well be a trump card.
One thing that is very clear however is that the supposed gulf in class between the sides does not really exist. If all England's players were playing to their full ability then realistically they are the better side but the truth is that Australia are playing the tougher cricket and England now face a battle to win the series before nervous thought is given to the first day at the Gabba - No Nonsense.
Saturday, August 10, 2013
England's scoring rate under the microscope
England's poor batting form continued with another poor display at Chester Le-Street that again showed how brittle and bereft of confidence their batting order is.
Whilst Alastair Cook ground out another half century his scoring rate of 31.10 is an issue and Joe Root merely appears to be hanging around waiting to get out with a run rate of 30.77 yesterday. Whilst Cook should be commended for 'hanging in there', in the process of facing 164 balls he is at some point probably going to get a good ball.
Trott scored freely for once and KP attempted to break the shackles in a slightly unhinged way and whilst he faced only 35 balls he was England's 3rd highest run scorer. Crease occupancy is one thing but England have to start finding a way to score runs more freely as they once did.
With the openers scoring at around 2 or less an over it allows the opposition to maintain attacking fields and England's consistently low totals show that this uber conservative approach is simply not working. The openers are offering no platform for the middle order.
Whilst Andrew Strauss was clearly - by his own admission - in decline, his presence as an opener gave England steadiness and direction. England's scoring rates this series have been dismal with the openers as culpable as anyone.
Bell's scoring rate was only 35.29 and Johnny Bairstow's rate of 18.18 belies a man simply trying to survive. By putting no pressure whatsoever on the bowlers, England are making their task with the bat infinitely harder. Both Prior and Bresnan had scoring rates below 30 also, it is simply making it too easy for Australia.
Australia didn't even appear to be bowling particularly well yesterday with line and length trying to be simply adhered to. Bird was bowling with no real pace, Harris looked to be struggling for rhythm early on and Watson was a little wayward yet their economy rates look like something Glenn McGrath would have been proud of.
England's overall scoring rate for the day was 2.64 per over. If England had scored at even 3.25 per over - hardly overly aggressive in the modern game - they would be just shy of 300 and in a much better place.
More scoring shots would also force Australia to adjust their fields in turn taking pressure off England's bogged down batsmen, they need to break the negative spiral.
Whilst if and buts don't win matches and England have retained the Ashes with two tests to spare, some better weather in the last test and England could be facing upto 2-2 by the end of this match with a cliffhanger at the Oval to come. With some luck going the other way in the first test they could have been looking at going 3-1 down. England are going to have severe problems down under if they cannot remedy their batting problems.
Johnny Bairstow will again come under focus and whilst he is clearly struggling, the order above him could do much to help him by getting England into stronger positions before he comes to the crease. His confidence looks entirely shot and only a big score will help him gain any confidence before heading to the Gabba in November if England indeed keep faith with him.
For Australia, whilst the Ashes are gone for this series, it now looks far from a disaster and they must now be feeling far more confident about holding the urn when England depart Sydney in January.
This is of course no team of world beaters, it is the poorest Australian team for 30 years with their own deficiencies with the bat there for all to see. They do however seem to be prepared to knuckle down far more than England, bowling with discipline and playing with a degree of aggression with the bat that England would do well to consider.
It is possible that the pitch is not as good as it looks and only after Australia have batted will we really know but one must suspect that Australia will again have a decent first innings lead - No Nonsense.
Whilst Alastair Cook ground out another half century his scoring rate of 31.10 is an issue and Joe Root merely appears to be hanging around waiting to get out with a run rate of 30.77 yesterday. Whilst Cook should be commended for 'hanging in there', in the process of facing 164 balls he is at some point probably going to get a good ball.
Trott scored freely for once and KP attempted to break the shackles in a slightly unhinged way and whilst he faced only 35 balls he was England's 3rd highest run scorer. Crease occupancy is one thing but England have to start finding a way to score runs more freely as they once did.
With the openers scoring at around 2 or less an over it allows the opposition to maintain attacking fields and England's consistently low totals show that this uber conservative approach is simply not working. The openers are offering no platform for the middle order.
Whilst Andrew Strauss was clearly - by his own admission - in decline, his presence as an opener gave England steadiness and direction. England's scoring rates this series have been dismal with the openers as culpable as anyone.
Bell's scoring rate was only 35.29 and Johnny Bairstow's rate of 18.18 belies a man simply trying to survive. By putting no pressure whatsoever on the bowlers, England are making their task with the bat infinitely harder. Both Prior and Bresnan had scoring rates below 30 also, it is simply making it too easy for Australia.
Australia didn't even appear to be bowling particularly well yesterday with line and length trying to be simply adhered to. Bird was bowling with no real pace, Harris looked to be struggling for rhythm early on and Watson was a little wayward yet their economy rates look like something Glenn McGrath would have been proud of.
England's overall scoring rate for the day was 2.64 per over. If England had scored at even 3.25 per over - hardly overly aggressive in the modern game - they would be just shy of 300 and in a much better place.
More scoring shots would also force Australia to adjust their fields in turn taking pressure off England's bogged down batsmen, they need to break the negative spiral.
Whilst if and buts don't win matches and England have retained the Ashes with two tests to spare, some better weather in the last test and England could be facing upto 2-2 by the end of this match with a cliffhanger at the Oval to come. With some luck going the other way in the first test they could have been looking at going 3-1 down. England are going to have severe problems down under if they cannot remedy their batting problems.
Johnny Bairstow will again come under focus and whilst he is clearly struggling, the order above him could do much to help him by getting England into stronger positions before he comes to the crease. His confidence looks entirely shot and only a big score will help him gain any confidence before heading to the Gabba in November if England indeed keep faith with him.
For Australia, whilst the Ashes are gone for this series, it now looks far from a disaster and they must now be feeling far more confident about holding the urn when England depart Sydney in January.
This is of course no team of world beaters, it is the poorest Australian team for 30 years with their own deficiencies with the bat there for all to see. They do however seem to be prepared to knuckle down far more than England, bowling with discipline and playing with a degree of aggression with the bat that England would do well to consider.
It is possible that the pitch is not as good as it looks and only after Australia have batted will we really know but one must suspect that Australia will again have a decent first innings lead - No Nonsense.
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
Three Unhappy Superstars
Amazingly enough, the wronged triumvirate of Wayne Rooney, Luis Suarez and Gareth Bale are all now injured and unavailable for their club's respective pre season matches. In reality it's a contrived situation that suits all parties.
From the players' point of view, non participation - barring going on strike - is pretty much the only option available no matter what agents may or may not believe. It keeps it newsworthy and gives people - such as myself - something to write about.
From the club's point of view it also makes sense. Having the player around the other players is at this stage is disruptive, encourages an even bigger media scrum and maybe most importantly, the reality is that every player has a price so bearing in mind you might be about to receive an offer you simply cannot refuse then why risk having the player injured?
Rooney's case is probably the most interesting, Suarez's the most pathetic and Bale's probably the most worthy cause.
Rooney as already blogged about clearly wants out of Old Trafford, be it money, footballing reasons, no one really knows as he on the instructions of his agent is keeping sch tum. What is interesting with Rooney is how you value him. Bearing in mind the numbers being talked for the other two, 25 or 30M for Rooney seems very good value, but is it?
His wages are astronomical and his performances have been patchy and Chelsea must sense that ManYoo are tempted at some point. From their perspective, they sell an unhappy player who has not been first choice, he has only two years left of his contract (another big factor) and clear out a quarter of a million quid a week in wages, what's not to like?
The problem for ManYoo is that it sends the wrong message at the beginning of Davie Moyes' career, even if the problem is apparently with his predecessor. Selling to Chelsea could also be suicide if he goes on to have a good season and they finish above the Reds. The situation is far from straightforward.
Luis Suarez it appears lives on Planet Suarez where everything that happens is everyone else's fault and he should be allowed to serenely go around doing as he pleases and playing for whom he pleases.
Liverpool are a wonderful institute, occasionally a touch sanctimonious about certain issues but generally a proud and properly run club. They have stood by Suarez twice now, the first to their detriment and the second in this writer's opinion in any event an overblown storm in a teacup. Regardless, they have supported Suarez at all times and he was given a marvelous reception by the fans earlier this week by all accounts.
It is completely understandable that Suarez wants to play Champions League football but regardless of that fact and as is the case for every player, he has signed a contract and he has no legal right to break it.
There is clearly an issue with his contract that Arsenal believed they could exploit but Liverpool are cast iron that the contract is not explicitly worded such and we would tend to believe them.
Liverpool will let Suarez go but at their price and he should not feel wronged in any way by their instance that if he leaves it is on their terms. Suarez represents everything that everyone despises in the modern footballer.
Now we come to poor Gareth Bale who has fallen foul of the transfer pantomime villan that is Daniel Levy. Levy is much vaunted as the master negotiator who never fails to get his price and in truth he has extracted some fantastic fees for Spurs whilst also picking up some good players at cheap prices.
However, at this stage with the Bale saga, one can almost feel some sympathy for the player and wonder whether Levy has started to drink his own kool aid. If Real Madrid are genuinely prepared to pay 100M for Gareth Bale then Spurs are bonkers not to take it. Santos must be wondering how on earth they were duped into selling Neymar for a mere 57M Euros, HALF the price being talked of for Bale.
Yes, transfer fees invariably go up but this is even beyond the Ronaldo fee. Ronaldo however was arguably the best player in the world at the time- yes we've heard of Messi - but is Bale really that good? It is also not as if British players have a wonderful track record of playing abroad either although that is not Spurs' concern obviously.
Once Real Madrid go public like this they intend to see it done and Levy must know this but again he risks dragging it out too late and also the problem is everyone will know that Spurs will be loaded with loot when they come calling for their players.
For those reasons it smacks of pride that Levy apparently will not countenance a cash plus player swap arrangement. 100M of players could give Spurs a real shot at establishing Champions League football rather than relying on the fitness and form of Bale to constantly dig them out of trouble in the last five minutes.
You could argue how the proceeds should be used for team building but it seems like folly to reject anything approaching 100M for a player who has only had one truly great season. It is possible also he caught everyone a little cold last year as to the level he could play. He will be a marked man this season for sure, whether he can step up another level to counter that like Messi or Ronaldo can is still unknown.
One can understand people wishing to change jobs, nearly everyone does at some point but what the players fail to understand is that given the contracts they have signed they have no right to do so unless there are explicit clauses stating certain criteria that can be met.
They are also not normal jobs, they effect the lives of tens of thousands of people. No doubt these three sagas will drag on until late late late into August with a promise that noses all over Europe will be firmly out of joint by the end, we will watch with interest - No Nonsense.
From the players' point of view, non participation - barring going on strike - is pretty much the only option available no matter what agents may or may not believe. It keeps it newsworthy and gives people - such as myself - something to write about.
From the club's point of view it also makes sense. Having the player around the other players is at this stage is disruptive, encourages an even bigger media scrum and maybe most importantly, the reality is that every player has a price so bearing in mind you might be about to receive an offer you simply cannot refuse then why risk having the player injured?
Rooney's case is probably the most interesting, Suarez's the most pathetic and Bale's probably the most worthy cause.
Rooney as already blogged about clearly wants out of Old Trafford, be it money, footballing reasons, no one really knows as he on the instructions of his agent is keeping sch tum. What is interesting with Rooney is how you value him. Bearing in mind the numbers being talked for the other two, 25 or 30M for Rooney seems very good value, but is it?
His wages are astronomical and his performances have been patchy and Chelsea must sense that ManYoo are tempted at some point. From their perspective, they sell an unhappy player who has not been first choice, he has only two years left of his contract (another big factor) and clear out a quarter of a million quid a week in wages, what's not to like?
The problem for ManYoo is that it sends the wrong message at the beginning of Davie Moyes' career, even if the problem is apparently with his predecessor. Selling to Chelsea could also be suicide if he goes on to have a good season and they finish above the Reds. The situation is far from straightforward.
Luis Suarez it appears lives on Planet Suarez where everything that happens is everyone else's fault and he should be allowed to serenely go around doing as he pleases and playing for whom he pleases.
Liverpool are a wonderful institute, occasionally a touch sanctimonious about certain issues but generally a proud and properly run club. They have stood by Suarez twice now, the first to their detriment and the second in this writer's opinion in any event an overblown storm in a teacup. Regardless, they have supported Suarez at all times and he was given a marvelous reception by the fans earlier this week by all accounts.
It is completely understandable that Suarez wants to play Champions League football but regardless of that fact and as is the case for every player, he has signed a contract and he has no legal right to break it.
There is clearly an issue with his contract that Arsenal believed they could exploit but Liverpool are cast iron that the contract is not explicitly worded such and we would tend to believe them.
Liverpool will let Suarez go but at their price and he should not feel wronged in any way by their instance that if he leaves it is on their terms. Suarez represents everything that everyone despises in the modern footballer.
Now we come to poor Gareth Bale who has fallen foul of the transfer pantomime villan that is Daniel Levy. Levy is much vaunted as the master negotiator who never fails to get his price and in truth he has extracted some fantastic fees for Spurs whilst also picking up some good players at cheap prices.
However, at this stage with the Bale saga, one can almost feel some sympathy for the player and wonder whether Levy has started to drink his own kool aid. If Real Madrid are genuinely prepared to pay 100M for Gareth Bale then Spurs are bonkers not to take it. Santos must be wondering how on earth they were duped into selling Neymar for a mere 57M Euros, HALF the price being talked of for Bale.
Yes, transfer fees invariably go up but this is even beyond the Ronaldo fee. Ronaldo however was arguably the best player in the world at the time- yes we've heard of Messi - but is Bale really that good? It is also not as if British players have a wonderful track record of playing abroad either although that is not Spurs' concern obviously.
Once Real Madrid go public like this they intend to see it done and Levy must know this but again he risks dragging it out too late and also the problem is everyone will know that Spurs will be loaded with loot when they come calling for their players.
For those reasons it smacks of pride that Levy apparently will not countenance a cash plus player swap arrangement. 100M of players could give Spurs a real shot at establishing Champions League football rather than relying on the fitness and form of Bale to constantly dig them out of trouble in the last five minutes.
You could argue how the proceeds should be used for team building but it seems like folly to reject anything approaching 100M for a player who has only had one truly great season. It is possible also he caught everyone a little cold last year as to the level he could play. He will be a marked man this season for sure, whether he can step up another level to counter that like Messi or Ronaldo can is still unknown.
One can understand people wishing to change jobs, nearly everyone does at some point but what the players fail to understand is that given the contracts they have signed they have no right to do so unless there are explicit clauses stating certain criteria that can be met.
They are also not normal jobs, they effect the lives of tens of thousands of people. No doubt these three sagas will drag on until late late late into August with a promise that noses all over Europe will be firmly out of joint by the end, we will watch with interest - No Nonsense.
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