2007 - January

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

The biggest problem with our lot was they believed the hype.
Some of the TV trailers they turned out for this series were warning sign enough.

Obviously I haven't seen your lot, but they do the same thing here. But it's pretty clear few, if any of the players take them seriously. Generally they manage to have a look of disdain on their face as they fill their sponsor's demands. Certainly Ponting's attitude is pretty clear - thanks guys for your money, but don't expect as to believe this imbecilish crap you make us spout on TV. Basically, a pretty ocker attitude towards the people pulling the strings.

I'm also not a fan of all this WAGs on tour nonsense; it seems to me an Ashes tour should be about hard cricket, not beach holidays and as little competitive sport as you can get away with.

I'm not sure the WAGs* make a huge difference - the Aussies had theirs as well, although I heard more than one ex-test player comment that they thought it was a bad thing. But then. if both sides have the same "disadvantage" then it balances out I guess. But there's no doubt the English side were under-cooked. Maybe if the WAGs had joined them after the series had actually got under way, they might have had some better preparation.

I still maintain Trescothick's departure must have had a majorly negative impact on the team. And really, you desperately need Simon Jones back - he's lethal and a massive motivating factor for the team. Get him fixed up quick!

Don't depair - it's not all negative, the team is still basically a sound side.




*[SIZE="1"]WAGs = Wives and Girlfriends if anyone's wondering - they toured with the team, which goes against tradition, but is rapidly becoming the norm these days.[/SIZE]