I’ve not done this much before, but I’ve taken a post down.
I want to reconsider it before I put it out again. I’m sorry folks, but that’s the way it is. If people read the first part of the post, they might see some reason why I reacted the way I did. Maybe I should have left it longer before I posted.
Speak soon.
It was interesting the reaction it got. In more than one way. All these Ashes Memories and panels are treated with equanimity and quite low hit rates. Put out a “Dmitri Rant” post aimed at my favorite targets and “bang”. The first 30 minutes after release and the dial rocketed.
Guess I know now what floats the boats.
Being Outside Cricket 
I don’t see what was wrong with it.
I take it you are referring to the part about the date of your mums passing? I don’t see anything at all wrong with mentioning that and it is quite understandable this would have an effect on you. You have always been open about your emotions and that is why you write so well.
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Not sure there was a huge amount wrong with it. I write on what I feel at the time I write it. I’m fed up with the “it was aimed at Piers Morgan” meme because it misses the point. I might have been a trifle unfair to one individual but I had a feeling the comments might have got out of hand. In no mood to police a war of words.
It amuses me no end. Yes. I do know the PCA put their name to it. They would. They’re “inside cricket ” too. I don’t see how this negates the point.
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The fact that the PCA put their name to it, is shameful. Where were the PCA when the Big 3 take-over happened, basically ruling out a career in cricket for thousands of wanna-be cricketers, based in all non-Full Member nations? Nowhere to be seen. When tons of vitriol was aimed at Kevin Pietersen? Nowhere to be seen. You either stand up for all players, or none of the players.
Remind me, who is actually paying the players? Some may say the counties, but seeing that all counties get MORE money from Sky than they are allowed to spend on wages, that seems a tad misleading. And why do Sky pay so much money? Because they can milk the consumers for even more money.
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Remember the “Back Cook” campaign by them on twitter in the middle of last summer? Colours firmly nailed to the mast then.
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Indeed,a risible shower. One would have thought the players’ association’s duty was, well, to players. They should have been advising kP on his CA rather than putting out such platitudinous waffle.
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Scyld Berry on Strauss. Health warning advisory before reading
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The Guardian’s account by Lizzy Ammon has no comments.
It isn’t as much fun though as Chris ‘Laughing’ Stocks’ account of the tour match which crowbars in an improbable number of references to Alastair Cook
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Including one in the very first sentence.
(I don’t care who it is, anyone who can write “Strauss is too classy to be smug” should be grateful there are no comments)
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I don’t see smugness to be honest. I see someone too earnest to be flexible, too sure his is the right way and this adherence to management consultancy worries me. But smug wouldn’t be up there. But I also wouldn’t call him classy because he has a posh voice.
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Cook gets four mentions in that article. The bloke who is playing in the match and 86* gets three.
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Arron, surely that should have read as “Strauss is too smug to be classy” – a bit like Ms Ammon herself…
Dmitri, it’s your site to do with as you please, take care mate
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Bogfather, I like Lizzy in general. I suspect there’s a Guardian “line to take” – the evidence of that is frankly overwhelming by now. I’d be most disappointed if she, having sided with Pietersen since you know what, genuinely thinks that about Strauss.
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Arron, sadly it seems Lizzy has been inducted into the ‘I know but won’t/can’t say’ brigade and is looking down on some of us ‘outside’ already, judging by recent tweets and writings – I hope I’m wrong
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Not detected that to be honest. My view on Lizzy hasn’t changed at all. Doubt she reads this, she doesn’t follow me on Twitter (no reason to) and thus isn’t really on the radar as a free lance. None of this really matters.
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Strauss needs his class to prevent smugness? How about a dose of reality? The Test team have lost two of their last three matches and won one of their last five series. The way the Headingley Test is being made to disappear the ECB should be renamed the Magic Circle.
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Being airbrushed like a previous Headingley test. I’m thinking of a press piece about this soon. How dissent is marginalised on the back of short term progress which can be ephemeral. The ADHD generation.
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It’s the use of “too classy” about a man who said “cunt” on air, who clearly still bears a huge grudge, and who refused to go into detail about his objections when invited to do so by the BBC cricket correspondent, that made me feel sick.
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I often find that the ‘classier’ members of society are actually among the most smug, stuck up and often obnoxious people around.
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Well, some of this is just the vast gaping maw of the Internet demanding content.
In an earlier era, no-one would waste column inches on these puff-pieces, because column inches were in short supply.
Still, one suspects it’s all going to look hubristic and silly if we get tonked by the Aussies.
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Just reading up on who owns the Cricketer…….I wondered why they would employ Hughes as editor.
Funny how the same old suspects turn up time and again.
” The Cricketer name follows the acquisition in December of Wisden Cricket Publishing from BSkyB, by a consortium including BBC cricket correspondent Jonathan Agnew and MCC president Christopher Martin-Jenkins”
“Lord Marland is leading the consortium that will take to the crease instead of BSkyB Publications, which has owned the magazine for just three years.
The Tory minister, who had ambitions to be chairman of the English Cricket Board, will take a 60pc share. The team, include Neil Davidson, ex-Leicestershire cricket chairman; Jonathan Agnew, BBC cricket correspondent; Christopher Martin-Jenkins, MCC president; and Simon Hughes, the television analyst.”
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That has to have happened some time ago. CMJ unfortunately departed this world at least 18 months ago didn’t he?
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Yes, it was about 2010 when they took over I think.
Lord Marland stood against Giles Clark but lost, I wonder if the counties regret that now. Not that I have any clue If Marlamd would have been any better. They all seem the same to me.
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You’re right, they do all seem the same. The last copy i bought of that magazine (in 1998) has cricket’s and probably England’s biggest snob as its president and a board that has amongst others Allot,Cowdrey,Fleming,Hutton,Marks,CMJ and John Woodcock OBE.
1 point if you can guess who the snob is.
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The snob must be Jim Swanton. He was famous for it in his day, but he also had more integrity as a writer than many of the current crop
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The Marland acquisition was way back in late 2010.
This article provides a vey useful overview of how we got from there to here:
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Cheers Arron for that.
What a strange business.
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Alec Swann’s “interview” with Cook has little gems like “opinion is king culture” and calls us indirectly volatile as if we praise him to the hilt when we win but are polar opposites when we lose. It’s that sort of rubbish that drives me mad. It was the media praising Downton to the hilt on appointment and calling him all sorts a year later. I think they’re the volatile ones. Not us.
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Simon H ………..”How about a dose of reality? The Test team have lost two of their last three matches and won one of their last five series. ”
This is why the cricketer magazine and the guardian and most of the media is not fit for purpose.
How many other England captains would be allowed to win only 1 series out of five and then have the kind of fawning coverage that Cook has been served up on a silver spoon the last few weeks? I don’t think it has ever happened in the time I have been watching cricket. The journalists are either insane or there is an agenda that is a stinking pile of crony chumminess that smells like a corporate sewer.
A giant corporate gravy train of sponsorship and back slapping ,and brown nosing, interweaves with a governing body of jobs for the boys and their mates. If it was a third world country we would call it for what it is. A Banana Republic.
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Meanwhile, in lighter news, no-one is at all surprised that this is the corporation which pays FICJAM for his opinions:
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As we all find with these media sorts, admitting they are wrong is horribly difficult. They can point to the silent majority defence.
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Third and deciding SL v P Test under way in Pallekele.
Pakistan have replaced their entire bowling attack except Yasir Shah. They’ve also shifted to three seamers and one spinner. SL have dropped Herath (for a seamer – Lakmal) for the first time since 2010 and are without Sanga.
Curiously, both sides having gone for seamers, Pakistan opted to field after winning the toss and are on top in the afternoon session because of three wickets for Yasir Shah.
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“Where were the PCA when…tons of vitriol was aimed at Kevin Pietersen?”.
I think you’ll find that they were 110% behind directing even more vitriol at Kevin Pietersen.
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The PCA lost all credibility when they had their “back Cook ” nonsense.
It’s not the PCA s Job to pick the England captain.
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Lengthy article by Andrew Miller on Cook as company man:
http://goo.gl/R6rV9w
Some interesting details – but let’s Cook off too lightly in places for me.
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Point 1. Simon Hughes effectively replaced Andrew Miller at the cricketer. Let that sink in.
Point 2. It’s a top notch piece. One “conspiracy theorists” apart there was nothing to bring rage. Made up for by calling outside cricket “vile”. It might be soft on Cook but it might be how it is. Because we think otherwise, and I do, doesn’t mean it’s wrong.
I’d far rather read this than the blowing smoke up his arse nonsense I read all the time.
But then I’m a big fan of Andrew Miller so I might be biased.
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Dmitri – re your added comment at the head of this post. I, and many others thoroughly enjoy the Ashes memories/ton reviews and suchlike, and I always read every one, but they aren’t likely to encourage debate – which doesn’t matter, not everything has to be an outside click-bait, they add to the wonderful variety of writings on here. Please don’t stop!
I didn’t see the original removed post, so can’t comment, tho’ I guess it was related to newman… I did have a brief chunter re that tweet, only to be told that he is a very good journalist…
Chin Up
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There’s a post coming up n last night. And an edited version of Hardly will be put up.
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I’m not about hit rates, although, yes, it’s nice to see them grow. But I’m worried the blog is a combination of going stale / too cosy and comfy because I’m trying too hard to be reasonable!!!!
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