talkSPORT

[sostenurter]

Originally Posted by Occasional Fan

You make an interesting point, Sostenurter, about what happens to captains after they leave the team. I had a taxi driver in Barbados last month who was incensed at the number of former WI captains who go to journalism (print and broadcast) after they stop playing rather than into coaching. He may have had a point. Not every captain is going to be a great coach at first class level - the skills required are not comparable really - but maybe these chaps could be doing more at schoolboy/village/junior county level? Of course, I may just have slagged off a whole raft of former captains who are doing this as well as broadcasting and writing for the papers. If so, sorry to all of them!

I don't actually think great players make great coaches. I think also, that the best player isn't necessarily the best captain. This is certainly true for England - our most successful captains over the past 30-odd years have been Brearley and Hussain, who are certainly not our best players over that period. Troy Cooley has proved an inspirational bowling coach, but was a very average bowler. I'm not averse to great players getting involved in the set-up (coaching young kids, maybe, or as chaimen of selectors like Richie Benaud, I think), but I don't think they should be coaches. Some West Indians have suggested this is one of the reasons behind the current teams decline - a lot of the coaches, selectors, and the captain are all great, great players who maybe just expect the other players to be great, and are frustrated when they make elementary mistakes. I think Rachel suggested the idea of Dermot Reeve as a possible coach - I'd certainly prefer him to, say, Botham.

The thing I object to about ex-players and captains becoming commentators is that a lot of them have favourites, vested interests and a need to prove that their era was the best of all time, and their captaincy was superior to all others. This is most notable with Boycott, but Botham does it too and I've noticed David Gower going the same way. And Greig's special interest is his hatred of England, in what I assume is some attempt to prove he was right about Packer.

[Robb]

I thought TATF, while not a patch on TMS (IMHO), wasn't too bad when they were actually broadcasting the cricket. Unfortunately the sacrosanct Saturday afternoon football and even mindless phone-ins prevailed over Hoggard's hat-trick, Lara's record breaking innings .......And any of the frequent rain interruptions had them straight back to the afore-mentioned footie & drivel leaving me high & dry wondering when/if the play would resume.

Mark Nicholas wasn't too bad - irritating at times, but he was quite good at giving the score on a fairly frequent basis.

I found the Tony Grieg / Jack Bannister combination the worst, especially when they went into a long reverie about some one of JB's contempories of yesteryear.

The adverts weren't too intrusive - not as bad as MN reading from his script: You're listening to TATT from the Daily Torygraph .. read a really splendid article by my goodself every day (or somesuch rubbish).

Yes the WI guests were good - but I missed hearing the dulcet tones of the incomporable Donna.

So all in all, the best available, but roll on Summer and TMS, and Auntie Beeb: please bid enough for the overseas series next time (you can save by NEVER again employing Kerry O'Keefe - I still remember the nightmares - oh no I was awake)

[Occasional Fan]

Robb - full cricket coverage was available on digital radio (which almost no-one has, I understand), but also on the web. That's where I've been listening: the quality of sound is superb - far ahead of the MF radio signals - and they haven't interrupted for football. A bit late for me to mention it now, I guess, but worth bearing in mind for the next series which the Beeb doesn't get. Incidentally, the reason they didn't get this Caribbean tour is that they were not invited to bid. Extraordinary, but not actually the BBC's fault as I understand it.

[Ernest]

Originally Posted by sostenurter

The thing I object to about ex-players and captains becoming commentators is that a lot of them have favourites, And Greig's special interest is his hatred of England, in what I assume is some attempt to prove he was right about Packer.

I listen to Tony Greig a lot,and with respect for your view,I cant for the life of me see why you hold it.I think he is one of the most pro England comentators there are,

Is this a popular view,?I doubt it.

[Tom Partis]

after listening to talksport for a few hours, i have absolutely no inclination to "read a bestseller every day", and judging from the flat monotonous tone of Mark Nicholas, Chris Cowdrey et al, they don't either.

[Mike_Hock]

Originally Posted by Occasional Fan

Robb - full cricket coverage was available on digital radio (which almost no-one has, I understand), but also on the web.

No good if your in your car though. I much prefer TMS even if HB is an annoying tw@t.

[Ernest]

Originally Posted by Tom Partis

after listening to talksport for a few hours, i have absolutely no inclination to "read a bestseller every day", and judging from the flat monotonous tone of Mark Nicholas, Chris Cowdrey et al, they don't either.

Never mind Tom,you will soon be able to listen to the constant twittering about cakes,birds,color of busses,anything at times except cricket.

You will be able to hear a good twitter every day........

[Tom Partis]

i do enjoy the odd twitter. the sound of henry blofeld excitedly expostulating at the sight of a butterfly winging its way past the commentary box is one that fills me with great pleasure.

[Ernest]

Originally Posted by Tom Partis

the sound of henry blofeld excitedly expostulating at the sight of a butterfly winging its way past the commentary box is one that fills me with great pleasure.

Hmmm,I liked it the first time,but I am sure he brings his pet butterfly`s with him,so that he can expostulate,by the time he has finished though,3 wickets may have fallen.

Yes i like that, expostulating sums up Henry Blowfeld...

[Scott-Wozniak]

Originally Posted by Occasional Fan

You make an interesting point, Sostenurter, about what happens to captains after they leave the team. I had a taxi driver in Barbados last month who was incensed at the number of former WI captains who go to journalism (print and broadcast) after they stop playing rather than into coaching. He may have had a point. Not every captain is going to be a great coach at first class level - the skills required are not comparable really - but maybe these chaps could be doing more at schoolboy/village/junior county level? Of course, I may just have slagged off a whole raft of former captains who are doing this as well as broadcasting and writing for the papers. If so, sorry to all of them!

OF

There's one simple reason for that - money. You can earn one hell of a lot more money in commentating/broadcasting/journalism than you can by being a coach. That probably explains why the better known payers go into the media and the lesser known ones go into coaching. I'm not saying its right, I'm saying that's why it happens. Also it depends on what their motivations are some people are money motivated, some are success motivated.

Scott