English cricket is in a state of mourning. Recent weeks could best be described as a farce and if England harbour any chance of regaining the ashes come the summer, it is a period both the players and coaching staff should look to put behind them. One man in particular will be looking to rebuild his reputation following this inexplicable public dispute. Kevin Pietersen has certainly seen better days and the only way he can begin his equinox is by knuckling down, keeping as low a profile as possible, and proving to his teammates he is capable of moving on by performances both in training and on the cricket field. At this stage in time, the jury is still out on K.P. the man; however, his calibre as a cricketer is without question. This is the route he should pursue for public salvation. The one thing stopping him? The same thing that hindered Hitler, Stalin and Mugabe. Pride.
There is an argument in sport that if you were to take away the one part of an individual’s personality that keeps it ticking, it would hinder them when they cross the white line. Countless times Sir Alex Ferguson has said of his tenacious forward Wayne Rooney that if he were to quell his appetite for the game, and channel his aggression away from the sport, it would lead to Rooney being half the player. Although Pietersen does not possess such an aggressive quality as Rooney, or Andrew Flintoff for that matter, he has this individualism and roaming spirit that needs to be unleashed. Who can forget his reverse sweep that went for six against Sri Lanka at Edgbaston in the second test in 2006? Pure genius (sigh). Such maverick skill, so unconventional and difficult to execute, is rarely seen and was rightly celebrated.
Is such a personality suitable for the role as England cricket captain, one might ask? I would be inclined to suggest it is not. But what makes a captain? Strength of character is an attribute I would bring to the table. KP certainly has this; the public dispute with Moores proves he is firm in his thinking. It is just rather ironic that he has given up the captaincy to stick with such beliefs. Excellence in the particular field one is leading, and there is no questioning Pietersen excels at the sport. Leadership, and until this fiasco I would say he showed glimmers in his short spell. Leading his team out to India despite the security concerns following the tragic terrorist scenes in Mumbai was no easy course of action, and this brings me onto my next attribute: bravery. Such an act proves he is willing to fight for his adopted county when needs must.
Loyalty is the final quality Pietersen offers when dissecting this individual’s worth in the England fold. His allegiance to England, born from his displeasure at the racial quota system in place in the South African national side, is unquestionable. In the 2004-05 tour of Zimbabwe, several players voiced their disapproval with Robert Mugabe’s regime. Steve Harmison withdrew for “sporting and political reasons”, whilst Freddie Flintoff, after voicing is concerns with the moral justifications behind the tour, was “rested”. Pietersen jumped at the chance to represent England and, in the face of adversity, hit an average of 104 in the five match ODI series, helping England to a 4-0 series whitewash. In his first encounters against South Africa, only called into the squad following injury to the aforementioned Flintoff, KP was subjected to boos and catcalls from hostile wherever he played. Labelled a traitor he said:
“I knew I was going to cop a lot of stick...I expected stick at the start of the innings, and I'm sure it will carry on through the whole series. But I just sat back and laughed at the opposition, with their swearing and 'traitor' remarks... some of them can hardly speak English. My affiliation is with England... In fact, I'm going to get one of (Darren) Gough's tattoos with three lions and my number underneath...No one can say I'm not English”
Enough said on allegiance.
Despite such a strong loyalty and commitment to the England cause, making him a prime candidate to replace Michael Vaughan last summer, there are elements of his character which made him a dubious decision for captaincy. Teamwork is a quality a captain must have in abundance and despite spectators not being afforded the luxury of the England dressing room, Pietersen’s character suggests he is at his best as an individual. He plays to the rhythm of his own tune and what this fiasco proves is that he cannot cope with the pressures of leading a group.
Professionalism is another element which has been open to question with Pietersen. Whilst rumours of a rift between the England captain and coach surfaced this winter, KP was sunning himself in southern Africa. Instead of sorting out the indifferences that were obviously apparent man to man, face to face with Moores, Pietersen seemingly looked to avoid the situation, leaving it to simmer until it reached an irreconcilable boiling point.
Kevin Pietersen is a world class cricketer, both in test cricket and in the shorter forms of the game. His indifferences with Peter Moores exploded onto the public radar recently and the repercussions are still being felt. Andrew Strauss will lead England forward, and one hopes such a kerfuffle will not hinder the team too much as the Ashes approach. If England are to get the best out of its star, it will be as a squad player, rather than as captain. For Pietersen, this may well end up being the best thing to have happened to him, as the shackles of captaincy have been lifted. Expect fireworks the next time he pulls on the three lions jersey, for he more than anyone will be looking to set the record straight. England and cricket fans the world over will be hoping for more magic over the coming years from this nonconformist. However, he must put aside his differences with the ECB and look to the future if this is to be the case.
Saturday 24 January 2009
Tuesday 6 January 2009
How the True Spark of the FA Cup Remains
14th April, 1999 – perhaps not a date that immediately triggers a response. If I were to say it was the date a flying Welshman picked up on a misplaced pass from one of France’s greatest centre midfield players of the modern day, it will certainly reawaken the memory. Ryan Giggs’ trickery, balance, composure and his venomous left footed drive that bedazzled the watching millions, let alone the majority of the Arsenal team, helped United on the way to an unprecedented treble. The greatest FA Cup goal of all time? That is open to some debate. What is without question is that ever since this moment of wizardry, the cup seems to have lost its edge...until now.
Returning to Wembley has certainly helped fuel a renewed interest and excitement in the Cup. English football’s showpiece event, despite being in safe hands in Cardiff’s impressive Millennium Stadium, was beginning to stagnate. I am not saying the alternative venue was the sole reason for the cup’s diminishing profile on the world stage, far from it. One must extend their deepest thanks to those at the upper echelons of the Welsh FA for allowing their neighbours the breathing space to dig their way out of the farce that was the new Wembley’s belated development. However, despite the 74500 capacity proving more than an adequate platform for an event of such magnitude, it just was not the same. No climbing of the stairs to lift the cup, no twin towers, and confusion up and down the land with how to slip in ‘Cardiff’ or ‘Millennium’ into those Wembley chants. The move to Cardiff, despite a decent contemporary venue, was merely a contributor to a slumber that had its wheels in motion for some time.
After guiding his side to a since unrivalled treble in 1999, Sir Alex Ferguson withdrew Manchester United from the FA Cup to concentrate on the World Club Championships in Brazil. Correct me if I’m wrong, but it was a ridiculous notion at the time, and with the valuable hindsight, an even more ridiculous decision. From Brazil, the obstinate Ferguson commented:
“It's been fantastic here - what a chance for us to come out and get some sun," he told the BBC. "Back home we would have been freezing our toes off. Playing in the Maracana stadium - that's an experience that probably 90% of the top players in the world don't get.”
Whilst I agree with the last sentiment, the above excuse for why he swapped arguably the biggest club cup competition in the world for an up and coming world club championship – that has since been rescheduled to a diluted version in order for no future clashes – does not cut it with me. A chance to get some sun? Give me a frozen pitch and Bovril any day ahead of a retreat to the Maracana in the pursuit of the FA Cup. The fact that Ferguson thought otherwise proved the magic of the cup was beginning to elude some. He was not alone.
When Reading took their side to Old Trafford in the fifth round of the cup in the February of 2007, few could argue with Steve Coppell’s decision to field an under strength team. They were newly promoted to the Premier League, and their priorities lay with cementing their status as a top flight side. However, would this have happened before the financial rewards of staying in the top tier arose? I would be inclined to suggest not. As it was, Coppell’s side managed to pull off a 1-1 draw to force a replay, so our argument does suffer a slight setback. However, once more, what this does prove is that managers were not showing the FA Cup the respect it deserves. The once cherished road to Wembley was seemingly set to lose its panache, and stagnate to an extent where managers were not fielding their strongest eleven. That sparkle that once existed was beginning to dim. Cue the renaissance.
This weekend saw several David versus Goliath encounters, and not one proved to be as conclusive and as straightforward as form and class would suggest. Everton, riding on a crest of a wave that has seen them re-establish themselves as a top six Premier League outfit in recent weeks, travelled to lowly Macclesfield, currently mid table in league 2 and sixty-eight places lower. Despite a moment of brilliance from Leon Osman that sent Everton through to a mouth-watering fourth round tie with local rivals Liverpool, further adding gloss to this year’s competition, Macclesfield produced a display that deceived their lower league status, and could well have earned them a replay.
On Monday, non-league Blyth Spartans took on Blackburn Rovers, winners of the competition six times. This should have been a whitewash. Instead, the minnows produced a dogged display that belayed their semi-professional status, and gave the millionaires a run for their money. If only Andrew Wright had converted five minutes from time to earn Blyth a replay, and hopes of a similar cup run they experienced in 1978, where the club made it to the fifth round.
Elsewhere, more pertinent shocks took place. Southend secured a lucrative replay at home to Chelsea by looting an injury time equaliser at the Bridge. Forest Green, currently in the relegation zone of the Blue Square Premier League, gave Championship side Derby a scare in a 7 goal thriller, before finally succumbing 3-4. Middlesbrough could only beat Barrow at home 2-1, Forest trounced Manchester City 3-0, and Jeff Stelling’s Hartlepool humbled Premier League boys Stoke 2-0.
Who said the magic of the cup had disappeared? This weekend’s fixtures proved that on the day, anything can happen, and despite the gulfs in supposed class and lifestyles, football is a game played by eleven against eleven, on grass and not paper. Unfortunately a spark has left this year’s competition, with Mark ‘Sparky’ Hughes’s side completely humiliated at home by Nottingham Forest. However, the true spark of the FA Cup remains and I for one look forward to witnessing the march to the twin towers, urm sorry, the arch.
Returning to Wembley has certainly helped fuel a renewed interest and excitement in the Cup. English football’s showpiece event, despite being in safe hands in Cardiff’s impressive Millennium Stadium, was beginning to stagnate. I am not saying the alternative venue was the sole reason for the cup’s diminishing profile on the world stage, far from it. One must extend their deepest thanks to those at the upper echelons of the Welsh FA for allowing their neighbours the breathing space to dig their way out of the farce that was the new Wembley’s belated development. However, despite the 74500 capacity proving more than an adequate platform for an event of such magnitude, it just was not the same. No climbing of the stairs to lift the cup, no twin towers, and confusion up and down the land with how to slip in ‘Cardiff’ or ‘Millennium’ into those Wembley chants. The move to Cardiff, despite a decent contemporary venue, was merely a contributor to a slumber that had its wheels in motion for some time.
After guiding his side to a since unrivalled treble in 1999, Sir Alex Ferguson withdrew Manchester United from the FA Cup to concentrate on the World Club Championships in Brazil. Correct me if I’m wrong, but it was a ridiculous notion at the time, and with the valuable hindsight, an even more ridiculous decision. From Brazil, the obstinate Ferguson commented:
“It's been fantastic here - what a chance for us to come out and get some sun," he told the BBC. "Back home we would have been freezing our toes off. Playing in the Maracana stadium - that's an experience that probably 90% of the top players in the world don't get.”
Whilst I agree with the last sentiment, the above excuse for why he swapped arguably the biggest club cup competition in the world for an up and coming world club championship – that has since been rescheduled to a diluted version in order for no future clashes – does not cut it with me. A chance to get some sun? Give me a frozen pitch and Bovril any day ahead of a retreat to the Maracana in the pursuit of the FA Cup. The fact that Ferguson thought otherwise proved the magic of the cup was beginning to elude some. He was not alone.
When Reading took their side to Old Trafford in the fifth round of the cup in the February of 2007, few could argue with Steve Coppell’s decision to field an under strength team. They were newly promoted to the Premier League, and their priorities lay with cementing their status as a top flight side. However, would this have happened before the financial rewards of staying in the top tier arose? I would be inclined to suggest not. As it was, Coppell’s side managed to pull off a 1-1 draw to force a replay, so our argument does suffer a slight setback. However, once more, what this does prove is that managers were not showing the FA Cup the respect it deserves. The once cherished road to Wembley was seemingly set to lose its panache, and stagnate to an extent where managers were not fielding their strongest eleven. That sparkle that once existed was beginning to dim. Cue the renaissance.
This weekend saw several David versus Goliath encounters, and not one proved to be as conclusive and as straightforward as form and class would suggest. Everton, riding on a crest of a wave that has seen them re-establish themselves as a top six Premier League outfit in recent weeks, travelled to lowly Macclesfield, currently mid table in league 2 and sixty-eight places lower. Despite a moment of brilliance from Leon Osman that sent Everton through to a mouth-watering fourth round tie with local rivals Liverpool, further adding gloss to this year’s competition, Macclesfield produced a display that deceived their lower league status, and could well have earned them a replay.
On Monday, non-league Blyth Spartans took on Blackburn Rovers, winners of the competition six times. This should have been a whitewash. Instead, the minnows produced a dogged display that belayed their semi-professional status, and gave the millionaires a run for their money. If only Andrew Wright had converted five minutes from time to earn Blyth a replay, and hopes of a similar cup run they experienced in 1978, where the club made it to the fifth round.
Elsewhere, more pertinent shocks took place. Southend secured a lucrative replay at home to Chelsea by looting an injury time equaliser at the Bridge. Forest Green, currently in the relegation zone of the Blue Square Premier League, gave Championship side Derby a scare in a 7 goal thriller, before finally succumbing 3-4. Middlesbrough could only beat Barrow at home 2-1, Forest trounced Manchester City 3-0, and Jeff Stelling’s Hartlepool humbled Premier League boys Stoke 2-0.
Who said the magic of the cup had disappeared? This weekend’s fixtures proved that on the day, anything can happen, and despite the gulfs in supposed class and lifestyles, football is a game played by eleven against eleven, on grass and not paper. Unfortunately a spark has left this year’s competition, with Mark ‘Sparky’ Hughes’s side completely humiliated at home by Nottingham Forest. However, the true spark of the FA Cup remains and I for one look forward to witnessing the march to the twin towers, urm sorry, the arch.
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