What happened to Australia?

[Neil Pickup]

You speak of these things as if they are mutually exclusive to one another, when in reality looks, attitude and confidence are all quite closely knit imo. I'm not suggesting that anyone's looks have any impact whatsoever in terms of their pure ability to master a certain skill set, but it may have a considerable influence on how one might apply oneself to a particular task etc... Though not strictly related to cricket, it's probably no coincidence that the people in the world who get the most successful or well paid jobs are those who are well turned out and have a certain presence. Presence is not something you can practice as such for mine, it's something you develop through your own confidence, which in turn is impacted upon massively by your image, how you perceive yourself and how you are perceived by others. As I say, it's not likely to have any impact whatsoever on your own ability per se (and I don't think Goughy was ever actually suggesting it was btw), but how you come across to others can drastically influence your success, and that can be said in any context, not just a sporting one.

This is it. Presence, atmosphere, body language. Call it what you will, but non verbal communication has a lot to count for in contests. The England football team falls into the same box.

A huge amount of winning or losing a classroom happens way outside the words you utter. It's the difference between hoping the child will do what you want them to, and knowing that they're going to follow instructions because they know you're boss.

 

[Jacknife]

Mate, Anderson, Cook and Broad are a Mardi Gras organiser's dream. They'd be put on the first float to head up the parade were they available.

Did they knock you back when you asked

 

[zaremba]

For ****s sake, do people read the thread? There is more than 1 way to intimidate. It isnt just how you look.

Genuinely puzzled by where this thread is going, given where it started. Are we talking about looks (see OP) or not? Are we talking about ability (see Don Bradman but not the OP) or not?

Anyhow in the interests of balance I'd like us all to remember how dear old Kim Hughes looked, and the sheer dripping metrosexuality of his tears

 

[Redbacks]

Aftermath of the Sydney test v India

CA faltered like wimps, the Australian media went in for the kill and even suggested that we over celebrated breaking the test world record.

Since then

W16 L12 D8

with only 4 of those wins against decent teams in RSA and Eng. Could also just be that we are ****!

 

[Ausage]

Aftermath of the Sydney test v India

CA faltered like wimps, the Australian media went in for the kill and even suggested that we over celebrated breaking the test world record.

Since then

W16 L12 D8

with only 4 of those wins against decent teams in RSA and Eng. Could also just be that we are ****!

This.

What a ridiculous thread. When Australia is tough, uncompromising and sweeping all opponents before them you can't hear a word for the weeping of inferior cricketing nations claiming we're taking the game too seriously. Then our great players disappear, we fall (way) back in the pack and all of a sudden we're metrosexual nancies not worth sharing a beer with. Why are people so obsessed with the attitude and now ****ing LOOKS of our team? People say Australians have tall poppy syndrome, but I've seen nothing to suggest the rest of the world doesn't have it in equal amounts.

We're just **** now. When you're playing **** your attitude and confidence look ****. Ask the February 2009 incarnations of Graeme Smith and Jaques Kallis if Mitchell Johnson was a flouncing ponce. He put Smith out of action for months and nearly broke Kallis jaw.

Never mind we were within moments of selecting a man (the guy's got a shiner on his cricinfo pic ffs) with the most manly name ever concieved in the history of mankind, and England have only recently lost a player who would look more at home in a Twilight novel. Wanna try convince me Jimmy Anderson and Ian Bell look tough? Go on, give it a try.

Love some of your contributions Goughy. This one? Nahhhhh.

 

[zaremba]

People say Australians have tall poppy syndrome, but I've seen nothing to suggest the rest of the world doesn't have it in equal amounts.

Australians say Australians have tall poppy syndrome. Believe me, it's always been universal.

 

[howardj]

We've gotten far too funky.

It starts at the top.

Listen to a Flower v Nielsen press conference.

So revealing.

One is obsessed with sounding funky/corporate/cutting edge, the other is cricket-focussed/common sense.

 

[howardj]

Australians say Australians have tall poppy syndrome. Believe me, it's always been universal.

That's rubbish - nobody supports their heroes more than Australia.

If anything, we put sportsmen/famous people on too much of a pedestal.

 

[Howe_zat]

Wow. Finally decided to give this thread a read, and people are debating how what you look like affects your game? Seriously? Unbe-****ing-lievable.

 

[Ausage]

That's rubbish - nobody supports their heroes more than Australia.

If anything, we put sportsmen/famous people on too much of a pedestal.

It's not rubbish. I've met a huge amount of Australians that say they hate the Australian cricket team because it's always winning, that they're arrogant assholes. These are people that enjoy circket for the most part, but also the average joe who doesn't even follow the game that closely. We rip high achievers down in the media. (see NRL "scandals", political scandals etc...)

 

[PhoenixFire]

Wow. Finally decided to give this thread a read, and people are debating how what you look like affects your game? Seriously? Unbe-****ing-lievable.

I absolutely think it does. I've played a fair bit of cricket and it's certainly a lot harder to play against someone who is physically intimidating than someone who isn't.

 

[Burgey]

Did they knock you back when you asked

Ah see, you've misinterpreted what I said I think.

I'm saying they're pretty boys is all. As much as Clarke, Lee, Johnson et al.

 

[howardj]

It's not rubbish. I've met a huge amount of Australians that say they hate the Australian cricket team because it's always winning, that they're arrogant assholes. These are people that enjoy circket for the most part, but also the average joe who doesn't even follow the game that closely. We rip high achievers down in the media. (see NRL "scandals", political scandals etc...)

lol scandals yes....scandals is when they've done something wrong - that's called having standards mate.

and how does 'the media' reflect the average Aussie?

And how is Warnie, Gilly, Hackett, Kieren Perkins, Susie O'Neil (and many other sporting stars and achievers) still raking in millions if everyone wants to tear them down?

Raking it in because they have enormous public goodwill - rather than people wanting to tear them down.

 

[Burgey]

Wow. Finally decided to give this thread a read, and people are debating how what you look like affects your game? Seriously? Unbe-****ing-lievable.

It actually affects whether you get picked or not, from the POV of fitness. Slightly different point tothe OP but it's true.

I dare say someone like Boon wouldn't get picked these days, you know. Not "fit" enough and all, even though he'd be scoring thousands in the Shield year after year. What a player he was.

 

[GotSpin]

I absolutely think it does. I've played a fair bit of cricket and it's certainly a lot harder to play against someone who is physically intimidating than someone who isn't.

If they're spraying it all over the shop it doesn't make much of a difference IMO. Success goes hand in hand with intimidation

 

[ripper868]

No because the idea that Bell is a 'softcock' has always been something of a fallacy

Lol'd

 

[Ausage]

lol scandals yes....scandals is when they've done something wrong - that's called having standards mate.

and how does 'the media' reflect the average Aussie?

And how is Warnie, Gilly, Hackett, Kieren Perkins, Susie O'Neil (and many other sporting stars and achievers) still raking in millions if everyone wants to tear them down?

Raking it in because they have enormous public goodwill - rather than people wanting to tear them down.

There's scandals and then there is scandals. Beating up your girlfriend and copping a lick from a dog isn't the kind of scandal I'm talking about. Many of the media beat ups are about irrelevant rubbish that belongs in a gossip column if anywhere.

The media reflects our society (or at least parts of it) because the public is paying money to read what they're saying. As much as I hate the Terrorgraph there's no doubt it's a popular paper because it gives many people what they want. Tabloid papers exist purely because it's in our nature as humans to enjoy watching people fall, and the bigger they are...

 

[GotSpin]

Doesn't explain the rise and rise of Warne then does it - Though I suspect it'd be different if we were still dominating test cricket like we should be

 

[Ausage]

Doesn't explain the rise and rise of Warne then does it - Though I suspect it'd be different if we were still dominating test cricket like we should be

Actually the current prominence of Warne in comparison to someone like Susie O'Neil (who?) does more to prove it. Warne is popular because of his off field exploits. We like having him in the limelight because he does interesting things, and in the back of our minds we know there's a pretty fair chance he'll screw up some time in the future and we want to watch it. Given the chance we'll turn on him like we do any celebrity who makes an error in judgement.

Lets face it, he was kept around the cricket team because he was a once in a lifetime genius with the ball. Andrew Sydmonds got one fishing trip and some booze and he became persona non gratia.

 

[Burgey]

Actually the current prominence of Warne in comparison to someone like Susie O'Neil (who?) does more to prove it. Warne is popular because of his off field exploits. We like having him in the limelight because he does interesting things, and in the back of our minds we know there's a pretty fair chance he'll screw up some time in the future and we want to watch it. Given the chance we'll turn on him like we do any celebrity who makes an error in judgement.

Lets face it, he was kept around the cricket team because he was a once in a lifetime genius with the ball. Andrew Sydmonds got one fishing trip and some booze and he became persona non gratia.

Agreed.