What happened to Australia?

[GotSpin]

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.

Yeah but he doesn't get cut down either

 

[Mike5181]

Intimidating ratings of current players

England

Cook- 1, Straus- 5, Trott- 4, KP- 7, Collingwood- 5, Bell- 4, Prior- 5, Broad- 1, Anderson- 4

Australia

Watson- 7, Hughes- 4, Ponting- 7, Clarke- 2, Hussey-3, Johnson- 6, Siddle- 7, Harris- 6, Hilfenhaus- 5

New Zealand

McCullum- 7, Ryder- 7, Guptill- 4, Taylor- 5, Styris- 6, Vettori- 4, Martin- 2, Oram- 2, Southee- 4

South Africa

Smith- 7, Amla- 5, Kallis- 7, Steyn- 8, Morkel- 7

Softcocks

Cook, Broad, Clarke, Hussey, Martin, Oram

 

[Spark]

And the above shows why the whole "intimidation based on appearance" thing is absolute bull****. It didn't do Clarke any harm last series or Hussey/Cook this series, eh?

 

[Ausage]

Yeah but he doesn't get cut down either

Sure he does. He's been cut down plenty of times. He's just egotistical enough to bounce back from it repeatedly.

I'm not suggesting that we as a society do nothing but trash these people. I am suggesting that there is a part of us that enjoys seeing them fail, and the media and popular culture plays on that more than is perhaps neccessary.

And Burgey I can think of a few words more apt than interesting tbh.

 

[Uppercut]

Opinions on Ian Bell? Blonde hair, freckles, well spoken, only ever used to score runs when the going was easy. bit of a wet flannel and a softcock etc etc.
Over the last year or so though he's posted up some really impressive numbers... people see him any differently yet?
Personally think the making of him was being dropped in the West Indies

People keep saying this, but he's only really hit one good knock under pressure, in South Africa a year ago. Definitely looks more solid, but jury still out imo. Feel he's benefitted from not having to face Asif and Aamer over the summer.

 

[Uppercut]

Not so much to do with the play or success but to do with what the players look like and their attitude. Growing up, Australian cricketers looked and acted like men against boys. Physically intimidating and possessing of fabled mental toughness, they looked a different breed to the boyish Englishmen.

What happened in Australia? Genuine question, has there been a pussification of the nation?

This generation seems very different in both look and outlook to the previous couple. It doesn’t appear to be just about ability.

Waugh had the, oft described, 'gunslinger eyes', Boon and Border wouldn't back down from a tidal wave, Merv Hughes scared batsmen so much that they ignored the fact he bowled at 75 mph, Langer looked like a man ready to go over the top to bayonet the Hun, Hayden was built like the Hulk, Warne had the career building arrogance that overwhelmed weaker opponents, McGrath shot pigs for fun, and Dean Jones was willing to watch himself waste away to an early death in the pursuit of runs. I could go on.

Now there are fragile fast bowlers that retire or flounce (Tait and Johnson), Clarke looks like a 12 yr old boy or an anorexic lesbian, Watson is scared of ghosts, Bollinger has his own image issues, Hughes looks like a trainee school teacher and the straw that broke the donkeys back was watching Smith come out to bat today.

He looked like Billy Bunter without the glasses. Possibly the least intimidating thing I’ve seen on a cricket field in quite a while.

Certainly the players are not as good as before but they have lost their edge especially when playing against guys like Tremlett who Brumby correctly describes as looking like a big, intimidating unit.

I’m not having a go at Australia as I have long admired their attitude, determination and how that is all packaged together. Now it seems the only reason to share a drink with them would be to see their glamorous other halves.

Are there greater changes at work in Australian life and *sniggers* culture to have made such a change in attitude, aggression and, dare I say it, manliness? What happened?

My comments are as an outsider looking in and I am genuinely interested if forces are at play or whether this isn't what it may appear.

Great rant, but you didn't even mention Mike Hussey, who permanently looks like he's about to burst into tears.

 

[Son Of Coco]

People keep saying this, but he's only really hit one good knock under pressure, in South Africa a year ago. Definitely looks more solid, but jury still out imo. Feel he's benefitted from not having to face Asif and Aamer over the summer.

Yeah, I don't see Bell any differently at all. I don't think it's any coincidence that he's 'improved' as a player after quite a few good bowlers disappeared. Was interested to see how he went against Pakistan too, then found out he didn't play.

Am happy to be proven wrong about him though. It'll take more than him scoring runs against this Aussie attack at the moment however.

 

[Furball]

Intimidating ratings of current players

England

Cook- 1, Straus- 5, Trott- 4, KP- 7, Collingwood- 5, Bell- 4, Prior- 5, Broad- 1, Anderson- 4

Australia

Watson- 7, Hughes- 4, Ponting- 7, Clarke- 2, Hussey-3, Johnson- 6, Siddle- 7, Harris- 6, Hilfenhaus- 5

New Zealand

McCullum- 7, Ryder- 7, Guptill- 4, Taylor- 5, Styris- 6, Vettori- 4, Martin- 2, Oram- 2, Southee- 4

South Africa

Smith- 7, Amla- 5, Kallis- 7, Steyn- 8, Morkel- 7

Softcocks

Cook, Broad, Clarke, Hussey, Martin, Oram

How are Watson and Siddle intimidating?

 

[howardj]

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...

We will have to vigorously agree to disagree on matters tall poppy.

Anyway, this I think sums up what is wrong with the blokes these days - too focussed on themselves and not on the team.

Clarke - Ashes Tour 2009.


It cannot be a healthy thing for an elite sporting team when, after a deflating end to a Test match on a tour of England, the vice-captain heads to London in a Ferrari with his glamorous girlfriend while the rest of the group leave as one on the team bus. One can imagine the opinions that might have been quietly shared when the team arrived at its London hotel to see the Ferrari comfortably parked outside.

It shocks me that a vice-captain can not see how strange and damaging to team morale, this is.

 

[Spikey]

 

[Mike5181]

How are Watson and Siddle intimidating?

Because i am an athletic guy and Watson in particular would break me in two...he benches like 300+

 

[thierry henry]

Haven't read past the first post, but I don't get how a respected poster like Goughy very rarely gets called out for his utterly bizarre, downright creepy obsession with "manly men" that seems to permeate his opinion on every facet of life.

 

[Pizzorno]

Because i am an athletic guy and Watson in particular would break me in two...he benches like 300+

Behave, twatto is a big jessie.

 

[Dissector]

Amusing to read this thread in the light of today's play. We will probably see Smith hit a hundred in the third innings.

 

[vcs]

That flouncy metrosexual with dodgy tattoos didn't do a bad job today...

 

[Dissector]

Intimidating ratings of current players

England

Cook- 1, Straus- 5, Trott- 4, KP- 7, Collingwood- 5, Bell- 4, Prior- 5, Broad- 1, Anderson- 4

Australia

Watson- 7, Hughes- 4, Ponting- 7, Clarke- 2, Hussey-3, Johnson- 6, Siddle- 7, Harris- 6, Hilfenhaus- 5

New Zealand

McCullum- 7, Ryder- 7, Guptill- 4, Taylor- 5, Styris- 6, Vettori- 4, Martin- 2, Oram- 2, Southee- 4

South Africa

Smith- 7, Amla- 5, Kallis- 7, Steyn- 8, Morkel- 7

Softcocks

Cook, Broad, Clarke, Hussey, Martin, Oram

On this scale Unadkat would probably rate a -10. I think the idea of "manly men" being better cricketers is most wrong though I do wish India would produce fewer cricketers who look like scared bunnies. Especially pace bowlers. Prasad, Agarkar, Sreesanth, RP Singh and now Unadkat. OTOH in the last couple of years we have probably been the toughest team in test cricket repeatedly fighting our way out of difficult situations. And that's what counts.

 

[Nate]

Some quality posts in this thread. Confidence in your own ability is so important.

 

[Goughy]

Some quality posts in this thread. Confidence in your own ability is so important.

Separate to everything else, its impossible to disagree with that. A spot on point. It is what seperates the best from the others. All the things I have mentioned such as intimidation (and there are many ways this manifests itself), hardness, etc are bullets that chip away at the confidence of others. If there are no fault lines then they cant make an impression but it takes a special person/athlete to be able to have total confidence in themselves. I agree with you 100%. Self-doubt is a killer

 

[Goughy]

Haven't read past the first post, but I don't get how a respected poster like Goughy very rarely gets called out for his utterly bizarre, downright creepy obsession with "manly men" that seems to permeate his opinion on every facet of life.

You know me so well and my opinions on "every facet of life"

 

[GIMH]

Haven't read past the first post, but I don't get how a respected poster like Goughy very rarely gets called out for his utterly bizarre, downright creepy obsession with "manly men" that seems to permeate his opinion on every facet of life.

I can actually smell the irony in this post, fantastic