posted Mar 20, 2007

The question that BBC and other journalists have to answer is this - why have you been covering up what has been going on in the England team? Aggers said on the Today programme today that it is Duncan Fletcher who needs to answer some questions - and so he does. But so do the hacks. I cannot believe that Aggers and the others who have been following England in recent times have not known about the culture of drinking. So why have they kept mum? Surely the fans are entitled to know if there are off field problems that can affect England's performance? It is difficult to avoid the suspicion that some in the media centres (many former England captains amongst them) are just too close to the players and don't want to "sneak". A good public school ethic at Uppingham or Manchester Grammar no doubt - but hardly proper journalism.

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posted Mar 20, 2007

It was reported that 'Millionaire Freddie' had been warned on several occasions about his drinking. He has only become a millionaire because of his sport and its paying public. The difference between a professional sportsman and the Flintoffs, Gascoines, et all is that the professionals respect their bodies (their most prized asset), their public, their colleagues, and their short playing career. A good example of a professional is Teddy Sherringham in football, Mike Catt in Rugby Union, Gary Player in golf etc.. Mr Flintoff has milked one good year's performance, has failed to live up to that year and we can probably see why the last Ashes was such a disaster. I agree that he should have been sent home. The team is always bigger than its constituent parts.

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posted Mar 20, 2007

I can’t see what the fuss is about - a young fella on tour with his mates (happens to be representing England) gets drunk and causes some havoc.

Haven't you lot who're soooo disgusted by Freddie’s antics ever been a bit too drunk?

Freddie is the current high profile manifestation of the lads drinking culture that media outlets have encouraged since the late 1990's. If you portray a society where it’s deemed acceptable for everyone to get drunk as often as they like, you'll end up with some high profile example of mischievousness.

Get over it and try focusing on the fact that our young lions need encouragement and not vilification at every opportunity.

By the way, if every office worker was sacked for larking about at the weekend or on a weekday evening, as one of the contributors has suggested every office up and down the country would be emptied. Apart of course for the boring tee-totalers who don’t have a life...

Play up England - we can win!!!!

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posted Mar 20, 2007

It is great news for England. They have finally no longer have to call on Flintoff as captain as to sack him before would have meant he would lose face. Yet now we can concentrate on getting the best our of him (hopefully in the cricket, not bitter) with a decent captain in charge. If Vaughan's injury rules him out then Strauss can come in as captain and the English team looks a lot better. Looking optimistically a little too far, I feel this would be great if Vaughan misses the Kenya game, Strauss gets a hundred and Vaughan comes back and we drop Joyce. I realise he got a century against Australia but how many other sides are going to drop him three times in a match?

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posted Mar 21, 2007

Flintoff is a Lancastrian turnip head, Duncan Fletcher must also be largely responsible for the ill disipline within the squad. The signs were there after the Ashes fiasco in Australia.

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posted Mar 21, 2007

sportystevereeves,

Yes we have all gone out and got drunk, but we are not the Vice Capt. of the England cricket team, whose every move is under the spotlight of the media. I play club cricket and know that if I get lashed on Friday night I can not perform properly on Saturday, Flintoff should be sensible enough to know this. It is not as though he is performing on the pitch at the moment. If he was putting in the performances in the middlew and doing his drinking in private nobody would care.

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posted Mar 21, 2007

The England Cricket team are no different from any of our other national teams(barring our old Olympic rowing team) in that they are built up by the media to be shot down. Yes, Freddie Flintoff does get paid alot of money and has a big responsibility not only to his team-mates and their quest for the World Cup, but also to portray a positive image for young fans in the cricket world. However, he's only human and people should remember that. Half the people that have jumped on the 'hate Freddie Flintoff' band wagon will talk until the cows come home about how its 'disgraceful' and he's 'let the country down', and then go out on the town at the weekend, sink 12 pints and have a row in the kebab shop.
Yes, he needs to sort himself out, but remember that the media paints its own picture of events and its easy to be spoon-fed to believe whatever they want us to believe. I very much doubt things were as bad as they were made out. Now lets stop whinging about everything and get behind the team for the Kenya match.

Besides, its easy to get marooned on a pedalo, those West Indian tides are unpredictable!

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posted Mar 24, 2007

well said robbo...likewise ollie, in his column!

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posted Mar 24, 2007

theres nothing wrong wit gettin drunk! Hes got the same right as other people, and at least he doesnt go around beating people up whens hes drunk. People who say he was wrong need to get a life and leave him alone.

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