Aussie PR - 3, England PR - 0

It's amazing what sympathy the Aussies now invoke, given that the boot is on the other foot. We have Jonathan "I've become an Aussie fan" Agnew and numerous people on these boards who are totally taken in with Clarke's greatest asset - his ability to do PR well

Basically, he realises that his Aussie team is oceans behind the England team, when both are playing well. However, rather than just accept this and try and scrape draws, he's rightly decided that been positive is the best policy because;-

1) It might just pay off
2) Everybody thinks you're brave and "a good sport"
3) It deflects from the deficiencies of your team. The 1st Test was a hilarious example of this - England, facing a few unknowns (always a problem for any England Team in sport) were nervous, but the Aussies would have got thrashed if it hadn't been for a once in a lifetime innings from their last man. Suddenly it was 1997 again and the Aussies merely had to turn up at Lords  
4) When you lose by 74 runs in a low scoring game (Durham) - it's now not a thrashing (this is another new rule which never applied in Ashes series before 2005 ). But when, in a high scoring game, you only manage 110+ runs more than your opponents (Oval) then you're totally dominating the game. This is, if you are the current Aussie team under this current captain up against the current England team with their hapless captain
5) You get the benefit of the doubt if it rains. Apparently, totally new to me in my 30 years of watching test cricket, if you're three wickets down on the last day and the rain came, you got a "lucky" draw or "were saved by the rain". These opinions are fine if they were balanced by the caveat that these weren't fact - England could have saved the test, but for some reason when you're on the Clarke "best captain ever" train ride that can't be considered  
6) Last and certainly by no means least, when you make a sporting declaration and then moan about the light because it's going to blow up in your face and you suddenly realise that you're about to become the first Aussie captain to lose 4-0, people only remember about your sporting declaration  


England were better this series, by quite a wide margin. It might change back in Aus and hence there is no complacency on this author's behalf

Very true.

If Australia talk about 'what ifs' then that's fine.
If England do it, they're 'whinging poms'.

banbrotam wrote:  It's amazing what sympathy the Aussies now invoke, given that the boot is on the other foot. We have Jonathan "I've become an Aussie fan" Agnew and numerous people on these boards who are totally taken in with Clarke's greatest asset - his ability to do PR well

my friend.......didn't you know there is nothing like " absolute reality"...but only perceptions of reality  

The course of history has often times changed because of "perceptions of reality"......the 2nd gulf war the most recent such example

The 'absolute reality' is Australia paid for a lack of discipline both off and on the pitch. Off the pitch there were several well documented incidents and on the pitch their discipline went out the window when they found rare positions of strength though chucked them away with poor batting or poor bowling. Unless they eradicate that then I see an even heavier defeat at home if the England batsmen rediscover their form.

CaledonianCraig wrote:The 'absolute reality' is Australia paid for a lack of discipline both off and on the pitch. Off the pitch there were several well documented incidents and on the pitch their discipline went out the window when they found rare positions of strength though chucked them away with poor batting or poor bowling. Unless they eradicate that then I see an even heavier defeat at home if the England batsmen rediscover their form.

yeah but there is never "absolute reality"

there are only "perceptions of reality"

What I posted are cold hard facts that Australia's players need to sort out. It is their failing.

CaledonianCraig wrote:What I posted are cold hard facts that Australia's players need to sort out. It is their failing.

but the OP pointed out appropriately.....that until the aussies sort out their problems....they succesfully glossed over it with a facade of "l bravado" , "Positivity", " Sporting" and "leadership" type wins

reminding me of the "perception of reality" theory.

Nasser Hussain was excellent  at managing media and people's perceptions...articulate with spoken words...and throuhg his captain's diary column....
he came to India.... lost T1 in 3 days to Bhajji and Kumble...bowled Giles negatively to hold on to a draw in T2 and rain curtailed a draw in T3....but throuhg the power of his spoken and written words he claimed "Moral Victory " and much of the Indian and British media bought inot it....much to the irritation of Ganguly and Indian team.

Cook is too meek with spoken words...

KP_fan wrote:

CaledonianCraig wrote:What I posted are cold hard facts that Australia's players need to sort out. It is their failing.

but the OP pointed out appropriately.....that until the aussies sort out their problems....they succesfully glossed over it with a facade of "l bravado" , "Positivity", " Sporting" and "leadership" type wins

reminding me of the "perception of reality" theory.

Nasser Hussain was excellent  at managing media and people's perceptions...articulate with spoken words...and throuhg his captain's diary column....
he came to India.... lost T1 in 3 days to Bhajji and Kumble...bowled Giles negatively to hold on to a draw in T2 and rain curtailed a draw in T3....but throuhg the power of his spoken and written words he claimed "Moral Victory " and much of the Indian and British media bought inot it....much to the irritation of Ganguly and Indian team.

Cook is too meek with spoken words...

Actions speak louder than words.

3-0 England.

Clarke, bless him, was at it again at the post match interview!! He mumbled something about the fans not booing back home, i.e. another "let's get the Aussies pumped up" along with the nonsense his coach uttered

I'm sad to have to agree with KP_Fan (for the first and last time ) if Vaughan had been in charge there is no way he would have been usurped by all this airy fairy nonsense. It took the magnificent surly Gooch to put the Aussies back in their place with his memorable "3-0 up" line

Clarke, Warne, Agnew, Maxwell etc have almost had me convinced that England are crap. Then I go and watch the replays and realise we're not!!

I would love to see the back of Agnew. Is he so negative because he is still bitter about his own Test career?!

England won the series 3-0.

That is the absolute reality. Not a perception, but a fact.

When we reach a point when we're complaining about standards of play when we have just won 3-0 then it only goes to show how poor the Australians are.
 I'm not even convinced Australia would have won at Manchester had it not rained.
  The Aussies have been spinning their version of what they think happened/happens in Ashes series for decades. Agnew should realise he's not the story, the cricket is. Warne should never be allowed anywhere near any form of media, nor should he ever be listened to, unless he is talking about the art of legspin.
  More hard facts. England won 3-0. They have won seven of the last 11 Ashes Tests. Australia have gone seven Tests without beating England. Australia have only won two of the last 15 Ashes Tests. England have won four of the last five Ashes series. Gosh, I love typing this.