Giles, Thorpe & Collingwood: is three a crowd?

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Mick Jagger was dead right when he sang “you can’t always get what you want”. England have been stuck between a rock and a hard place in recent times (which is what made me think of rolling stones) and I severely doubt that a top coach like Gary Kirsten is going to ride to our rescue.

Who would want to work for the ECB anyway? They dictate (a) who the captain is going to be, (b) the precise type of team ethic and philosophy required, and (c) which star players should or should not be playing. Surely any coach worth his salt would want to implement his own ideas and foster his own culture?

Because of the ECB’s rather bemusing approach, most fans have conceded that Ashley Giles will be the new head coach – especially as Andy Flower will continue to operate in the background, shaping young players’ approach and effectively coaching the coaches.

The march towards Giles feels inexorable. I suspect it does not matter how we perform in the upcoming T20 World Cup – any positive, no matter how slight, will be seized upon as supposed evidence that a new dawn is breaking and its growth is in safe hands.

Let’s face it, the ECB are absolutely desperate to appoint Giles. They want someone they can rely on to say the right things and, most importantly, someone who won’t ask for Kevin Pietersen’s reinstatement.

It matters not that the former Warwickshire coach took over a team ranked number one in the world (in ODIs) and has transformed them into a stuttering unit capable of throwing away seemingly unassailable advantages.

And it matters not that the team has sunk so low that beating a Windies side missing all but one of its few quality cricketers is now considered a noteworthy achievement; we’re so rubbish now that we’ll take any win thank you.

In a recent interview with David Lloyd, in which Giles tried to explain England’s deliberate plan of bowling either too short or far too full and wide (a strategy that was devoured by the mighty Darren Sammy) the concerns I have with Gilo were laid bare …

His arguments were convoluted, his tone uncertain, and his theories made little sense. Perhaps he’s a bad communicator (which isn’t exactly ideal for a coach) but I saw little evidence of a high cricketing IQ.

Did I see a leader? I’m sorry but I didn’t. Did I even, at a very basic level, see someone who believes in himself? Again, I’m afraid not.

The same sensitivity Giles showed as a player – his response to the Wheelie Bin jibes springs to mind – was worryingly apparent. When Bumble asked him about his future, Giles conceded there were probably those who thought he wasn’t good enough for the job. Can you imagine Lehmann saying something similar?

Lehmann wouldn’t give two hoots what other people think. He’s a leader; he’s a motivator; he’s got balls; which is why an Aussie dressing room full of difficult and complex characters who were at each others’ throats a year ago are running through walls for him.

Thankfully, however, there’s a silver lining to all this. Giles has been promoted so fast since retiring as a player because he understands the dynamics of relationships. He isn’t stupid. What’s more, he understands very well the old business mantra ‘if you can’t do it yourself employ someone who can’.

When Giles was at Warwickshire, he appointed the excellent Dougie Brown as his assistant. Now he’s with England he’s appointed Paul Collingwood. What’s more, he’s got Graham Thorpe on hand as batting coach.

Paul Collingwood and Graham Thorpe are respected by just about everyone they’ve come across. In fact, as a team Collingwood and Thorpe have everything: personality, charisma, brains, confidence and most importantly, steel. They also bring captaincy experience to the table – something, perhaps tellingly, that Giles doesn’t have.

As long as Thorpe and Collingwood are around, there is hope for English cricket – even if most fans aren’t convinced by their immediate superiors.

Writing in the Sydney Morning Herald a couple of days ago, Michael Vaughan argued that in Giles, Collingwood and Thorpe, England have a strong management team in place.

He was full of praise for Collingwood’s leadership ability and hailed Thorpe’s technical acumen. Meanwhile, in what many will see as a sop to his old mate, he claimed that Giles would be a reassuring ‘father figure’ in the background. It’s what all the experts don’t say about Giles that’s interesting.

So let’s just get this straight. Thorpe and Collingwood will bring rare skills to the table (skills that are in high demand) whilst the bloke in charge is just there to put an arm around the players. I could do that for heaven sake!

I suppose the obvious point is this: why not just appoint Collingwood and Thorpe as joint head coaches and let Gilo concentrate on being a selector? As a successful captain, I’m sure Colly has the personal skills to manage different personalities anyway.

Collingwood and Thorpe would be the perfect team. With their stronger personalities, and greater cricketing credentials – Thorpe was the best test batsman England have produced since Gooch, whilst Collingwood was famed for his fighting spirit and tactical ability – the players will be more inclined to listen to the deputies than the head honcho anyway.

The bottom line is that England probably don’t need Giles. Why don’t the ECB do the obvious thing and save themselves a salary?

James Morgan

7 comments

  • Paul Collingwood is an excellent choice. Seems one of the most level-headed men to ever play for England. I’m an Aussie but he’s one of my favourite English players. He could become a freelance specialist fielding coach.

    I don’t know about Giles either. He seems a little slippery but that could be because he’s in the difficult place of following Flower’s intimidating regime.

  • Thanks for your thoughts Lolly. I think Giles has some benefit because he has a more relaxed approach than Flower, whose intense approach was failing to produce results towards the end. My problem with Giles is that I’m not sure what else he offers other than being ‘a nice guy’. We all know what happens to nice guys in sport. They normally finish last. What’s more, Gilo is notoriously sensitive, and has always been uncertain of himself in front of the cameras (he was a terrible, terrible pundit). This is a very unappealing quality as a coach. A head coach must convey confidence to the group or uncertainty will surely spread through the dressing room.

  • He must offer more than being a nice guy as I can’t see that the ECB would employ him if he didn’t have some sort of backbone. He may be very different when in charge of the players and not in front of the camera. He’s been involved in high level mgt at one of the counties, Warwickshire is it? Be interesting to see how the team reacts to a new coach. A more laidback friendly approach may have great benefits.

    Talking about terrible pundits, that’s exactly what I expected Harmison to be when he was a talking head for Sky during the SA v Aus series, but he was very good indeed in terms of analysing bowling.

  • A lack of backbone is exactly what the ECB want. Just look at the selection panel. Not a single man of conviction. If Shane Warne was English he’d be consigned to a Siberian jail somewhere rather than have any say in English cricket. All opinions are banned. Even if they’re right ones.

  • England seem determined to appoint safe, flabby people to run their sport. Giles has failed with the short forms – how can he be suitable for the real game? Collingwood would be my choice and he should be a manager (better still some less overused word) but not a coach with his hands tied for player selection. Time for someone to get stroppy – but they’d soon be removed from the team, wouldn’t they?

  • I wonder if even abject humiliation over the next month or so will stop the inevitability of Giles’ appointment.

    Bias confirmation will probably rule the day, though. The more England gets thrashed the more it will prove to some people just how much we need more of Flower and Giles.

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