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The Barmy Army

B

brandon

Striker
They know that cricket in this country is fucked, it seems everyone except those responsible (FTECB) do.

Classy statement from them.

“We in the Barmy Army are loyal and passionate Test cricket fans. We support the team through good times and bad but we are gutted and distraught that we have lost the Ashes so soon,” the Barmy Army said.

“However, as all the England fans in Australia have shown from Brisbane to Melbourne, we will never waver in our loyal support for the team.

“It’s clear there are fundamental and structural issues with the county game and its level of prioritisation is not working for the Test team. The lack of attention given to men’s red ball cricket is clearly evident in the disappointing performances of the Test team. We were shown a stark reminder of the vulnerability of the format we know and love when the 5th India Test was cancelled on the day of the game.

“What can we do as fans? We can make our voice heard. Rather than being disgruntled on social media, we want to be proactive and represent our members. As such, we’ll be listening and consolidating our members’ opinions and contacting the ECB with our thoughts.

“We will be partnering with the Cricket Supporters’ Association to combine our feedback to share with the ECB.

“No matter what, we remain unconditionally supportive of the England team. We’ve been amazed by people staying up all over the world hoping for that next wicket, next boundary and getting behind the team. We will certainly be right behind the lads for the next Test.”

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The more change is called for in the county game the closer they will move to an elite franchise system of some form IMO.

It’d be quite controversial but I’d permanently regionalise the county game. Make it similar to the GAA in Ireland where teams compete for Leinster / Munster etc champions before they go off to the All Ireland.

I’d also consider having regional team competition that allows the best of the best to compete against each other in red ball cricket. Similar to the format of the Sheffield Shield. Representation of those regions would take precedence over county.

England > Region > County > Club. A steady progression between the levels. Not sure how it’d fit into the calendar (I’d also go back to having the white ball game on the Sunday at the end of a four day game with the abolition of T20 blast).

Fairly sure these suggestions would go down like a cup of cold sick with plenty of the traditionalists but I think a genuine revolution of the domestic game is required for the modern era.
 
Sea to Shining Sea said:
Fairly sure these suggestions would go down like a cup of cold sick with plenty of the traditionalists but I think a genuine revolution of the domestic game is required for the modern era.
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Why?

We were number 1 in the world in all 3 formats not too long ago whilst we had 18 counties. It wasn’t a problem then. The current system has worked before and it can again cut just requires FTECB to want it enough.
 
brandon said:
Why?

We were number 1 in the world in all 3 formats not too long ago whilst we had 18 counties. It wasn’t a problem then. The current system has worked before and it can again cut just requires FTECB to want it enough.
Click to expand...

Did we get to number 1 in all three formats simultaneously?

But I’d make changes not just for the benefit of the England team but to try and increase spectator interest in red ball cricket at a domestic level. The regionalising of the game could preserve FC county cricket, reduce financial burdens and travel difficulties and quite possibly geographical disparity in terms of results too.
The Rat said:
cricket in this country isnt fucked like

more people now watch live cricket in england than any point in history
Click to expand...

It’s not fucked but it could do with a spruce up.
 
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Sea to Shining Sea said:
Did we get to number 1 in all three formats simultaneously?
Click to expand...

Yes.

Sea to Shining Sea said:
But I’d make changes not just for the benefit of the England team but to try and increase spectator interest in red ball cricket at a domestic level. The regionalising of the game could preserve FC county cricket, reduce financial burdens and travel difficulties and quite possibly geographical disparity in terms of results too.


It’s not fucked but it could do with a spruce up.
Click to expand...

Which is what?
 
Sea to Shining Sea said:
What year was that? After we’d won the T20 World Cup?
Click to expand...

2012.

I know I said ‘not that long ago’, that decade has flown by mind :oops:. The point about the 18 counties remains though ;)

Sea to Shining Sea said:
Weather disparity is what I was referring to. There’s a bit of a southern advantage on that front.
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8 years in a row between 2008 and 2015 the Championship was won by a Northern county. Four years after that it went South, then again last season back to the North.

Unless you move all the Northern counties to the south you aren’t going to change the ‘weather disparity’. I don’t believe there’s any real difference anyway.

The 16.4 has shown that county support isn’t transferable to cities or regions.
 
Sky Sports Cricket have been showing a series of Duncan Fletcher interviews. He was saying that when he was coaching Glamorgan, they were very much against central contracts. It was all about the administrators of the game looking after themselves first and foremost, with little to no thought given to how the teams can improve.

20 years on, even after being shown what England can achieve in all forms of the game, we are perilously close to being back to square one.

How the game is played and how it is run needs to work in harmony. Without that we are sunk on and off the pitch.
 
Sea to Shining Sea said:
The more change is called for in the county game the closer they will move to an elite franchise system of some form IMO.

It’d be quite controversial but I’d permanently regionalise the county game. Make it similar to the GAA in Ireland where teams compete for Leinster / Munster etc champions before they go off to the All Ireland.

I’d also consider having regional team competition that allows the best of the best to compete against each other in red ball cricket. Similar to the format of the Sheffield Shield. Representation of those regions would take precedence over county.

England > Region > County > Club. A steady progression between the levels. Not sure how it’d fit into the calendar (I’d also go back to having the white ball game on the Sunday at the end of a four day game with the abolition of T20 blast).

Fairly sure these suggestions would go down like a cup of cold sick with plenty of the traditionalists but I think a genuine revolution of the domestic game is required for the modern era.
Click to expand...

Two division county cricket should/ has created that higher ‘second step’ IMO.
 
EEw
brandon said:
Why?

We were number 1 in the world in all 3 formats not too long ago whilst we had 18 counties. It wasn’t a problem then. The current system has worked before and it can again cut just requires FTECB to want it enough.
Click to expand...
Exactly, there has been no problems producing quality test crickers in the past.
 
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