Bat and ball / Frank Gregan / 05 January 2009 / Leave a comment

Frank Gregan gives us his take on the ongoing feud between England skipper Kevin Pietersen and coach Peter Moores over the exclusion of Michael Vaughan for the tour of the Caribbean. Something's gotta give...

The exclusion of Michael Vaughan from the England squad to tour the West Indies is receiving more column inches than Nelson has in Trafalgar Square! What is all the fuss about? He is thirty four years of age, has a test average of 41 but has underachieved on a regular basis for the last three years. I reckon given the amount of dodgy vindaloos that I've consumed recently there is every chance that I've produced more runs in the last few months than the former England captain!

The reason for all the attention is the sub plot to the main event which is the ruck taking place between the coach and the skipper. Rumours and counter rumours have now turned into substantiated reports, one of which is that Kevin Pietersen appears to have little respect for Peter Moores.

What possible reason could there be for that? KP has played 45 tests with a batting average over 50. Peter Moores played.... give me a couple of minutes just flicking through my copy of Wisden....here it is.......no tests and subsequently never achieved an average. Nil, nada....he has exactly the same test match experience as you or I!

I've heard the counter arguments and accept the analogies in relation to football. Mourinho and Wenger had no playing careers of note, yet still turned out to be two of the finest coaches of their generation. My argument is that football management (and the associated coaching) is totally different to cricket.

Cricket management is a democracy. It's all about committees, consultations, debates and votes with the captain playing a key role. Football management is for the guy who has failed to overthrow the government of a third world country and needs to find a substitute for his desire to be an autocratic despot! There is nothing touchy-feely about it and the relationship between manager and captain is much the same as any other player.

Pietersen wanted Vaughan, Moores did not. Vaughan has been excluded therefore Moores has won this individual battle. Whether or not he will win the war looks very unlikely. Moores's viewpoint seems to be that the inclusion of Vaughan as a hand-holding and breast feeding senior player could not be justified. Pietersen appears to consider Vaughan a trusted brother in arms and has one eye looking beyond the tour of the Caribbean to the visit of the Aussies in the summer and believes Vaughan will play a key role in England beating their ball and chain-wearing geriatric cousins!

It looked as if KP was going to be stuck with Hobson's choice. If the tour to the West Indies was successful and the squad performed well and got results then Moores's decision would've been vindicated. If the tour was a flop, KP would have presided over yet another overseas debacle and his leadership skills would again be subjected to scrutiny. KP has decided to slam Mr Hobson over long off and force the play now wanting the matter resolved before the squad departs

We are about to find out who is considered the most valuable asset by the ECB. Will it be a player with a test average of 50 or a coach with a lot of certificates and an ability to bring on young players? It's a no brainer.

All these problems have been caused by the rule of committee. There should be one guy calling the shots as in most other sports. The general rule of thumb is that the man should posses the man-management skills of Attila the Hun and display the compassion of an IRA punishment squad. His word is law until the supporters vent their wrath and the Chairman/Owner wields the axe. A story that depicts how close Captains and Managers are in football goes something like this.

Newcastle were playing Queen of the South away in a pre season friendly when the gaffer, Jackie Charlton, read out the side. There was an embarrassed hush in the dressing room because he named a starting twelve - not eleven! Glen Roeder was the skipper and felt it was his duty to point the error out to his manager. "Oh aye," said Big Jack, "That's easily solved Glen, you're not playing!" Nothing touch-feely about that!