Zimbabwe cut coaching staff for West Indies tour

[hhm]

Once again, why hasn't any one of you questioned AC, DH & KC's role in this?

...

You're obviously exempted. I'm referring to the serial selective critics who are trying to hide their own hypocrisy by constantly pointing fingers at me in unison.

[Jemisi]

And if they can't help the players - then let's get rid of the post of assistant coach.

Yes, what exactly is the role of this "assistant coach" anyway? How is he more valuable than a batting and bowling coach?

While we're at it let's abolish the posts of deputy president/prime minister!

Well, not the PM, but there are two vice presidents - surely one of them can be dispensed with.

As for my comment, I wasn't in this particular instance having a shot at Mangongo - My point would stand about Head, Batting and Bowling if he gets the coaching job. I think four is overkill. And the money can go into the clubs and franchises or wherever.

[hhm]

Well, not the PM, but there are two vice presidents - surely one of them can be dispensed with.

I meant as far as the global status quo demanded, not just Zimbabwe. Anyway, once again you reveal your insensitivity as to why the original arrangement for two vice presidents was put in place.

As for my comment, I wasn't in this particular instance having a shot at Mangongo - My point would stand about Head, Batting and Bowling if he gets the coaching job. I think four is overkill. And the money can go into the clubs and franchises or wherever.

A Head Coach and Vice Coach are full-time contracted employees. One assumes the role when the other is not available. The same generally applies to every other political, government, sports, education, business or social organisation. It's not negotiable! In terms of the cricket team, those two are the most important members of the technical/coaching team.

Fielding, Fast Bowling, Batting, Spin, Keeping & Stamina coaches are usually specialist consultants, or part-time employees on open contracts. They can be chopped and changed at will, and are often able to terminate their contracts themselves. The same applies to the medical industry. By and large, specialists are not full-time employees of hospitals, they bill the hospitals for their services. They are free to service rival teams. That's why Heath could go and coach Auckland alongside Paul Strang & Ewing during the CLT20 in SA, abandoning the Tuskers, while Meth was bowling rubbish at the start of the season. Butcher and Mangongo cannot do that.

In any case until about 10 years ago(not sure when), if I'm not mistaken, the advent of the specialist coach was when CA brought in that baseball fielding coach to help the Aussies. Bit by bit other sides started using these coaches.

I haven't seen any side benefit from these coaches, except for England. They were a worse Test side than even Zimbabwe's full-time farmers & lawyers at one point. They needed a few extra people to teach them how to bat and bowl regularly, and now it's not important because they rely on ready-made imports. As far as the rest of the sides are concerned, not necessary! A waste of money. ZC are right to say Heath & Grant should help the side before they leave, and remain behind to improve those who were not selected.

As far as I'm concerned Zimbabwean players are more talented than the English players. The only thing lacking is mentality and crease occupation which make it easy to transfer success to the Test format. These are qualities instilled from colts to senior club level. At FC level they are refined not taught.

For example, Malcolm Waller only made his FC debut in 2008, when we had virtually no decent cricket to talk about, and we all saw how his ODI performances were - pitiful. A stronger domestic structure is what improved him, not specialist coaches.

Our current generation of national players lack that basic education. Even those who had it(Matsi, Vermeulen, Ebrahim, Vusi & Hami - you're welcome to include Taibu&Taylor - I won't) didn't have the right momentum going forward, to better build on it, but you can see that they are vastly more compact than the rest. Nonetheless, they are beyond the refinement which is provided by more than Head & Assistant coach. We can only help future generations, who will reap greater value from specialist coaches and be turned into world beaters like the England transformation. The only difference is we'll be doing it with indigenous stars.

What Heath and Grant should be doing is holding clinics and touring the country during our dry international spell, or in periods when our short domestic season is inactive. Then they're earning their money's worth. Not giving Njabulo Ncube the new ball ahead of Mpofu against NZ at Queens; or sending Mutizwa on his Test debut, to bat at 3, ahead of Taylor, Waller & Taibu(who all had recent success against NZ), and we collapse for 50 odd as a result!

[Googly]

As things stand, the b*stard owes Zim and he knows it!
[quote]Gillespie, 36, will serve the second year of his contract with MidWest Rhinos, "indebted" to the franchise that gave him the chance to become a head coach and launch a serious crack at the coaching caper.

You really have some major issues! Gillespie is a helluva nice guy and loved this place. He had a job and did it well by all accounts and would hazard a guess that he got messed around a lot with all the behind-the-scenes political machinations, hence saw no future here. He's trying to further his career in order to support himself and his family in a workable environment. If a few of the 8 grand a month administrators got fired there would be money to pay the coaches and players the money they deserve and there would be some stability and harmony.

[maehara]

You really have some major issues! Gillespie is a helluva nice guy and loved this place. He had a job and did it well by all accounts and would hazard a guess that he got messed around a lot with all the behind-the-scenes political machinations, hence saw no future here.

I also believe he's turned down other opportunities because he was still under contract and, unlike most people in sport who are quite happy to take the biggest paycheck, didn't want to break the commitment he'd given.

[Train Driver]

Well hhm, you really are talking absolute rubbish

"As far as I'm concerned Zimbabwean players are more talented than the English players"

There's nothing wrong with supporting your own, but be serious man. How do you explain the weight of runs and wickets taken by mainly 2nd rate English players who have played Zim domestic cricket since the start of franchising ? They turn up in Zim and slaughter most of the local players with no experience of Zim conditions

I can't remember which of your cloud 9 posts it was, but your assertion that Greg Lamb is some sort of top player are, again, in your own private dreamworld, i've seen the man bat, bowl and field in County cricket and i can fully understand why he struggled to get a place in the Hampshire side and was subsequently released

I'd back any English county squad to tour Zim and go home with an unbeaten record

[CrimsonAvenger]

Let me tey again: What exactly is the role of an assistant coach and why is he so indispensable, when compared to the bowling and batting coaches?

I haven't seen any side benefit from these coaches, except for England. They were a worse Test side than even Zimbabwe's full-time farmers & lawyers at one point. They needed a few extra people to teach them how to bat and bowl regularly, and now it's not important because they rely on ready-made imports.

Ah! and that is probably because Andy is at the helm, and you want to undermine his contributions to their rise?

[Jemisi]

Hhm, you are mad at me for wanting to get rid of one of the unelected VPs, but you're happy to get rid of the bloke who won an election even in the face of massive wickedness from ZANU? I'm not insensitive to the suffering and injustice that led to the 'fix' of two VPs, nor am I insensitive to the profligate waste of maintaining both of them. Just how much propaganda have you swallowed in your time?

Coaching staffs have become bloated everywhere. Aussies did start that trend and it has been a waste of money for most teams. Problem with waste is different for ZC and CA, though. CA can afford the waste more easily. Get rid of the assistant and spread the cash around the players. The period of dominance had much more to do with Warne, McGrath, Waugh, Ponting, Gilchrist and Hayden than any coaching. The joke with McDermott recently was that he was a wonderful bowling coach for the team and got great results. And the attack did show some improvement, but his message was - pitch it up and make it swing. Not exactly a secret.