Porridge For Fletcher?

Typical isn't it of our moronic football obssessed newspapers, that they have gone to town on the England Cricket Team for losing the Ashes 5-0. Until England's 2005 Ashes truimph they did not give a flying fig for the game. Non Cricket fans jumping on the bandwagon and putting the boot in, really infuriates me when they have no understanding or love for the game.

We lost a series spectacularly, but this does not detract from our memorable achievement in 2005 when I was there to witness England lift the Ashes at the Oval (Thanks again, to my good friend Steve Mulholland who got us tickets) after eighteen years. I also fondly remember our triumphs against every other World Cricket team during the Hussain-Vaughan era.

People in this country, have to start remembering that sport is sport, and that it is perfectly plausible you can lose whilst playing it. Rudyard Kipling famously said "If you can meet with truimph and disaster and treat those two imposters just the same" -wonderful advice for Sir Freddy Flintoff who looked so gutted after the Urn went back. Obviously, it was great to applaud our boys during that magnificient summer of 05, but we should not go to pieces, just because we have had one bad tour in Australia. We were up against the number one team in the world, who were rejuvenated and revenge hungry. Lets face it, Stuart Clark's bowling would terrify any batting attack in the world, it is just unfortunate that we had to find that out first.

The cretins in the press calling for coach Fletcher to be imprisoned, sectioned, sacked, birched or worse, when he returns to blighty, have clearly lost the plot. This was a man who helped us get back the Ashes against the weight of history, yes, he has made some mistakes in Australia, but surely he is allowed one major slip up, before being turfed out of his job. He must be allowed to help strengthen, this demoralised England side before this summer's test cricket against the Windies and India. Fletcher still has to work to do and should not yet be sent to the cricketing crimes wing of Slade Prison.

A Team that had already lost Vaughan, our inspirational captain, and the excellent bowler Simon Jones were clearly goint to struggle. Trescothick going home early was clearly inviting trouble, and the poor form of Harmison to begin with, was disasterous. However all this negativity is wrong, England has some good players coming through, Collingwood and marvellous Monty Panesar are already huge stars. A Warne and McGrath free Australia in 2009 should already be lifting our confidence.

If there has to be a Wicker-Man style sacrificial casualty, make sure Sajid Mahmood never wears an England Shirt again, not even the Barmy Army would complain about that.

The thought of Vaughan,Hoggard, Strauss,Flintoff,Collingwood, and Monty, being joined by Harmison in 2005 mode has me excited for the summer. These guys against The Windies and India should be brilliant. England should forget about all this one day mickey mouse stuff, which we have never really been good at and focus on Test Cricket only. Yes! that includes the World Cup. World Cup's are for football and nothing else (apologies to Johnny Wilkinson of course!).

We have a wonderful chance this summer, to rebuild our confidence, and it should be as always, great nailbiting fun to watch. Kevin Pietersen, smacking sixes against India all over Lords?. I cannot wait. I can almost taste the Pimms.