You are currently browsing the monthly archive for August 2009.
Burnley: The three of us went to see them play Arsenal in the FA cup last year. They are a decent side who play football, they have a number of young talented individuals for could make a name for themselves. However, I think they will be another West Brom: Good football but no result, ironically very similar to Arsenal.
Birmingham: I’ve read a few peoples reviews and opinions on Birmingham and they’ve all said that they’re going to struggle. For that reason alone, I think they’ll do brilliantly! Maybe for the first season at least, like all the other promoted clubs. Honestly, they will be in a battle to survive, but should escape.
Wolves: This team have a very experienced manager who has dealt with recently promoted teams into the top flight before which will be their talismen for survival. They also have players like Kevin Doyle who’s played in the Premier League before and has the ability to score goals. A tough one to call but they’ll survive, I’m just not sure how well.
The press are suggesting that David Bentley is being targeted by Aston Villa and Martin O’Neil is keen to get the right winger. I have huge respect for O’Neil and I think he probably should go to a bigger team (i.e. Man U/Arsenal) but I simply do not understand this one.
Bentley is useless, arrogate and did I mention useless? I’m not even sure where they would play him. Villa have Miller, Young, Downing and now Delph. Would he be prepared to keep his mouth shout and sit on the bench?? I don’t think so! Totally the wrong type of signing for them and would be very surprised if it works out.
oh and he is in the news again
England 1st Innings – All out
| Runs | Balls | 4s | 6s | |||
| Strauss | c North | b Siddle | 3 | 17 | 0 | 0 |
| Cook | c M Clarke | b Clark | 30 | 65 | 3 | 0 |
| Bopara | c M Hussey | b Hilfenhaus | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Bell | c Haddin | b M Johnson | 8 | 26 | 2 | 0 |
| Collingwood | c Ponting | b Clark | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Prior | not out | 37 | 43 | 5 | 0 | |
| Broad | c Katich | b Clark | 3 | 12 | 0 | 0 |
| Swann | c M Clarke | b Siddle | 0 | 15 | 0 | 0 |
| S Harmison | c Haddin | b Siddle | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Anderson | c Haddin | b Siddle | 3 | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| Onions | c Katich | b Siddle | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Extras | 3nb 1w 5b 8lb | 17 | ||||
| Total | all out | 102 | (33.5 ovs) | |||
| Bowler | O | M | R | W | ||
| Hilfenhaus | 7.0 | 0 | 20 | 1 | ||
| Siddle | 9.5 | 0 | 21 | 5 | ||
| M Johnson | 7.0 | 0 | 30 | 1 | ||
| Clark | 10.0 | 4 | 18 | 3 | ||
Australia 1st Innings – All out
| Runs | Balls | 4s | 6s | |||
| S Watson | lbw | b Onions | 51 | 67 | 9 | 0 |
| Katich | c Bopara | b S Harmison | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Ponting | lbw | b Broad | 78 | 101 | 12 | 1 |
| M Hussey | lbw | b Broad | 10 | 10 | 2 | 0 |
| M Clarke | lbw | b Onions | 93 | 138 | 13 | 0 |
| North | c Anderson | b Broad | 110 | 206 | 13 | 1 |
| Haddin | c Bell | b S Harmison | 14 | 23 | 1 | 0 |
| M Johnson | c Bopara | b Broad | 27 | 53 | 5 | 0 |
| Siddle | b Broad | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Clark | b Broad | 32 | 22 | 1 | 3 | |
| Hilfenhaus | not out | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
| Extras | 3nb 4w 9b 14lb | 30 | ||||
| Total | all out | 445 | (104.1 ovs) | |||
| Bowler | O | M | R | W | ||
| Anderson | 18.0 | 3 | 89 | 0 | ||
| S Harmison | 23.0 | 4 | 98 | 2 | ||
| Onions | 22.0 | 5 | 80 | 2 | ||
| Broad | 25.1 | 6 | 91 | 6 | ||
| Swann | 16.0 | 4 | 64 | 0 | ||
England 2nd Innings – All out
| Runs | Balls | 4s | 6s | |||
| Strauss | lbw | b Hilfenhaus | 32 | 78 | 4 | 0 |
| Cook | c Haddin | b M Johnson | 30 | 84 | 4 | 0 |
| Bopara | lbw | b Hilfenhaus | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Bell | c Ponting | b M Johnson | 3 | 12 | 0 | 0 |
| Collingwood | lbw | b M Johnson | 4 | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| Anderson | c Ponting | b Hilfenhaus | 4 | 10 | 1 | 0 |
| Prior | c Haddin | b Hilfenhaus | 22 | 29 | 3 | 0 |
| Broad | c S Watson | b Siddle | 61 | 49 | 10 | 0 |
| Swann | c Haddin | b M Johnson | 62 | 72 | 7 | 1 |
| S Harmison | not out | 19 | 28 | 4 | 0 | |
| Onions | b M Johnson | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | |
| Extras | 11nb 5w 5b 5lb | 26 | ||||
| Total | all out | 263 | (61.3 ovs) | |||
| Bowler | O | M | R | W | ||
| Hilfenhaus | 19.0 | 2 | 60 | 4 | ||
| Siddle | 12.0 | 2 | 50 | 1 | ||
| Clark | 11.0 | 1 | 74 | 0 | ||
| M Johnson | 19.3 | 3 | 69 | 5 | ||
Well how do Australia fans review fourth test, two words, Kicked Ass! That’s exactly what happened, it was a great effort for the baggy green’s to get 20 wickets leaving England trailing an innings and 80 runs.
There wasn’t much secret to this victory but just to say England players played poorly, looked awfully weak in all areas of their game, and lacked some serious backbone without Freddie and KP. You could see the wheels turning in the heads of the middle order batsman over thinking too much, it showed on the faces of players like Bell and Bopara who had to prove their worth with their test life hanging in the balance, and the Australian players were just licking their lips after the first inning demolition knowing that it would take a major thunderstorm for them to lose this one.
If we look back at the bowling its hard to really point out a star, Broad’s 6 wickets is probably the only thing to be proud of, but his figures 6-91 probably doesn’t show the real picture of his bowling but impressive none the less.
There were many stars in Australia’s bowling line up, Stuart Clark with figures of 3-18 in the first innings was just half the story for how he bowled that day, jaffer after jaffer catching the batsman in two minds nearly every ball, I don’t know if this is a credit to him or how bad England were with the bat, but it was some beautiful swing bowling. Peter Siddle mopped up the tail in that first innings with his own 5 wicket haul.
The second innings of bowling for the Aussies looked like this, Mitchell Johnson, Ben Hilfenhaus, Johnson, Hilfenhaus, Johnson, Johnson etc… This was the two bowlers show along with some brilliant catching in the slips and by Brad Haddin, just too good, I had a discussion with my mates that when Mitchell Johnson will get stuck in and find form he will be a power house, and along with his performances with the bat, he was one of the outstanding players of that match, he also may be the difference in the 5th.
As with the bat for Australia, Marcus North showed how you don’t have to show off like Matt Prior to get runs, whilst Michael Clarke and Ricky Ponting played some elegant strokes to get their runs for this match Marcus North showed a Steve Waugh or a Rahul Dravid like innings with some classy shots and some discipline play, with 3 centuries under his belt after 6 tests, this is the type of player England need for their middle order. Maybe time to see him move up the order?
Overall this game leaves an interesting and exciting final, Australia will go for the win its in their nature, and if Justin Langer’s dossier is anything to go by England will act hard on the first day and clam up like little girls for the rest of the match. My Predictions, Australia!
