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England Lose to Germany – Again!

New England Football Manager Gareth Southgate articulated his plans for transforming the future of the national team in advance of their friendly last night in Dortmund, versus Germany. It seemed to help. England played well, but the final result was the same – Germany won, only this time in open play, not on penalties! The […]

The Durability, Grace, and Resilience of Roger Federer

Yesterday, in Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena, (where else?) the world’s greatest Tennis player won his 18th grand Slam Tennis Major, and with the victory, Roger Federer extended his world-record number of wins to match the same record number achieved in golf by by Jack Nicklaus. The 35 year-old sporting legend from Switzerland charmed everyone at […]

A Deeper Reflection on England’s Tour to India

Assessment Overview: Re India/Bangladesh tours – Did we learn anything we didn’t already know? We were competitive (at times), but fell short on quality in the key areas of batting and spin bowling. Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar were masters of their respective art – such craftsmen don’t get replaced easily, unless the breeding ground […]

Finding A Way Forward For English Cricket

Whenever a team is on the receiving end of a humiliating series defeat, determining the best way forward as quickly as possible is essential. England’s woeful performance on the sub-continent against Bangladesh and India risks undermining every individual player’s confidence. But, there is enough alternative evidence to support the thinking that so much is healthy […]

Managing Expectation

Was the expectation of England winning in India based more in hope than in pragmatic reality? Only those inside the team will know what their ‘private talk’ was about, while the rest of us are left to consume ‘the public talk’ which is often put out to project a positive mentality in a team or […]

Managing People in Top Sport

The quality of relationships define teams. The best relationships thrive on mutual respect and trust, and top sport is no different. There is a difference between liking each other and relying on each other. In top sport, it is more about relying on each other. The skill of the ‘Master coaches’ is in getting the […]

Is Selection More Important than Coaching at International Level?

Every sporting team sets out to develop a successful team and hopes to sustain its success over time. However, very few achieve this. The reason is normally because the quality of the organic growth process is inferior to your opponents who have been able to nurture emerging talent more successfully and, in the process, establish […]

A Quality Response Is Needed by England’s Cricketers

A quality response to the disappointingly poor performance by England in India would be a renewed commitment to cricketing excellence, not a new National Governing Body focus on participation, however important this new initiative is. Fundamentally, it is individual excellence on the field that will turn the tide of losing Test matches and (not) winning […]

Is English Football Beyond Repair?

As I watched England legend Gary Lineker discuss the debacle of England’s defeat on Monday night from the European Football Championships, after their defeat by Iceland, I recognised this was arguably the lowest point in our sporting history. It must be ranked alongside their shocking 1-0 defeat by USA at the World Cup in 1950. […]

Culture Change

I particularly enjoy conversations about culture, and the challenges of creating meaningful change in teams and organisations. One of my most treasured conversations was in 2004, with West Indian cricket legend and one of my sporting heroes, Sir Vivian Richards, about the inspirational former West Indies captain, the late Sir Frank Worrell. Viv explained how […]