SO England have said goodbye to team director Andy Flower following the Ashes catastrophe.
And to read some of the comments online and in the press today you'd think he'd presided over six years of struggle.
Three Ashes wins, a first series win in India for 27 years and a spell as the number one cricket team in the world are just some of the landmarks reached under Flower's tenure.
Oh and they also won the ICC World T20 in the West Indies during that spell as well.
Truth be told Flower has given English cricket some of it's best days, maybe he went on for one series too many.
But I sincerely hope the entire blame for this winter's debacle isn't laid at his door alone. After all,
Flower didn't bowl a ball, take guard or field in the hot Australian sun.
Did Flower hook a ball down fine leg's throat nine balls into a two day effort to save the Adelaide test?
Did Flower flick the ball in the air to one of two mid wickets in Adelaide?
Did Flower retire halfway through a test series?
Did Flower lose form badly behind the stumps as well as with the bat?
No, Cook, Pietersen, Swann and Prior are guilty of those crimes.
Cook has been out captained, no leadership on the field nor with the bat.
Nine balls into a two day effort to save Adelaide he hooked down fine leg's throat. Not a shot of a captain?
England had a problem with the short ball from Johnson, but instead of putting it away and deny Johnson an easy wicket option they kept feeding it.
Pietersen yes was often left high and dry and had to hit out or get out but his judgement in some
situations such as Adelaide left a lot to be desired.
Prior hasn't been right for a while, yet England seemed to leave him be. One place you don't travel to get back into form is Australia...
Swann retiring is fine, admitted he wasn't good enough and walked so the rebuilding could begin immediately.
However, he had thoughts of doing the same at the end of the home series, did Flower know this?
I grudgingly accept Flower should go but for me Cook should also step down as captain and Gooch also must be axed as batting coach.
Only then will a new era truly begin
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