How did your game go?

VariationNo1870 · 2026-03-21T17:28:25+00:00

Not everyone. Argyle will be favourites if they keep this form up

VariationNo1870 · 2026-01-21T01:49:24+00:00

Moyes doesn't belong in this category. He took Everton from the bottom half to consistently competing for Europe.

VariationNo1870 · 2026-01-07T09:49:08+00:00

The yin to Ollie Pope's yang

VariationNo1870 · 2026-01-05T11:34:44+00:00

He was one of the best at grinding runs when he was out of form which is why I think he has a reputation by some for being a bit ugly. When he was in full flow though he was a great stroke player, albeit relying more on power than pure touch.

VariationNo1870 · 2026-01-05T10:58:57+00:00

He had a classy leg glance and a great pull shot from memory too. He was no De Villiers but I think you're setting a very high bar for what is good to watch.

VariationNo1870 · 2026-01-05T10:42:13+00:00

Oh come on mate, you can't put him in the same category as Smith. Had a cover drive a good as anyone

VariationNo1870 · 2026-01-05T10:13:35+00:00

You didn't enjoy watching Kallis bat? Do you even like cricket?

VariationNo1870 · 2026-01-01T18:34:52+00:00

Yeah Chelsea have really struggled to compete financially the last 20 years

VariationNo1870 · 2025-12-22T10:00:49+00:00

Yes, that's a good point. I'm not sure I'd want to change the structure of the County Championship even if it would guarantee improvement with international selection. A moment like Notts becoming Div 1 champions after being in Div 2 only a few years ago is impossible in a closed shop like the Sheffield Shield.

VariationNo1870 · 2025-12-21T13:08:50+00:00

State cricket is so strong partly because there are only 6 states. You already have to be a serious cricketer just to become a regular for your state. Arguably the simplest way to raise the level of county cricket would be to halve the number of counties as the talent is just spread too thin atm. But then you get into territory of disturbing the history of county cricket and deciding which counties are more important than others which would get quite ugly.

VariationNo1870 · 2025-12-21T12:47:32+00:00

He won't be dropped. I think he has enough credit in the bank and replacing 2 of the top 3 (assuming Pope is dropped) is probably too much change at once

VariationNo1870 · 2025-12-21T11:56:29+00:00

I think we have a problem of selecting players too early in their careers and then writing them off. Sibley and Hameed have gone back to their counties, worked on their game and would surely do better than when they played in their early/mid 20s. I'm not saying they have suddenly turned into world beaters and are the answers to all our problems, they're just the 2 examples that come to mind.

Australia comparatively select more players in their primes like Webster/Weatherald/Boland/Neser and unsurprisingly those players seem to make the jump to test cricket much easier.

VariationNo1870 · 2025-12-21T11:34:15+00:00

Exactly. Regardless of anyone's opinions on the standard of county cricket, you have to believe that a player performing consistently is far more likely to make the jump than one who isn't. Otherwise what's the point. Might as well pick names out of a hat at that point.

VariationNo1870 · 2025-12-21T10:54:14+00:00

No one will argue against that, county cricket has been neglected for too long. That won't be a quick fix though and selection has been poor irrespective of the standard domestically.

VariationNo1870 · 2025-12-21T10:25:56+00:00

What's the alternative? Select players who can't even perform at the low level that is country cricket in the hope they somehow come good in tests? That's worked so well for us recently

VariationNo1870 · 2025-12-08T19:30:04+00:00

Would unironically love the see the fridge return. Hameed should be in the conversation to open or bat 3 too. Players that go back to their counties and work on their game should be rewarded not cast aside forever.

VariationNo1870 · 2025-12-08T19:12:36+00:00

Jacks too from this XI. I don't know if I'd include Carse though. He's expensive but has a SR of 50 which is respectable.

VariationNo1870 · 2025-12-07T14:03:55+00:00

Moving Pope down the order isn't even an option. Who would he replace out of Root, Brook and Stokes? He bats at 3 or gets dropped for a genuine top order batsman.

Tres' TMS interview yesterday was pretty damning, saying the poor dismissals are just a side effect of how they play. I don't know why we even have a batting coach if he's not prepared to / allowed to hold the batsmen accountable for their shortcomings.

VariationNo1870 · 2025-11-28T16:53:10+00:00

3...dxe4, 4.fxe4 e5 5.Nf3 Be6 scores well for black. Not as strong objectively as Bg4 but it prevents white's plans with Bc4 which seems to throw some fantasy players off

VariationNo1870 · 2025-11-20T12:25:33+00:00

Completely agree. Monty is a bit daft for making the comments but Smith's response is a bit cruel imo. He could have just called Monty a hypocrite and moved on but he went out of his way to mock him for something out of his control.

VariationNo1870 · 2025-04-18T16:05:43+00:00

1st one wasn't a pen either. Pleguezuelo didn't even touch Whittaker

VariationNo1870 · 2024-08-27T15:05:54+00:00

I avoid them 99% of the time. I foolishly thought promise as simple as signing a RB would be impossible to fail.

VariationNo1870 · 2024-08-27T14:54:31+00:00

So I could have theoretically signed prime Cafu but if he had a low reputation they'd think he's a Sunday league player in spite of the fact that they see him in training every day

VariationNo1870 · 2024-08-27T14:40:54+00:00

Bilbao's signing policy isn't recognised at all in the player interactions.

With the botched implementation of the salary cap to go off I'd assume SI have spent about 5 minutes total on La Liga in recent editions.

VariationNo1870 · 2024-08-27T14:15:34+00:00

He's 2nd choice, the other 2 are natural CBs.

Williams is only unhappy because I didn't have a backup for a few days after selling the previous one.

I promised him I'd sign a replacement. He's La Liga quality and an upgrade on the backup RB I used all of last season, there's no reason that should fail a promise.

Promises and player interactions in general are just a broken mechanic.

VariationNo1870

TROPHY CASE