Interview with Dereck B

[mawallace]

I am surprised there has been no comment on the board with the interview with Dereck B which is online

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iz1gfPlccmU&feature=em-uploademail

Main points that I got

This season has been average performance in his opinion
Strategy is to go to Division 1 - funded by T20 success
Talks to have some cricket at the Olympic Park in 2017
Coach in place by 1 Jan

 

[jimmy]

He's a bad young brother. Note he's peddling the reductionist line of a cut back championship, because of unreliable weather apparently Rain effected matches aren't replayed so how does the climate create fixture congestion, furthermore, if the climate is so unreliable it pays to have enough matches to counteract this otherwise titles could be won on winning a handful of games. How the advocates of a reduction can get away with this nonsense about too many games and fatigue is beyond me, it runs against the historical facts of how much cricket used to be played. Today's players must be very fragile creatures indeed.
 

[squarelegumpire]

Disappointed to hear that he was backing the reduction in games. I’m well over 70, and AFAIR the weather is roughly the same as it’s always been, so to blame that is utter rubbiash. One of theae days I must ask someone with a 50’s Yearbook to actually count up the days played and compare them with now!

I think it’s sensible to take the appointment of a new coach slowly. Three months to advertise, interview and appoint seems about right.

I’m glad to see that Colchesdter is safe for the forseeable, although I note that as no-one asked about Southend it wasn’t mentioned, and I’m interested to see that Olympic Park is back in the frame. There’s more ins and outs with that than in the Boat Race!

There’s cllearly something wrong with the finances of the “new development” and, as someone once said, “I think we should be told!”

A couple of new players .... well, I think everyone agrees that Masters and Napier, fantastic though they’ve been for us, and still can be, are reaching the end of their playing days, and before long we’re going to need another keeper as well.

[bwildered]

Colchester is only safe, depending on the schedule. The week requires five days of cricket, one Championship match and a one day fixture to make it possible for logistical reasons. Will this be the same for the Olympic stadium or depending on the schedule for stadium or club is T20 only possible .

[Perov]

Money must be tight, members who renew next season have to keep their 2015 membership card and use it again next season.
That's a first even for Essex.

[Slogger]

Having listened to this now I really do object to the statement that there's too much cricket. It's just scheduled for the convenience of Sky TV rather than spectators and players leading to periods where there's too much, like 50 over games played back to back (Southampton/Colchester this year) to dead periods a couple of weeks later when in the middle of August there was no cricket being played. I do agree there is probably too much international cricket - especially ODIs. But I guess they are real money spinners.

From what Mr Bowden says its pretty obvious to me there will be 14 four day games in 2017 and possibly fewer after 2020 - he mentions a group that's looking at cricket in the next decade upon which he sits. I reckon that makes Colchester marginal as a venue after next year.  I noted he didn't answer the question about festival cricket in Southend so I imagine that simply won't happen. Presumably there will be some white ball cricket at Stratford - if only an experiment to see if it would work.

I don't really understand why Essex are in the reductionist camp. As posters have noted our championship crowds are surprisingly good and that's without any particular attempt to promote or market the games.

[afinetickletoleg]

Money must be tight, members who renew next season have to keep their 2015 membership card and use it again next season.
That's a first even for Essex.

It makes sense given that entry is obtained via the bar code.

I have had the same season ticket card at West Ham since they introduced the electronic entry system.

[Mog]

Well, that was a waste of eight minutes.
He has said and illustrated absolutely nothing, all soundbites, without going into any level of even basic detail. You could have got the exact same answers from D. East, when he was at the Club. Nothing has changed. The Club wonder why they get such a bad press and are not trusted?

[brazilianglen]

Very disappointing to hear that Essex are part of the (currently minority) camp backing the championship reduction

[Perov]

Very disappointing to hear that Essex are part of the (currently minority) camp backing the championship reduction

Would then give them the reason to get rid of the Colchester festival.
It's all about saving money  whilst increasing revenue from T20.
If they play at Stratford in 2017 how will they put a cricket wicket in the middle of a football pitch?
Artificial surface?
Not over impressed by the CE.....and he didn't, wear a tie!

[brazilianglen]

I have never seen DB wear a tie - I think that these days it is 'cool' to be seen not wearing one.
I suggest a drop in pitch would be likely at Stratford. Lords experimented with a couple on the corner of the Nursery Ground a few years ago. DiscuSomebody at t today was concerned about the short boundaries at the Olympic Stadium but would that be a problem for T20?

[pablo]

As I have said elsewhere he is an employee of a members' club and he and the Chairman should be representing the views of the membership which I am sure would be overwhelmingly opposed to a reduction in county championship games, which, if reduced to 14, would of course completely undermine the integrity of the competition and virtually kill off festival cricket around the country.If Colchester is lost there would be a further significant hemorrhaging of members - but I suppose that doesn't matter to them

If they are , in fact, running their own fiefdom and willy nilly expressing views which are self serving - Hilliard is on a number of ECB committees- to impress the powers that be, then at least be honest and say so and those of us who love the history, traditions and sophistication of real cricket can give up the ghost and do something else.

These two are typical of those who believe they can see the short term profit in everything- I say believe because there judgement over every other issue seems disastrous- and the value of nothing.

[IlfordEagle]

I believe I read once that quite a few of our Members travel in from Norfolk/Suffolk to Castle Park & wouldn't be happy if Colchester got the chop, I seem to recall Members in the Southend weren't exactly thrilled when Essex dropped Southend.
If you have a 14 game LVCC you could have the scenario where 1 side gets promotion because they only played the strongest side once whereas the 3rd placed team played the 2 promoted sides twice, you wouldn't have a shortened League in the Premiership or FL &doubtless someone will end up with only 1 local derby instead of 2 - it could happen to us with Kent  for example).

[JasonP]

I believe I read once that quite a few of our Members travel in from Norfolk/Suffolk to Castle Park & wouldn't be happy if Colchester got the chop, I seem to recall Members in the Southend weren't exactly thrilled when Essex dropped Southend.
If you have a 14 game LVCC you could have the scenario where 1 side gets promotion because they only played the strongest side once whereas the 3rd placed team played the 2 promoted sides twice, you wouldn't have a shortened League in the Premiership or FL &doubtless someone will end up with only 1 local derby instead of 2 - it could happen to us with Kent  for example).

That already happens in the T20.  We play Sussex and Somerset once and the others twice.  I'm not the local derby things means anything.  If you are in different divisions like Yorkshire/Lancashire or Surrey/Middlesex this season you have none.

[Facteur]

Money must be tight, members who renew next season have to keep their 2015 membership card and use it again next season.
That's a first even for Essex.

This is another example of something trivial in itself but revealing a total lack of any feeling for what makes a members' club. First the club fails to inform people that they have to retain their passes for next season until half way through the last match-this should have been done at the start of the season and then reminders broadcast at least at the penultimate home match as well as this one; then when people are at last told about it, the message is accompanied by a snotty, legalistically worded reminder that you can be charged a tenner for a replacement pass. Why not just put up a big notice saying "Members-why don't you all just p*ss off because we really can't be bothered"?