Monumental lack of self-awareness -KP content

Gassage

As a few of you may now have gleaned, I am cricket barmy, and also fortunate to play at a decent standard still, despite my venerable age and less venerable achillies. I have just finished KP's book. I have played against him both in Bham League and in SA and he has an ability to upset even Mother Teresa, believe me. I recall playing v Cannock maybe 14 yes ago and our opening bowler telling him to walk off before he was carried off (he'd nicked off and refused to walk- twice) However, after reading the book, what astonishes me is his complete lack of self awareness and the dynamics of a team environment, and further, his complete revisionism of every situation. I find this remarkably sad. His lack of contrition and awareness has cost him, but also cost very single cricket fan in the world. The game needs KP- he is a genius. Selfish does not begin to describe this immense conundrum of a man, because all he wanted deep down was to be liked. Discuss.

Gassage

Oh sporting situational awareness too

capo4th

I have heard him a lot over the last week or so and despite his ability I now just think of him as a very strange man with a funny voice and a book to sell.

vasselmeyer

I might find myself more likely to believe what he was saying if he didn't start every answer with "What I say in my book..."

He's absolutely a genius batsman but as an individual he seems like a complete cnut.

Gassage

I prefer the word 'cunt'.

Strat_a_tat_tat

Never realised he was cnut... commanding the waves to stay their advance.  Shows how much I know about cricket.

Evilmags

A decent manager would have gotten more out of him. He is so much better than anyone else who's played for England in the last 10 years. The Aussies managed to cope with Warne and get the best out of him.

TTony

I guess every sports person has to be a little bit "focussed", and the higher up the sporting tree that they want to get, the more focussed they have to be.

At some point, there's a very fine dividing line between highly successful / very focussed and complete Cnut.  Such a fine line that KP appears to have completely missed it.

xSkarloey

I heard two interviews with him, the Chiles i/vw on 5live, then a bit of the i/vw with that pompous bloke who does Sportsweek on 5live on Sunday. 

Hmmm. I can't decide. I think with some of the stuff (e.g. the spoof KP Twitter a/c) he was more sinned against than sinning. 

On balance though he reminds me a bit of Roy Keane who's also flogging a dead horse  a book at the moment. His sporting ability has meant he's been indulged and allowed him to get away with murder for years. Were he in any other walk of life, someone would have chinned him or at least told him to fucking well sort his attitude out long, long ago, and he would probably have been a better person for it. 

I didn't bother with his Talksport interview as that would have been too much. I've heard though that Amnesty International are investigating rumours that tapes of KP and Durham chatting away are currently being played on a loop to inmates at Guantanamo. 

hungrymark

Evilmags;379051" said:

A decent manager would have gotten more out of him. He is so much better than anyone else who's played for England in the last 10 years. The Aussies managed to cope with Warne and get the best out of him.

Warne was naturally more of a team man though, and less fragile.

Gassage

Warne is an all time great, KP isn't.

Evilmags

KP was the best player in the teams he was in. Warne at least had some competition for that title. Moreover KP was boxoffice and exciting to watch. England teams seem to have a real problem dealing with talented mavericks. And not just in cricket either. Stuart Barnes and Cipriani in Rugby, Hoddle at football ect.

Gassage

Barnsey was unfit and soft; Cipriani isn't proven at all.

Gassage

Barnsey also had people like John Hall, Ollie Redman and Roger Spurrell to look after him at Bath.

Gassage

And lastly,more Warne,that Aussie side is like the England 2003 side- 4 all time greats of the game- 4 players that would have gotten in to virtually any world side in history Aus- Warne, Gilly, McGrath, then perm one from Haydos, Ponting or Waugh. England- Hill, Robinson, Jonny and Johnson.

scrumhalf

Barnes was a legend in his own mind, and has never forgiven Squeaky Andrew for being picked ahead of him. Sadly, this his extended to his monumentally one-eyed view of Wasps over the years.

Cipriani's problem was that he was pushed too early. I'd rate him ahead of anyone other than Farrell at the moment, but he's unlikely to get a look-in because he's not Lancaster's type of player and, more importantly, he's not Mike Ford's son.

But back to KP. In the interview with Chiles he knew chapter and verse about things that he felt were injustices against him but, curiously, didn't remember what he said in those texts.

Evilmags

Gassage;379122" said:

Barnsey was unfit and soft; Cipriani isn't proven at all.

Barnsey committed the cardinal sin of being entertaining, Rob Andrews was the epitome of dull rugby.

And Owen Farrell as a Lions no 10. Dear god, just no...

Gassage

Played v Barnsey 3 or 4 times. 10 channel was a turnstile in attack. Squeaky was a Cnut but could tackle- took a dive to get someone sent off at Beeston one afternoon!

Gassage

England are well served for tens right now but issue is all play a wildly different way. Freddie Burns is the most talented in attack but has a kick ration of 53% last season! You can't win playing the English way with a fly half that isn't over 80%

Gassage

Re reading the above, it's quite astonishing that the greatest English team sportsman of my lifetime, IMO, mentioned on this thread, is also the least famous, most modest, quietest yet produced 76 absolutely world class performances in his international career....embrace the unassuming rugby genius that is R A Hill.

RocknRollDave

Katie Price plays cricket...?