Fathers4Justice

[E10 Rifle]

Are we still talking about Graham Thorpe? I was strongly critical of the decision to drop him in 2005, at the time

[ursus arctos]

Looking at O'Connor's bio, my honest answer to Tubby's query is no.

In 2005 he was GQ Magazine’s 7th Top Communicator in the UK, GQ Magazine’s 92nd Most Powerful Man in Britain, Esquire Magazine’s 35th Most Powerful Man In Britain Under 50 and one of twenty people shortlisted for the Royal Society’s Great Briton of the Year Awards.

In 2007 he published his first book Fathers4Justice: The Inside Story through the Orion Publishing Group and sold the motion picture rights to his life story to Buena Vista pictures, part of the Walt Disney group.

In 2009 he launched his extreme ice cream brand ‘The Icecreamists’ in Selfridges’ flagship London store.

In 2011 his Baby Gaga breast milk ice cream won Event Magazine’s award for PR Event of the Year Event Magazine’s PR Event of the Year Award.

His second book The Icecreamists was published in the summer of 2012 by Octopus Publishing. In 2013 it was published in the United States and in 2014 it was published as a Paperback and E-Book.

He was also the Creative Director for the award-winning Italian Gelato brand Antonio Federici Gelato Italiano which he created and launched in 2009. In 2012 and 2013 Antonio Federici was voted one of Britain's Coolest Brands by the Cool Brands Council.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Are we still talking about Graham Thorpe? I was strongly critical of the decision to drop him in 2005, at the time

Yeah, it was a funny one, wasn't it? He was going to be coaching South Australia the next winter, and that seemed to go to down incredibly badly. In effect that was like saying he'd retire from internationals at the end of the Summer. Shouldn't have been a problem with that. There may have been some previous.

[Etienne]

I think they were looking for a FRESH NEW team, full of players not burdened with previous failure against Australia. Pietersen was a difficult player to keep out. Of course, in retrospect Thorpe would surely have scored more runs than Bell.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Thorpe had been really good v NZ the previous summer. Not disastrous v SA over the winter either (287 at just under 36).

Odd to play him v Bangladesh and then drop him.

[E10 Rifle]

People forget about the role Bangladesh played in that unforgettable cricketing summer. They shouldn't.

[E10 Rifle]

Anyway, tremendous old-school cricket thread-hijack this. Almost takes me back to the golden age of cricket thread-hijacking, which was also around 2005.

[Tubby Isaacs]

This is more fun than Fathers4Justice. Don't stop.

[Tubby Isaacs]

People forget about the role Bangladesh played in that unforgettable cricketing summer. They shouldn't.

I've not forgotten the shot that Habibul Bashar played at Lords.

Mushfiqur played, aged 16. Atherton clocked him as a decent prospect.

[E10 Rifle]

And as if on cue, a tremendously grumpy piece by the magnificent Matthew Engel lands. Which might be worth having an actual discussion on somewhere.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Yeah, very grumpy.

As this stands, India are apparently the best Test team in the world although they have not won an away series against England since 2007 and not at all in Australia. And they haven’t played Pakistan in a Test for a decade. Yet, we are told, they are the reigning champions.

Yeah, it's almost like teams are better at home than away.

[E10 Rifle]

Pakistan aren't

[Etienne]

I like Engel, and I agree with some of his points, but there's a load of reactionary bollocks in there.

[E10 Rifle]

I disagree with his loathing of T20, I'll grant you.

[delicatemoth]

Yeah, it was a funny one, wasn't it? He was going to be coaching South Australia the next winter, and that seemed to go to down incredibly badly. In effect that was like saying he'd retire from internationals at the end of the Summer. Shouldn't have been a problem with that. There may have been some previous.

I really really liked Thorpe, and was baffled by his dropping in 2005, so thanks for providing this context.

I miss watching, listening to and giving a shit about cricket, but the remo8.rseless advance of 20/20 and the withering of WIndies and Pakistan have really killed it for me.

[E10 Rifle]

And yet West Indies are the reigning T20 world champions and Pakistan won a trophy this summer

[Etienne]

I think withering of Pakistan is a bit of an overstatement, they were ranked the best test nation a few months ago.

[Tubby Isaacs]

They were good days for cricket.

More possible context is that Thorpe had walked out of the team in 2002, when his marriage split up. IIRC Hussain had to work hard to get Thorpe back in the team. He played really well, but I suppose there'd have still been a cloud, and he just missed out in the 2005 Ashes. Hussain was by then retired.




.

[E10 Rifle]

1995-2005 was the absolute all-time golden age of Test cricket. Every Test nation had at least one all-time great in their side during that period. Except perhaps England, who none the less improved considerably over that period

[delicatemoth]

I think withering of Pakistan is a bit of an overstatement, they were ranked the best test nation a few months ago.

That's good to hear. Still such a shame they can't play Tests there though, it was always my favourite place to listen to TMS from.

[longeared]

Thorpe was on 98 Tests at the start of that summer. He said in his autobiography that the 100th against Bangladesh at Chester le Street felt like it was going to be his last given that the debate was which two of him, Bell and Pietersen would be picked in the middle order. Also he hadn't done that well in South Africa, made a ton at Newlands but also managed five single figure innings (and another of 12).

[Bored Of Education]

Bloody hell, I turn my back for a couple of hours and you willow-worshippers have hi-jacked the thread. Piss off back to sports.

[San Bernardhinault]

Cricket's far more interesting and infinitely less offensive than mens rights wankers. I suspect the MRA arses think that their time has come, what with Brexit and Trump triumphing with the idea that the dominant people in society who control everything are terribly persecuted and need to be given more succour and power.

[Etienne]

Rather like the Engel article, I think there probably are glimmers of a point for fatherhood campaigners amongst the reactionary bollocks, some areas where fathers in acrimonious splits do get the raw end of the deal, and it must be a traumatic situation. But the F4J organisation seem a bunch of wankers.

[Bored Of Education]

I am sure there are but, as I have said to someone else, all sensible debate is overpowered by the mendacious campaigns.