England's "New" Coach

I know this is a bit late but I thought I'd add my thoughts on Andy Flower's appointment as England coach. It initially appeared to be a somewhat last-ditch appointment as everyone else interviewed/head-hunted/casually chatted to/begged to apply said no.

However Flower appears to get on well with Strauss and the results from the tour to the West Indies are not as disastrous as some people suggest. Strauss and Flower had to pull the team together after a emotionally and mentally tiring tour of India. Teams don't just suddenly become good again - it can take months or even years for a team to work successfully. Flower appears to be someone who will spend the time needed to fix the team.

In addition, he appears to be completely unimpressed with the current culture in the team - these guys are paid an awful lot of money and should be able to improve their game and work hard enough to be ready for each game they play. If it means missing out on the IPL like Stuart Broad or doing the necessary fitness work, they shouldn't need to be told what choices to make. Everyone in this England team has enough experience to know what suits them.

Here's hoping the press and the fans give Flower enough time and space to work and we'll see what happens.