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Confirmed now! If he stays fit he will improve the squad...but that's a massive if.

Peter Moores:

Paul's time with us was blighted by injury to an extent that nobody could have predicted

https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/_/id ... hire-stint

captaincolly wrote:Confirmed now! If he stays fit he will improve the squad...but that's a massive if.

I posted on Rtg asking anyone care to offer odds on him staying fit for the season.
I got the reply
Sadly about the same odds that Lillee and Marsh got in 1981.

westoelad wrote:

captaincolly wrote:Confirmed now! If he stays fit he will improve the squad...but that's a massive if.

I posted on Rtg asking anyone care to offer odds on him staying fit for the season.
I got the reply
Sadly about the same odds that Lillee and Marsh got in 1981.

Indeed!

FFS! Three years! THREE YEARS!!!!!!!! If I had him back he would be on a pay per play! "Marcus North, Durham's director of cricket said: "We are delighted that this opportunity has presented itself" I hope he is coming in at a bargain basement price! Unfortunately I think he has got 'one of those agents'. And presumably he has been picked up as possible bolstering of our team as the 100 has plundered only bowlers from us and how fit is Brydon going to stay.

"four late-season Championship games, but ended the campaign with a batting average of 23.85 and 11 wickets at 48.18." 11 @48.18 [in September!!]. Gareth can bowl better than that, come to think of it most of our bowlers [except Trev and Campbell] can bowl better than that!

In Contrast all of Ben Sanderson's wickets so far have gone at @20.08, and 60 last season for 19.65, only these sort of figures will get a team out of division 2.

Even if he 'stays fit' is he going to be a match winning asset on the field in the Championship? And cos it's 'Cogs' he will get first choice status no matter how he is bowling 'if he is fit'.... I'll hold my hand up; I've never been a fan of his bowling, his batting can be quite entertaining - but we need effective bowlers. The thought of him and Brydon being expensive while the others [assuming they have any form] pick up injuries in the 2nds....

Three years! It's almost Harmison all over again.

Your's somewhat depressed......

He's got to be coming at a bargain price, surely?
Very early in Coggers injury strewn career(37fc games in 8 seasons) I advocated he should give up bowling and concentrate solely on batting. Recent seasons have confirmed that opinion-I think he has the ability to become a successful top order batsman.

I'm happy enough to have him back to bolster the squad (on a heavily incentivised contract - surely?), but in my opinion they've brought the wrong one back. It's Borthwick at number three who we need. ~or one of the other proven batsmen who seem to be joining other teams.

westoelad wrote:He's got to be coming at a bargain price, surely?
Very early in Coggers injury strewn career(37fc games in 8 seasons) I advocated he should give up bowling and concentrate solely on batting. Recent seasons have confirmed that opinion-I think he has the ability to become a successful top order batsman.

I agree.

KingOttis wrote:I'm happy enough to have him back to bolster the squad (on a heavily incentivised contract - surely?), but in my opinion they've brought the wrong one back. It's Borthwick at number three who we need. ~or one of the other proven batsmen who seem to be joining other teams.

Yep. They have got to address the frontline batsmen. At least two players of proven ability to complement Bancroft, Lees & Eckersley.

you couldn't make it up

Durhamfootman wrote::horse

you couldn't make it up

And yet again they were trying to whip up excitement only for it to turn out to be underwhelming at best.

worse...... this was what I was greeted with on this page

captaincolly wrote:Confirmed now! If he stays fit he will improve the squad...but that's a massive if.

so I got all excited.... flicked back a page to see who it was

was it JP Duminy on a kolpak?

was it Borthdick?

Haseeb Hameed, perchance?


Coughlin!

wah

wah

wah

*modded* waaaaahh

Durhamfootman wrote:worse...... this was what I was greeted with on this page

captaincolly wrote:Confirmed now! If he stays fit he will improve the squad...but that's a massive if.

so I got all excited.... flicked back a page to see who it was

was it JP Duminy on a kolpak?

was it Borthdick?

Haseeb Hameed, perchance?


Coughlin!

wah

wah

wah

*modded* waaaaahh

Durhamfootman wrote:worse...... this was what I was greeted with on this page

captaincolly wrote:Confirmed now! If he stays fit he will improve the squad...but that's a massive if.

so I got all excited.... flicked back a page to see who it was

was it JP Duminy on a kolpak?

was it Borthdick?

Haseeb Hameed, perchance?


Coughlin!

wah

wah

wah

*modded* waaaaahh

The problem is maybe that past experience leads us to think the worst. It would be nice to think that Coughlin's return was just another piece in a well planned rebuilding of the team, and that the sorely needed proven batsman/batsmen would be arriving next. This being Durham however.....
Surely when North and Franklin were planning for next season, they can't have decided that our current batting resources are enough?

KingOttis wrote:

Durhamfootman wrote:worse...... this was what I was greeted with on this page

captaincolly wrote:Confirmed now! If he stays fit he will improve the squad...but that's a massive if.

so I got all excited.... flicked back a page to see who it was

was it JP Duminy on a kolpak?

was it Borthdick?

Haseeb Hameed, perchance?


Coughlin!

wah

wah

wah

*modded* waaaaahh

The problem is maybe that past experience leads us to think the worst. It would be nice to think that Coughlin's return was just another piece in a well planned rebuilding of the team, and that the sorely needed proven batsman/batsmen would be arriving next. This being Durham however.....
Surely when North and Franklin were planning for next season, they can't have decided that our current batting resources are enough?

You would hope so, they surely must be aware that the batting is the major problem but, as you say, this is Durham!
That said, Coughlin is probably a better batsman than a lot of the supposedly specialist ones in the squad and that's why I think westoelad might be right to think he maybe should focus on batting.

It'll be difficult to attract batsmen to Durham because of the bowler-friendly pitches. Only those who've already proved they can cope with them would be realistic candidates with Borthwick the the most likely and popular candidate.