As I said last night, I think that the forthcoming match against Derbyshire is of great importance to our season. If we can pick ourselves up and put on a good show then the ship will right itself again. We shall see.

Some very good points on here, yes it is not clever that we had to drive from Worcester to Hove the day after a T20 game but that is not an excuse, Consistency is the problem here we gave Lancs a great effort the day before just falling short and then perform like we did last night.

Still as other posters have said tomorrows game at Derby is huge and we must turn this around, I believe we can

Every match we play is important but the trouble is you can never rely on
any of them to turn up on the night.We have to excuse them because most are young but I doubt too many will ever be good enough.But what`s the point of investing money in marquee players when all in the know realise we shall be tdesignated `Category 2 `within five years.
In the meantime.I hope Bumpy can avoids another `all-time`low P40 record to go with last year`s Championship blame else he`s set for a very tergid `lifetime`in the job.A little bit of tactical awareness wouldn`t from the now experience skipper wouldn`t go amiss either.

I thought the performance showed up our naivety and inexperience big style. Fielding was poor throughout which was a big negative in my eyes especially with such a young side. No excuses for that and compared to the Sussex fielding display ours was of the equivalent of an average club side.

However wasn't the majority of this forum saying to chuck the younger lads into the side after losing 5 from 5 in this competition? We did that and played three guys who made their List A debuts (Manuel, Choudhry and Cox) and yet they still get slaughtered for the performance. I thought Bumpy and Vik did the right thing yesterday by playing these lads and hopefully if lads like Manuel, Shantry and Choudhry can learn from their spirited efforts then I don't think it was that bad a disaster. I thought yesterday the lack of OS player and experienced bowler really made our performance worse than it looked.

Meanwhile Shakib was sat watching the rain fall in Glasgow - probably similar weather to Dhaka at this time of year. Todays (currently delayed by yesterdays rain) fixture vs Ireland should be his last commitment.

Looking at the 28 day notice flying about I think its time we started a new thread...

I did not get to see any of the game last night as I was having a grim evening at work putting the problems of losing a couple of cricket matches into perspective but I do have a couple of general points that I might as well raise here as anywhere else.

The boys got a kicking last night. It has happened before this season and it may happen again. It will certainly happen at some point. They came up against a good one day side at the peak of their game and it showed.

Last season Worcester got beaten by Ireland and their response was shocking., This season they have beaten badly a couple of times and their attitude is to pick themselves up and try something new. That is why after losing 5 on the bounce in the T20, the team came back to be competetive when they lost (mostly) and to win some close games. To my mind THAT is what this season is about.

We were told at the beginning of the season that it was a season of rebuilding and you will not see a linear progression, you will see improvements in certain things as they go along. People are calling for Bumpy's heads again and quite frankly it amazes me. I accept that everyone is entuitled to express an opinion but changing the coach now would be utter folly and would set the team back months and months.

As for whoever said he could not stand to follow the team of youngsters (i forget who and the exact quote) then my suggestion is that people who are not happy with the slow progress, which is the only way it is going to happen here, that they start to support Manchester United or Chelsea because they are going to be able to bring in big name players.

All season the knives are out agian as soon as the team stumbles, that is not support.

All in all the years performance that I have seen shows promise that needs to be encouraged rather than throwing brickbats at the team each time they loose by what is more than an arbitrary acceptable margin. Vik can say that inexperience is not an excuse and to some degree he is right, but it is a reason and the reason that the bowlers do not have the guile that other bowlers have and it is a reason that a clatter of wickets causes a bigger clatter.

Keep trying boys is all I can say and enjoy the victories when they come and learn from the defeats. If they keep doing that then for the next 12 months, that will do me.

I don't recall one person calling for Bumpy's head.

If the captain says that the youth/experience aspect is not an excuse for this type of performance then I think he's better placed than many to make this damning statement.

We all agree that most of these guys will come good in time, and we all agree that there will be bad days amongst the good. J Tash also highlighted the fact that there were three debutants last night.

But let's be honest. Half of this team are playing like Birmingham League players and if we keep performing like this in one-dayers we've written our own ticket to losing 1st Class status (if the powers that be decide to reduce the number of teams).

I'll always be quick to praise the guys when it's due but there's nothing wrong with a little bit of kick-ass when required !

JT and X-ray make good points. Vikram was right too. He said that inexperience wasn't an excuse that should be used and that the players needed to understand what their responsibility as a player was.
Excuse is defined as 'a reason to lessen blame' by the dictionary, and what I think Vik was saying was that each player needed to look at how they had each contributed to the outcome and take the blame for their individual mistakes.
It is mitigation for performance that they are young and inexperienced. Mitigation means an appreciation of the reason for an incident and a lessening of the severity of any consequence.
This of course only applies for so long, but the question is - at what point does someone move from inexperienced and learning the game to being experienced and therefore appropriate to reproach for errors?
Would we vilify Vikram for leaving a ball that pitched 8 inches outside his off stump and cut back to hit it? Nope it was just a good delivery and an error of judgement.
Last year, and for a large proportion of this year people have been screaming for the youngsters to be given a go - the argument has been they can't do any worse? - well yes they can, but they will have learnt from it. The improvement in Moeen and Alexei this year is because they were given the time to learn last year. Next year will be better for the likes of those mentioned by Xray and JT and Moeen and Alexei will be even better again. Look at how Mitch has started to expand his game in the T20's - its not the finished article, but it is developing.
As for kick ass - well I doubt that the after match talk was a polite discourse on the areas for development - you only had to see Vikrams face on TV as the night progressed to know that he probably borrowed Mr Fergussons hair dryer.
Keep the faith - stick with it - this year we have at least won some games for goodness sake !!

We need a catalyst, and I have written elsewhere that we do need an affordable 'name' who will become available on the 28 day list to add to ourselves next season.

rupert writes that we shall be 'Category 2' in a few years. I have never heard that phrase applied to cricket before, and it asks the perennial question of what does he know and/or what do his friends on the Board know that we don't- as well as who his friends on the Board are. Let me put it like this- we are not any ordinary Ground, and it may well be our Ground that saves our competitive status- the same may well happen with Kent.

Frustration is the legal term for when two parties are prevented by a third party from carrying out a contract that both wish to be performed. I have a contract for this Club to provide me with First-Class cricket not for just this season, but for the rest of my natural life. There must be thousands of Life Members across county cricket- should the number of Counties be reduced, the ECB can expect a very large 'class action' law suit.

I think any side would struggle would a young, raw attack, no OS player and their star bat (Vik) not fully fit. When we get our best XI on the field I think we are a half decent side. However the squad for me only really has 12/13 players of first class ability. However like I have mentioned before that isn't a problem as we look to rebuild for the future with great prospects like, Kervezee, Jones, Cox and Manuel. We just that bit of experience to act as the glue for these younger guys to play around.

Disappointed, and a little embarrassed, as it was on Sky. It's not the end of the world, is it? Yet.....

What do you mean, Rupert? If you know something, we are all ears, sorry eyes.

So this is to be a `non critical`board is it? Surely the point of discussion is to hear and voice views not follow slavishly those who espouce a particular line. If GOFs like me lack patience at always having `to wait for next year` it`s because we`ve done a lot of waiting.I do wonder how many of the regulars will still be posting with hope in their 78th year-hopefully they will ( still?) have something meaningful to say-will make a b****y change to Rupert,I hear you cry!
I must have closed more threads than a Yorkshire mill-worker.And that`s an end to it!

Rupert, I'm certainly not having a go at you, but if you DO know something earthshattering about the future of this club, we would all love to know. I know it may have been told to you in confidence, but still, if it's that important....

Or are you simply watching the sands of time more closely than you used to? Which is perfectly reasonable and understandable.

As I`ve told you before,Tim, there is a view at New Road that keeping a confidence is about telling ONLY ONE PERSON at a time! Now if it was just you and me.......

I'll await a PM with baited breath then, shall I?

Or you could tell all the members of the "Gareth Batty for the Ashes" club.