PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad : CMC-Frustrated West Indies head coach Phil Simmons says he has not been successful in getting a number of new measures implemented to help improve the performance of the regional squad.

Simmons made his revelation during a news conference following the West Indies 2-0 defeat in the four-Test series against India. The former Windies allrounder, head coach for a little over a year, says he has requested that a meeting of regional coaches be held about three times a year to review training modules, improvement in practice facilities and at least three competitive matches for the West Indies A team each year.

“There are a lot of things that I have asked for but it’s not coming to fruition. I have asked for coaches to meet twice maybe three times a year and discuss cricket,” Simmons disclosed.

“We need to make sure that whatever we are doing upstairs is going down to everybody.

You and I might be two coaches and we coach differently but the same objective we need to have. If we don’t have the same objective then we are spinning top in mud”.

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In reply to CaribbeanCricket.com

So if these coaches had only talked India rass wouda been grass.

Simmo, you bosses don't like when you show them up.

In reply to Tagwa1... think long term.

In reply to natty_forever

You mean like a big organized coaches Rain dance.. We coulda drawn the entire series

Seriously though I dont even know if a meeting of Coaches has anything to do with the WI head coach. He is not the chief of WI Coaching development. That seems more the realm of development.

His job is to coach the final team assembled. Coaches meeting for better players coming through the system shouldn't be in his scope and at all. The logistics alone is so big that would limit his tenure. I could see why he would want say a coach to work on particular player ect. but players are picked not for technique but for performance. what he needs is more sub coaches on staff and lines to coaches of players in their islands.

A meeting or meeting of all coaches is too big and wide for the WI head coach.

Focus... Simmo Focus.

In reply to Tagwa1... well Simmo thinking like the TD. No problem here. How about his recommendations, any comment?

In reply to natty_forever

No I think he is out of focus. What he is talking about is solving a wider problem that needs a decade to be changed. Bring coaches in line is not his job. His job is to make 16 players who come to him do their best on the international stage within months. Simmons job is more immediate.

Changing the coaching system and having it more coordinated is a big big task. Its needed, He can recommend it and it should be done but that's a WICB job...

To be fair thats the kind of thing that POINT has been taking about for a long time.

In reply to Tagwa1

Dry grass

In reply to Tagwa1

Dem fellas does tek de job knowing exactly what dem getting into...dem dem cry and cry looking for sympathy.

If you can't handle the job just get de fuck out.

From all reports...Pakistan, Lanka, Bangladesh and even RSA have real admin and structural problems too...yet their teams are progressing...they are identifying new talents who are coming through to test cricket

Simmons is NOT a test coach. He spent over 10 years with Ireland only focusing on ODIs...let him sty in limited overs cricket only

It's time we get different coaches for different formats

In reply to Tagwa1

So..you mean its not within his scope to address all the issues that affect his performance?

Its not like this is an office work, where the inflow is the entire school leaving population.

The human input available to the WI coach..is limited to 90 people..90 people under contract.

If those 90 people are not up to par, it would be remiss of the coach, to sit on his forking thumb, and not say, I see a way we can improve those 90 potential charges of mine.

C'mon man, you thinking too limited.

Phil has done the right thing here, you need to look at the root of the problem, he can't do nothing with what he's currently getting, they need to get these guys more match practise, some way some how, thats the first step, and no way to get around it

In reply to DIEHARD... so me see it.

In reply to DIEHARD

I seriously considered that. But after review and checking the litterature and what team coaches do..i really think Simmo bounding away.

Lemme put it this way.

Is Simmo's Job head coach of the WI cricket team?

Or

is Simmos Job head of Coaching Cricket throughout the West Indies?

As i understand it, his job is the former and he is trying to do the latter. This is a Project Management issue. Simmo have to set parameters given the limited resources and time he has. He has to be specific, set boundaries and have his goals and objective within those.

Fixing West Indies cricket and its woes is not his Job and not within his limited scope.

FOCUS Simmo.

In reply to Narper

You right.

Its seems like he looking for excuses.

In reply to Tagwa1

You are thinking along the right line. But I think Simmons is spent where coaching ideas and technical competence at this level is required.

What he is suggesting here is a mission to pick other coaches brains in order to perk up his own bag of tricks and keep his job. As Narper mentioned he is not test material where coaching is concerned.

These requests and demands will always come from his corner to deflect from his coaching deficiencies.... just to say "I didn't get what I wanted" ...

In reply to Kay


I think he has done and is doing all he can do.

I don't think it's like he all over the place.

But when you have done your part, and see ways to improve you and the organisations performance, do so.

And nothing is wrong with picking other coaches brains if that is what he is doing. Isn't that part of the reason why Doctors, lawyers, and other professions have their seminars/ conferences, to continue learning and sharing ideas, for the progression of the entire profession.

I think he is being proactive as he should, it's not his job but, one of the worst things u can do in any organisation is sit back and say "its not my job" where you see things that need to be done, especially where they impact your job.

Kudos Simmons. Every employee in every organisation should think that way!!

In reply to Kay

... disagree. Wanting all the coaches in the region on the same page cannot be a bad thing.

Simmons will not be the coach after the Pakistan series.. I suspect after a devastating loss, he will be fired and replace by Ezra or Stuart Williams

In reply to DIEHARD... so me see it.

If Simmons doing his strategic planning in public b4 he talk to his bosses he deserves anything he gets.

In reply to carl0002... you would think he learn he lesson

In reply to Kay

Understood. To be fair to him you coming up against a Juggernaut in India. India now have world class pacers too. That's where cricket is going for them, amazing.

Here is the bigger issue though.

Our U19 just beat their U19. But will they be even close when they are 23 to 30?

Another example...

At U19 Devon Smith, Invisible man, were men among boys in that English Summer. Boys including Ian Bell, who all eventually beat us easily as adults. A decade plus later the boys of that summer beat us easily as adults. Devon career averaged 20 sumptn and invisible man remained invisible.

Hope this doesn't happen to this present crop.

So the long term Strategic planning is needed. More so it needs a framework, that includes just not coaches, but infrastructure, support systems, Funding and logistics. Too much for a head coach.

It needs to be more Strategic than tactical and Simmos job is tactical

In reply to Tagwa1

I fully endorse what you have stated .
It IS the WICBC job to deal with Sponsorships ; Coaches ; and ensure that OUR PLAYERS , particularly in the
longer versions of the game are fully
competitive in the International Cricket Arena .

The fact is that in these versions of the game , the standard of Cricket is
PISS POOR ; and below the standard required to be competitive at the International Level .

In my opinion , you have made a very telling point , when you state that
Simmons focus must on the 16 Players
that are selected to represent the
Region .

In reply to Tagwa1

Players like Devon Smith, Ryan Hinds and Narsingh Deonarine....should today be handing to young turks after productive test careers

Players like Barath, Bravo, Kirk Edwards and Kieran Powell should have been competing favourable with the world's best players today

Miller, Bishoo, Permaul should have been seasoned dependable and reliable test performers

Rampaul ,Taylor and Roach should have been peaking and creating havoc with the world's best batsmen

Ramdin should be entrenched as cappo after a solid batting and keeping career

I can go on.....and I didn't even mention Gayle and Sarwan...or Narine or Shillingford

We didn't have to be in this sordid state

In reply to Narper

You forgot to mention the Invisible Man , Kenroy Peters who despite his
promise at the U-19 Level , was left
Twisting in the Wind .

Can't blame the man for trying to take things forward.

In reply to Narper

Well well said.

You post is like a who's who of talent that never ripened.

In addition there were those who actually ripened well and we discarded way before their time.

Beast, Robert Samuels way back and Fidel Edwards from this era come to mind

In reply to CaribbeanCricket.com

He hit the nail on the head here