Because that is what they are paid to do (actually taxpayers pay part of their wages since the funding comes from governemtn sources mainly). If you went to a hairdresser and asked for them to cut your hair, then then did two thirds of it a good job, then left one third of it ragged and unsatisfactory, then you would think their behaviour unprofessional, not pay them, and not go there again. I understand your point that some criticism is harsh, and that they do have succes (they reached the final afterall), but the criticism is mainly aimed not at them losing directly, but at the manner in which there was a total loss of interest, not even a glimmer of effort in the final game from him.
hiya guys, well i train down at milton keynes every tuesday so yesterday whilts i was down i was talking to many of the england squad who were also training. robertson and emms have been given some time off due to exhaustion and also gail has got a cold. as for nathans commitment in thel ast game, no one is sure what happened as he has kept himself away since the final. listening to what everyone else has to say it seems he was simply exhausted and bitterly dissapointed at not closing the second game - however this doesnt excuse his behaviour in the 3rd game. exhausted - yeah i can understand that but you should be at least trying to win. its the all england final for gods sake. when i nest see him while im down there ill get an answer!
I agree...is it just me though, that while I think Nathan is a *greatly* talented player, it's just, This particular tournament, I thought he played poorly through it all. I can only say what I've seen from a video of their Quarter Final match, but I thought Gail Emms was on usual (top) form, while Nathan was making lots of uncharacteristic mistakes, hitting the net too often, possibly adding to his overall frustration. - Again, this is only my opinion! , just interested in seeing if anyone else feels the same way or otherwise. Also, the only response from Nathan I know of is on Badmintonengland.co.uk's site, "The England pair had beaten their Chinese rivals on all three occasions since the Olympics but Robertson summed it up when he said: "We threw it away. When you have five match points you ought to win. We didn't play to the level of the last two days." Which still, obviously doesn't explain the last set, though.
"The England pair had beaten their Chinese rivals on all three occasions since the Olympics but Robertson summed it up when he said: "We threw it away. When you have five match points you ought to win. We didn't play to the level of the last two days." it should be: "The England pair had beaten their Chinese rivals on all three occasions since the Olympics but Robertson summed it up when he said: "I threw it away. When you have five match points you ought to win. I didn't play to the level of the last two days."
Yellow card. Hi, It was Nova Widianto who was yellow carded and for the reasons given. Little point adding insult to injury! Mr. Fault
OK thanks, it's clearer said like that. Anyway, breaking a racket isn't a big deal, as long as he doesn't smash it against somebody else, who cares? it's his own problem... (as long as he doesn't do this in order to delay the game)
i'm going to agree ith JR on this one.. while it's horribly disappointing to see arguably the best pair it the world throw the last set away. didn't the malaysian pair lose to 2 in their final set in the MD? the difference? the malaysians looked like the played.. Nathan's entire playing style is a relaxed one. he never looks really bothered, even when he's winning - but he show's fire and passion when he wins points, especially good ones. Nathan didn't look on top form all tournament gail was ill during.. it wouldn't surprise me if nathan has caught it.. hence both the englands players exhaustion after what has been a physical, mental and emotional rollercoaster. Give them a break - how many pairs do you know have defended the XD AE title recently? Coops
well having just watched the final again, i think we should lay off nathan. he was clearly tired and fatigued - i doubt very much knowing nathan that he would just throw it away. he isnt like that at all. obviously the second game affected them as they were so close but credit to the chinese - they defended awsomely and got their rewards. lets not forget that nathan and gail are still top class players - and even they lose, we are only human afterall. rather than criticise them maybe we should just support them and encourage them thru this difficult time so they can forget about it and move on to the next competition.
i agree because everyone has forgotten to take into account who they were playing, ZHANG JEN and GAO LING!! they aren't exactly bad players put it that way. when they saw that nathan was tired they started to move him around to make him more tired, by this point the lactic acid levels must have been almost unbearable and this is what would have caused the onset of fatigue
good point, nathan looked exhausted. gail started to move to the back to help him out and once that happened england were never going to win it, they were trying to play for pride in the end and getting the point meant they wernt beat to nil. they will bounce back from this and i can assure you they will be back in next years final.
i take back what i said about gail should find a new younger partner because she will never find someone who she knows and plays so well with
If the excuse was that nathan was tired, then it is BE fault as they are responsible for making sure he is in shape to win. Whilst he may have been tired, it is clear he was not interested in playing. In the first two and a half games they were looking the best I have seen them, with less mistakes. then CHN came back with some superb play, and they (he) was broken mentally. SPaterson, they as a pair tend to make lots of unforced errors in every game they play, then play fantastic. I remember the final last year was quite poor in standard as both pairs made lots of errors. Likewise this years semi final against INA pair lots of errors from both sides. They struggle against pairs who are consistent in their play throughout, like Gao/Zhang and Xie/Zhang in the QF, who never had a dip, but never rose high enough to break them, always giving them hope.
james - i see your point but put it like this, place your self in a final of a tourney where everyone is expecting you to win. then lose 5 set points in the second game due to superb defense from your opponents and after many gruelling rallies to try and win the win the game - you lose. i know id be mentally frustrated and you will be tired. they just wernt with it in the final game - it happens to everyone regardless of their level of play. as for blaming badminton england - lets not forget it was only 2 weeks ago that our beloved mixed pair won the danish open. how can you expect to recover from a major tourney and prepare for another in 2 weeks? it isnt possible. they did their best and were beaten by the better / fresher pair on the day.
at the standard of play which they are surely most of the unforced errors are because they are going to be put under pressure by their opposition?
no not really, unforced errors are where you arnt under any pressure and you have time to hit your shot but you mess it up such as putting smashes out or in the net, or net killing and missing it, serving short or in to net etc. we all do them really.
For not able to be 100% fit and fresh cause the British pair just won a title 2 weeks ago is not an excuse. Zhang/Gao just won German Open title a week ago with Gao Ling also play Women Doubles in German Open final. Then they fly straight to All England , enter this tournament. Zhang/Gao managed to get into final and win it. Gao also play Women Doubles and win the title as well with Huang Sui. I don't think the endurance of the British pair is an ssue here but the mental strength is the major issue for the Brit. (In this case Nathan)
