The Ashes

Hope we can win it and not let Johnson into our heads again.

Aussie bowling attack way better than ours as a unit
Think they will win quite comfortably
We lack a top class spinner - even an Ashley Giles who didn;t take many wickets but went for only about 2 an over and could hold an end up

Think their bowlers will put far more pressure on our batting than vice versa

Hope I'm wrong - but 4-0 to Aussies (one drawn)

Quoted from devs

Aussie bowling attack way better than ours as a unit
Think they will win quite comfortably
We lack a top class spinner - even an Ashley Giles who didn;t take many wickets but went for only about 2 an over and could hold an end up

Think their bowlers will put far more pressure on our batting than vice versa

Hope I'm wrong - but 4-0 to Aussies (one drawn)

Disagree with that. Anderson and Broad can be deadly on their day and the conditions suit our bowlers unless it stays hot and dry and the pitches flatten out.

Think it looks fairly even to me at this stage.

Hope you are right Ginnywings but...
Broad overrated IMO - far too expensive and goes for 5 an over which you can't afford to do at international level
Wood could be a star but is very inexperienced
Had we got a top class spinner I'd be far more optimistic

We also need Cook and Lyth to click very quickly

Don't think we've got much of a chance of winning personally. I think they are just a bit too strong around the field and Anderson/Broad don't look to be at their best at the moment.

Hopefully we can use our experience of the conditions to make a good fist of things and, you never know, a couple of good sessions here and there could give us opportunities to nick a win or two. Just as long as it isn't another procession like last time.

I'm actually quite optimistic and i don't think the Aussies are as strong as they've been in the past. Pretty even for me given our home advantage.

Think they might shade it but think it'll be close than 4-0. Maybe 2-1 to them?

Broad has nearly 300 wickets at less than 30 and goes for nothing like 5 an over for the course of his career. I'd say he's become a bit of a scapegoat and certainly isn't over-rated. We've good bowlers but the variety the Aussie attack has with the extra pace and the two left-armers might be the difference. We will miss having a top-class spinner but then Lyon is hardly Warne is he?

I would say the Aussies are favourites and they will come here as they always do expecting to win, but it's now been 14 long years since they last won the ashes here, so I'd like to think this will be added pressure on them which maybe will go in our favour.

This series is starting to feel a bit like in 2005 in the way they have come over and started their mental games early doors, In the 2005 series they came here as strong favourites and the best team in the world, and they started spouting how they were going to thrash us 5-0 and look what happened!

I'm confident we can do it though although I think it's going to be close, even a draw might just be on the cards.
We are going to need most of the team on form and not just 1 or 2 as has been the case recently.

Quoted from devs

Hope you are right Ginnywings but...
Broad overrated IMO - far too expensive and goes for 5 an over which you can't afford to do at international level
Wood could be a star but is very inexperienced
Had we got a top class spinner I'd be far more optimistic

We also need Cook and Lyth to click very quickly

I think we have a top class spinner in Rashid.

Anderson is one of the best bowlers in the world and Cook and Root have scored more runs than anyone else this year!

Rashid isn't a top class spinner - he hasn't even played a test. Maybe with more time playing at international level he could develop into a decent Test match bowler but he doesn't have the control needed at the moment. Why they didn't give him a run in the West Indies to see how he coped I have no idea.