blob wrote:

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Team GB not doing a very good job of including Gabi so far today, she's been standing looking a bit lost and left out at the end of one of the lines of the GB cheer squads whilst the other senior members all are seated with other people.

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 now then blob - you're either dave from Stockport or he has stolen your words!  There's a comment on the daily mail report site, 3Rd comment from dave Stockport and he uses your exact same words as above , pretty much cut and paste! Your either him,  which I somehow doubt as I don't think youre a daily mail person, or you've been plagiarised!!  

He wrote 

" Keothavong did not do a very good job of including Gabi Taylor who was left standing looking a bit lost and then left out at the end of one of the lines of the GB cheer squads whilst the other senior members all are seated with other people"

PaulM wrote:

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Ultimately we could have won this had Heather taken the first set in her second singles. Also the girls had game points and break points in the second and third games of the second set in the doubles. Take those and you're looking at a different situation with real pressure on the Japanese pair.

Hopefully both Spain and Ukraine win, but looks like Russia will be joining us for February. If the other two European nations lose, Group 1 will be pretty much impossible to get out of.

The question is where are Gabi and Katie B going to be by then.

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Despite Garbiñe Muguruza making remarkably heavy weather of Montserrat Gonzalez in Rubber 2, Spain are now through. Ukraine 1-1 with Canada though you have to think Canada have a big chance with their clutch of young players.

Very disappointing to come so close and fall short, but have to wonder whether it was worth having a punt on Taylor in the second match, just on the massive difference in form alone. Fingers crossed that a couple of the younger girls make the step up to Tour level so we aren't so reliant on the form of the top two.

Grachka wrote:

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PaulM wrote:

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Ultimately we could have won this had Heather taken the first set in her second singles. Also the girls had game points and break points in the second and third games of the second set in the doubles. Take those and you're looking at a different situation with real pressure on the Japanese pair.

Hopefully both Spain and Ukraine win, but looks like Russia will be joining us for February. If the other two European nations lose, Group 1 will be pretty much impossible to get out of.

The question is where are Gabi and Katie B going to be by then.

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Despite Garbiñe Muguruza making remarkably heavy weather of Montserrat Gonzalez in Rubber 2, Spain are now through. Ukraine 1-1 with Canada though you have to think Canada have a big chance with their clutch of young players.

Very disappointing to come so close and fall short, but have to wonder whether it was worth having a punt on Taylor in the second match, just on the massive difference in form alone. Fingers crossed that a couple of the younger girls make the step up to Tour level so we aren't so reliant on the form of the top two.

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 Our reliance on Jo and Heather is exactly the same as our previous reliance on Andy during DC ties.

JonH wrote:

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blob wrote:

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Team GB not doing a very good job of including Gabi so far today, she's been standing looking a bit lost and left out at the end of one of the lines of the GB cheer squads whilst the other senior members all are seated with other people.

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 now then blob - you're either dave from Stockport or he has stolen your words!  There's a comment on the daily mail report site, 3Rd comment from dave Stockport and he uses your exact same words as above , pretty much cut and paste! Your either him,  which I somehow doubt as I don't think youre a daily mail person, or you've been plagiarised!!  

He wrote 

" Keothavong did not do a very good job of including Gabi Taylor who was left standing looking a bit lost and then left out at the end of one of the lines of the GB cheer squads whilst the other senior members all are seated with other people"

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Surely the point of plagiarising is you pick something good or worthy to pinch

Dave, from Stockport, raise your ambitions a bit, sir!

I essentially agree with all the team selections. I certainly don't see that Japan won because they were a true team in that they played their 4 players to our just 2. You work with what you've got and if you think the best selection is to use a limited number of players as it often successfully is then so be it. Nout to do with brave or otherwise, nor the alternative of doing the jolly decent thing in including all 4 players in matches ( though of course pity if Gabi didn't otherwise feel very involved ). I would simply think both teams made what they thought were the best selections to win the tie as should be the case. 

It is good to win with all 4, but that's a by the way, the thing is to win, and to pick to give yourself the best chance of that. If you think all 4 and rested players work for you or are simply your best options, OK, and if you don't and think just 2 best, OK, just select as you think most likely to get that win. If Anne has done that, as I presume, she has little to punish herself for. Simply not picking who someone else would pick doesn't make her some sort of failure or lacking ability / instinct to make the right choices.

I never saw Gabi as a better option than Heather in this tie. 2-1 up as opposed to 2-1 down possibly changed the dynamics a bit for arguably saving Heather, but presumably that scoreline became clear too late in absolute or at least practical terms. And even if not, I personally think Heather was still best for match 4 in having a decent chance to win the tie 3-1 right there.

In the subsequent doubles, once Heather had lost and it was 2-2 I think there was a very legitimate question. Beforehand I always saw Jo and Heather as being our most likely doubles pair if it went 2-2 but Anna a good selection as the best alternative if their were concerning enough issues re form, confidence or any injury with Jo or Heather. Anna being a doubles specialist made her a good option to have for the tie, but not in itself a reason to ultimately pick her for the doubles match, and certainly not on any if you believe in the very idea of doubles specialists then she should have played theory

Now one can argue re Heather here, form and possibly mindset certainly questionable but recent good doubles success and we don't know her mindset. Also, I recall Jo losing in Talinn last year and for the later vital doubles that got us into that play-off, with Joss and Laura there, the selection was Jo and Heather and they came up with the goods.

It was not to be this time. But as I said I don't think I would have preferred any other selections for the matches here, other than very possibly in hindsight Anna over Heather. And while yes some thought differently, and certainly not just in hindsight, that belief in the selection just leaves me more very sad about the outcome but not myself seeing blame in that selection.

ROSAMUND wrote:

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brendan wrote:

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flamingowings wrote:

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Grachka wrote:

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PaulM wrote:

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Ultimately we could have won this had Heather taken the first set in her second singles. Also the girls had game points and break points in the second and third games of the second set in the doubles. Take those and you're looking at a different situation with real pressure on the Japanese pair.

Hopefully both Spain and Ukraine win, but looks like Russia will be joining us for February. If the other two European nations lose, Group 1 will be pretty much impossible to get out of.

The question is where are Gabi and Katie B going to be by then.

---

 

Despite Garbiñe Muguruza making remarkably heavy weather of Montserrat Gonzalez in Rubber 2, Spain are now through. Ukraine 1-1 with Canada though you have to think Canada have a big chance with their clutch of young players.

Very disappointing to come so close and fall short, but have to wonder whether it was worth having a punt on Taylor in the second match, just on the massive difference in form alone. Fingers crossed that a couple of the younger girls make the step up to Tour level so we aren't so reliant on the form of the top two.

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 Our reliance on Jo and Heather is exactly the same as our previous reliance on Andy during DC ties.

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 except with Andy it worked

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Apart from Andy we also had Jamie in the doubles who could combine with his brother. We don't have the female eqiuivalent.

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I think Heather's confidence has been shot since the Serena match at Wimbledon 2 years ago which Heather should have won. She has no confidence at the moment I watched last 5 games or so of doubles Heather's volleys at net were defensive not offensive ,having said that I still think there is a top 30 player there she just lacks belief. As for the doubles itself Anna Smith to my mind is a failed singles player at ITF standards I don't think bringing her in would have reversed the doubles against a confident Japanese pairing. 

LordBrownof wrote:

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Heather needs a fresh start with a new permanent coach and not a shared one with a bunch of other players. Fitzy is available! (But I'd love to see her try and go with a more established old hand coach).

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Has she even got a shared one? I've seen her mum come down during the breaks like a coach would recently.