Chappell v Botham: Riveting or a Farce?

[psychobrown]

It was the vengeful confrontation I didn't know I needed, got a few laughs and it was the first time in years I was interested in Chaps' old man stories. He's remained pretty asshurt over nearly getting a Glasgow smile in that bar, although that last scene made me a bit sad when Beefy got up disappointed - one is a tiring old man, the other is just tired.

 

[Plugger35]

The old footage was more interesting than their feud which was pretty lame, like two old age pensioners having a fight over the retirement home remote

 

[Lia]

Reflects really poorly on Chappelli, don't have to like the guy but it is almost sad to see someone nearly 80 carry on like that

 

[The King!]

got sucked in. The old footage mostly.

I'd guess Chappell is more accurate re the bar incident, but has never gotten over it, comes across like a stubborn idiot, where as Botham ready to get over it, thinks its funnier

 

[Plugger35]

got sucked in. The old footage mostly.

I'd guess Chappell is more accurate re the bar incident, but has never gotten over it, comes across like a stubborn idiot, where as Botham ready to get over it, thinks its funnier

Botham was also only 21 when that bar incident happened so had more of an excuse to carry on like a drunken idiot than Chappell who was in his 30s.

Botham certainly came out of that show looking better than Chappell who seems to have more of a grudge against Botham than he does against him.

 

[The King!]

Botham was also only 21 when that bar incident happened so had more of an excuse to carry on like a drunken idiot than Chappell who was in his 30s.

Botham certainly came out of that show looking better than Chappell who seems to have more of a grudge against Botham than he does against him.

Oh absolutely. Also even little things Chappell said ,he seemed bitter in his late 30s, eg tells his captain to piss off re batting 3 or 6, changes field spot etc

 

[greyhound punter]

Oh absolutely. Also even little things Chappell said ,he seemed bitter in his late 30s, eg tells his captain to piss off re batting 3 or 6, changes field spot etc

To be fair, Chappell had a point about protecting batsmen if an early wicket fell.

I thought the television show was well produced, and researched. Eddie McGuire is friends with both and has obviously been able to get them together in the same room for a few minutes. I thought it was a nice lead in to the 2nd Ashes test.

I think on the balance of probabilities, Botham probably did threaten Chappell with a glass - and making it sound like Chappell went flying over the group of footballers was a bit of an embellishment. Botham obviously got a name for himself after that incident, before he cracked it at international level, and Chappell would have hated it.

The last scene, with Botham and Chappell in the same room, for a second or two, you could see that red mist that Botham talks about. I have no doubt that Botham would drop Chappell if he had the chance and was pushed far enough.

Whatever you think of Ian Chappell and Ian Botham, they are both legends and we need them to keep this feud going. Kind of like the Gallagher brothers or something like that.

 

[Adelaide Hawk]

I think it is farcical. We have to accept the two don't get on with each other and leave be. Full marks to the both of them for allowing themselves to be interviewed but it was never going to achieve anything.

For a start, both have diametrically opposed beliefs as to what took place in the beginning and their views will never change. I've had a bit to do with both men over the years and find it hard to understand why they can't get along, but it's their choice.

Both have been great for the game, both have many mutual friends and admirers, but they just don't like each other. Leave and let be.

 

[the_interloper]

Reflects really poorly on Chappelli, don't have to like the guy but it is almost sad to someone nearly 80 carry on like that

That’s my take as well generally. Just generally it seems like he’s always been happy to mouth off at Botham and avoid any physical confrontation because he’s not a fighter. Comes a point with anyone where that’s possible, maybe shut your mouth then?

 

[TazHawk15]

I think Chappell came across as the w***er in this whole saga.

Sure it takes two to tango but I get the feeling Beefy would have accepted a handshake and a "Lets both grow up"

 

[smasha]

Botham came out looking shinier in this doco,I think he wants to reconcile but Chappelli wants nothing to do with it.

I thought it was a faux fued back in the day but this is definately real.

Was more of a Greg Chappell fan in my youth,I remember the run of ducks he made and the underarm incident.

Despite that he was a tremendous batsman.

 

[The King!]

I think the fact Chappell couldn't actually admit Beefy was a decent player (think he said ok) and said he was the worst long term commentator ever etc , rather than anything remotely nice.

Even if you said hey I can't stand him but he did a lot of for english cricket or played some good knocks , something through gritted teeth , looks better

 

[The King!]

To be fair, Chappell had a point about protecting batsmen if an early wicket fell.

Absolutely. But if your captain and brother said that was his tactic , telling him to piss off and pick one or the other seems over the top . Maybe voice your opinion but yeah

Then he switched fielding spots , told the vice captain to piss off

This from a man who bangs on it's the captains team, don't need coaches etc, seems the sort of behaviour he wouldn't have tolerated when Captain.

 

[Plugger35]

I think the fact Chappell couldn't actually admit Beefy was a decent player (think he said ok) and said he was the worst long term commentator ever etc , rather than anything remotely nice.

Even if you said hey I can't stand him but he did a lot of for english cricket or played some good knocks , something through gritted teeth , looks better

Yeah to not admit that Botham was at least a good player when he was is one of the all time great all rounders just made Chappell look petty and silly.

He also called Botham a coward when it seemed like Chappell was more of a coward when it came to actually fighting and he just wanted to mouth off.

 

[Jbudds]

Reminded me of the movie Grumpy Old Men, but not as funny.

Still - was interesting to watch. Geriatrics acting like children is always amusing.

 

[Blue1980]

If Shane Warne didnt pass away I could of imagined him still acting like Chappeli with Botham, towards Steve Waugh as an old man.

Except in this case Steve Waugh didn’t do anything wrong, there was no bar fight. He just dropped Warnie when out of form recovering from a rebuilt shoulder for one test.

 

[windyhill]

Was more of a Greg Chappell fan in my youth,I remember the run of ducks he made and the underarm incident.

“ I’m batting well, I just keep getting out” All time classic.

 

[worbod]

Suspect you've hit the nail on the head with this. Noone cares.

Sorry in advance, but I like a good grammatical error.

Noone should be spelled as two separate words. What you are saying is "Noone cares" which could mean Peter Noone from Herman's Hermits cares about the feud between Botham and Chappell. I don't know whether he is a cricket fan.

 

[Registered User]

Have any of the other people at the pub that night in North Melbourne ever spoken about it?

Also, the animation was way off: Botham is/was at least 3 inches taller than Chappell (it says 9cm on Wikipedia), and Ian Callan had dark hair, unless it was during his blonde tips phase

 

[Cudi]

With the regards to the incident at the Hilton hotel, I believe Chappelli's side of the story but really who knows the truth of what went on that day. In that last scene, Beefy came out of it looking better than Chappelli but it's a pretty low bar.

It's no secret Ian Chappell and Tony Greig fell out during World Series Cricket. Both let bygones be bygones when they started working with each other on channel 9. Perhaps they got off on the right foot to begin with which meant a contretemps could be moved on from. Perhaps the prospect of working together for what turned out to be a little more than 3 decades helped in that regard too.

Sure, this might be just one example but Chappell is capable of moving forward positively from a falling out/ feud between he and somebody else.

In any case, when Tony Greig passed away, Ian Chappell described Greig as a ''close friend'' in a tribute piece and Chappelli isn't the type to say something like that if he didn't mean it. In the Greig family memoir released a year or so after Tony Greig's passing, Mark Greig said his father and Chappelli became ''very good mates when they stopped behaving like petulant children''.

This just makes me think of this

 

[allrighty]

Agreed completely.

Used to rate Chappell very highly as a commentator - intelligent, informative and not afraid to state an opinion.

But on not being afraid to state an opinion, he also lets his personal dislike of people (see his views on Steve Waugh) blind his judgment.

He is just a bitter old crock these days.

Botham is still a pretty good commentator.

The pair of them came across as knobends in the show though.

I'd put Chappelli alongside Don Henley for bitterness and that is saying something.

 

[Sea fog]

“ I’m batting well, I just keep getting out” All time classic.

Yes, it spawned a lot of sayings like engineers building great bridges which kept falling down.

Chappell's ducks were mainly in ODIs and in fairness to him, he went out to some amazing balls and catches against those Windies. He never made a pair in test cricket.

 

[anchor man]

Two people with gigantic egos.
We all know the story, so why watch, Just another money making headline.
Rubbish.

 

[windyhill]

Going to the grave this one.

 

[James Colorado]

Wouldn't mind a good stoush between two cranky old men during the lunch break.