New boss Kim Barnett is sure Derbyshire can succeed after coaching changes

Newly appointed director of cricket, Kim Barnett, believes Derbyshire's revamped coaching structure can bring long-awaited on-field success for the club.
MUST DO BETTER -- thats how Derbyshires end-of-season report reads after a torrid summer.MUST DO BETTER -- thats how Derbyshires end-of-season report reads after a torrid summer.
MUST DO BETTER -- thats how Derbyshires end-of-season report reads after a torrid summer.

Former England batsman Barnett, one of the most inspirational captains in Derbyshire’s history, has been charged with implementing the new model. And the 56-year-old is confident the club will be able to put behind them a poor 2016 campaign in which they finished bottom of the Second Division in the Specsavers County Championship without winning a match and failed to progress from the qualifying groups in either of the two limited-overs competitions.

“We have not achieved enough success on the field in recent years,” Barnett admitted. “However, we are determined to change this

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“We have some great talent here, and some great facilities, with a tremendous fitness and medical team supporting the players. With a strong captain (Billy Godleman) and players technically sound and tactically clued up, we will be in a great position for next season.

“If every player at the club proves his worth and takes responsibility for their own performances, the chances of success are greater.

“We will ensure that Billy and our Twenty20 captain are given the right, talented players on the field and that our youngsters will come into a dressing-room with experienced cricketers who know how to win.”

Barnett was the county’s captain for 12 years from 1983 before wrapping up a prolific career with Gloucestershire. He scored more than 28,000 first-class runs at an average of 40, won four Test caps for England and triumphed in six one-day finals at Lord’s.

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He switches to his new role from club president and will oversee a structure that is more streamlined than the current policy of operating a large team of full-time coaches. The emphasis will be as much on player recruitment as in-house coaching, and new positions of first-team support coach, T20 specialist coach and development coach will be filled.

Club chairman Chris Grant said: “Regrettably, our elite performance model has not produced the results we were hoping for. This new model will achieve a better balance between our coaching and playing budget.

“We believe Kim is the perfect man to lead this new structure. He has done it all as a player and knows how to win competitions. His experience, knowledge and tactical awareness will be invaluable as we move forward.”