In this case my dear, OBE stands for Obnoxious Big Ed

These medals are supposed to be awarded for services over and beyond the call of duty - so are saying that anyone who is particularly good at their job should get one of these?

I would agree re the dream team - complete and utter waste of time - completely meaningless award.

MOS is slightly different but again it is so open to abuse that the best player rarely wins it - so is it really worth much?

Mr Lister the majority of your posts don't deserve a reply such is the banality of its content. On this I think these awards should go to the coaches who give up their spare time to coach kids for nothing rather than one high profile player who is simply doing his day job as a member of a team unit.

A player that captain's his national side is not just doing his day job as a member of a team unit. He has been entrusted with leading his country on a sports field and while that in itself doesn't warrant automatic recognition I imagine it has a significant role to play when added to the rest he has achieved throughout his playing career.

We must agree to differ - the role of captain is completely overblown - unless you are Lockyer where your position dictates your influence. Peacock as a prop will spend a considerable amount of the game away from the field of play?

These awards should be given to those who otherwise would not get any recognition for the value they bring to their community.

"[iAnyone can be nominated, but only exceptional people are honoured. If you want to see your candidate on the honours list, make sure your nomination has what it takes to make it all the way to Buckingham Palace. Achievement comes in many forms but honours committees are looking for someone who has made a difference in their field of work or community.

Honours can be awarded for all sorts of work - paid or unpaid - but your nominee must still be involved in the activity for which they are nominated.[/i"
[urlhttp://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Governmentcitizensandrights/UKgovernment/Honoursawardsandmedals/DG_067917[/url

HTH

Didn't Jeffery Archer get one of these!!

HTH

The role of captaining your national side is not limited to the eighty minutes during a game but requires said player to also (along with the coach) undertake onerous media responsibilities both pre and post match and become a main focus for attention.

(As an aside Peacock in doing so steps well outside what I imagine to be his personal comfort zone.)

The point I was making was that voluntary work or service to the community is not a necessary criterion, and that JP is an excellent candidate according to the criteria.
Jeffrey Archer is a total irrelevance to me - I wouldn't particularly care if he got syphilis, let alone an MBE.

I recall from the DVD of GB's Tri Nations tour of Australia and NZ in 2006 that the undertaking of the skippers motivational dressing room speech appeared to be allocated to Brian Carney instead. Though to be fair, JP did finish it off with a rousing [i"Cum on lads, let's fookin get stuck in!"[/i

An example of captain and vice-captain playing to their strengths.

Carney's inspirational words backing Peacock's inspirational lead on the pitch.

I am one of a few who can just about remember 1956-7 and as a very young little lad ,I can remember Kieth McLELLAN at the back of the post's after they had conceded a try ,walking along the line geeing up every player and staying a few seconds longer with someone who needed it.Lewis ,Don Robinson etc ,they all got a word of motivation from MAC