"AFTER a disappointing start to the summer, Gloucestershire have confirmed that former coach John Bracewell is set to return for the 2009 season.

There has been much speculation about this move in the press over the past few weeks and it has now become a reality. Will he be able to turn things around and shake them up once again?

Certainly his appointment will influence the future of players such as Alex Gidman and Steve Kirby. Both have been in talks with other counties about where their future lies.

Gidman has stated that his future depends on the plans of Bracewell as coach, although I fail to understand this as a reason. Surely any coach is going to have plans for success in all formats of the game when they arrive to start a new job?

I feel that if Gidman has ambitions to play for England then he needs either the Gloucestershire captaincy or a move to one of the more fashionable Test match venues.

With regards to Kirby, although a very fine bowler, I feel with the continued rise of the Ashes quartet (Jones, Harmison, Flintoff, Hoggard) who are not even playing at present, his chances at the highest level will be limited.

At this stage of his career he should be looking to maximise his earning potential within the domestic game.

Certainly, there will be mixed emotions with the return of Bracewell as coach. No one can deny his undoubted success in the limited over competitions.

However, he did inherit a very talented squad near the peak of their games and brought them together to create a powerful unit.

Along the way he did ruffle a few feathers of both players and supporters but I'm sure all will be forgotten if he manages to replicate the success of the early 2000's."

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