61
April 16, 2024, 05:27:46 AM
Show Posts
This section allows you to view all posts made by this member. Note that you can only see posts made in areas you currently have access to.
62
Football / FIFA vice-president Warner: It’s really hard to like England
« on: November 25, 2007, 05:36:52 PM »63
Football / "Dwight is all right for top flight" says Stern
« on: April 17, 2007, 10:40:57 AM »
http://www.sunderlandecho.com/sport?ArticleID=2708199
Dwight is all right for top flight
Dwight Yorke
View GallerySTERN JOHN is confident that influential countryman Dwight Yorke has another Premiership season in his locker.
Yorke will be 36 in November this year but has grown into his role at the heart of Sunderland's promotion-chasing team.
After an uncertain start following his move from Australian champions Sydney on August transfer deadline day, the veteran has proved to be a key figure in the Black Cats' rise up the Championship.
But can the former Manchester United and Aston Villa star be such an important player again in the high-velocity world of the Premiership?
John insisted: "I would really like to see Dwight back in the Premiership.
"He has certainly got the experience, but with his vision and the way he can pass the ball, I think he still has a part to play if we manage to get there.
"Dwight's one of the Premiership greats. He's one of the top scorers in the history of the Premiership. He might not have quite so many goals there now, but his experience has been a big help to this club this season and he seems to have the desire to keep going."
Yorke ranks in the top ten of scorers since the Premiership was born in 1992, netting 122 top flight goals for Villa, United, Blackburn and Birmingham.
He's more settled pulling the strings in midfield these days, creating opportunities for John and his fellow forwards.
Former Nottingham Forest and Coventry striker John is also eager to get back into the big time.
He added: "It's the only place to be. If you are a professional, then it is the only thing you should aspire to. We haven't got there yet so none of us is saying that we're back in the Premiership.
"But I feel I am a Premiership player and one of the reasons I came here was because I believed this was a club on the up and would get to the top flight. Playing in the Premiership is what drives me on and it's the same for all of the guys."
Sunderland will be promoted this weekend if they beat Colchester on Saturday AND second-placed Derby fall to an unlikely defeat at home to virtually-relegated Luton on Friday.
A Black Cats victory at Layer Road would also bring promotion if third-placed Birmingham collect one point or less from their away games against Leicester tonight and Wolves on Sunday.
Dwight is all right for top flight
Dwight Yorke
View GallerySTERN JOHN is confident that influential countryman Dwight Yorke has another Premiership season in his locker.
Yorke will be 36 in November this year but has grown into his role at the heart of Sunderland's promotion-chasing team.
After an uncertain start following his move from Australian champions Sydney on August transfer deadline day, the veteran has proved to be a key figure in the Black Cats' rise up the Championship.
But can the former Manchester United and Aston Villa star be such an important player again in the high-velocity world of the Premiership?
John insisted: "I would really like to see Dwight back in the Premiership.
"He has certainly got the experience, but with his vision and the way he can pass the ball, I think he still has a part to play if we manage to get there.
"Dwight's one of the Premiership greats. He's one of the top scorers in the history of the Premiership. He might not have quite so many goals there now, but his experience has been a big help to this club this season and he seems to have the desire to keep going."
Yorke ranks in the top ten of scorers since the Premiership was born in 1992, netting 122 top flight goals for Villa, United, Blackburn and Birmingham.
He's more settled pulling the strings in midfield these days, creating opportunities for John and his fellow forwards.
Former Nottingham Forest and Coventry striker John is also eager to get back into the big time.
He added: "It's the only place to be. If you are a professional, then it is the only thing you should aspire to. We haven't got there yet so none of us is saying that we're back in the Premiership.
"But I feel I am a Premiership player and one of the reasons I came here was because I believed this was a club on the up and would get to the top flight. Playing in the Premiership is what drives me on and it's the same for all of the guys."
Sunderland will be promoted this weekend if they beat Colchester on Saturday AND second-placed Derby fall to an unlikely defeat at home to virtually-relegated Luton on Friday.
A Black Cats victory at Layer Road would also bring promotion if third-placed Birmingham collect one point or less from their away games against Leicester tonight and Wolves on Sunday.
64
Football / Leicester 1-1 Derby
« on: April 06, 2007, 10:15:10 AM »
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/eng_div_1/6513479.stm
Derby missed the chance to move five points clear at the top of the Championship as substitute Matty Fryatt earned Leicester a hard-fought point.
The Foxes had hardly threatened before Fryatt jinked past Dean Leacock and neatly stroked home on 68 minutes.
Craig Fagan earlier scored his first goal for Derby after slotting in Giles Barnes' precise through-ball.
But Fagan missed a glorious chance to win the game late on when he hit his tame effort straight at Paul Henderson.
Derby missed the chance to move five points clear at the top of the Championship as substitute Matty Fryatt earned Leicester a hard-fought point.
The Foxes had hardly threatened before Fryatt jinked past Dean Leacock and neatly stroked home on 68 minutes.
Craig Fagan earlier scored his first goal for Derby after slotting in Giles Barnes' precise through-ball.
But Fagan missed a glorious chance to win the game late on when he hit his tame effort straight at Paul Henderson.
65
Football / Leeds 2-1 Preston
« on: March 30, 2007, 02:46:41 PM »
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_div_1/6506575.stm
Leeds 2-1 Preston
David Healy scrambled a last-minute winner as Leeds moved off the bottom of the Championship table with victory against promotion-chasing Preston.
The visitors took the lead after just five minutes, Brett Ormerod slotting home after Danny Pugh's through ball.
But Blake levelled after the interval, sliding in to finish from a tight angle after Richard Cresswell's cross.
But after Preston's David Nugent missed a good chance, Healy stole in to head Eddie Lewis' cross past Andy Lornegan
SWEETNESS
Leeds 2-1 Preston
David Healy scrambled a last-minute winner as Leeds moved off the bottom of the Championship table with victory against promotion-chasing Preston.
The visitors took the lead after just five minutes, Brett Ormerod slotting home after Danny Pugh's through ball.
But Blake levelled after the interval, sliding in to finish from a tight angle after Richard Cresswell's cross.
But after Preston's David Nugent missed a good chance, Healy stole in to head Eddie Lewis' cross past Andy Lornegan
SWEETNESS
66
Football / Swansea 2-0 Chesterfield
« on: March 16, 2007, 04:52:23 PM »
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_div_2/6437149.stmSwansea City moved into the
League One play-off places as new boss Roberto Martinez secured his first home win.
The hosts had struggled to find a way past the relegation-threatened visitors before midfielder Andy Robinson converted a 75th-minute penalty.
Robinson turned provider when his corner set up defender Izzy Iriekpen to head in the second two minutes later.
Defender Dennis Lawrence hit the bar in the first-half while Paul Shaw fired over from close range for Chesterfield.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Swansea: Gueret, Amankwaah (Duffy 64), Iriekpen, Lawrence, Painter, Britton, Tate, Robinson, Butler (Williams 59), Craney, Abbott (Jones 90).
Subs Not Used: Oakes, MacDonald.
Booked: Abbott, Williams.
Goals: Robinson 76 pen, Iriekpen 78.
Chesterfield: Roche, Critchell (Jackson 79), Downes, Hazell, Picken, Niven, Allott, Daniels (Davies 38), Bailey, Hall, Larkin, Davies (Shaw 46).
Subs Not Used: Lowry, Grimaldi.
Booked: Hazell, Niven, Allott.
Att: 11,384
Ref: R Lewis (Shropshire).
League One play-off places as new boss Roberto Martinez secured his first home win.
The hosts had struggled to find a way past the relegation-threatened visitors before midfielder Andy Robinson converted a 75th-minute penalty.
Robinson turned provider when his corner set up defender Izzy Iriekpen to head in the second two minutes later.
Defender Dennis Lawrence hit the bar in the first-half while Paul Shaw fired over from close range for Chesterfield.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Swansea: Gueret, Amankwaah (Duffy 64), Iriekpen, Lawrence, Painter, Britton, Tate, Robinson, Butler (Williams 59), Craney, Abbott (Jones 90).
Subs Not Used: Oakes, MacDonald.
Booked: Abbott, Williams.
Goals: Robinson 76 pen, Iriekpen 78.
Chesterfield: Roche, Critchell (Jackson 79), Downes, Hazell, Picken, Niven, Allott, Daniels (Davies 38), Bailey, Hall, Larkin, Davies (Shaw 46).
Subs Not Used: Lowry, Grimaldi.
Booked: Hazell, Niven, Allott.
Att: 11,384
Ref: R Lewis (Shropshire).
68
Football / Top 20 Highest paid (non american) sportsmen in the world
« on: July 30, 2006, 04:31:20 AM »70
Football / Who allyuh backing for relegation?
« on: April 22, 2006, 07:16:25 AM »
Portsmouth .. Treat Shaka bad..
Birmingham.... dogged both Stern and Yorke..
Birmingham.... dogged both Stern and Yorke..
71
Football / T&T's white Warrior.
« on: April 21, 2006, 08:43:09 AM »
T&T's white Warrior.
By: FIFAworldcup.com.[/size]
Germany 2006 will be a whirl of firsts for midfielder Chris Birchall. The first white player to line up for Trinidad and Tobago in the tiny Caribbean country's first finals, English-born 'Chrissy' will also be the first-ever Port Vale player to kick a ball at a FIFA World Cupâ„¢.
Named in Leo Beenhakker's provisional finals squad on 13 April, Birchall is virtually assured a spot in Germany this June. Having long since given up on dreams of playing for the country of his birth, England, the 21-year-old midfielder has somehow found his way on to the world's biggest stage with Trinidad and Tobago. And in a dramatic twist, he will get the chance to play against his beloved England this summer when the two sides meet in Group B.
Birchall's story is not the most straightforward or conventional but, as they say in his native land, it is a funny old game. In the warm-up before a Port Vale match against Wrexham in April last year, Birchall, who plays in the third tier of the English league pyramid, was approached by towering opposition centre-back Dennis Lawrence. Upon being asked to confirm his mother's birthplace, the winger's hesitant response to the unusual query was "Port of Spain, Trinidad". Big Dennis flashed a smile, walked away, and the rest is history.
After the match, the T&T centre-back put Birchall in touch with his country's football authorities and before long he found himself on a plane for Central America and FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Panama and Mexico – a long way from home in all senses for this softly-spoken Staffordshire native.
Stories of a local lad flying the flag for Port Vale in the international arena immediately saturated the newspaper columns back home. Only once had the club – who enjoy the support of pop star Robbie Williams – been able to claim a FIFA World Cup player as one of their own. And when Robbie Earle lined up for Jamaica at France 98, he had already long made the move from Vale Park to Wimbledon.
Happily Birchall's arrival in the T&T squad coincided with the hiring of Leo Beenhakker as head coach, in place of the struggling Bertille St Clair. The former Real Madrid, Ajax and Netherlands coach saw a spark in the young Englishman and immediately made him a first-team regular in a move that helped turn around the team's poor start to the final qualifying round in the North, Central American and Caribbean Zone.
Though a number of the Soca Warriors are British-born – including goalkeeper Shaka Hislop – Birchall stands out for his fair hair and pale complexion. But with eight straight starts and two goals, notably a 30-yard stunner in the decisive play-off against Bahrain, Birchall has settled quickly into the fold.
Just one of the Warriors.
Despite some initial worries, Birchall was accepted with open arms. "That was one of the main things I was worried about, but everything has been fine," said Birchall, whose Trinidad-born mother Jenny was flown out as a guest of honour by the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (TTFF) for a qualifier against Mexico. "Not only was I a white guy playing for Trinidad and Tobago but I was also from England – so that is why it has been so great the way I have been accepted. I have been to the local nightclubs and met a lot of the local people."
And when prodded about the prospect of playing in front of mammoth crowds against some of the planet's finest players – including England – at the finals, Birchall is simply moved by the enormity of it all. "I still can't believe it," said the winger, who plays in a more central role for Trinidad. "Me playing on the biggest stage against the best players in the world.
"In particular, I can't wait for the England game. I still want England to do well – if they don't knock us out. I think they have one of the best squads they have ever had and with the players they've got they could go far."
With the help of veteran coach Beenhakker, Birchall is keen on his adoptive country's chances of getting out of a tough Group B, alongside the English, Sweden and Paraguay. "I don't think anyone expected us to qualify in the first place," Birchall said.
"I think even the lads were a bit surprised but Beenhakker is not the kind of guy who is going to go anywhere just to make up the numbers. He has brought a lot of confidence to the team, so who knows? Nine times out of ten you would expect England and Sweden to get through but if we can get a point from England or Sweden then who knows what will happen?"
The energetic youngster will be expected to do the ball-winning work behind the experienced trio of Dwight Yorke, Russell Latapy and Stern John when the finals kick off on 9 June. But whatever his role, the giant arenas of Germany and the unrivalled atmosphere of a FIFA World Cup promise an experience to savour for Staffordshire's favourite Soca Warrior.
By: FIFAworldcup.com.[/size]
Germany 2006 will be a whirl of firsts for midfielder Chris Birchall. The first white player to line up for Trinidad and Tobago in the tiny Caribbean country's first finals, English-born 'Chrissy' will also be the first-ever Port Vale player to kick a ball at a FIFA World Cupâ„¢.
Named in Leo Beenhakker's provisional finals squad on 13 April, Birchall is virtually assured a spot in Germany this June. Having long since given up on dreams of playing for the country of his birth, England, the 21-year-old midfielder has somehow found his way on to the world's biggest stage with Trinidad and Tobago. And in a dramatic twist, he will get the chance to play against his beloved England this summer when the two sides meet in Group B.
Birchall's story is not the most straightforward or conventional but, as they say in his native land, it is a funny old game. In the warm-up before a Port Vale match against Wrexham in April last year, Birchall, who plays in the third tier of the English league pyramid, was approached by towering opposition centre-back Dennis Lawrence. Upon being asked to confirm his mother's birthplace, the winger's hesitant response to the unusual query was "Port of Spain, Trinidad". Big Dennis flashed a smile, walked away, and the rest is history.
After the match, the T&T centre-back put Birchall in touch with his country's football authorities and before long he found himself on a plane for Central America and FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Panama and Mexico – a long way from home in all senses for this softly-spoken Staffordshire native.
Stories of a local lad flying the flag for Port Vale in the international arena immediately saturated the newspaper columns back home. Only once had the club – who enjoy the support of pop star Robbie Williams – been able to claim a FIFA World Cup player as one of their own. And when Robbie Earle lined up for Jamaica at France 98, he had already long made the move from Vale Park to Wimbledon.
Happily Birchall's arrival in the T&T squad coincided with the hiring of Leo Beenhakker as head coach, in place of the struggling Bertille St Clair. The former Real Madrid, Ajax and Netherlands coach saw a spark in the young Englishman and immediately made him a first-team regular in a move that helped turn around the team's poor start to the final qualifying round in the North, Central American and Caribbean Zone.
Though a number of the Soca Warriors are British-born – including goalkeeper Shaka Hislop – Birchall stands out for his fair hair and pale complexion. But with eight straight starts and two goals, notably a 30-yard stunner in the decisive play-off against Bahrain, Birchall has settled quickly into the fold.
Just one of the Warriors.
Despite some initial worries, Birchall was accepted with open arms. "That was one of the main things I was worried about, but everything has been fine," said Birchall, whose Trinidad-born mother Jenny was flown out as a guest of honour by the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (TTFF) for a qualifier against Mexico. "Not only was I a white guy playing for Trinidad and Tobago but I was also from England – so that is why it has been so great the way I have been accepted. I have been to the local nightclubs and met a lot of the local people."
And when prodded about the prospect of playing in front of mammoth crowds against some of the planet's finest players – including England – at the finals, Birchall is simply moved by the enormity of it all. "I still can't believe it," said the winger, who plays in a more central role for Trinidad. "Me playing on the biggest stage against the best players in the world.
"In particular, I can't wait for the England game. I still want England to do well – if they don't knock us out. I think they have one of the best squads they have ever had and with the players they've got they could go far."
With the help of veteran coach Beenhakker, Birchall is keen on his adoptive country's chances of getting out of a tough Group B, alongside the English, Sweden and Paraguay. "I don't think anyone expected us to qualify in the first place," Birchall said.
"I think even the lads were a bit surprised but Beenhakker is not the kind of guy who is going to go anywhere just to make up the numbers. He has brought a lot of confidence to the team, so who knows? Nine times out of ten you would expect England and Sweden to get through but if we can get a point from England or Sweden then who knows what will happen?"
The energetic youngster will be expected to do the ball-winning work behind the experienced trio of Dwight Yorke, Russell Latapy and Stern John when the finals kick off on 9 June. But whatever his role, the giant arenas of Germany and the unrivalled atmosphere of a FIFA World Cup promise an experience to savour for Staffordshire's favourite Soca Warrior.
72
Football / Replica jersey size?? (Trinidad)
« on: April 13, 2006, 12:30:53 PM »
Anybody know where in trinidad yuh could get ah XXL replica jersey? 
, all Francis fashion have is XL, & L.. and they say the running out of the Red jersey
, all Francis fashion have is XL, & L.. and they say the running out of the Red jersey
73
Football / Shaka, between the stick for awhile, but he has to compete for it.
« on: March 03, 2006, 09:36:26 AM »74
Football / Life is strange
« on: February 17, 2006, 06:51:42 PM »
4 years ago, ah wanted a England replica jersey bad, bad bad..
This year ah want to bun it....
This year ah want to bun it....
75
Football / Shaka between the sticks !!!
« on: January 26, 2006, 06:14:13 PM »
Just saw on FSC that carroll out with a back injury, Good news for Shaka
76
Football / Any more (latest) news about Yorke and Stern transfers?
« on: December 24, 2005, 07:51:56 AM »
Is yorke moving to Falkirk, did Conventry tell John to ¨go to France¨??
77
2006 World Cup - Germany / World Cup packages from Soccer Travel
« on: December 20, 2005, 09:12:30 AM »78
2006 World Cup - Germany / Use your UNC party card for package discount
« on: December 14, 2005, 02:28:18 PM »
ah wonder if that is possible???, $30000 is kinda steep, when the most expensive game ticket is 100 euros or about $700 TT.... Thats ($3000) cost doesnt include flights
80
Football / Which Trinidad-born player has played in the World Cup?
« on: November 18, 2005, 03:54:58 PM »
Name the Trinidad born footballer who played in a world cup torny, which country did he represent?
81
Football / Scotland Vs Trinidad... (remember this report ????)
« on: October 26, 2005, 07:43:30 AM »
This article appeared in The Scotsman on 1st June 2004
Scotland 4 Trinidad and Tobago 1
by Stephen Halliday
IN ACHIEVING his biggest win as Scotland manager yesterday, Berti Vogts also erased any lingering doubts that he will remain in charge of the country for the start of the 2006 World Cup qualifying campaign.
If an outstanding first-half performance by the Scots had to be measured alongside the lamentable standard of opponents who at times looked as if they had been imported from a Sunday morning pub league at Leith Links, this was nonetheless as encouraging an exercise as the German coach has overseen in his 26 months in charge.
It was Scotland's biggest victory since San Marino were defeated 4-0 at Hampden three years ago and would have been even more convincing if the home team's strikers had not missed a handful of chances. As it was, all four goals came from midfielders in a blistering 28-minute period of the first half. The magnificent Darren Fletcher set the home side on their way, his lead followed by Gary Holt, Gary Caldwell and Nigel Quashie who all claimed their first goals for their country.
Quashie has emerged from the close season friendlies as something of a find for Vogts, the powerful Portsmouth player even earning a chorus of "You're not English anymore" from the appreciative Tartan Army.
While it would be foolish to be seduced by victories over Estonia and Trinidad & Tobago into believing Scotland can now storm through their World Cup qualifying group, the prospects of earning a place in Germany two years from now do not appear quite so distant.
The level of Scotland's display dipped considerably after the break, perhaps understandably so, and Birmingham City striker Stern John recorded a consolation strike for the visitors who, it is safe to presume, won't be among the qualifiers for the 2006 extravaganza.
The porous nature of the Trinidad and Tobago defence was evidenced after just three minutes when Stevie Crawford sprang a risible offside trap to latch onto Fletcher's first piercing pass of the afternoon, but could only drive his shot straight at goalkeeper Clayton Ince.
It was already abundantly clear that Scotland were facing opponents who afforded them a rare opportunity to achieve a convincing victory. No matter the weakness of the Caribbean side, however, the home players take full credit for the way they took them apart with some incisive, eye-catching football.
The sixth-minute opener was created by James McFadden and finished by Fletcher, a combination who offer so much encouragement for the future. The former displayed terrific technique and admirable composure to hold the ball up in the penalty area before slipping a reverse pass into the path of the latter. Fletcher has yet to open his goal account at club level, a remarkable statistic when you witness the precise, low right-foot finish which arrowed across Ince's body into the keeper's right hand corner.
Save for a heart-fluttering moment when Craig Gordon almost marked his debut with an own goal, miscuing Malky Mackay's overhit backpass before rescuing the situation on the line, there was nothing to concern the Scots during a first half which bordered on fantasy football by their standards under Vogts.
Fletcher, at the hub of everything good about it, created the second goal with a typically perceptive cross from the right which picked out Holt's run through the inside left channel. The Norwich City midfielder threw himself bravely at the ball, the pain of his collision with Ince compensated by his first goal for Scotland nestling in the corner of the net.
Scotland, playing with vigour and verve, looked likely to score with every attack against opponents hopelessly off the pace in the first period. For a team with so much height in central defence, Trinidad and Tobago were remarkably suspect at cross balls and dreadful marking from Marvin Andrews & Co allowed Gary Caldwell to bundle home Fletcher's inswinging corner to put the Scots 3-0 up after just 23 minutes.
The impressive Easter Road turnout hardly knew how to react to such unaccustomed circumstances but were soon savouring an even rosier picture. Not since 1976, when Finland were crushed 6-0 at Hampden, had a Scotland side scored four times in the first half of an international. The feat was emulated 11 minutes from the interval with Fletcher involved yet again.
He set Crawford, who seconds earlier had missed a good chance from 14 yards, clear through the middle and the striker's shot was blocked by Ince. With the visiting defence in disarray, the ball broke to Quashie who drilled it low and hard into the gaping net from 20 yards.
Vogts used five substitutes in the second half, Brian Kerr impressing as a replacement for Holt, but Scotland were unable to maintain their frenetic first-half momentum. Trinidad and Tobago, by contrast, effected a considerable improvement and scored a terrific goal in 55 minutes when John lashed home a Carlos Edwards cross from around 14 yards.
McFadden missed a simple opportunity to grab the goal his all round play deserved shortly afterwards, but only the most churlish would have found fault with Scotland's efforts on a day which ensured Vogts and his players can enjoy their summer after an often wretched campaign.
Scotland 4 Trinidad and Tobago 1
by Stephen Halliday
IN ACHIEVING his biggest win as Scotland manager yesterday, Berti Vogts also erased any lingering doubts that he will remain in charge of the country for the start of the 2006 World Cup qualifying campaign.
If an outstanding first-half performance by the Scots had to be measured alongside the lamentable standard of opponents who at times looked as if they had been imported from a Sunday morning pub league at Leith Links, this was nonetheless as encouraging an exercise as the German coach has overseen in his 26 months in charge.
It was Scotland's biggest victory since San Marino were defeated 4-0 at Hampden three years ago and would have been even more convincing if the home team's strikers had not missed a handful of chances. As it was, all four goals came from midfielders in a blistering 28-minute period of the first half. The magnificent Darren Fletcher set the home side on their way, his lead followed by Gary Holt, Gary Caldwell and Nigel Quashie who all claimed their first goals for their country.
Quashie has emerged from the close season friendlies as something of a find for Vogts, the powerful Portsmouth player even earning a chorus of "You're not English anymore" from the appreciative Tartan Army.
While it would be foolish to be seduced by victories over Estonia and Trinidad & Tobago into believing Scotland can now storm through their World Cup qualifying group, the prospects of earning a place in Germany two years from now do not appear quite so distant.
The level of Scotland's display dipped considerably after the break, perhaps understandably so, and Birmingham City striker Stern John recorded a consolation strike for the visitors who, it is safe to presume, won't be among the qualifiers for the 2006 extravaganza.
The porous nature of the Trinidad and Tobago defence was evidenced after just three minutes when Stevie Crawford sprang a risible offside trap to latch onto Fletcher's first piercing pass of the afternoon, but could only drive his shot straight at goalkeeper Clayton Ince.
It was already abundantly clear that Scotland were facing opponents who afforded them a rare opportunity to achieve a convincing victory. No matter the weakness of the Caribbean side, however, the home players take full credit for the way they took them apart with some incisive, eye-catching football.
The sixth-minute opener was created by James McFadden and finished by Fletcher, a combination who offer so much encouragement for the future. The former displayed terrific technique and admirable composure to hold the ball up in the penalty area before slipping a reverse pass into the path of the latter. Fletcher has yet to open his goal account at club level, a remarkable statistic when you witness the precise, low right-foot finish which arrowed across Ince's body into the keeper's right hand corner.
Save for a heart-fluttering moment when Craig Gordon almost marked his debut with an own goal, miscuing Malky Mackay's overhit backpass before rescuing the situation on the line, there was nothing to concern the Scots during a first half which bordered on fantasy football by their standards under Vogts.
Fletcher, at the hub of everything good about it, created the second goal with a typically perceptive cross from the right which picked out Holt's run through the inside left channel. The Norwich City midfielder threw himself bravely at the ball, the pain of his collision with Ince compensated by his first goal for Scotland nestling in the corner of the net.
Scotland, playing with vigour and verve, looked likely to score with every attack against opponents hopelessly off the pace in the first period. For a team with so much height in central defence, Trinidad and Tobago were remarkably suspect at cross balls and dreadful marking from Marvin Andrews & Co allowed Gary Caldwell to bundle home Fletcher's inswinging corner to put the Scots 3-0 up after just 23 minutes.
The impressive Easter Road turnout hardly knew how to react to such unaccustomed circumstances but were soon savouring an even rosier picture. Not since 1976, when Finland were crushed 6-0 at Hampden, had a Scotland side scored four times in the first half of an international. The feat was emulated 11 minutes from the interval with Fletcher involved yet again.
He set Crawford, who seconds earlier had missed a good chance from 14 yards, clear through the middle and the striker's shot was blocked by Ince. With the visiting defence in disarray, the ball broke to Quashie who drilled it low and hard into the gaping net from 20 yards.
Vogts used five substitutes in the second half, Brian Kerr impressing as a replacement for Holt, but Scotland were unable to maintain their frenetic first-half momentum. Trinidad and Tobago, by contrast, effected a considerable improvement and scored a terrific goal in 55 minutes when John lashed home a Carlos Edwards cross from around 14 yards.
McFadden missed a simple opportunity to grab the goal his all round play deserved shortly afterwards, but only the most churlish would have found fault with Scotland's efforts on a day which ensured Vogts and his players can enjoy their summer after an often wretched campaign.