More matches will aid the development – Rijsbergen

[Flex]

More matches will aid the development – Rijsbergen.
By: Shaun Fuentes.[/size]

National team head coach Wim Rijsbergen may have identified a few new faces that he can develop for future first team selections as this country looks ahead to upcoming CONCACAF Gold Cup and 2010 World Cup challenges as this country came off a 2-0 defeat to Japan in Tokyo on Wednesday.
Rijsbergen, in his first game at the helm, saw a T&T outfit, minus more than half of his regular players who featured in the 2006 World Cup, hold its own for an entire second half despite having conceded two early goals.
And the Dutchman has already signaled his intentions to continue working with the home-based pros.
Speaking after the defeat, he admitted that there was much work to be done to bring the team up to competitive standard at the world level but felt there were some positive signs.
“You saw that they played a better second half than the first and obviously that is something positive that we can build on. We came here with several players from the Pro League and we knew it would be difficult because the Japanese League is older and is played at a higher level than the T&T competition. But we have some good players and we will now try to work with them,” Rijsbergen told TTFF Media.
“I want to congratulate Mr Osim and his team because it was a good result for them. For our players, it was a very good opportunity to see football on an international level. We had a better second half and we tried to play football and they will bring them back to their local clubs.”
When asked what were his instructions at the break, he replied “It took a long while for our guys to adjust to the good midfield movement of the Japan team. The speed of these guys and movement in between players is a little bit higher than ours. I told them that if they couldn’t keep up with the pace at least they had to communicate more and work harder and that paid off for us to some extent in the second half. Now we will hope to practice that a bit more in our game.
“If we continue to play against these kind of teams it will be a big help for us and that’s the reality of the game,” Rijsbergen added.
The team, with Evans Wise returning to Germany and Avery John back to America, will arrive home in two groups on Thursday and Friday and will now look ahead to the next international friendly against Mexico in Port of Spain on September 2 which falls on a FIFA date and will mean that some of this country’s World Cup players will be available for selection. The focus switches next week to the T&T Under 16s who will contest the CFU Under 16 Youth Cup which is the first leg of qualification for Korea FIFA Under 17 World Championship 2007.

[TrinInfinite]

watch and see de locals give dem foreign based a run for their money, if we had touissant, tinto, marcano and also noray on the squad, it would have been a diff story with jaggy and pacheco starting

[Jah Gol]

“I want to congratulate Mr Osim and his team because it was a good result for them. For our players, it was a very good opportunity to see football on an international level. We had a better second half and we tried to play football and they will bring them back to their local clubs.”
When asked what were his instructions at the break, he replied “It took a long while for our guys to adjust to the good midfield movement of the Japan team. The speed of these guys and movement in between players is a little bit higher than ours. I told them that if they couldn’t keep up with the pace at least they had to communicate more and work harder and that paid off for us to some extent in the second half. Now we will hope to practice that a bit more in our game.
“If we continue to play against these kind of teams it will be a big help for us and that’s the reality of the game,” Rijsbergen added.

This comes from an emphasis on athletic development and consistently high competitive play. Corneal said at the symposium that Pro League team need to improve in speed and general fitness to give our players a better chance at making the transition into International football successfully. The World Cup was very good for us but we need to work on our weaknesses to become more competitive.

[kicker]

It seems to me that the speed and intensity of int'l football is just beyond T&T right now (always has been I guess).

What do we think needs to be done to remedy this ?

Is it that our boys lack the full range of sound technique ? i.e. Is it a series of poor first touches, less than firm and sharp passes & inaccurate delivery that collectively work to slow down our game. Do we have to slow the game down for it to resemble an organized football match because our technical ability is so poor that at an intense pace, our football would resemble a rec league brawl ?

Is it the climate that we play in ? Are we just incapable of playing at the intensity of modern day football in 90 degree weather ?

Is it a lack of physical conditioning ? Do our players just lack the physical ability to withstand the rigors of intense football for 90 mins ?

Is it our players' decision making ability & off the ball movement ? Do we lack local coaches who can organize a unit that moves off the ball cohesively in order to facilitate quick decisions and execution..

Is it a combo of all these and more ?....and if so, what more ?

What's the answer ? because we're behind the curve, and this aspect of the game always seems to be the glaring difference between us and where we're supposed to be. Lemme hear allyuh...

[Jah Gol]

It seems to me that the speed and intensity of int'l football is just beyond T&T right now (always has been I guess).

What do we think needs to be done to remedy this ?

Is it that our boys lack the full range of sound technique ? i.e. Is it a series of poor first touches, less than firm and sharp passes & inaccurate delivery that collectively work to slow down our game. Do we have to slow the game down for it to resemble an organized football match because our technical ability is so poor that at an intense pace, our football would resemble a rec league brawl ?

Is it the climate that we play in ? Are we just incapable of playing at the intensity of modern day football in 90 degree weather ?

Is it a lack of physical conditioning ? Do our players just lack the physical ability to withstand the rigors of intense football for 90 mins ?

Is it our players' decision making ability & off the ball movement ? Do we lack local coaches who can organize a unit that moves off the ball cohesively in order to facilitate quick decisions and execution..

Is it a combo of all these and more ?....and if so, what more ?

What's the answer ? because we're behind the curve, and this aspect of the game always seems to be the glaring difference between us and where we're supposed to be. Lemme hear allyuh...

Its a combination of all these factors. I remember looking at the Trinidad and Tobago Mexico game in the semi final round of qualifying- Mexico won 3-1. I observed that no only were the Mexicans able match and surpass our physical speed but a superior touch enabled more time to make a better decision.  We were taking 2-3 touches to control while the Mexican touch 1 and worst case scenario 2 touches. As I said we need to look at our weaknesses and try to create systems to improve them. Its a good thing that we have a good techical staff to oversee that development.

[daryn]

It seems to me that the speed and intensity of int'l football is just beyond T&T right now (always has been I guess).

when you say T&T, you mean players playing in the PFL?  or all of our footballers? just trying to understand the question 

[kicker]

It seems to me that the speed and intensity of int'l football is just beyond T&T right now (always has been I guess).

when you say T&T, you mean players playing in the PFL?  or all of our footballers? just trying to understand the question 

it pertains more to local football.....but it overflows into our Nat'l team even when we have all our foreign based players put together....we (in general) still seem to struggle with the pace of the game.

[Trini _2026]

watch and see de locals give dem foreign based a run for their money, if we had touissant, tinto, marcano and also noray on the squad, it would have been a diff story with jaggy and pacheco starting

what make you come to that conclusion? oh gosh and tinito dont even start fuh he club

[Filho]

Kicker

I think the T&T players have decent technique, but it could improve. On the senior team I have noticed much improved mental concentration, and composure against faster opponents. ....But our range of passing and shooting seems limited compared to the elite teams.

We also need to let the ball do more work. In the WC, the Paraguayans could string together 10 passes with composure against us- all one touch. We didn't really do that, even when we dominated the game. Most likely we need players to make quicker decisions, facilitated by better off the ball movement.

I also think we do not focus enough of fitness, nutrition and mental preparation. One reason why Klinnsman took an average German team to the WC semis was because he had them fitter than anyone else. When your technique is not the best, fitness makes up for it. Everyone on our team supposed to be moving like Yorkie

But these things will improve with greater international exposure at the club and national level and across all age groups. We also need coaches who are fully invested in the development of T&T football from top to bottom who are in tune with the most modern and effective coaching techniques. Finally, we need to improve the incentives for local footabllers to improve their own standards. And not just money....Sad to say, but our local players are not under enough pressure to win. I think the best players in the world are the ones who face intense scrutiny and are incentivized to play the games of their lives week in week out. All in all though..we seem to be heading in the right direction....my 2 cents

[100% Barataria]

It seems to me that the speed and intensity of int'l football is just beyond T&T right now (always has been I guess).

when you say T&T, you mean players playing in the PFL?  or all of our footballers? just trying to understand the question 

it pertains more to local football.....but it overflows into our Nat'l team even when we have all our foreign based players put together....we (in general) still seem to struggle with the pace of the game.

Agreed (and w/Filho's comments as well), I think our culture plays a roll here too, when locals play abroad in more demanding leagues it takes some adjustment, we are still very much at heart a laid back people...

[Marcos]

I doh tink fitness is an issue, at least not the biggest issue.
We conceded early goasl in this one and actually improved in the 2nd half so i would say our fitness was sufficient.
i think we don't move off the ball well. also there often seems to be no chemistry between our players, particularly strikers. daz why usually only one shines

[TrinInfinite]

watch and see de locals give dem foreign based a run for their money, if we had touissant, tinto, marcano and also noray on the squad, it would have been a diff story with jaggy and pacheco starting

what make you come to that conclusion? oh gosh and tinito dont even start fuh he club

if you ever saw dem play or heard about dem bredda, u wouldnt ask me those questions, there wouldnt be a doubt in your mind....

It seems to me that the speed and intensity of int'l football is just beyond T&T right now (always has been I guess).

What do we think needs to be done to remedy this ?

Is it that our boys lack the full range of sound technique ? i.e. Is it a series of poor first touches, less than firm and sharp passes & inaccurate delivery that collectively work to slow down our game. Do we have to slow the game down for it to resemble an organized football match because our technical ability is so poor that at an intense pace, our football would resemble a rec league brawl ?

Is it the climate that we play in ? Are we just incapable of playing at the intensity of modern day football in 90 degree weather ?

Is it a lack of physical conditioning ? Do our players just lack the physical ability to withstand the rigors of intense football for 90 mins ?

Is it our players' decision making ability & off the ball movement ? Do we lack local coaches who can organize a unit that moves off the ball cohesively in order to facilitate quick decisions and execution..

Is it a combo of all these and more ?....and if so, what more ?

What's the answer ? because we're behind the curve, and this aspect of the game always seems to be the glaring difference between us and where we're supposed to be. Lemme hear allyuh...

kicker you bring up a good point, but win said they are just above us, by no means is it glearing in comparison but i think it is the fitness and training regime in the pro league, it needs to lifted a notch, i dont think we players have a problem with the speed of the game, i think they need to train at that speed and get fit enough to handle that speed,  but with the right training and fitness regimes implemented, we will run circles around them teams, bc we as a people have natural athletes and runners.

[daryn]

It seems to me that the speed and intensity of int'l football is just beyond T&T right now (always has been I guess).

when you say T&T, you mean players playing in the PFL?  or all of our footballers? just trying to understand the question 

it pertains more to local football.....but it overflows into our Nat'l team even when we have all our foreign based players put together....we (in general) still seem to struggle with the pace of the game.

well, it's all a cycle.  It might sound trivial but you get better by playing with and against better players/coaches.  Our local league is inferior because our best players (not necessarily the men with the most natural ability) play abroad for the most part.  upcoming talented players take longer to reach their potential playing against this weaker competition so they move abroad relatively late in their playing careers (Josh Johnson is 24 and is just now getting an opportunity to play 4th division football with Wrexham).  that in turn hinders their ability to reach top-flight leagues before their career is over.

very few of our foreign-based play or have played at a level comparable to international football in their club careers, so its not a surprise that the problem still exists when they come back home.  basically when you see a T&T team on the field against high-level competition they just not accustomed to playing on that level.

[ironman]

Good topic,I remember once Alex Ferguson said that Raul was one of the fastest footballers on the planet,not physical speed but speed of play which comes back to speed of thought.which is not a part of our footballing culture.Last night I looked at W Connection vs Army and one player Hugton Hector is one of the quickest thinking players in the Pro League but in local terms he "eh so Hot" so it is a culture thing.The physical part I could say that North East,Connection and Jabloteh fitness seem to be second to none.
  If speed was physical and not technical look how Concacaf might look
1.Jamaica
2. T&T
3. St Kitts
4Honduras

Catch my drift?

[TrinInfinite]

Good topic,I remember once Alex Ferguson said that Raul was one of the fastest footballers on the planet,not physical speed but speed of play which comes back to speed of thought.which is not a part of our footballing culture.Last night I looked at W Connection vs Army and one player Hugton Hector is one of the quickest thinking players in the Pro League but in local terms he "eh so Hot" so it is a culture thing.The physical part I could say that North East,Connection and Jabloteh fitness seem to be second to none.
  If speed was physical and not technical look how Concacaf might look
1.Jamaica
2. T&T
3. St Kitts
4Honduras

Catch my drift?

switch that to tt first then ja second, bc yard players are not faster than our players padnah

[Trini _2026]

watch and see de locals give dem foreign based a run for their money, if we had touissant, tinto, marcano and also noray on the squad, it would have been a diff story with jaggy and pacheco starting

what make you come to that conclusion? oh gosh and tinito dont even start fuh he club

if you ever saw dem play or heard about dem bredda, u wouldnt ask me those questions, there wouldnt be a doubt in your mind....

So i only   hearing about them now  is what you saying   yuh still aint say what /how they would have made a big difference . So yuh saying Pacheo(first cap) better than avery john marcano would have done better that wise? .

 jagdeo tinto . the only players  you could talk about maybe dey  is toussaint and noray

Yuh know say what yuh want  i juss suprise yuh eh say hardest...

[Tenorsaw]

We going to be alright with Whim.  He is taking the right approach.  Lets deal with the wound and not put bandages on it.  We have an aging player pool that will be exposed very soon, and there needs to be a stronger local pool.  We can't look at the results right now, unless it looks like we're regressing.  A local bunch with so many debutantes playing in front of 50,000 in Japan, had a very solid second half.  Looks like the dogged determination that we had in Germany has not faded.  That is what we need from men that will now wear the uniform. 

[saga pinto]

Kicker

I think the T&T players have decent technique, but it could improve. On the senior team I have noticed much improved mental concentration, and composure against faster opponents. ....But our range of passing and shooting seems limited compared to the elite teams.

We also need to let the ball do more work. In the WC, the Paraguayans could string together 10 passes with composure against us- all one touch. We didn't really do that, even when we dominated the game. Most likely we need players to make quicker decisions, facilitated by better off the ball movement.

I also think we do not focus enough of fitness, nutrition and mental preparation. One reason why Klinnsman took an average German team to the WC semis was because he had them fitter than anyone else. When your technique is not the best, fitness makes up for it. Everyone on our team supposed to be moving like Yorkie

But these things will improve with greater international exposure at the club and national level and across all age groups. We also need coaches who are fully invested in the development of T&T football from top to bottom who are in tune with the most modern and effective coaching techniques. Finally, we need to improve the incentives for local footabllers to improve their own standards. And not just money....Sad to say, but our local players are not under enough pressure to win. I think the best players in the world are the ones who face intense scrutiny and are incentivized to play the games of their lives week in week out. All in all though..we seem to be heading in the right direction....my 2 cents

But the real question is,can we accomplish all the above in 4 years.................

[Midknight]

Good topic,I remember once Alex Ferguson said that Raul was one of the fastest footballers on the planet,not physical speed but speed of play which comes back to speed of thought.which is not a part of our footballing culture.Last night I looked at W Connection vs Army and one player Hugton Hector is one of the quickest thinking players in the Pro League but in local terms he "eh so Hot" so it is a culture thing.The physical part I could say that North East,Connection and Jabloteh fitness seem to be second to none.
  If speed was physical and not technical look how Concacaf might look
1.Jamaica
2. T&T
3. St Kitts
4Honduras

Catch my drift?

switch that to tt first then ja second, bc yard players are not faster than our players padnah

maybe not, but their sprinters on the other hand...

btw ironman i miss the reference to honduras 

[che]

watch and see de locals give dem foreign based a run for their money, if we had touissant, tinto, marcano and also noray on the squad, it would have been a diff story with jaggy and pacheco starting

And Hardest

[trini supporter]

All of this starts with the very low quality of our local league if our players are accustomed playing at  that pedestrian pace and for those players to come and play at a much faster pace at international level its like asking them to do the impossible . That is why we lost today it was our local players versus Japans local players and although Japans league is not the best it is by far better than ours!!!

[marcpurcell]

This a decent start to the rebuilding effort. There are many areas to improve upon but it is a good start.

[takenoprisoners]

It seems to me that the speed and intensity of int'l football is just beyond T&T right now (always has been I guess).

when you say T&T, you mean players playing in the PFL?  or all of our footballers? just trying to understand the question 

it pertains more to local football.....but it overflows into our Nat'l team even when we have all our foreign based players put together....we (in general) still seem to struggle with the pace of the game.

well, it's all a cycle.  It might sound trivial but you get better by playing with and against better players/coaches.  Our local league is inferior because our best players (not necessarily the men with the most natural ability) play abroad for the most part.  upcoming talented players take longer to reach their potential playing against this weaker competition so they move abroad relatively late in their playing careers (Josh Johnson is 24 and is just now getting an opportunity to play 4th division football with Wrexham).  that in turn hinders their ability to reach top-flight leagues before their career is over.

very few of our foreign-based play or have played at a level comparable to international football in their club careers, so its not a surprise that the problem still exists when they come back home.  basically when you see a T&T team on the field against high-level competition they just not accustomed to playing on that level.

" The speed and the intensity of international football is just beyond T&T right now".   This  could possibly be due to the reasons stated in the above post. Players become conditioned to the level of competition they face over time. If we are exposed to mediocre competition we will play to that level, if we are exposed to superior competition our game would be raised naturally. Our U-16 are our most precious asset we should ensure they play at a higher level by meeting quality competition. Hopefully we are on the right track with Wim.

[TrinInfinite]

Good topic,I remember once Alex Ferguson said that Raul was one of the fastest footballers on the planet,not physical speed but speed of play which comes back to speed of thought.which is not a part of our footballing culture.Last night I looked at W Connection vs Army and one player Hugton Hector is one of the quickest thinking players in the Pro League but in local terms he "eh so Hot" so it is a culture thing.The physical part I could say that North East,Connection and Jabloteh fitness seem to be second to none.
  If speed was physical and not technical look how Concacaf might look
1.Jamaica
2. T&T
3. St Kitts
4Honduras

Catch my drift?

switch that to tt first then ja second, bc yard players are not faster than our players padnah

stewpsssssss yuh really have shit for brains awa?


ask Ato Bolden heself if yuh want.... Yardies dem is de farstest people in de world dem pipers always runnin from sometin since small...

I hate yardies and I still could say on an average they are generally faster than us... stewps... everybody know dat.

what de hell u know about football? look nah de only board u could comment on with yuh johnny come lately self is cricket, football u have no talk, yuh feel bc ur roots is from england yuh know football, schupsss, haul yuh ass nah bredda, i have a footballing history in my family that surpasses yours, so bow and humble yourself and stop talking shit, go and comment about 20/20 cricket where yuh know what yuh talking about dwen

[TrinInfinite]

Good topic,I remember once Alex Ferguson said that Raul was one of the fastest footballers on the planet,not physical speed but speed of play which comes back to speed of thought.which is not a part of our footballing culture.Last night I looked at W Connection vs Army and one player Hugton Hector is one of the quickest thinking players in the Pro League but in local terms he "eh so Hot" so it is a culture thing.The physical part I could say that North East,Connection and Jabloteh fitness seem to be second to none.
  If speed was physical and not technical look how Concacaf might look
1.Jamaica
2. T&T
3. St Kitts
4Honduras

Catch my drift?

switch that to tt first then ja second, bc yard players are not faster than our players padnah

stewpsssssss yuh really have shit for brains awa?


ask Ato Bolden heself if yuh want.... Yardies dem is de farstest people in de world dem pipers always runnin from sometin since small...

I hate yardies and I still could say on an average they are generally faster than us... stewps... everybody know dat.

what de hell u know about football? look nah de only board u could comment on with yuh johnny come lately self is cricket, football u have no talk, yuh feel bc ur roots is from england yuh know football, schupsss, haul yuh ass nah bredda, i have a footballing history in my family that surpasses yours, so bow and humble yourself and stop talking shit, go and comment about 20/20 cricket where yuh know what yuh talking about dwen

stewps... I doh give ah two flyin f**k who yuh family is.

do unto others as you have dem do unto you, i dont expect a sodomite like yourself to have respect, especially u, people must respect you forceripe, but u decide who u respect, i know your kind

[rippin]

Fellas it have entertaining banter and then it have what all yuh does do. PM each other na. If you giving pecong is one thing. That is a cool scene but the outright insults make you both seem immature.

What we need is to have JA send down their best Pro team. Invite one from Venezuela and some where else and have a lil home and away session every year. Till we could ress some level blows on these teams we will always have problems.

Does the Jamaican league run concurrent with PFL? If not some of our boys need to go JA and get a  little sweat. When blade start to pass the mental quickness will have no choise to get better.

[Jefferz]

Fellas it have entertaining banter and then it have what all yuh does do. PM each other na. If you giving pecong is one thing. That is a cool scene but the outright insults make you both seem immature.

What we need is to have JA send down their best Pro team. Invite one from Venezuela and some where else and have a lil home and away session every year. Till we could ress some level blows on these teams we will always have problems.

Does the Jamaican league run concurrent with PFL? If not some of our boys need to go JA and get a  little sweat. When blade start to pass the mental quickness will have no choise to get better.

your right i was wrong to act so childishly... my apologies.

[berris]

Fellas it have entertaining banter and then it have what all yuh does do. PM each other na. If you giving pecong is one thing. That is a cool scene but the outright insults make you both seem immature.

What we need is to have JA send down their best Pro team. Invite one from Venezuela and some where else and have a lil home and away session every year. Till we could ress some level blows on these teams we will always have problems.

Does the Jamaican league run concurrent with PFL? If not some of our boys need to go JA and get a  little sweat. When blade start to pass the mental quickness will have no choise to get better.

your right i was wrong to act so childishly... my apologies.

Jefferz yuh have nuttin to apologize for when yuh talking to TrinIlliterate(ti)
yuh eh act chidlishly yuh talk yuh mind and call it like it is, de only ting I vex bout is yuh just eh come out and tell him to go F%$k heself.

[Jefferz]

Fellas it have entertaining banter and then it have what all yuh does do. PM each other na. If you giving pecong is one thing. That is a cool scene but the outright insults make you both seem immature.

What we need is to have JA send down their best Pro team. Invite one from Venezuela and some where else and have a lil home and away session every year. Till we could ress some level blows on these teams we will always have problems.

Does the Jamaican league run concurrent with PFL? If not some of our boys need to go JA and get a  little sweat. When blade start to pass the mental quickness will have no choise to get better.

your right i was wrong to act so childishly... my apologies.

Jefferz yuh have nuttin to apologize for when yuh talking to TrinIlliterate(ti)
yuh eh act chidlishly yuh talk yuh mind and call it like it is, de only ting I vex bout is yuh just eh come out and tell him to go F%$k heself.

well ah figure that was alittle cruel seeing as he already have one Hardest bullin him...

[takenoprisoners]

It seems to me that the speed and intensity of int'l football is just beyond T&T right now (always has been I guess).

What do we think needs to be done to remedy this ?

Is it that our boys lack the full range of sound technique ? i.e. Is it a series of poor first touches, less than firm and sharp passes & inaccurate delivery that collectively work to slow down our game. Do we have to slow the game down for it to resemble an organized football match because our technical ability is so poor that at an intense pace, our football would resemble a rec league brawl ?

Is it the climate that we play in ? Are we just incapable of playing at the intensity of modern day football in 90 degree weather ?

Is it a lack of physical conditioning ? Do our players just lack the physical ability to withstand the rigors of intense football for 90 mins ?

Is it our players' decision making ability & off the ball movement ? Do we lack local coaches who can organize a unit that moves off the ball cohesively in order to facilitate quick decisions and execution..

Is it a combo of all these and more ?....and if so, what more ?

What's the answer ? because we're behind the curve, and this aspect of the game always seems to be the glaring difference between us and where we're supposed to be. Lemme hear allyuh...

Kicker,
Looks like Lincoln made the same observation in 2004. Interesting answer to your question.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

TTFF grooming Under 15s for 2007.

By: Shaun Fuentes.
30-Oct-2004 - The Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation technical department spearheaded by Technical Director Lincoln Phillips and Director of Youth development Anton Corneal have commenced screening sessions for players in the Under 15 and Under 13 age groups for national team selection in 2006 and beyond.
While the focus currently is with the senior team’s “Journey to Germany” for the 2006 World Cup, Phillips stressed on Friday that it was equally important that the country also place focus on the development of upcoming players.
“The 2006 World Cup in Germany is not the last World Cup to be played,” Phillips told TTFF Media. “While we are aiming to get there and we are anticipating a most exciting year with the final round coming up, we also need to place the emphasis on developing our younger players and preparing our Under 20 and Under 15 teams.”
The current National Under 20 and Under 17 teams are preparing for Caribbean Football Union leg world qualifiers against Cuba next month and Corneal, who is also the National Under 20 coach, has commenced screening for younger players who will be eligible for representing T&T at the Under 20 and under 17 levels by 2007. That year will see the Under 20 World Cup hosted by Canada while the Under 17 championship will also be played then in an unnamed country.
“These are the development teams for 2007. We are in the process of discovering and selecting players who by the ages of 12 are talented and have a good eye for the game. We can then build on their skill and appreciation for the game while also improving on their fitness and speed,” Phillips explained.
The first screening session at the Hasely Crawford Stadium last week conducted by Corneal attracted some 150 youngsters and regional teams will be set up for future matches and other scouting opportunities.
Phillips mentioned that it was obvious that more work needs to be done at the lower age group levels to correct some of the technical faults among many of the upcoming players.
“We have to catch them at an early age. We have to increase their speed drastically if we are to fulfill our true potential on the pitch. We definitely play too slow at times. The reason for us not able to play the ball quickly and fluently, based on my observations at sessions throughout the country so far this year, is because we spend too much time on static skills. We therefore need to be more dynamic and more fluent.We have to be able to possess the ball really well…. get that sophisticated first touch and develop proper individual and group defending. Hence the reason for us to work at it from an early age. Anton has done a wonderful job so far, taking the initiative when the monies are not as sufficient as we would like and really push forward the work with the various zones,” Phillip said.
Meantime, the women are not to be left out as National Women’s team coach Jamal Shabazz will conduct screening sessions this Sunday from 9am at the University of the West Indies, St Augustine for players born on or after January 1, 1987. This is being done towards selection for the Women’s Under