Romany: No good knocking Pro League.
By: Kern De Freitas (Express).[/size]
The locally-based Soca Warriors' biggest problem is not the level of football they play, but their lack of exposure.
That is the view of T&T Pro League chairman Larry Romany, as he responded to statements by national coach Wim Rijsbergen following a disappointing performance in two friendly internationals in Central America, where T&T were beaten 2-1 by Panama and 4-0 by Costa Rica.
Romany felt it was unrealistic to expect emphatic wins from the new blood of the Warriors.
"I find it difficult to believe that we would be going to Panama and Costa Rica expecting to win this match easily," he told the Express.
Romany also admitted the Pro League is not at the highest international standard.
"I don't think it is any surprise that the team (of Pro League players) is not up to the (English) Premiership standard, or (Spanish) La Liga standard," he said, though he felt Rijsbergen might have "specific expectations" of his players.
"I don't know if a lot of these players can make the next step," Rijsbergen had exclaimed following the loss to the Costa Rican "Ticos".
The Dutchman also said he was not looking for the players to be used as "training partners", concluding: "If they drop back in the same speed and the same level in the Pro League, they will probably never make the difference."
But Romany felt that public criticism of the team's shortcomings would not solve any of their current problems.
"He (Rijsbergen) could make some suggestions to the Pro League as to what could be done," the T&T Olympic Committee president said, "instead of making a carte blanche statement about the level of players in the Pro League."
Contributing to the poor performances by the national team, he felt, was also the fact that some of the T&T-based players were unavailable to Rijsbergen, due to a "legal entanglement with the Pro League".
Romany said: "I don't see anything good coming out of his criticising the League without meeting with the League and coaches to discuss what can be done."
He pointed out, however, that some international exposure might help some of those problems.
"I think that any time you have the national team in training for 2010, I would have imagined the coach would schedule a game every month leading up to that. You are only as good as the people that you play against."
He further expressed the opinion that the Pro League players needed to be placed in a more competitive environment to determine whether they can rise to the "next level".
"If we are talking fitness, then by doing so (criticising), you are just selling guns to the Indians. You are telling the opposition how to play us," Romany concluded.
World class tools needed.
...for world class standards.
In his thought provoking book entitled ‘You are What you Think,’ David Stoop made the point that whenever we become angry, we have initial feelings of hurt, frustration, or implied threat, that we need to pay attention to.
But when we get over those initial feelings and still feel angry, it is because we are making demands on another person or situation. The basic word at the root cause of anger is the word should.
The “shoulds” reflect a demand. Stoop believes that placing demands on people are irrational, for at least three reasons.
(1) It makes us angry about something that has already happened (2) it makes us confront our own helplessness and (3) it engenders resistance.
Following the young and inexperienced Soca Warriors, 4 – nil thrashing at the feet of Costa Rica, Stoop came to mind as I read post match comments attributed to coach Wim Risjbergen and his assistant Anton Corneal.
Both men were quoted as coming down very hard on local based players and the T&T Pro League. On the credit side, it is evident that both men consider the local professional football league a vital cog in the success or failure of the national team.
I wonder though what yard stick or context is Risjbergen and Corneal using to place demands that are appropriate in Holland, Italy, Spain, England, France and Brazil to name a few, where the football pedigree and infrastructure is iconic.
The T&T Pro League on the other hand, a mere babe in comparison, now in the embryonic stages of its incarnation, comprising clubs whose roster showcase local football talent produced by the existing football development infrastructure.
Brazil recently lost to Portugal, 2-nil. Following the match, the Brazilian coach Dunga told the media. "We have to learn from it. We are starting to prepare for the World Cup. This showed us we have much left to learn. That is football. I thought we would win, but you are not always going to. You have to take responsibility as coach.”
Barcelona coach Frank Rijkaard shouldered the blame when Barcelona lost one-nil in the Club World Cup final to Brazilian side Inter but insisted: “losing one match is not the end of the world.” World class coaches seem to consider it a cardinal error to publicly criticize their teams or players.
Tim O’Leary in his book: “Warriors, Workers, Whiners and Weasels” made the point that what separates a Warrior from a Weasel is stepping up to the plate when times are rough. “A general who loses a war because his lieutenant did not protect a flank still loses the war.”
O’Leary is adamant that leadership is about taking responsibility for failures as easily as one enjoys the praise when there is success.
Sevilla is a serious contender to win the Spanish league, their coach Juande Ramos said recently that the key to his club’s success is convincing his players to be ambitious, assured and confident.
He also made the point that he does not just dump players, bring in new ones and change his structure because of bad results.
I try to make the players see that you win or lose but there is a path and an identity that they must stick to. My team has total confidence in our system. You need your players to believe or else they will fear for the result and stop taking the risks that will make you a good team.”
I hope that the TTFF will have patience and see the benefit of investing in the ongoing development of the young team and their inexperienced coaching staff. Losing is an important part of the development process. I refer again to Dunga’s post match comments as it puts into perspective what preparing for the 2010 FIFA World Cup is about.
It would also be of great significance if Risjbergen and Corneal were to meet and discuss with the T&T Pro League specific and well articulated recommendations on what can be done to improve the players and speed of play.
Another issue for discussion should be the involvement of a sports physiologist, sport psychologist and nutritionist. If we are to hold our national teams to world class standards, they need World class tools and support systems. It is always easy and disingenuous to make athletes scapegoats for what are in effect systemic failures and an inadequate and archaic development infrastructure.
