Bridges are Built from Both Banks.
By Hannibal Najjar.[/size]
Allow me a few comments on the exchange over the Pro League players between Mr. Larry Romany and Mr. Wim Rijsbergen that was published in the Express on February 12th.
I believe that Mr. Rijsbergen should stay away from comments that send the public in waves of praise and waves of bashing of the players. Their results should all be viewed as developmental. A soccer program must identify its main tournament or engagement and move the players to peak for that event. What was he expecting of this team going onto the two-game trip to self-searching Panama, and recovering Costa Rica? Did he not believe that our accomplishments in the recent Digicel-sponsored tournament were only relative to the opposition at hand, and were only a shadow of what was lurking at the next level, especially when those “next-level” encounters were at the oppositions’ home venue? I also believe that Mr. Rijsbergen difficulties with the English language, and maybe his passive, “scratch-your-head” view of our social and political culture may be a big factor in how his comments come out. Using his Dutch frankness to explain his concerns and bash the very warriors that are being asked to do battle for him is counter-productive. I believe that Rijsbergen should disconnect himself from direct contact with the media? Why doesn’t the T&TFF provide a representative for him so that his “second-language” statements wouldn’t be so whimsical! Maybe there is merit in the talk that his personal decision to take charge of his exchanges with the media may have more to do with reliability within his ranks and reach.
I believe that it is the responsibility of the coach is to get the players to where he needs them to be. The status of the players must dictate his training time, scope and pattern of training. A residential, full-time coach should make the Pro League and other programs more aware of what he desires, and work the package out. It is a waste of energy to be bashing the Colleges League and the Pro League - he has been in T&T too long for that.
Mr. Romany is very correct when he states that public criticism of the team’s shortcomings would not solve any of their current problems. Having said that however, let me state that I definitely empathize with Rijsbergen’s assessment of the quality of the Pro League and its players? This is being shared from a first-hand experience while as Coach and Technical Director during my 2002-2003 period. observed two main areas of deficiencies – fitness and game understanding and attitude.
1. Fitness: The players were amazingly unfit despite being in the thick of their Pro League season (October-November). There were some key players who could not complete 4-5 laps of the soccer field (about one mile), even at a moderate pace, without lagging behind, buckling under pressure, or complaining. They also were failing to comfortably accomplish level 8 on the shuttle-run test (when I, in my older age, then 50, could safely top that in spite of measurable pain in both of my surgically-exploited knees). I expect players at the professional and the international levels to be able to top level 15-17 at minimum of that test, depending on the positions they play. Let them play elsewhere and witness what true preparation is like.
2. Understanding of Role: Players were technically functionally under par. They also lacked tactical and strategic awareness and an understanding of their roles as they relate to the field positions, strengths and weaknesses of the opposition and demands of the game at varying times in the game. Players need to even know and accept their strengths and weaknesses appreciatively relative to the opposition. Our players are short of game maturity, naďve, and must develop their play beyond the “instant” that they are engaged in. They must recognize and see into the next one or plays ahead of the play that is in their immediate embrace – look at the rest of the field and play with anticipation and calculation.
3. Player Attitudes: Several players fell short on their commitment to the program, and the vision for the program and even on confidence in their personal abilities.
4. Club Attitudes: The morale at National training was often impeded by the disrespect and negative comments that several club officials made about the T&TFF’s training needs and developmental efforts. Club coaches were unwilling to receive the verdict that their players were unready and underdeveloped for the game at the “next” level. They were given quantitative information that spoke emphatically to this issue, but all to no avail. These players went on to strike from National duty at the end of 2002.
So, what is the message here? We are behind in the race to maximize on the gains made from our World Cup 2006 experience. We have lost major ground with our Olympic Team and U-20 failures to advance to the rounds of competition, and now await our fate with the U-17’s, in an expected torrid and vicious 4-game pool play in Jamaica in April. We repeatedly fail to calculate the importance of continuity, through the successes of our various youth programs. We need to decidedly do something about this huge hiccup in our football planning and lives. We have to accept that leaders and champions are made and not wished up, and so we must give our warriors a standing chance to compete with the higher-level regional powers by engaging in training and playing that sees them progressing. To successfully accomplish this we must be unified, and use the Colleges League, the Pro League and the National Level exposure in a collaborative and continuous manner. To me, a most vital first step is for the leaders of this effort to be willing to listen to the people who have direct experience with these programs. To put aside differences of personality and smaller goals, and even differences in thinking of how this should be achieved. We should begin with a united front and a united goal. The differences in approach will pan themselves out if the heart is genuinely unified, if there is peace with purpose.
Success truly lies in cooperative work. It does take two hands to clap, two people to bear children, and two river banks to make a bridge. I live in St. Louis and recently watched the film on the building of United States’ tallest monument - the Gateway to the West Arch. It was built from both base ends, working its way up and across, eventually to meet at the centre, 630 feet into the sky. It is my dream for T&T’s football – World Cup 2010! Every involved person must be ready to take an unselfish and impartial look at the big picture, the vision for the country’s soccer, and the mission for getting us to South Africa and beyond.
Regardless of the setbacks, our past is what it is, fait accompli, and we must not despair for the refreshing thing is, our future is spotless, untouched – enter purposefully and with peace. We ought to be very encouraged and inspired with the prospect, because the Government is also set and ready to support the attainment of this goal. They got a sweet taste in their mouths with our 2006 World Cup showcase and have recognized all the benefits associated with such products, as well as the process/journey. It benefits the youth, the players, the business sector, the religious bodies, families, and Government’s performance goals.
The Government may have some $100 M set aside for this journey, this destination point and beyond. And, as said, business are eager; the public are hurting as they watch our 2006 cookie crumble and disintegrate, and the achievers that realized that 2006 dream, are flabbergasted and dismayed.
Why are the conglomeration of our efforts and the pooling of our resources always so difficult to attain and maintain? Let us not delay anymore. Let the buggy be ridden by horses working in tandem. Begin the process now, Wim, NOW!
