T&T Football Cult Heroes

[palos]

Palos,

Ian Bain did not play a lot for the national team – not more than 8 times.  He was on the 1969 squad under Michael Lang.  He was about 17 years old at that stage.   Ian then went to Spain to study.  He spent sometime in England, and there were some discussions about Chelsea giving him a tryout.  He came to Howard University in 1971.  In 1980, Alvin Corneal invited him to play on the national squad.   There was a picture on the Website a few weeks ago with Alvin and the national team.  Ian was on that squad.  Because he did not play much for the national team, people would not call him among the great national players.  But let me tell you this, I have played with some outstanding T&T players , and if I have to select an all-time national team, Ian would be the first player I want on my team.  In addition, he would be the captain.

Gary Alomondoz and David Edgehill were decent players, but national level players.  They were better cricketers.

Trevor

Thanks Trevor.  I heard Bain was one of our best ever midfielders.  Problem is if yuh doh have the opportunity to pit yuhself against de best de game have to offer as some of our guys do today, yuh won't really know how good you really are in the overall scheme of things.

For example, the U 17 team that went to the World Cup last year have players who would rightfully be considered amongst the best of that age group in T&T.....yet when they went to Korea, they realized just how far behind their peers they are.  Sobering but classical example of big fish in small pond.

Thanks again....as well as for the feedback on meh 2 padnahs.

[vb]

Palos,

ah see where u coming from and to some extent you are quite correct.

There is more skillful and better prepared.

TT had an amazing array of talent in the 90s. Yet, J'ca with a less skillful squad outperformed us in that decade. Imagine a squad of Lewis, Marcelle, Yorke, Nakhid, Thomas, Latas, Weekes, Morris and B. Williams losing to J'ca in 1992, a team that couldn't even make it to the Hex that year.

The 2006 team would probably win an encounter with that squad because they would be better COACHED. But who in they right mind could tell me that Scotland or Samuel better than L. Lewis. Or that Whitley better than Anton Thomas or Nakhid.

So yes, to a point I agree with you.

But bear in mind the '73 squad had they own set o' pros and probably could a handle any TT squad of any era. And I would never count out the SS bcz of that Unity factor they had of always training and playing together.

In conclusion let me say that the 2006 squad was one of the least talented squads in the last 35 yrs of TT football.....but more talented does not always equate better.

So sadly after all o' dat talk I must admit that the 2006 team (not this experimental side that is still gelling) might have probably beaten the 68 squad...not because they were better players but a better 'collective side.' 

VB

[Coop's]

Folks,

I am now reading this.  Let me put in my two cents on this issue.

Richard Sutherland, Tony Hoggins, and other guys from the San Fernando Technical Team of 1970-1971 were very good.  What about Jerry Prudent? 

After Fitzroy Valentine scored the bullet against Defense Force for us (Maple) to beat them 1-0 in the 1972 FA quarter final, Coop’s and Defense Force recruited the man one time.  Coop’s, I know you would not forget that goal in a night game at King George V Park.  A few years ago when I was home, Sedley Joseph told me that he skipped over the ball for Fitzroy to run on to take the shot.

Kona Hislop is my all-time player who I believe did not go on to greatness.  He just had one injury after the next.

Trevor

        Trevor don't make me look so guilty,you have me laughing here,good memories i was in that game, a goal never hurt me like that one because those were the days we were hard to stop,funny though Val was never able to play a game like that for us.

[Trevor]

Coop’s,

I have to agree with you.  The little I saw of Val play with Defense Force before I left home, he really did not look impressive.

Mark Jeremie was very good.  He was a bright boy and had ongoing injuries.  He now has his own construction company in Trinidad.  I dreamt about him two nights ago.  Barry Henderson also should be mentioned.

Let me give the names of two great college players – Rolph Clarke and Wayne Lewis.  Rolph Clarke was one of QRC’s top players of all times.  In my opinion, Wayne Lewis was the best player I saw play for Belmont Secondary.  They both suffered with injuries after leaving school.

Trevor   

[rastafari]

Coop’s,

I have to agree with you.  The little I saw of Val play with Defense Force before I left home, he really did not look impressive.

Mark Jeremie was very good.  He was a bright boy and had ongoing injuries.  He now has his own construction company in Trinidad.  I dreamt about him two nights ago.  Barry Henderson also should be mentioned.

Let me give the names of two great college players – Rolph Clarke and Wayne Lewis.  Rolph Clarke was one of QRC’s top players of all times.  In my opinion, Wayne Lewis was the best player I saw play for Belmont Secondary.  They both suffered with injuries after leaving school.

Trevor   

Wayne Lewis is my cousin.

JAH BLESS RASTAFARI

[giggsy11]

Troy Garcia and Rodger 'Spanish' Thomas

[Pointman]

Winston "Feezy" Hackett, one of the Hackett boys(Mikey and Jerry Hackett's brother)arguably the most talented one. Had an incredible shot(make Chinnas look like a school boy), was big and burly ,great ball controll. He emmigrated to Canada back in the last 70's and kinda disappeared. I think he might be in NYC now.

[Observer]

Winston "Feezy" Hackett, one of the Hackett boys(Mikey and Jerry Hackett's brother)arguably the most talented one. Had an incredible shot(make Chinnas look like a school boy), was big and burly ,great ball controll. He emmigrated to Canada back in the last 70's and kinda disappeared. I think he might be in NYC now.

Excellent footballer still lives in TO.

[Baygo Boy]

I would have KERN Simmons he use play in Aranquez Savanna with Stagg Bluffers, he also went to San Juan Govt Primary when Jap Brown used to coach them. To bad he when mad at an early age think he still a teenager when he became destitute but he kick ball with any foot, good theader of the ball, driblle and pass anyone from the area would no him, to be quite frankly a young kern and even better than young Latas

      I've heard of Kern Simmons a lot because i'm very close to the family and they always talk about his ability as a player,it's just unfortunate he had to end up this way but i would just like to add a couple players that come to my mind,Keith Douglas,Fitzroy Valentine,Denzil White(not sure),from a senior team perspective i would say Colin Rocke.

I believed Denzil had a short stint in the National team...ask Tallman tho

Richard Suderland, Mervyn Serjue, Tony Huggins, Errol Stephenson
Nuff Tobago Ballers

Claudie "Maho" Hills
Hugh Daniel
Ivor Jack
"Woodsy" (Scarborough Sec) Played at SS with Ralph "Arab" Nelson
Shoneal McMillian (Pheonix) - not sure if that's the correct spelling

Just a few. 

[Observer]

I would have KERN Simmons he use play in Aranquez Savanna with Stagg Bluffers, he also went to San Juan Govt Primary when Jap Brown used to coach them. To bad he when mad at an early age think he still a teenager when he became destitute but he kick ball with any foot, good theader of the ball, driblle and pass anyone from the area would no him, to be quite frankly a young kern and even better than young Latas

      I've heard of Kern Simmons a lot because i'm very close to the family and they always talk about his ability as a player,it's just unfortunate he had to end up this way but i would just like to add a couple players that come to my mind,Keith Douglas,Fitzroy Valentine,Denzil White(not sure),from a senior team perspective i would say Colin Rocke.

I believed Denzil had a short stint in the National team...ask Tallman tho

Richard Suderland, Mervyn Serjue, Tony Huggins, Errol Stephenson
Nuff Tobago Ballers

Claudie "Maho" Hills
Hugh Daniel
Ivor Jack
"Woodsy" (Scarborough Sec) Played at SS with Ralph "Arab" Nelson
Shoneal McMillian (Pheonix) - not sure if that's the correct spelling

Just a few. 

Shoneal had good ability, but mentally questionable Add Wendell Moore to your list

[palos]

Shoneal had good ability, but mentally questionable Add Wendell Moore to your list

Wendell Moore played several times for T&T if I'm not mistaken.

[Coach]

So glad that this question is ask, he was my mentor as a youth player in south George Brewster, nickname "squlay" this man also help players like Peter Mitchelle and Leroy Spann.

A story I heard from other players about him, when he played for Hurricanes, south 1st div, he had his own philosophy of the game that no coach can understand his thinking so at times the coach would bench him for some games.

Hurricanes vs Police, coach Ken Headley, send him on in the last 20 mins, he scored 4 goals.

I have never seen a player that can beat man and put them to sit down with beat, no "crap" I used to play with him 6 days of the week back home, I learn much of my Ball from him.

[rastafari]

Junior 'killer' Hamilton was a boss player for Malick.

JAH BLESS RASTAFARI

[Deeks]

Pointman,
               I was on the team with Winty  in 74. He was our main striker. He was excellent. I don't know what would have happened if he had stayed in TT. His mom wanted him to stay in TO. He went back to TO. I saw him about 15 years ago at Iere sports club tourna. He had a son then.
But Winty was talented,  score some spectacular goals. Bicycle, scissors kick. He was difinitely going to be on the senior team. Because the seledtor drafted Robert Francis, Gerry Homer, Kendall Walkes, Mike Grayson, Earl Carter, Curtis Murrel and Granville to the senior team. They all went to the Panam games in 75.
He was a limer. Like the night life. He was plenty fun. Very jovial.

[Pointman]

Pointman,
               I was on the team with Winty  in 74. He was our main striker. He was excellent. I don't know what would have happened if he had stayed in TT. His mom wanted him to stay in TO. He went back to TO. I saw him about 15 years ago at Iere sports club tourna. He had a son then.
But Winty was talented,  score some spectacular goals. Bicycle, scissors kick. He was difinitely going to be on the senior team. Because the seledtor drafted Robert Francis, Gerry Homer, Kendall Walkes, Mike Grayson, Earl Carter, Curtis Murrel and Granville to the senior team. They all went to the Panam games in 75.
He was a limer. Like the night life. He was plenty fun. Very jovial.

Yeah Deeks, Winty was a phenom. He was amazing to watch. I believe he got into a lil trouble in TO. But he was something special. With the right training and guidance he could have been in any primere league anywhere in the world. His entire family was talented, down to the sisters Jenifer and Rhonda. He had a younger brother Barry who was my age, he was a real ball peong too. One of our forumites is their nephew.

[Pointman]

Another Point Fortin phenom was Anthony" Sugars" Monroe, Steve David's nephew. He played for Civic in the early to mid eighties. Believe it or not he used to come off the bench for Civic in league matches when he was only 14 years old, he was that good.  He also ran track with T&T Olympian Alvin Daniel. Sugers was an amazing baller. Could have gone very far but was injured and never fully recovered mentally from the injury.

[Anbrat]

So glad that this question is ask, he was my mentor as a youth player in south George Brewster, nickname "squlay" this man also help players like Peter Mitchelle and Leroy Spann.

A story I heard from other players about him, when he played for Hurricanes, south 1st div, he had his own philosophy of the game that no coach can understand his thinking so at times the coach would bench him for some games.

Hurricanes vs Police, coach Ken Headley, send him on in the last 20 mins, he scored 4 goals.

I have never seen a player that can beat man and put them to sit down with beat, no "crap" I used to play with him 6 days of the week back home, I learn much of my Ball from him.

George Brewster?? In what years did he play for Hurricanes?

[Mock de Dread]

the golden era

Dwight yorke -signal hill
antony sherwood- pres south
latas- San do tech

[vb]

the golden era

Dwight yorke -signal hill
antony sherwood- pres south
latas- San do tech

The purpose of the thread, is ppl who haven't played for the TT sr. team.

VB

[jamaica98]

Shoneal had good ability, but mentally questionable Add Wendell Moore to your list

Wendell Moore played several times for T&T if I'm not mistaken.

I played on the same US division 1 college team with Wendell Moore and a few other Trini's (Curtis George, Curtis McKenna and Marvin Thompson - I believe all were from Tobago)- we played under a very racist set up, but thats a different story.  Wendell was a great player always a step or two ahead of everyone on our team, great pace, touch and skills.  What I liked about him was that he was not afraid to punish defenders.  I thought Curtis George had a great understanding of the game, smooth solid defender that can score.  If both guys were supported by the T&T Fed, they would have made it big time....

[ON DE BLOCK]

Palos,

ah see where u coming from and to some extent you are quite correct.

There is more skillful and better prepared.

TT had an amazing array of talent in the 90s. Yet, J'ca with a less skillful squad outperformed us in that decade. Imagine a squad of Lewis, Marcelle, Yorke, Nakhid, Thomas, Latas, Weekes, Morris and B. Williams losing to J'ca in 1992, a team that couldn't even make it to the Hex that year.

The 2006 team would probably win an encounter with that squad because they would be better COACHED. But who in they right mind could tell me that Scotland or Samuel better than L. Lewis. Or that Whitley better than Anton Thomas or Nakhid.

So yes, to a point I agree with you.

But bear in mind the '73 squad had they own set o' pros and probably could a handle any TT squad of any era. And I would never count out the SS bcz of that Unity factor they had of always training and playing together.

In conclusion let me say that the 2006 squad was one of the least talented squads in the last 35 yrs of TT football.....but more talented does not always equate better.

So sadly after all o' dat talk I must admit that the 2006 team (not this experimental side that is still gelling) might have probably beaten the 68 squad...not because they were better players but a better 'collective side.' 

VB

trinidad and tobago has never had a problem with talent or finding talented players, the coaching has always been the big problem and getting the players to gel under a cohesive system

[Phensic]

Miguel Mitchell - St. Anthony's College

Cyah remember the year though...he should have gone on to bigger things.

There was also a Carrington (cyah remember his first name..maybe "Kirk") who played for CIC in the midfield...de man make the passing game look sooo easy, he reminded me a lil of Rijkard.

My two cents

[Cantona007]

Another Point Fortin phenom was Anthony" Sugars" Monroe, Steve David's nephew. He played for Civic in the early to mid eighties. Believe it or not he used to come off the bench for Civic in league matches when he was only 14 years old, he was that good.  He also ran track with T&T Olympian Alvin Daniel. Sugers was an amazing baller. Could have gone very far but was injured and never fully recovered mentally from the injury.

Quite right. In fact he was really supposed to be a track star (the next Hasley Crawford), but he got a bad injury in an Intercol match playing for us (Pres) against the old enemy (Naps) and  never quite recovered (either career). He was quite the ball peong though. I was in Skinner Park when he got injured; you could hear a pin drop when he went down and stayed down.
I could call a few other Point men from that era who showed a lot of promise: Larry Joseph (who did play for the national team) and Frankie Arrindell (phenomenal skills)

Great thread... great memories

[acb]

Just before I started Pres, there was Anthony Sherwood and his brother, Jamie (I think). There was also a stopper named Marlon Morris. Emile Allahar was spiderman incarnate between the uprights. When I started going Pres - there was Prior Jones, Rhett Mitchell, Cecil Hinds, Kevin Mohammed and Rigobelto Cedeno ... Avery was a relative smallman, but still sweating and refining the blade pelting craft.

At Benedict's there was the legendary Ivan Sampson ... and the keeper who probably sit CXC 8 times, Ravi Samlal. Benedict's also had a very crafty midfielder in the early 90s that use to hit men drag and send them straight to the chiropractor. Can't remember his name though.

Naps didn't matter in them days and was always a sam side, cuz they didn't start importing players until after they had gotten promoted from being relegated.

[saga pinto]

Chet from tringrove,was probably one of the most talented footballers I ever see,played in the eddie hart league,politics kept him from reaching to the top,I remember corneal coaching school had a practice game against tringrove,chet put ah hattrick on corneal coaching school of which one of those goals was ah bicycle,if you had known this man the way I did,he was an excellent student of the game.......     

[dinho]

Chet from tringrove,was probably one of the most talented footballers I ever see,played in the eddie hart league,politics kept him from reaching to the top,I remember corneal coaching school had a practice game against tringrove,chet put ah hattrick on corneal coaching school of which one of those goals was ah bicycle,if you had known this man the way I did,he was an excellent student of the game.......    

chet must be about 110 yrs old now and still doing it to men in over 35. lol

i grow up playing small goal with him and yuh cyah beat dat for touches.

[saga pinto]

Chet from tringrove,was probably one of the most talented footballers I ever see,played in the eddie hart league,politics kept him from reaching to the top,I remember corneal coaching school had a practice game against tringrove,chet put ah hattrick on corneal coaching school of which one of those goals was ah bicycle,if you had known this man the way I did,he was an excellent student of the game.......    

chet must be about 110 yrs old now and still doing it to men in over 35. lol

i grow up playing small goal with him and yuh cyah beat dat for touches.

So omar you know maa and keto joseph and mister best dress footballer garth toolouie,what about indian joe and fire just to name ah few......

[acb]

wha bout the old indian man with longish hair who does/ used to sweat on Skinner Park 2nd grounds. I don't know he name ... but he used to be hitting every age, creed and race beat up and down the pitch

[dinho]

Chet from tringrove,was probably one of the most talented footballers I ever see,played in the eddie hart league,politics kept him from reaching to the top,I remember corneal coaching school had a practice game against tringrove,chet put ah hattrick on corneal coaching school of which one of those goals was ah bicycle,if you had known this man the way I did,he was an excellent student of the game.......    

chet must be about 110 yrs old now and still doing it to men in over 35. lol

i grow up playing small goal with him and yuh cyah beat dat for touches.

So omar you know maa and keto joseph and mister best dress footballer garth toolouie,what about indian joe and fire just to name ah few......

yeah for sure, all dem fellahs from in de city.. i eh sure bout indian joe, but if ah see him ah sure ah know him..

[Dumplingdinho]

Just before I started Pres, there was Anthony Sherwood and his brother, Jamie (I think). There was also a stopper named Marlon Morris. Emile Allahar was spiderman incarnate between the uprights. When I started going Pres - there was Prior Jones, Rhett Mitchell, Cecil Hinds, Kevin Mohammed and Rigobelto Cedeno ... Avery was a relative smallman, but still sweating and refining the blade pelting craft.

At Benedict's there was the legendary Ivan Sampson ... and the keeper who probably sit CXC 8 times, Ravi Samlal. Benedict's also had a very crafty midfielder in the early 90s that use to hit men drag and send them straight to the chiropractor. Can't remember his name though.

Naps didn't matter in them days and was always a sam side, cuz they didn't start importing players until after they had gotten promoted from being relegated.

The stopper you are referring to is Mervyn Wright, marlon morris was a midfielder for pres from 88-90.