High commendation for Hart.
By Shaun Fuentes (Guardian).
Stephen Hart has come in for high commendation from his players on the current T&T squad at the Concacaf Gold Cup. Hart has guided the "Soca Warriors" to their second successive quarterfinal qualification in two Gold Cups.
On Tuesday's pre-match press conference at the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, members of the media asked Andre Boucaud what he thought had led to the show of form by the T&T team and he instantly paid tribute to Hart's contribution.
"It's an opportunity for everyone playing at this stage. I believe we have done pretty well because of this man right beside me really. Since he's come in everyone has seen that we've climbed the rankings, we are playing good football and we are getting good results and as a player that all we can ask for really," Boucaud said.
"It's a bit of everything really. Everyone likes the coach which obviously helps a lot in teams like this because when you really get on with the coach and you like the coach, you are gong to do everything in your power to get the result not just for yourself but for him. Since he's come in, he's made everyone more tactically aware of the game, showing us videos and telling us obviously what players to look out for etc.
"And he gives us that freedom to actually go out and play and as a player there's nothing better than that going out on the pitch knowing that if you make a mistake, it's not a problem and you can still continue to try and get on the ball and stuff like that."
The English-born player who is a member of Dagenham and Redbridge said he was thrilled that T&T could defy the odds and advance to the quarterfinals.
"To be honest before the tournament started, a lot of people wrote us off and we prove them wrong. Proving people wrong and getting the result breeds confidence in the camp."
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