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Great teams prepare in advance for any eventuality. This planning is the responsibility of the management and administration of the sporting discipline.


Next Wednesday marks the beginning of the final round of CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying for Germany 2006.

T&T is set to begin the campaign against the mighty USA at the Queen’s Park Oval and kick-off time is 3.30 pm.

This is the first of ten matches at home and away and the competition is scheduled over an eight-month period, from Wednesday to October 12, and involves six teams.

USA, Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama, Guatemala and T&T will be vying for three automatic qualifying berths and one play-off berth against the fifth-placed team of Asia. These two matches are scheduled for November 12 and 16, 2005.

The road to qualification is a long, arduous one. The race is not for the swift but for those who endure. There will inevitably be peaks of happiness and dejection along the way. How we respond to these fluctuations in performance and emotions will determine our eventual success or failure. We must create a plan, a modus operandi, to provide us with guidelines on how to manage the tournament.

Following is an example of what I speak:

With only seven days to go before we take on the USA at the Oval, the final pieces of the initial puzzle are being put together. Home-based players continue to train twice daily; foreign-based players have been invited and tickets purchased.

All the coaches are now in place with the arrival of David Nakhid and Graeme Taylor, who joined Ron La Forest and Bertille St Clair. Alvin Corneal has been and will continue to provide indepth, detailed analyses of opponents while Lincoln Phillips will oversee the entire operation.

Now the key to having a plan is to eradicate the need to panic. It has become necessary to create a detailed road map of the way forward because of the unstable foundation on which we totter. The head coach is obviously on his eighth life. Performances have not been encouraging to say the least. The buck stops with the head coach. Had performances been brilliant then a “no changes’ philosophy could have been adopted for the duration of the competition.

However, this is not the case. Therefore, a plan of action dependent on the outcome of the match on Wednesday is needed. Furthermore, this plan should not be kept private. It should be made known to the entire footballing public to eliminate the distraction caused by speculation.

The possible outcomes of Ash Wednesday are endless. However, I will take you through a few of the main possibilities and the responses necessary.

1. USA 4 - T&T 0.

This means we are simply in a mess and a new direction must be found immediately. It tells us that unless changes are made, qualification is merely a dream.

Actions to be taken:

(a) Fire Bertille St Clair immediately.

(b) Ron La Forest, head coach, with overall responsibility for team selection and direction. David Nakhid, head coach, with responsibility for training, practice design and tactics, with responsibility to make recommendations on player selections.

(c) Alvin Corneal’s responsibilities will be increased to include attendance at all training sessions to ensure that drills and exercised replicate advice preferred by him on tactics to be deployed against pending opponents.

(d) Recall Russell Latapy as an assistant coach/player with responsibility for team cohesion, instilling self-belief and sharing his many years of experience of playing football at the highest level. He is well respected by all the players and is still young enough to be considered a peer.

(e) This coaching team will be mandated to improve the performance of the Soca Warriors by the next match against Guatemala six weeks later, on March 26, in Guatemala. Failure to do so will lead to:

(f) The hiring of an all powerful senior head coach, foreign or local, to take charge.

2. USA 1 - T&T 0.

Though a loss, this result can be seen in a positive light. This means that the team has improved dramatically and performed creditably. It appears that the head coach’s plan is beginning to pay dividends, therefore:

(a) St Clair is to be kept and guaranteed his job until March 26 against Guatemala where T&T must acquire its first points. Performances in the Digicel Cup will not do anything to change this position.

(b) The entire staff will continue, with the knowledge that a loss against Guatemala will be equated to a 4-0 loss to USA.

(c) Alvin Corneal will become even more instrumental as he is truly the only one who knows anything about Guatemala at present.

(d) Sponsors are to be encouraged to come on board as positive signs are beginning to show themselves. The more knowledgeable companies will begin to invest. Investment at this earlier, more risky time will prove to be great value for money if the positive trend continues. Those companies which take the wait and see attitude will definitely pay the price during the latter stages of the tournament.

3. USA 0 - T&T 0 (or any similar result): The campaign is off with a bang. Attaining a point from the USA can be seen as a victory. The crowd will be ecstatic and many doubting Thomases will be converted.

(a) St Clair would have wiped away all the scepticism and negativity. He would have returned to ground zero, which means one poor result would not affect his job security. However, two poor results in a row against Guatemala and Costa Rica and we would be back to the position in example (1). Such is the life of a head coach in times of World Cup qualification.

(b) All other coaches are praised for their efforts and the status quo is maintained.

(c) This result would stimulate the media to report on the Soca Warriors in a more positive light. The spin-offs are: Greater crowd support, greater affinity with the team, players become household names, and, most importantly, sponsors finally see the benefit to be accrued from investing in this team which will, in turn, bring about improved conditions for the players and lead to better performances on the pitch.

4. USA 0 - T&T 1:

Jubilation in the streets across T&T. Carnival celebrations would continue until Sunday, February 13. It would be the first time in more than 20 years we would have beaten the USA.

(a) St Clair would be a hero. His job would become secure until the end of the qualification. Win, lose or draw, he would be the man for the competition.

(b) T&T would sit atop the table with three points. All staff would receive bonuses from the mountains of revenue flowing into the coffers of the Soca Warriors.

(c) A psychologist would have to be hired to ensure that ‘staritis’ does not begin to set in on players and coaches. Over-confidence is a pin pressed ever so gently against an inflated balloon. Dreams can turn to nightmares very quickly. Whereas lack of confidence was the problem before the match, 90 minutes later, overconfidence is the demon. Such is the character of the Trinbagonian. We must understand that and plan for it.

So, there you have it — a clear precise way forward. Everyone must be made aware of the policy to eliminate fall-out and disharmony. Wednesday — WE MUST PACK THE OVAL!Schedule of matches:

February 9: vs USA — Home.

March 26: vs Guatemala — Away

March 30: vs Costa Rica — Home

June 4: vs Panama — Home

June 8: vs Mexico — Away

August 17: vs USA -—Away

September 3: vs Guatemala — Home

September 7: vs Costa Rica — Away

October 8: vs Panama — Away

October 12: vs Mexico — Home