Warriors still alive says ex-manager
By WALTER ALIBEY (Newsday)
IN THE aftermath of last Wednesday’s disappointing 3-0 defeat by the United States over the Trinidad and Tobago Soca Warriors in the final round of the FIFA 2010 South Africa World Cup Qualifiers comes words of advice from former national football team manager Richard Braithwaite.
With the knives out and calls for the removal of national coach, Francisco Maturana of Colombia as well as veteran striker Stern John being echoed on a daily basis, Braithwaite reminded the public that all is not lost and that there is still time for the team to recover.
But he was quick to add however that it will be an extremely difficult task if we are to qualify for the 2010 World Cup.
Trinidad and Tobago have just two points from three matches and are at the bottom of the six-team standings. The top three teams will advance to the World Cup while the fourth place team will go into a play-off with the fifth place team in South America.
In an interview Braithwaite, who is considered the most successful national team manager sought to highlight that while the Soca Warriors may have found themselves in a similar situation at the last World Cup qualifiers in 2005, before Dutchman Leo Beenhakker came on the scene, he said the situation is not the same.
“It would be a mistake to assume that it is a similar situation to 2005 when the team qualified despite having only one point from three games.
When Beenhakker took over he inherited a foundation on which he could have built on and the squad was more or less settled,” Braiwaite said.
He explained that the previous national coach Bertille St Clair had already orchestrated the return of Dwight Yorke despite many protests.
According to the former Petrotrin and Trintoc football team manager, St Clair had also given Yorke the roles of captain and midfield general, which he described as a major decision in solidifying the 2006 World Cup squad.
Braithwaite said, “Apart from one or two players it was a settled squad and this allowed Beenhakker to focus on tactics and strategy. The problem now is that a squad is still to be established and players keep moving in and out of contention with every game.”
He explained that this instability opens up doors for not only tactical problems but will also affect the chemistry and the spirit of the team as well.
“The final minutes of the USA game showed a level of capitulation and surrender that is worrisome for a national team in the middle of World Cup qualification. The talent is there so getting to South Africa is still possible but there is too much experimentation taking place right now,” Braithwaite said.
However Braithwaite who was also a member of the FIFA Technical Committee said that he expects that changes will be made and hopes that it will be able to rescue the TT World Cup campaign.
He also expressed concerns about the lack of fighting spirit seen in the last match against the US. “When El Salvador were 2-0 down against Trinidad and Tobago in the first game, they fought back to the wire for a draw, but in our case. After the second goal against the US, the players seemed to have given up,” Braithwaite noted.
He concluded that this could also hint that the spirit and motivation within the TT camp are very low.
