Has Anton Corneal done that badly?
He has been placed on a fast track by the TTFF for sure and endures a lot of criticism....rightly so...especially for some of the decisions that have been taken. However, a lot of Anton's criticism comes from the fact of who his father is. It must not be easy being the son of Alvin Corneal.
But what has Anton done?
In 3 years, I believe Anton Corneal has gotten more support than any other coach In T&T football history. That includes Bertille St Clair. Certainly when you compare the minimalist support that the likes of Stuart Charles, Jamal Shabazz, Hannibal Najjar, Rene Simoes, etc got during their brief tenures to what Anton enjoys, there really is no comparison.
Anton was appointed as an assistant coach to Beenie in 2005 after initially serving a brief apprentiship coaching our U 17's and U 20's.
Under his charge, our U 20's progressed to the final round of CONCACAF Qualiying in Carson California
Our U 17's qualified for an historic first ever WC appearance
Our current U 17's have qualified for the final round of CONCACAF Qualifing for the U 17 World Cup in Nigeria (even though Ross Russell is the coach, I believe Anton is overall in charge)
Our U 23's however failed miserably in Olympic qualifying falling at the first hurdle.
Not sure if he's overall in charge of the Women's Program as well but our ladies at both senior and junior levels have shown improvements.
While Maturana is the figurehead coach, it is largely believed the one pulling the strings is Anton's dad Alvin, with Anton being the "field general". Our Men's Senior team, while having mediocre performances, have had decent results.
Never in our football history that I can remember, not even during the days of the Strike Squad when the team literally ate, slept, & lived together for the entire Hex, do I remember such a spate of international friendlies in preparation for any torunament.
The only one that would better it in terms of QUALITY would be our preparation for the World Cup in Germany when we played Iceland, Wales, Slovakia & Czech Republic. But in terms of QUANTITY and FREQUENCY, this is the most I have seen.
Despite all the criticism, and I have been one of the most outspoken, Anton hasn't done too badly given his record and given his relative lack of experience.