I am the first to acknowledge my disappointment about yesterday's result and our sub-
standard performance as 'Warriors with a mission'. However, all is not lost, and our
weaknesses and limited strengths that we possess we throughly exposed.
Rest assured, we have improved gradually as a team, as compared to the Warriors under
BSC. We have fighting spirit, tactical awareness, and a solid defense for the first time in
many years.
The players of the past that are not up to scratch have been identified, and the players to
take us forward are beginning to step up.
Prior to today's woeful defeat at the hands of the Columbians, we competently managed to
reduce the average amount of goals conceded per game. We have always been a team
that seems to leak early goals, and gradually drift out of a match while time progresses.
This is no more, and we are actually competing with our opposition of late.
Our defense is beginning to mature while keeping some structure and discipline(bar one
Cyd Gray), but our attack is what is making us always fall short.
We need to score more goals, we are conceding less, but we are not scoring more.
Before Leo Beenhakker was employed and even during his tenure, we rarely score more
than 1 goal per game against top-class oppostion. We need better attacking options, more
offensive minded players coming forward amd taking on players, and more chances and
half chances(i.e. goal scoring opportunities) in order to realize our World Cup dreams.
WE STILL HAVE A ROSTER OF REAL WARIORS AND TOP CLASS
PERFORMERS!
Goalkeepers:
Shaka Hislop
Clayton Ince
Kelvin Jack
Defenders:
Marvin Andrews
Dennis Lawrence
Avery John
Atiba Charles
Brent Sancho
Glenton Wolfe
Anton Pierre
XXXXX...room for a fast and solid wing back
Midfielders:
Carlos Edwards
Chris Birchall
Aurtis Whitley
Silvio Spann
Densil Theobald
Angus Eve
Josh Johnson
XXXXXXXX......room for a left wing
XXXXXXXX......room for a young exciting creative midfielder/playmaker
Russell Latapy....hopefully soon:(
....ah prayin:(
Strikers:
Dwight Yorke
Kenwyne Jones
Cornell Glen
Hector Sam
Scott Sealy
XXXXX....room for a clinical striker
The remainder of players that were ommitted are not up to international level, and I am of
the opinion that they are not true, aggressive warriors at heart. They are perceived Star
boys that never realized their true potential. Until they can rise above this, we should
move on without them, until they prove their worth once again.
Jamaica qualified for France World Cup 1998. However, their rapid progress only came
after they decided to proactively import players from the UK with Jamaican parentage. I
thought T&T would not need to resort to such desperate action, since we have such a wide
pool of talent availble to us. Oh was I wrong!
We have an even wider pool of technically moderate, internationally unprepared
underachievers, who lack qualities such as mental toughness, discipline, and consistency
which are prerequisites of international competition.
Maybe, we need to follow Jamaica and pursue players with talent and technique such as
Chris Birchall in order to lift our game. These players seem to have been groomed in a
more professional and technical environment, and need to be injected into our lineups to
enhance our effectiveness. Only four players are needed for different positions which I
have identified with XXXX above. We have players available in the UK ,and many
talented players in the US. Let Leo and Nakhid encourage them, and give them the
callup, we have nothing to lose. The rest of players form the core of our team, and with
frequent training camps abroad, and internationall friendlies here and there, this team
would step forward with the best in our region.
We express disappointment and hopelessness today, but it is a wakeup call to force us to
change for tommorrow. Somehow, I was beginning to get the impresssion that the public
and the technical staff seemed satisfied with a 1-1 draw with Honduras, and a 2-2 draw
with Panama, after pathetic displays of the lovely game. This opens our eyes, and allows
us to leave those who are not up to it behind, and bring aboard those who suit the role.
My lineup for rest of qualifiers:
Jack
Andrews Lawrence
Atiba XXXXX
Birchall
Carlos XXXXX
XXXX
XXXX Yorke
Bench:
S.Hislop/C.Ince.....let Ince learn his lesson and Shaka lacks match fitness
Avery John...good left back, but brings nothing coming forward, we need attacking options
and more crosses and goal scoring opportunities. Atiba has better balance with his
defensive responsibilities and overlapping runs.
Brent Sancho
Silvio Spann
Aurtis Whitley
Densil Theobold....let Theo,Spann and Whitley fight for a spot
Josh Johnson
Russell Latapy
XXXXX
Cornel Glen
Kenwyne Jones
Hector Sam
WOW..this is one long bench
Now tell me...wa alya tink?