Topics

1

Football / warrior creed

« on: November 12, 2005, 08:09:08 PM »

a warrior never quits,
smiles as the challenges mount,
keeps moving forward,
especially when his back is to the wall,
respects his opponent,
does his best,
supports his fellow warriors,
never thinks for a moment that all is lost,
but instead looks for ways to win,
his faith is eternal,
his reward assured,
we remain socawarriors to the end!!!

feel free to add to list...   

2

Football / Trinidad and Tobago on brink of history

« on: November 07, 2005, 11:38:38 PM »

Trinidad and Tobago on brink of history
By Paul Brown

LONDON, Nov 8 (Reuters) - Trinidad and Tobago will complete an amazing comeback if they beat Bahrain in their two-legged playoff and reach the World Cup finals for the first time in their history this month.

Goalkeeper Shaka Hislop believes reaching Germany 2006 would be one of the most significant achievements in the Caribbean country's history.

"We've been close to the World Cup before but never been there and it would be a big boost not just for Trinidad and Tobago but for the whole Caribbean region," he told Reuters.

"We feel we've got the players and the ability to put our country on the map. I wouldn't like to guess what it would be like over there if we make it.

"I'm sure there will be street parties. It would be a special time in our history and I'm sure the people would make it a time to remember."

That they are even playing Bahrain represents a huge achievement in itself, as with more than half the CONCACAF final qualifying group completed, Trinidad and Tobago had looked down and out.

They won just one of their first six matches under former coach Bertille St Clair, who was replaced after a 5-1 defeat to Guatemala last March.

In came the experienced 63-year-old Dutch coach Leo Beenhakker who guided them to three wins out of their last four qualifiers which allowed them to recover to finish fourth in the six-team group and qualify for the playoffs against Bahrain, winners of the Asian playoff against Uzbekistan.

Now Hislop, the 36-year-old West Ham United goalkeeper, cannot wait for Saturday's first leg against Bahrain in Port of Spain.

SMALLEST COUNTRY

With a population of just over one million, Trinidad would be the smallest country at the tournament and the first Caribbean country to qualify since Jamaica in 1998.

Hislop will undergo medical checks this week after being substituted in West Ham's 1-0 Premier League win over West Bromwich Albion on Saturday following a head injury, but it would take a brave doctor to prevent him from playing in what he describes as "the biggest game of my career".

Captained by former Manchester United striker Dwight Yorke, now with Sydney United, Trinidad also feature players from England's lower leagues such as Stern John of Derby County, who has scored 12 goals in the qualifiers, and Paul Birchall of Port Vale.

Hislop says victory over Bahrain would help his country to become a breeding ground for new talent by bringing a new generation of young players to the world's attention.

He said: "It's a personal dream of mine to play in the World Cup with Trinidad and I know this campaign is my last chance to make it.

"But as far as the larger picture goes it's a fantastic opportunity to make a name for ourselves and bring the spotlight on to our local football.

"There are so many kids in Trinidad with dreams of playing professionally, and we're always on the look-out for the next Dwight Yorke.

"I have family and friends there myself, and my wife is Trinidadian. It's where I call home and it always will be. I can guess what the atmosphere is like there now.

"I was a kid growing up there and I know what it means to the youngsters over there. It's a dream to see us at the World Cup. We're all hoping we can do it."

MISSED PENALTY

The exploits of the Soca Warriors have certainly gripped the nation so far. Trinidad confirmed their play-off place only after recovering from a goal down and a missed penalty against Mexico to win 2-1 in their final qualifier.

Hislop says their success is down to Beenhakker, once manager of Real Madrid, Ajax Amsterdam and the Netherlands, and insists they will never have a better opportunity to reach their first finals.

He said: "We've got a fantastic chance. A lot of hard work has gone into getting us where we are, and we're on our best run of form of the whole campaign. It's a good time for us.

"Leo takes a lot of credit for that. He made the changes that were necessary and he's got the team playing at their best.

"We don't know a lot about our opponents but I expect to find out a whole lot more about them from him. None of us will go into the game unprepared.

"The squad as a whole was stronger four years ago, but this team is better. We've really come together and we play as a team now despite on paper not being as strong as we were then individually. Everybody would be overjoyed and exuberant if we make it. It would be amazing."

3

Football / "Magic boots.... Latapy"

« on: October 30, 2005, 05:36:52 PM »

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/report?id=186232&cc=5739

Updated: Oct. 29, 2005, 5:50 PM UK
Falkirk 1-1 LivingstonPA


Man-of-the-moment Robert Snodgrass somehow emerged the Livingston hero again after snatching a spectacular last-gasp 1-1 draw in the Bank of Scotland Premier League clash at the Falkirk Stadium.

Paul Lambert's side looked like being plunged right back to square one after a freakish Harold Pinxten own goal gave John Hughes' men a deserved first-half lead.

But Falkirk failed to kill off the game and Snodgrass, who scored a double as his side came from two goals down to hold Rangers in midweek, made them pay in dramatic fashion to move Livingston level on points with Dunfermline at the foot of the table.

Lambert replaced himself with Neil Barrett in the only change from the rejuvenated midweek side, but he was left scratching his head at the failure to perform for most of the game.

In contrast, Hughes' outfit should have built on their impressive 3-0 victory at Inverness Caledonian Thistle but failed to take their chances.

Falkirk came within inches of going ahead after just two minutes and it all stemmed from the magic boots of veteran Russell Latapy.

The man-of-the-match slipped the ball into the path of in-form striker Darryl Duffy, but the post denied him his fifth goal in five matches.

The former Rangers man was at the heart of his side's best moves and he tested Roddy McKenzie in the ninth minute, but the Livingston man did well to tip his 25-yard free-kick over the crossbar.

Falkirk went close again in the 15th minute, but Andy Lawrie's effort from McPherson's cross took a deflection off Paul Tierney and went just wide of the upright.

The home side deserved to take the lead from the resulting corner, although they needed a big favour from Pinxten, who headed McPherson's cross past his own goalkeeper to the shock of his team-mates and his nearest challenger Craig Ireland.

It took 23 minutes for Livingston to threaten when Barrett picked out Alan Walker, but having controlled the ball on his chest, he drove his right-foot shot over.

Livingston's midweek hero Snodgrass never looked like scaling the same sort of heights and he hit a weak 31st-minute strike at Matt Glennon.

Latapy was running the show and he again linked up well with Duffy, but the striker could not get the height on the chip to beat McKenzie after a great turn.

The Scotland Under-21 international looked like running on to his team-mate's through-ball in the 37th minute until Pinxten blocked him, but the defender escaped punishment.

Snodgrass was booked before the break for a foul on Tiago Rodrigues, before Derek Adams felt the full force of a Latapy drive.

Glennon was so quiet in the first-half he came out at the break for a warm up, but he needed to be alert in the 48th minute to save Snodgrass' ambitious long-range effort.

Duffy had the ball in the net moments later following a great lay-off from Latapy, but he was wrongly pulled back for offside.

Falkirk seemed to fall asleep and Pinxten woke them up by sending a right-foot shot just past the upright from the edge of the box with Glennon scurrying across his goal.

The home side came close to killing the game off in the 76th minute, but McKenzie saved superbly from Stephen Thomson from close range and Duffy failed to steer home the rebound.

The visiting boss was appealing for a penalty in the 78th minute when Richard Brittain went down after colliding with McPherson, but the referee was right to ignore him.

Hughes brought on popular striker Pedro Moutinho for Duffy with 10 minutes remaining and the departing frontman justifiably earned a standing ovation.

Latapy would have wrapped the game up moments later had his powerful drive not struck Greg Strong full in the face, before Stephen Adam was booked for a foul.

Moutinho curled a 25-yard free-kick just over with four minutes left, before Lambert took off Adams for Gary Miller to cheers from the beleaguered visiting supporters. But they never expected what was to come.

Snodgrass snatched a dramatic equaliser for Livingston with two minutes remaining as he cut in from the left and curled a superb right-foot effort past Glennon. 

4

Football / Options for Nakhid..

« on: October 24, 2005, 07:12:11 PM »

Quick poll for  Nahkid - just given current drama... notwithstanding we believe in the innocent till proven guilty concept!!   

5

Football / Bahrain gear up for key Trinidad clash

« on: October 19, 2005, 09:01:21 PM »

Bahrain gear up for key Trinidad clash 
By Rami Hulayyel (Gulf Daily News)

BAHRAIN's national soccer team resumed training last night as eight players were included for their World Cup qualifying play-off matches against Trinidad and Tobago scheduled on November 12 and 16.

Bahrain will travel to Trinidad for the first-leg match in Port of Spain and host the second-leg match four days later at the National Stadium.

Defenders Mohammed Hussain (Al Ahli) and Hassan Abdulla (Al Shabab), midfielders Abdulrahman Mubarak, Mohammed Sa'ad (both Riffa), Fawzi Ayesh (Muharraq), Rashid Al Sheroughi (Al Hala) and Ali Norooz (Manama) and striker Rashid Jamal (Al Najma) were included for last night's practice session at the Bahrain Football Association grounds in Riffa.

Bahrain's physiotherapist Khalil Rabea said four players - goalkeeper Ali Hassan, defenders Hassan Mansoor, Abdulla Al Marzooqi and Saleh Farhan - did not take part in last night's training as they had niggling injuries but confirmed that all players should be fit for the play-off.

The team also missed 11 professionals who are committed to their clubs in Qatar and Kuwait but are expected to report for training on Saturday.

Sponsored by Batelco, Bahrain went down two places in the Fifa rankings list and are presently in 55th position while Trinidad moved up three spots to 53rd place.

Both Bahrain, who finished fifth in Asia, and Caribbean islanders Trinidad, will be desperate to come out on top and make their debut at the World Cup finals in Germany.

With defence likely to hold the upper hand, the Asian side may well be fancying their chances in the upcoming pair of crucial matches.

Some would say that playing at home in the second-leg is a slight psychological advantage, but Bahrain have been on a steadily upward trajectory in recent years and will be keen to give a good account of themselves on the road in the first leg as well.

Certainly their defence, with players like Mohammed Juma, Al Marzooqi and Sayed Mohammed Adnan, looked well-drilled in the play-off with usually potent Uzbekistan, leaking just the single goal.

Building on the progress initiated back in 2002 by German boss Wolfgang Sidka, current coach Luka Peruzovic of Belgium has his side fit, brimming with confidence and keen for a spot in the finals. Never having played Trinidad before, Bahrain can expect a different sort of test as they look to add their name to the list of finalists in Germany.

After the second-leg match against Uzbekistan, coach Peruzovic broke down in tears. "I can't believe it," he sobbed. "I feared we might throw it away in the second half, but the team defended so bravely. I am so proud."

It is not just about defensive steadiness, however. Bahrain have in their team a noted goalscorer in the form of Qatar's Al Gharrafa striker Ala'a Hubail.

The older brother of midfielder Mohammed Hubail who is also playing in Qatar for Qatar Club, was the top scorer at last year's Asian Cup finals.

Only just back from an eight-month injury lay-off, he came on late in both legs against Uzbekistan and caused more than a few headaches despite not being able to find the goal. With some more time to rest, the diminutive striker could well spell trouble for Trinidad's much-scrutinised backline.

On the other side of the globe, Trinidad, oft-times overly reliant on joyful footwork and the carefree rhythms of football in the Caribbean, have found a smart balance of native technique and much-needed organisation under the tutelage of well-travelled Dutch coach Leo Beenhakker.

At the helm since April 2005, the 63-year-old former Real Madrid and Netherlands coach has preached a doctrine of discipline and combined it well with the creativity alive on the sun-soaked streets of football-mad Trinidad.

Defence is still something of a touchy subject for the Soca Warriors. But with former European Cup winner Dwight Yorke and Stern John, who scored both goals against Mexico, roving up front, the islanders are posing a significant threat in attack.

The return of 37-year-old Scotland-based midfield wizard Russell Latapy from semi-retirement has also added a bit of spice going forward.
 

6

Football / In defence of waggonists....

« on: October 18, 2005, 05:39:17 AM »

Ah don know why waggonists getting such a bad name ...is like the MLK speech... one day wagonnists and true soca warriors will cheer side by side..... these brothas shout as loud, wine and drink as much as normal fans... in fact they're usually the first ones to pick up on the players who need the bull pistle, if only because they always critical.....but the real issue is that sometimes waggonists have serious issues... like devoting a lifetime (ok that's an exaggeration), or several years to the sport and just getting shaft, year after year (11/19/1989), so one way of dealing with it is to kinda tone down the exuberance for a while and then when things pick up a bit jump back on the train...... ah not even going to mention cricket...... so when we reach germany ....and believe me more waggonists will be in the stadium than die-hard fans .... if yuh see one take the time to shake a waggonist hand and have a carib with the brotha.... give the waggonist a lil respect.....

7

Football / Synergy Factor

« on: October 14, 2005, 10:47:48 AM »

Synergy - Total greater than the sum of the individual parts....... so latas play with yorke before, yorke play with stern, stern with Been.... but the team never got it and the team got it on 10/12. This team has transcended its individual abilities and finally gelled into a fantastic working unit..... call it wishfull thinking but that mexico match was special and anyone whoever laced up knows it!!!

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Football / LATAS - TNT's pride and joy...

« on: October 13, 2005, 02:22:00 PM »

Any one recall Latapy as a young boy - short, skinny and seemed to be trying to fill in some pretty big shoes -- everald 'gally' cummings comes to mind -- so he was at the 'hope status' ---- but the youth could stop on a cent and change direction like nothing we'd ever seen... so you never saw him as a fast player but that control and momentum change worked like a charm... so he hit the 'magic status' - (for the clever among us- here one minute, gone the next). Then he started passing.... so he went to 'general status' .... through ball, long ball, Kerry Jameson just outside the area setup ball etc. So now as the brethren going off in the sunlight and everyone playing better off him- what status next- maybe LATAS? By the way did the brother ever get a piece of grass from TNT just for the pride and joy you have to feel being privy to his talent and skill. Doh lemme start.....

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Football / TNT won ---- Did You,

« on: October 13, 2005, 01:03:38 PM »

Based in the US it was pretty rough ---- but to make a long story short ---- germany 2006!!!