Brilliant First Game For Coach Stephen Hart

[Cocorite]

Keon Daniel is my player.  From ever since I first saw him playing Intercol for Signal Hill against St Anthonys in de Crawfie...I knew he was a cut above.  He is a superior talent IMO

BUT

He played carelessly today for me.  His lack of intensity meant that he was too easily muscled off the ball, and was caught napping in possession on several occasions.  He would win a ball, and then promptly lose it.  I wouldn't be surprised if he committed the most fouls by a T&T player in the game and often because he was caught unawares and trying to regain possession.  For me, it was a naïve display from him.

Now maybe I'm being too harsh on Keon.  On the plus side, he fought whole game and he had some deft touches as we all know he has.  He took his goal well and overall had a decent performance.  But I know he's capable of much better.  When he was at Signal Hill he was clearly in charge and played to suit.  I know this is a completely different arena and level of ball, but I firmly believe for him to be the player I know he can be, he has to be assertive. 

I always remember one of the first games he played for T&T and we were awarded a free kick.  Keon was (and probably still is) the best dead ball specialist in the team and went to take the kick.  He was promptly boofed by a senior player who took the kick and sent it into the stands. You could just see Keon wilt.  Peeps will say he needs to have a stronger character but from what I understand, he's a very quiet guy.  I hope for his & T&T's sake, he becomes more assertive.

Kenwyne Jones look like a action hero.  WOW!  If I was a defender I wouldn't enjoy going up against him when he in the mood and he was definitely in the mood today.

Carlos Edwards is simply one of the best footballers T&T has EVER produced.  Massive respeck.

Khaleem Hyland is an excellent player and we're lucky to have a player of his calibre.

I still trying to understand Theobald's role on the team.  I'm just a fan and not familiar with the intricacies of the tactics of the game so there are things I will miss.  This is the case with Theobald because every coach plays him.

I think Carter and Joevin Jones were simply very nervous and played like it.  I wouldn't write them off at all.

I had little problem with Mitchell and Power.  Mitchell in particular reads the game well.  Power is a heart and soul defender.  Hoyte played decently also.

Jan was shaky but made a hell of a save at the end.

In hindsight I would have taken Carter off at half time, but perhaps the coach felt his nerves would have settled after the break.


Congrats to the team.  Nice to see T&T play football without constantly steupsin throughout de game.

I could only imagine what we would have been like with the likes of fit Hughton Hector, Lester Peltier, Atullah Guerra, Robert Primus, Julius James, and J Lloyd Samuels to call on.

Couldn't have said it much better. 

[g]

For the folks that call for Birchall ahead of Theobald ask me this, what is the weaker aspects of Birchie's game? Transpose that onto last night's game and tell me as an armchair coach what you would have done.

I love Birchie's hussle and fight, it's unmatched as far as I can remember but his decision making while in control as well as his technique can be more of a liability if playing against opposition that presses the midfield.

By no means is Theobald the answer but I'll take him as he represents a lower risk albeit a lower impact in that role. There are other positions that I would go a different way. Boucaud is emerging in my opinion as a more viable option for that specific role but again that's the coaches call

I just find the whole selection issue logical in my view

[dinho]

Hart himself was very clear in saying at the press conference that he was not happy with the game and below what he expected.

Too many simple careless mistakes in possession, in fact he pinpointed two individual errors that resulted in the goals. He felt that there were some encouraging signs when in possession and we created the chances, but the unforced errors from individual players was disappointing.

I agree as well, its only so much you can do to put a team together and get them ready but as a coach you can't legislate for bad trap and bad pass.

He did say however that it could have been a consequence of the lack of warmup games together and was confident that this experience of playing through first game would augur well going into Friday.

If I have any criticism, its that I thought he could have made some changes sooner.. Carter should have been off much earlier and he needed to do something over on our left flank where everything was going down Joevin Jones side. Would have liked to see a Birchall for Theobald.

[lefty]

there was definitely mistakes and errors, lots of them, there were instances where defenders were simply escorting their marks or backing off instead of pressing, KJ was good....but there was an instance where an initial attack broke down.......we still had the ball in the attackin third and he was simply walking out of an offside position with no urgency........there were others plenty others, but even with the mistakes, we never really looked clueless.....as in games past........which to me speaks volumes

[Marcos]

Concur with most of the statements in this thread. From an in-stadium view, KJ was beastin' last night. I didn't think that Bleeder was as bad as some have made him out to be and looked neat in possession at times.

Best game I've seen from KJ, Keon Daniel and Hyland.

And Hoyte was nice too...

[Andre]

big improvement by the warriors. hoping for better vs. haiti as this was their first competitive match under the new management.

we still have defensive problems though. el salvador freekick was hard to stop but zelaya run rampant afterwards and coulda score a winner. he second goal shouldna happen. nearest defender was at least a meter off him.

[fari]

birchall is too slow...them fellas woulda race past he like they going down de bypass

[Tallman]

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/xwetpBzDGV0" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/xwetpBzDGV0</a>

[Bakes]

Thanks for the vid Tallman... was just about to go look for it.  I wouldn't have expected anything different from Hart, he has to say that he was disappointed and expected more.  To say otherwise would be to send the message that mediocrity or "okay" performances are acceptable.  That is the wrong message to send to fans, and more importantly, to the players.

Lefty... as hard as Kenwyne work last night he coulda siddung in de box sucking air and I wouldn'a mind.  I see somebody say he was only good for 76 mins or so.  For me he played whistle to whistle, because at the death he was in his own box clearing corners.  Him taking a second to catch his breath here and there was well-earned in my book.

[MEP]

birchall is too slow...them fellas woulda race past he like they going down de bypass

but at least if he were playing the #6 position like Theobald he would have held his position

[supporter]

Allyuh was in the stadium??

KJ give we ah ummph more... and dais plenty. Some haitians was asking who is dat primadonna.


Everything else on point. Especially Carter... oh lord. I feel sorry for him

Carter looked horrible. The rest of the squad didnt look too bad.

[NYtriniwhiteboy..]

i jus praying that Carter improves like Power..I still in shock at how much he has improved. I remember being in the stadium watching him unable to do anything right and the crowd laughing at him

[Controversial]

Allyuh was in the stadium??

KJ give we ah ummph more... and dais plenty. Some haitians was asking who is dat primadonna.


Everything else on point. Especially Carter... oh lord. I feel sorry for him

Carter looked horrible. The rest of the squad didnt look too bad.

only carter? i wasn't in the stadium but i could tell you bleeder, j jones, and in certain times the fan favorite hyland did real stupidness.. jan looked like he was nervous, i still like phillips but i give him credit on the save

[Controversial]

Hart himself was very clear in saying at the press conference that he was not happy with the game and below what he expected.

Too many simple careless mistakes in possession, in fact he pinpointed two individual errors that resulted in the goals. He felt that there were some encouraging signs when in possession and we created the chances, but the unforced errors from individual players was disappointing.

I agree as well, its only so much you can do to put a team together and get them ready but as a coach you can't legislate for bad trap and bad pass.

He did say however that it could have been a consequence of the lack of warmup games together and was confident that this experience of playing through first game would augur well going into Friday.

If I have any criticism, its that I thought he could have made some changes sooner.. Carter should have been off much earlier and he needed to do something over on our left flank where everything was going down Joevin Jones side. Would have liked to see a Birchall for Theobald.

match practice and conditioning, thats why he kept them in, he didn't want to destroy their confidence by subbing them immediately, he gave them a chance and didn't break their confidence, however, they have been warned indirectly and if they don't come good, they will not see the field any time soon

[Tallman]

i jus praying that Carter improves like Power..I still in shock at how much he has improved. I remember being in the stadium watching him unable to do anything right and the crowd laughing at him

Don't have de time, he's already 29.

[palos]

i jus praying that Carter improves like Power..I still in shock at how much he has improved. I remember being in the stadium watching him unable to do anything right and the crowd laughing at him

Don't have de time, he's already 29.

Also never easy to come back after a broken leg.

Remember Anthony Sherwood?  Never the same player afterward. 

[Lifeisgood]

birchall is too slow...them fellas woulda race past he like they going down de bypass

but at least if he were playing the #6 position like Theobald he would have held his position

Cosign ... Bleeder looked lost at times - and had no impact on the game.  We cannot afford to have laborers in the midfield.  Hyland should be allowed to play in a more advanced role, which would rely on a having a CAPABLE holding mid, to sit infront of the back four and facilitate possession as well as disrupt what the other team is trying to do. 

We might even be better served playing Bleeder out on the flank -- if he HAS to be on the field at all -- he would be out in more space and would help link with the forwards.  I know he is not an out and out winger, but he would have been a better option (in possession), than Carter (poor).  Bleeder could actually tuck in from the wider position and help out with possession in the attacking 3rd.

A 4-2-3-1 formation with Hyland and Birchall as the "2" - giving Hyland more attacking freedom ...with Me Mum sitting in front of the back 4 - and Daniel as the attacking mid, playing in right behind Jones ... would be the best adjustment.   Against the pace of Haiti, we must hold our defensive shape. We were not transitioning quickly enough, from offensive to defensive shape .....

Like Hart's post match comments....sounds like he knows what he is doing --- just needs to sort out what is the right personnel to get it done.

Hoping for the best Friday.

[100% Barataria]

Folks saying Birchall lose whatever pace he had, have not seen him in a while, so would be useful to understand that, his 1st touch and ball distribution is always suspect, but when you are in front of the back four as a DM, you need to be a bruiser/hustler and Theo is neither.  Hart seeing the boys in training, so would defer to him, but we need to figure this piece out.  Hyland had close to zero help from what I could tell in that 2nd half of that 1st game

Added to that, Keon, Carlos and whoever is on the other wing, Carter, BouBou  or whomever can't be bounced off the ball as easily as I saw.  I saw more hustle than usual which is good, but KD in particular was passed to easily by Sal midfielders.  In midfield in general you must have some bruising in your DNA, apart from other skills in your toolkit

[vb]

Barataria and LG,

I agree with your assessments.

Hyland and KD backed up by Birch would make our defense even better, not mitigate our attack and yes Birch's bruising style and long range passes/shots adds a nice dimension. Likewise SH must be seeing something in practice.
When exactly did Birch get slow?

In the old days we had players with skill or speed or a combination of both to take stress of a suspect defense. We may no have the proliferation of mf and striking talent of the 80 and 90s but in our zeal to shore up the defense we must ensure not to have a stale attack.

Carlos' potency is only at 50 percent becz he's on the left side. We need somebody who could bamboozle and worry the opposition. KJ cah do it all. Glenn injured and Hector is not there.
J. Jones showed he could be a problem and decent poise when he went up front. Maybe start wide left, he is a mf so could adapt.
Carlos on the right backed up by Hoyte is a good combo. And yes the defense need sorting out.

[AB.Trini]

 Good result after game one considering the  time and preparation given. However one game does not make  for success or a season. Encouraging to see the response of the players on the field. From what I saw of the game on TV, it appears that there is a greater sense of urgency in the attack; we have more opportunities at scoring than previous games; better the missed chances at net than none at all.
The players appear to be responding to a system that is allowing them to play to their potential. When their is a trust and belief in leadership, results could dramatically improve.

Even philosophical differences are minimized with solid leadership. This I believe is an intangible we are getting under the direction of  Mr.Beenhakker and  coach Hart. No disrespect but how does an EPL caliber player respond to a coach whose achievements are not perceived as credible?  How does a former military man respond to a former insurrectionist?   These intangibles I believe were some distractions in moving our team forward. Now with the new direction , I trust that we could continue in a positive vein. Success is not always measured by wins but in my opinion by the quality , and teh competitive manner in which we compete.


Once more , congratulations to the team, the coaching staff and management- continued success for the duration of the tournament.

[Trinitozbone]

Ah go hear a different song after the Haiti and the Honduras games. All yuh fellas want the team to progress so bad yuh happy for anything, From what I saw the game could have been 4-2 in El Salvador's favor. But I guess a draw is better than a loss again!

[Tallman]

Ah go hear a different song after the Haiti and the Honduras games. All yuh fellas want the team to progress so bad yuh happy for anything, From what I saw the game could have been 4-2 in El Salvador's favor. But I guess a draw is better than a loss again!

Could have been 4-2 in our favor as well. Could also have been 4-4.

[just cool]

Ah go hear a different song after the Haiti and the Honduras games. All yuh fellas want the team to progress so bad yuh happy for anything, From what I saw the game could have been 4-2 in El Salvador's favor. But I guess a draw is better than a loss again!

Could have been 4-2 in our favor as well. Could also have been 4-4.

Do mind he, we throw away more then them and had more possession than them, plus the ref was giving them more calls, they is who got lucky.

[Deeks]

Ah go hear a different song after the Haiti and the Honduras games. All yuh fellas want the team to progress so bad yuh happy for anything, From what I saw the game could have been 4-2 in El Salvador's favor. But I guess a draw is better than a loss again!

Honestly, we eh that naive. We just surprised that the team appear to know what they were doing as oppose to the previous outgoings. Not a bloody clue. As I said in a previous post, all 4 teams have been to the WC finals before. With the exception of Honduras, TT, El Salv and Haiti are on the rebound or rebuilding. Our group is a kind of group of death.

[maxg]

i feel the A group is the "grupo de la muerte". Our group is more like "grupo de la wta", anything can happen.