The Touches Match Report.....Fellas doe panic!

[Touches]

Touches Reporting.

Dear Forumites,

Before I begin, I took a look at a number of posts and yes while you may have questions and concerns lets not look at the scoreline or try and not to read too much into this game. Of note we are playing the Peruvian side next week (18th) and it was announced in the game that we will be playing El Salvador on the 25th.

This is good we are getting progressively better teams as time goes by with enough rest in between. Remember Leo has had about 10 days with the team, one 3 day camp and he cut some players.

Scoreline not withstanding TT is an improved unit in all deptments.

They had a crowd about 1,500-2,000 people and I am being generous. Of this crowd at least 1000 were from Grande and were backing their team all the way. Also, the game was FREE.....yes FREE I walk in easy gate was open for all and sundry. I dont mean to sound bad but North East Stars is not as good as Jabloteh or W Connection and they didn't look like champions tonight.

In comparison to the T&T team the players all looked scrawney, average and were not very technical. However they were playing for pride and had a little extra hustle in they step. I observed the game with Patriot, Andre Samuel and Cowen and we were in concensus generally with the action as it unfolded on the field.

T&T started with a 4-5--1 formation;

Duarance Williams as Keeper, King, Thomas, Atiba Charles and Nigel Daniel in the back, the midfield were Celestine, Theobold, Whitley, Eve and Dwarika our lone forward up front Gary Glasgow minus the dread...like he thought Bertille was still the coach.

North East Stars didn't play anything special....long ball here and there flashes of skill and men running up and down the flanks effectively. What they did do was catch the T&T team napping on occasions. The first was when Derek King ushered a ball out of play, a quickly taken throw found Jagdeosingh a North East Stars player who was ommitted after being called up by coach Leo Beenhakker. He then skipped past Thomas and shot low from the top of the box. GOAL.

Now something to note........Jagdeosingh is not a Indian, in a earlier post people were saying he is Indian. This is T&T last name doe match appearance.

The second North East Stars goal was the best freekick I have seen on local soil in some time. A player spank a curlers in the "V" from 20 yards out. Nothing keeper Williams could have done to prevent it from going in.

Other than that there were times when the 'ref' was issuing a card or calling a foul, the NE Stars players would take the kick quickly catching the T&T defence by surprise and twice they spanked Williams with a bullet.

Other than that NE didn't have any clear cut chance nor did they dominate the game. They also used all of their subs and the intensitiy and quality of there play did not diminish.

T&T on the other hand is an improved side. What is clearly apparent is a case of GOOD TACTICS, good plan............poor execusion.

I do not think any of the current players tonight will make it for the Panama game. Except Densill Theobold, Atiba Charles, Keyeno Thomas, Aurtis Whitley and Arnold Dwarika were the ones who stood out and Angus Eve to a lesser extent.

Fellas Dwarika is back and his touches are on. He's also looking motivated and he is tackling and fierce too. Theobold had an excellent game and linked up well with Whitley.

The T&T team after conceding the first goal switched to a 3-5-2 with Dwarika moving up to the forward position, Eve playing on the wing.

Later in the second half it morphed into a 4-4-2.

Celestine attempted to shoot at goal on occasion but the ball was in the stands...Glasgow has regained some of his touches, trapping the ball very cleanly and laying off but like he doesn't know what to do in front of goal and purge down himself. Dwarika threw away a sitter in the six yard box, shooting straight at the keeper with no pressure, when he could have placed it. Dwarika also scored but the referee deemed the goal offside. It was a good goal the lines-man chupid....how could a man square a ball back from the line and have it deemed offside.

Anyway, the T&T team play ZERO long balls.......it was all about quick touches, of one or two touches each, movement off the ball, off the ball runs...perfect triangles being maintained at all times and players running into space. Every time T&T were in possession they looked very dangerous coming forward and created at least 6 or seven opportunities only to be wasted by Celestine or Glasgow.

I find for the short space of time we were looking much much better and I not worried we will get it right in time for Panama. What is apparent is the speed at which T&T is playing, it is much faster and we are not predictable any more.

Also the short passes and springing of forwards will be more conducive to a speedy forward i.e a Cornell Glen or a Jason Scotland.......I do not see how Stern John fitting in with the system being played, either he have to change from trap and screen and revert to take on men and bore through or he will be left on the bench.

There is no more run up the wing and hit and hope....it is a calculated run with the midfielders making a dummy run creating space and a following midfielder shooting from the top of the box. Also, it seems the Theobold/Whitley combo is good, put Edwards or Birchall on the right wing with Fitzpatrick on the left and Spann in the middle as defensive and we good to go.

Derek King....me aint know how the man was on the field instead of Anton Pierre, but he was the pull stones of the back four and was subbed at 1/2 time.

Nigel Daniel didn't have a good game but he did whip in some good crosses and corners.

Angus Eve played decent but got burnt in the second half.

All the subs that came on were not special, I dont see them being a factor in any of the games.

So fellas, it was an entertaining game but you had to be there to see the action.

Dont panic, dont make comparisons, dont start no ole talk.

It was a exercise to see who could cut it and follow instructions and right now Theobold, Whitley, Dwarika, Eve, Thomas, and Charles are the only ones to get a passing grade.

Foreign based will make up 90% of this team and yes they better than the locals.

[AB.Trini]

Thaanks for the report and the game breakdown but you know the BOTTOM LINE is that asquad who are representative of the best locals lost the game.Period.

No Excuses ;  Rome was not build in a day but we have no time for excuses. If we have the best of the local pros, we expect better results.

[noname]

Thanks for the report

[Lower St. John]

I will start by stating that I don't like poor results, but I will defend the team at this early juncture.  This is for the simple reason that the Professional Teams are units accustomed to playing with each other (there is history there).  Leo is putting things into place with the present crop of guys at this time.  I look at the presently configured national team as a Professional team that was formed 10 days ago and now learning to play with each other.

Let us not forget, Football is a team game first.  If what Touches is pointing out with regards to formation and tactics is true, then we are on the right road for Panama.  Have faith in the man credentials (We really don't have a choice do we). 

Good to know that the Friendlies are being lined up with some decent opposition.

As Touches say:  Doe Panic Fellas

Thanks for the report Touches.

[Tallman]

Of note we are playing the Peruvian side next week and it was announced in the game that we will be playing El Salvador on the 18th.

Ah confused. In an earlier article, de TTFF say dat we playing de Peruvian club side on May 18th and now you say we playing El Salvador on de 18th. Yuh also say dat we still playing de club side next week. When we playing dat match ?

[Touches]

I might have gotten the date wrong but they say we playing the Peru Side and El salvador, I think the following wed in the Hasley crawford stadium. They go announce it soon

[maxg]

Thaanks for the report and the game breakdown but you know the BOTTOM LINE is that asquad who are representative of the best locals lost the game.Period.

No Excuses ;  Rome was not build in a day but we have no time for excuses. If we have the best of the local pros, we expect better results.

You for real bredda... it is practice...it is to see how the operation going, and wha tactics effective or ineffective to suit the player. Even the Peru game is practice...nobody doh need no excuse...yuh ever play football nah? Me neva know ah all-star team to beat up no club team jus so...even jus for pride, and if yuh have friends, and family watching yuh too, Star boy team dead...they might do everything better, but they not beating we..I could see how that possible..

Especially it have fellas who get retained, who know they ass is grass, by next week. I missed 1-5 of the better players cause I knew who would be motivated, those that have a real shot. And I only missed theobald cause I thought the injury might of restricted him...dey rest of all stars know they is the best locals, but not the best for T&T..
Meanwhile, NE have something to prove, even though they start of with a bad seaon, they still champs. The men on they team who didn't make, want to show, why dey shoulda be there, dem not studying bout cut down the road..dem only studyin, we is d real stars, NE stars..if dey lose will dey was supposed to lose, buh if dey win, dey could always say, 20yrs from now, they beat T&T best...psych..
Peru club doh care if we win, hell dey might score ah own goal for we...Jack doin something for dem.
El salavador want we beat Panama & Gautamala bad..bad...History
D only games herein we can pass judgement on is Panama & Guatamala...all else has reasonable performance restrictions.

[AB.Trini]

I agree this is the sort of runs you want fuh practice and yuh want tuh  try out new stuff but when yuh lace up the boots, wear the national colours and play the game, all dem practice talk done .

Yuh simply playing fuh a win. If yuh cyar win withe the best locals, check yuh scenes maybe yuh eh have the best out dey.

[maxg]

I repeat
There is no motivator for the weakest of the best, dem same fellas will probably give a better performance, when they are back with their own clubs playing against NE stars... I predict NE stars goin to have a very tuff year for that win... We have fellas who for all intents and purposes think dey are professionals, even before they were professionals....it is the way of the youth in sport today..they dress like the stars, act like the stars, THEY are the stars....anyway that is orf d topic

[arrow]

Foreign based will make up 90% of this team and yes they better than the locals.

This is the part that still has me worried for a couple reasons:

1. So only 10% of the final squad will have been training for more than 2 weeks with Leo.  The rest starting over from scratch next week, learning the new style etc. and will have the same 5-6 days of training before Panama.  So basically the past two weeks was pointless for 90% of the squad.

2. The new quick-passing style you described seems more suited to the local-based players. The UK-based men just come from 8 months straight playing boom-kick, long ball style.  It will not be an easy adjustment for them to make.

[AB.Trini]

Arrow dis a good point yuh making; this is the tension we encounter so if this plays out like that then we had better procure the services of the overseas players sooner and  begin the training a lot sooner.

[maxg]

Foreign based will make up 90% of this team and yes they better than the locals.

This is the part that still has me worried for a couple reasons:

1. So only 10% of the final squad will have been training for more than 2 weeks with Leo.  The rest starting over from scratch next week, learning the new style etc. and will have the same 5-6 days of training before Panama.  So basically the past two weeks was pointless for 90% of the squad.

2. The new quick-passing style you described seems more suited to the local-based players. The UK-based men just come from 8 months straight playing boom-kick, long ball style.  It will not be an easy adjustment for them to make.

the onus is on the foreign based to make the adjustment, if they can't, they won't make it. That is what I expect from all this. The most beneficial ting of having such a different coach is he do not have any favorites, it is who can do the job(i.e. play his system) or not NOW. The Rest who are there right now are operating on what has transpired in the past, and therefore would feel less than motivated. If the foreign based don't adjust, I gaurantee you they would not be selected. If they do. Either way, whether we are good eneuff or not, we would, given the circumstanes of having a coach for such a short period, we would still have a better team in the long run... if only from player effort... it's all hypothetical, the proof is yet to be seen

[Marcos]

Touches thanks for the report.
I have observed that we have a lot of ignorant ppl on this forum who obviously don't really understand the game of football.
The best teams in the world go under to lowly underdogs all the time.
The coach is trying to implement a system and a strategy that is going to benefit us in the long term.
If we are going to learn to play this system correctly we will suffer a few bumps and bruises, but ultimately I think we will get it right. Hence the phrase "practice match". Don't we all know that practice makes perfect.
I recall reading a story about the world champion Chicago Bulls first team of Jordan, Pippen and Rodman losing badly to their second string unit of Toni Kukoc and a group of unknowns during practice.

Don't panic.
In addition, we always knew that Theobald and Seaton were the best midfielders in Trinidad anyway. Iz only Bertie didn't realise.

[arrow]

"long-term" "ultimately".  I hope by those words you mean in 3 weeks because Leo is only here for one purpose and that is to qualify us for Germany which can only happen if we beat Panama.

[Sam]

Jagdeosingh must be happy to know he score a goal after being ommitted. His father is Indian.

This is why we need more games, we cannot judge de team and some players to fast, but time against we, so we have to make do. I was hoping to see them new comers like Wolfe, Daniel & Whitley shine.

Why did Leo B used only 2 subs ?

[samo]

I did not expect them to win.. NE Stars had more to prove and they have been together longer.Practice doe make perfect practice makes permanant, if u practice to wrong things then u know what will happen. It takes time for a team to gel, I know time is running out, but with 2 more warm up games with the foreing based and hopefully one amongst themselves, we will see the light..

[AB.Trini]

"DON'T EXPECT TUH WIN" dat is the problem we have; if we do not have those expectations, ho wwill we continue to srtive for excellence?

Do we expect to win aganist Panama?

Do we expect to win aganist MEXICO?
Do we expect to win the next time we meet Guatemala?

I expect that every time you put on the National colours and you lace up the boots and game start, that yuh playing tuh win not just  tuh break a sweat.

[triniwings]

Touches...how are we an improved team in all departments?  I just want to know what part of that game did you see progress?

[FF]

I did not expect them to win.. NE Stars had more to prove and they have been together longer.Practice doe make perfect practice makes permanant, if u practice to wrong things then u know what will happen. It takes time for a team to gel, I know time is running out, but with 2 more warm up games with the foreing based and hopefully one amongst themselves, we will see the light..

I find men being rediculous... yes we want trinidad to win every game but is basically trials going on... the man trying to see who could fit with his tactics... men say dey seeing improvement arready... well i see that as a bonus... because we coulda win de game and play real shit.

watch de progression:

Week 1 Locals train, get familiarised with tactics... practice game against local champion team

Week 2 Locals continue to train... filter in foriegn base... practice game against latin champion team

Week 3 Finalise best squad... refine tactics... international friendly vs El Salvador, as i predicted earlier when men was complaining how we playing a side from Lima (I looking at you KND)
(this is de game we must look for overall improvement)

Week 4 WCQ vs Panama (this is de game we looking for de win)

Very systematic progression designed to get the best out of the best players... whether it will be successful remains to be seen. But you can't argue with the methods at all at all...

[ironman]

FF listening to men talk,I feel some of these buggas never even play moral

[Touches]

Triniwings,
compare yesterdays match against the rest of games.

In defence with the exception of Derek King who was hoofing the ball out notice they were not panicing.

They were better in blocking the goal, attempting to form a compact wall and bringing the ball out from the back rather than the hit and hope to the fwds.

Did you notice the speed and tempo which we were playing! Much better than the casual stroke around in the back.

Did you also notice the quick interchange of passes in the midfield one touch.quickly moving the ball across the park and the few times we sprung Glasgow and Celestine, the 3 passes and the runs made by the midfield.

Also the goal that Dwarika scored that was called offside........a brilliant sweeping move ball was touched by =8 players no more than 2 times run down the flank and square.

TT did not have the gaping hole from defence to fwd line.......we had a midfield and the transition was apparent in both attacking and defending.

I find we look like we had a clue.....just the players ent execute.

When we play the Peru side look at the shape of the team and the movement off the ball

[FF]

Touches... that is an excellent breakdown of the areas that have shown change/improvement. No offence to trini-wings but your analysis shows depth. A look at the innerworkings of the clock and what was going wrong and right... not just watching the clockface and saying the clock slow

[maxg]

Very good stuff Touches & FF. I totally agree, cannot knock that plan, successful or not.

[triniwings]

Aight fellas....I will gracefully sit back and observe the opinions of others.

But, I just would have liked to see the reaction if BSC was in charge. I think we would not have tried so hard to find or create positives out of a mediocre performance.

I really wonder at times if I attended the same game, but since everyone claims we improving so much and we we having smooth transition out of the back and nice interpassing, which I did not see in the backline.....I would not try to force my opinion on this board.

The midfield did make some progress.  With Theobald, Dwarika and to a lesser extent Whitley making the difference.

If we were playing a quick short-passing team like mexico or even panama with this current side....maybe results may have been far worse.

Nonetheless, Leo only had this side for a matter of days, so I did not expect any miracles technically.  I am just a bit shocked that so many are expressing satisfaction and contentment with that performance yesterday.  I think people are getting the wrong impression and think that we are on a certain road ot progress.  This may very well be the case, but in due time.   Maybe it is just me, but from a total football point of view, I did not see progress in all departments. 

[Israel]

Glad to see that Touches said there was an overall improvement in all departments. Ah go take dat we looked better in terms of tactics and hustling and lose rather than play shit and lose ( Antigua ). It seems that the gaffer is capable of gettin a team in such short time to connect with his ideas. Glad to see that Whitley and Theobald linked up well and Dwarika looked good, (who needs Latas when we got Whitley and Theobald) lol............Was Nigel Pierre dropped? Ah jus hope that the foreign based fit in well.  

       My Predicted Team for Panama playing 4-4-2
                                        Ince

  Atiba Charles         Keyeno Thomas     M. Andrews            A. John

Edwards    Spann/Theobald    Whitley/Dwarika                   Tiger

                          Yorke            Sam/Dwarika


What ah like bout dat midfield is dat dem is men who like to shoot, T&T seems to lack the confidence to try a keeper from outside, and ah have a feeling Beene Man go try Yorke up front. Jus hope dat d team clickin in time for d Panama game.

                                                            

[FF]

But, I just would have liked to see the reaction if BSC was in charge. I think we would not have tried so hard to find or create positives out of a mediocre performance.

Well jus ask about the responses when bertille took over last year and promptly went on to get 4 and 3 from Scotland and Northern Ireland...
It was much of the same....

[dcs]

Aight fellas....I will gracefully sit back and observe the opinions of others.

Nah, we need to hear all points of view.
I sure half the people at the game would agree with you and half with Touches and dem.

[arrow]

ah have a feeling Beene Man go try Yorke up front.                                                            

I also think Beenie might try Dwight up front, since that is the position he would have seen him play all these years before BSC's midfield experiment.  The question is, can the supposedly "new and improved" Stern John, the one who is supposedly making penetrating runs, taking on defenders and creating his own shots, can he be paired with Dwight?  This combination of slower and slowest has been tried and failed in the past but I wonder if it will be resurrected by Beenie, since they are our two best known strikers.  To a brand new foreign coach I'm sure that partnership looks promising.