We don't fear anyone, not even England.
The Guardian.
In the first of his World Cup columns for the Guardian Luton's midfielder tells of Trinidad & Tobago's excited preparations for mixing it with the best.
The mood in Trinidad & Tobago right now is buzzing: everywhere you go there's a mixture of excitement, pride and anticipation, especially now that our first ever World Cup match is just 17 days away. Some say our supporters have been partying since November 16, when we beat Bahrain to qualify for Germany, but the 23 guys in our squad are completely focused on the battles ahead. We know exactly what we have to do and, if we play to the best of our abilities, we'll surprise a few people.
I'm looking at the second round already. When we reach the last 16, I'll start thinking about the quarter-finals. Why shouldn't I be positive? If we go to Germany expecting to be World Cup whipping boys, that's exactly what will happen. We don't fear anyone. Not Sweden, not Paraguay, not even England. We beat Mexico - the fourth best team in the world according to Fifa - in our qualifying group and our world ranking, 47, is climbing all the time. It's a lot higher than Northern Ireland's, at any rate.
So far training is going great and the lads are bubbling. After the season ended we had a two-week camp in Trinidad & Tobago, which was pretty hectic due to all our press and public commitments. Not that I minded - the goodwill out there for the Soca Warriors is both inspiring and humbling.
Generally when we train we have a laugh and a kick-around. So far our coach, Leo Beenhakker, has been going relatively easy on us. The squad has two sessions a day but the guys who've just come off a domestic season in Europe train only once, in the morning, and in the evening we lie back in the Jacuzzi and relax. Preparing for a tournament is a balancing act: you don't want to get to the World Cup and find all your cylinders have crashed but you don't want to be under-prepared either. So far I think I'm on track: I did a bleep test the other day that showed my fitness hasn't deserted me.
Beenhakker is an expressive coach. He doesn't hold back. If he's happy, he'll let you know but, if he feels you're not giving him your absolute all, he'll have a pop at you. All the players like him and respect him because Leo is 100% frank with us.
He'll bollock Dwight Yorke, he'll bollock anyone. He doesn't take any nonsense and, since arriving, he's made a huge difference. We certainly wouldn't have qualified for the World Cup without him.
He's rigorous too. He's spent the last few weeks preparing everyone for what will come in Germany and has told us exactly what he expects. He's mentally tough and that's rubbed off on the players. In the old days, when we went to places like Mexico and Costa Rica, we would get thrashed. Now we believe we can get a result wherever we play.
On Saturday we arrived in Bad Radkersburg in south-east Austria, where we'll play friendlies against Austria Vienna and Wales to get us right for our opening match against Sweden on June 10. After that it's England, a game that everyone is hyped about, especially the 15 squad members who play in Britain.
All that matters for me right now, however, is impressing my coach every time I step on to the pitch. I'm desperate to be picked in the starting 11 and show what I can do in Germany. Every footballer dreams of plying his trade at the highest level and, while I love it at Luton, that's what I want to do, too. I just hope that, when my World Cup comes to an end and I go straight back into pre-season training, I can hold my head high, having performed at the levels I expect of myself. Hopefully I'll also leave with plenty to smile about, along with the thousands of Trinidad & Tobago fans who are coming over to Germany. I'm not exactly sure of the numbers but I can promise you this: they won't be disrespecting anyone or causing any trouble or disgracing their country. They'll just be enjoying themselves to the best of their abilities.
The Soca Warriors' supporters are the best partiers in the world and, you never know, they might even persuade the German police to join them in their fun and games. They also demand we play good football, regardless of whether we win or lose, and we certainly won't let them down on that score. I think they'll enjoy themselves. I just hope we can give them something to remember for the rest of their lives.
