Soca Warriors fans bump & wine in Rotenberg.
By: Shaun Fuentes.
Trinidad and Tobago’s rousing reception in Germany continued following their gutsy performance in Saturday’s 0-0 draw with Sweden as they arrived back at the Landhaus Wachtelhof Hotel in Rotenberg to 300 odd fans from the city at midnight.
The “Soca Warriors” took the way back to their base camp by bus which took three hours and to their surprise they were welcomed by the mostly German fans who were waving T&T flags and cheering on the players as they came off the bus.
Head coach Leo Beenhakker and his players were loving every moment of it as the interest in the “Soca Warriors” went to a next level after the stunned the Swedes in Dortmund.
The team also underwent a recovery session at the training pitch here and were greeted by a 200 plus fans from T&T who came up on the All Sports Promotions charter flight and made the early drive to Rotenberg from Dortmund in order to catch their warriors on Sunday morning.
Beenhakker, as is customary after a game, gave the team the next twenty four hours off after the session and it was time for the players to spend some much deserved time with their close relatives and friends in Rotenberg. Several of them had company at the hotel and the over the short walk to the City square for a concert in recognition of the team, there were several congratulator gestures in their directions as Germans honked their horns and raised their hands and flags on every sight of the players.
The atmosphere at the City Square was buzzing as the City Corporation in conjunction with Angostura put on an entertainment show with songster Chris Garcia keeping the action pumping with his performance and T&T-based Jugglers Sound System blasting out the songs of T&T for much of the day. A conga line T&T style was also formed among the “Trinis” and the local residents to the tune of “Bump and Wine and it would have easily made the T&T visitor feel as if they were on some part of their home island as both current and back in time favourites from T&T’s songsters blared from the speakers.
On the journey back to Rotenberg, Yorke also received a phone call from Prime Minister Patrick Manning who congratulated him and the team for their efforts, expressing how proud he was of the team’s showing on foreign soil. Sports Minister Roger Boynes was also ecstatic as he relayed his message to Yorke while in the company of FIFA Vice President Jack Warner and other dignitaries in Dortmund.
Meantime, FIFA sent the official letter to the T&T team informing them that Avery John was suspended from Thursday’s game versus England and also automatically fined CHF (Swiss Francs) 5,000 for the red card. The Federation will however cover his fine.
“The whole of the World Cup football is not about me. It’s about the team and getting results. I can only be upset with myself and the decision the referee took in sending me off. But we worked hard and we made the country proud. It was great for the defense as well because we had been letting up goals and now actually into the World Cup we go without conceding in our first game. We enjoyed it and today we had some time with the family and then tomorrow it’s back to business. We are just as good as our last game and now we have to work towards the England game. We are no pushovers and we have that self belief that we can actually go out there and do it,” John told TTFF Media.
John’s dismissal was by far the only hiccup on what has been a fantastic last day or so for the “Soca Warriors” which even FIFA General Secretary Urs Linsi recognized.
“I would like to express my congratulations to you and your Soca Warriors. What your motivated team showed yesterday was just great and so far we had a perfect start into a month of exciting matches. I look forward to following more brilliant matches and wish the Trinidad & Tobago team best success!” Linsi stated in a letter to Warner.
Sky Sports also highlighted T&T’s debut as Shaka Hislop was given the “Player of the Day” tip as well as the “Save of the Day” and T&T’s debut got the “moment of the day”.
“A wonderful day for the Soca Warriors and all their fans. They showed huge passion from start to last and deserved to take a draw from their World Cup debut,” the Sky Sports site stated.
And one can imagine, that while the media and fan interest in the team was extensive since arriving in Germany, that has now doubled following the result. And to top it off, several of the players received congratulatory text messages and phone calls from their club bosses as well as a few have already started picking up inquiries from other clubs.
The team will resume training on Monday evening in Rotenberg and goalie Kelvin Jack who pulled out at the last minute before the Sweden game, is expected to be at the ground but will undergo special attention with the medical staff along with Glasgow Rangers defender Marvin Andrews.
Coach not changing the formula for Thursday's clash.
By: Marlon Miller (Express).[/size]
'Nothing Special For England'
"Well, you saw the training," coach Leo Beenhakker replied yesterday when asked about the mood in the Trinidad and Tobago camp after Saturday's goal-less draw against Sweden in their opening Group B match at the 2006 World Cup Finals here in Germany.
Cheered on by more than 300 T&T supporters, members of two tour groups who were allowed access to the players by Beenhakker yesterday, the T&T Soca Warriors were especially loose and relaxed as they worked out at their training ground in Rotenburg, where they are based during the tournament.
They left the Westfalenstadion in Dortmund just after nine p.m. Saturday (3 p.m. T&T time) and arrived at the Landhaus Wachtelhof Hotel in Rotenburg near midnight.
Yesterday's training session was originally scheduled for 9.30 a.m., but did not get underway until after 10.30 and Beenhakker made sure they took it seriously, barking out commands alongside assistant coach Wim Rijsbergen on a bright, sunny morning.
"Well, you saw the training," the head coach repeated. "But it's not only today, that's one of the advantages of this team. We are all working very tough, we're working very serious, but we are always very much friends."
On the jovial atmosphere yesterday morning after securing a point in their debut outing at football's World Championships, the Dutchman stated: "Every training we enjoy and every activity we enjoy this is not different. But these people were travelling over here for many hours, so it's normal that they're available for the fans a few times. For me it's normal."
The 63-year-old Dutchman was referring to members of the tour groups from Trinidad and Tobago, who arrived from Dortmund on five buses and thoroughly enjoyed themselves receiving autographs and posing for photographs with the squad, who, after the training session concluded at around 11.30 a.m., all went over to the western side of the ground where the visitors were standing and mingled among them for almost half an hour.
T&T captain Dwight Yorke, Man-of-the-Match against Sweden, was the last one to head over to the changing rooms on the other side, before getting on his bicycle for the 20-minute ride back to the team hotel.
Before coach Beenhakker rode off, he was questioned as to whether the players' practice sessions will get tougher over the next few days, with their next opponents being Group B leaders England, who edged Paraguay 1-0 in the earlier match on Saturday. T&T square off against the English in Nuremberg on Thursday.
"Nah, the normal preparation the normal preparation we did before Sweden, we will do it before England, do it before Paraguay, before every match. No special things, normal preparation," Beenhakker said, as he rode off. "Okay?"
