Edwards ready with his perfect riposte

[E-man]

Edwards ready with his perfect riposte
icNorthWales.co.uk

Jun 23 2006

CARLOS EDWARDS has the perfect riposte ready for the stick he expects to receive when he arrives back at Luton.

The 27-year-old former Wrexham midfielder was an ever-present in Trinidad and Tobago's debut World Cup campaign, starting the historic and defiant defeat to England in their second game.

Edwards knows the two-goal loss to Sven-Goran Eriksson's men is bound to be the subject of intense dressing room banter. But he has his answers ready.

"I might get a bit of stick because England beat us," he said. "But I can give them some stick because I have played in a World Cup and they haven't.

"In truth, I can't wait to get back and see the lads, although I have no idea when that will be. I need to ring the gaffer - Mike Newell - to find out when I am supposed to be reporting for pre-season training."

Although Edwards' departure from Germany coincides with the release of the new fixtures for next season, he can bank on having at least a couple of weeks off to reflect on his achievements.

They may not have won a match, or even scored a goal, yet the men from the Caribbean made an indelible mark on what is turning out to be one of the best World Cups for a long time.

In stifling Sweden on the second day of competition, they produced the kind of shock all neutrals love and in frustrating England for 81 long minutes in Nuremberg.

For his own country, Edwards believes the tournament can only aid further development of the game, even if it does come at the expense of even greater numbers of players leaving their homeland for more lucrative contracts.

"We have proved ourselves to be worthy of being in Germany, if only because people expected us to get hammered in every game," said Edwards..

"But we also have to accept the standard is far higher than anything we are used to. The pace of the game is quicker and the calibre of the players you are facing is enormous.

"For an inexperienced team, that can be a problem, especially for the guys who are playing back in Trinidad. Maybe if they had a bit more experience of the pace in European football we might have done better."

[arrow]

"For an inexperienced team, that can be a problem, especially for the guys who are playing back in Trinidad. Maybe if they had a bit more experience of the pace in European football we might have done better."

Carlos blaming the non European-based players?

[palos]

"For an inexperienced team, that can be a problem, especially for the guys who are playing back in Trinidad. Maybe if they had a bit more experience of the pace in European football we might have done better."

Carlos blaming the non European-based players?

Is what he is saying wrong?  Please answer honestly.

[berris]

"For an inexperienced team, that can be a problem, especially for the guys who are playing back in Trinidad. Maybe if they had a bit more experience of the pace in European football we might have done better."

Carlos blaming the non European-based players?

Is what he is saying wrong?  Please answer honestly.

Is not ah matter of if 'what he is saying, wrong',it may be true, but he is wrong for saying it...their are many reasons why we did not perform better and de major reason is de superior opposition.How many local based players started and played ? is he singling one or two players ? I just think it is wrong for him to make ah statement like that becuz basically it puts down the local leagues as ah waste of time.

[Warrior till death]

well in that case
he blaming Cyd Gray.........

[palos]

I just think it is wrong for him to make ah statement like that becuz basically it puts down the local leagues as ah waste of time.

As much as we doh want to hear it....choosing a team from the local leagues to go and play in de world cup is like lookin to fight a nuclear war wit a caps gun.  Yuh lorse before yuh begin.

There was a reason only 2 players who played exclusively in the local leagues played regularly.  The BEST player in the local league aka Aurtis Whitley, and the player with the physical attributes to cope at this level aka Cyd Gray

We might not want to hear these things....it may offend some....but is de trute.

De sooner we stop taking these truths as insults but rather as forms of constructive criticism and try to find ways to address and improve these deficiencies is the sooner we will be able to compete more CONSISTENTLY on the international stage.

I didn't see it as Carlos "blamin de local players for our performance" at all.  I saw it as a true statement with no offence to any local player.  The pace at which the game is played at that level IS a much faster pace than any local player is accustomed to.  Look at Aurtis.  We ALL know the ability he has...but he definitely wasn't the same Aurtis Whitley that we have all come to expect.  PART of that has to do with adjusting to the pace at which the games were played.  Cyd Gray adjusted better in my opinion because Cyd Gray has the PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES needed to play the game at that pace.  He REALLY impressed the hell out of me.  He and Cornell were the best of our players who were not based in Britain for me.

[mr.talented]

very true...it aint offensive...just the truth...one should take it in stride moving forward...

[Grande]

I just think it is wrong for him to make ah statement like that becuz basically it puts down the local leagues as ah waste of time.

As much as we doh want to hear it....choosing a team from the local leagues to go and play in de world cup is like lookin to fight a nuclear war wit a caps gun.  Yuh lorse before yuh begin.

There was a reason only 2 players who played exclusively in the local leagues played regularly.  The BEST player in the local league aka Aurtis Whitley, and the player with the physical attributes to cope at this level aka Cyd Gray

We might not want to hear these things....it may offend some....but is de trute.

De sooner we stop taking these truths as insults but rather as forms of constructive criticism and try to find ways to address and improve these deficiencies is the sooner we will be able to compete more CONSISTENTLY on the international stage.

I didn't see it as Carlos "blamin de local players for our performance" at all.  I saw it as a true statement with no offence to any local player.  The pace at which the game is played at that level IS a much faster pace than any local player is accustomed to.  Look at Aurtis.  We ALL know the ability he has...but he definitely wasn't the same Aurtis Whitley that we have all come to expect.  PART of that has to do with adjusting to the pace at which the games were played.  Cyd Gray adjusted better in my opinion because Cyd Gray has the PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES needed to play the game at that pace.  He REALLY impressed the hell out of me.  He and Cornell were the best of our players who were not based in Britain for me.

Watching games in recent football history I am beginning to think dat it doh matter where you playing yuh football - Juventus or North East Stars - at the end of de day is 11 against 11 for 90 minutes on the field. Our performances under an experienced coach proved that. Look at Ghana, and Senegal of 4 years back too. Cornell, Avery and Cyd all had great performances...it is true Whitley wasn't the same Whitley we expected, but for me he was a notch higher than Evans Wise who has been playin in Germany for some time.

[Filho]

He's not wrong...stop being a set of cry-babies. ooh goosh..Carlos say the locals were not as prepared for the pace of the Euro game as the foreign based...SHOCKER!!! First of Carlos said the pace of the game and the calibre of opponent was a problem for the WHOLE TEAM partly because they were inexperienced...read it again. He then said it was a bigger problem for the locals...and he is right. He is not blaming anyone and it was not a knock on their effort, talent or potential as footballers...but there are aspects of the international game that the local leagues cannot currently address. Teams and players talk honestly about their strengths and shortcomings all the time in public.....Beenie went into press conferences at the WC and tell the world that our opposition was more talented than us and that their players were better. Was that wrong too? No...it was the truth and something we knew we could overcome with teamwork, tactics and some good fortune. Carlos, IMO, was not blaming anyone......he is pointing out a sortcoming which if not improved, we will get nowhere in International football.

[arrow]

"For an inexperienced team, that can be a problem, especially for the guys who are playing back in Trinidad. Maybe if they had a bit more experience of the pace in European football we might have done better."

Carlos blaming the non European-based players?

Is what he is saying wrong?  Please answer honestly.

Yes I think its wrong to single out the lack of experience of the local-based players with the pace of European ball.  Just because you play in Europe and are used to a faster pace doesn't mean you will play better in the world cup.  Besides how many Trinidad-based players played in the world cup?  Whitely played the equivalent of two games and Gray played two games.  And there were several European-based players waiting on the bench to take their place - why did Beenie not pick players who had experience of the pace in European football instead?  The fact is NONE (or almost none) of our players were ready for this level of football - whether they be based in europe lower leagues, MLS or PFL.

[mr.talented]

or we could also say how many local players could really challenge for a space in the team presently?

[berris]

very true...it aint offensive...just the truth...one should take it in stride moving forward...

easy for you to say Carlos did'nt point you out as de reason why WE did do 'better'....there's nothing to 'take in stride moving forward'...he knew before hand who he was going into battle with,and Gray and Withley played ah big part in us getting to the WC,they were definately not the reason we did'nt do better,the reason was the opposition was more talanted,full stop,.He did not find it ah problem to make ah statement like that before the WC so to come now and say 'maybe if THEY had a little more expierence of the pace in european football WE (de team)might have done better'...to me that is singling out Whitley and Gray(THEY)....it's not like the majority of the team from Jabloteh or Joe Public,most are playing outside......so he is wrong !!!

[mr.talented]

very true...it aint offensive...just the truth...one should take it in stride moving forward...

easy for you to say Carlos did'nt point you out as de reason why WE did do 'better'....there's nothing to 'take in stride moving forward'...he knew before hand who he was going into battle with,and Gray and Withley played ah big part in us getting to the WC,they were definately not the reason we did'nt do better,the reason was the opposition was more talanted,full stop,.He did not find it ah problem to make ah statement like that before the WC so to come now and say 'maybe if THEY had a little more expierence of the pace in european football WE (de team)might have done better'...to me that is singling out Whitley and Gray(THEY)....it's not like the majority of the team from Jabloteh or Joe Public,most are playing outside......so he is wrong !!!

well i cant dissagree with that but at the same time i'll take it from the side that our local talents need to improve a bit...

i would not say they were the cause for anything...we had a fantastic world cup as far as i am concerned...but i think they all could do with improvement...cause is not like carlos ripping the premiership up anyway...lol

[JayTheWrecker]

i would not say they were the cause for anything...we had a fantastic world cup as far as i am concerned...but i think they all could do with improvement...cause is not like carlos ripping the premiership up anyway...lol

that might happen sooner than you think. I was watching Brasil vs Japan on British TV the other night and one of the commentators was former Tottenham coach David Pleat, and during that game he was gushing about the fullback Gilberto after he scored. Pleat went on to say how this World Cup has seen some really excellent attacking play from fullbacks and he say a bunch of names like "Gilberto, Cafu, Kuffour, Heinze, Edwards, that's Edwards of Trinidad, I thought he was outstanding"

i tell you, Carlos really reach, he played at the highest level and was mentioned in the same distinguished company as the likes of Heinze and Cafu etc.

i will be really surprised if his performances fail to attract interest from a Premiership club

[marcpurcell]

No reason to criticize Carlos. All the players on the national team played well above there abilty but they were still below World class when compared to other teams.

What we need is to have more players playing at a higher level. Currently we don't  have that.

Take a look at the second goal England scored against us. It was a classic example of mental letdown not being able to overcome adversity. Players from whatever country they represent playing in Spain, Italy, Germany and England all understand that.

[Filho]

i would not say they were the cause for anything...we had a fantastic world cup as far as i am concerned...but i think they all could do with improvement...cause is not like carlos ripping the premiership up anyway...lol

that might happen sooner than you think. I was watching Brasil vs Japan on British TV the other night and one of the commentators was former Tottenham coach David Pleat, and during that game he was gushing about the fullback Gilberto after he scored. Pleat went on to say how this World Cup has seen some really excellent attacking play from fullbacks and he say a bunch of names like "Gilberto, Cafu, Kuffour, Heinze, Edwards, that's Edwards of Trinidad, I thought he was outstanding"

i tell you, Carlos really reach, he played at the highest level and was mentioned in the same distinguished company as the likes of Heinze and Cafu etc.

i will be really surprised if his performances fail to attract interest from a Premiership club

some people real dis Edwards before the WC but he was T&T's man of the match for me in every game. The man matched big stars like Freddy Ljunberg and Joe Cole stride for stride. To be honest, there were others who looked as impressive in the first 2 games..but against Paraguay, Carlos showed a different level of class....only Latas showed greater ability when he came on...but he did not get enough time on the field to take man  of the match honors for Carlos...IMHO

[College]

Carlos for premiership

[Babalawo]

Carlos can laught in all ah dem face when them big Euro club buy his contract

[jose]

well then stern should be playing locally

[dwn]

De sooner we stop taking these truths as insults but rather as forms of constructive criticism and try to find ways to address and improve these deficiencies is the sooner we will be able to compete more CONSISTENTLY on the international stage.

WELL SAID.

"But we also have to accept the standard is far higher than anything we are used to. The pace of the game is quicker and the calibre of the players you are facing is enormous.

"For an inexperienced team, that can be a problem, especially for the guys who are playing back in Trinidad. Maybe if they had a bit more experience of the pace in European football we might have done better."

If you read the quote you realise he is talking about the ENTIRE TEAM. He added that the local players were ESPECIALLY not used to the standard. Just cause he said - MAYBE if they were more experienced the team MIGHT HAVE done better - doesnt mean he is blaming them for the performance of the team.

[Cocorite]

One thing T&T's performance proved, "I thought",  was that the lads when called upon or when given the opportunity, can step up to the next level. As a matter of fact those of us who live abroad know of the mental toughness it requires to succeed (as opposed to our Trini culture of I cool man tings easy). The team, to me, exemplified professionalism and a level of mental toughness that gave me hope, real hope, of an effective future for Trinidad and Tobago football. Maybe I'm just dreaming. . . . The locals did WELLLLLLL 

[GyurlTrini]

"For an inexperienced team, that can be a problem, especially for the guys who are playing back in Trinidad. Maybe if they had a bit more experience of the pace in European football we might have done better."

Carlos blaming the non European-based players?

Is what he is saying wrong?  Please answer honestly.

Is not ah matter of if 'what he is saying, wrong',it may be true, but he is wrong for saying it...their are many reasons why we did not perform better and de major reason is de superior opposition.How many local based players started and played ? is he singling one or two players ? I just think it is wrong for him to make ah statement like that becuz basically it puts down the local leagues as ah waste of time.

You might be right, but last I heard about half the playing team that started the matches were locally based & I have a feeling that the report might not have been 100% accurate in their reporting in that he may have mentioned that as one of the factors that contributed to the teams results. Anyways, lookin at it logically, all of those who are internationally based, are based in Europe, so I know, if I were him, on some kinda subconscious level, I would have probably concluded that Trini players may be more likely to be picked by international clubs by the Europeans than any other part of the world. Although now that we've played in the world cup & the other countries have seen what we have to offer, it's entirely possible that other clubs from other countries like those in South America might be lookin a little more closely at our team than before.

Anyways, being on the National Team, he would have more knowledge of which countries have in the past and are currently lookin @ the players from Trinidad, than the rest of us would know.

[berris]

[

'You might be right, but last I heard about half the playing team that started the matches were locally based' .

...'last time you heard'...when was that 5years ago ?...what team have you been following to hear something like that,the only 2 local players starting are Gray and Whitley.

[Storeboy]

All you don't understand what Carlos saying!  The man is right.  He did not suggest that we players not talented or can't play at that level.  he make the point that the game is faster at the top level and players not Used to i.e. not accustomed to playing at that level.  I read from that that our players just need to adjust to the faster game which obviously takes time.  Maybe if we had many more tune up matches against temas including England, Brazil, Ghana, etc. we would have beaten the snot outa SWE and ENG.  I think the man was actually paying a complement to our football.  And for those who think that a local based team could compete at that level, all you crazy, because the reason our players get contdracts abroad is becaue they are better than the players at home.

[Storeboy]

All you don't understand what Carlos saying!  The man is right.  He did not suggest that we players not talented or can't play at that level.  he make the point that the game is faster at the top level and players not Used to i.e. not accustomed to playing at that level.  I read from that that our players just need to adjust to the faster game which obviously takes time.  Maybe if we had many more tune up matches against temas including England, Brazil, Ghana, etc. we would have beaten the snot outa SWE and ENG.  I think the man was actually paying a complement to our football.  And for those who think that a local based team could compete at that level, all you crazy, because the reason our players get contdracts abroad is becaue they are better than the players at home.