Patience the key, says Bora
published: Friday | November 17, 2006
Kwesi Mugisa, Staff Reporter
REGGAE BOYZ technical director designate, Velibor 'Bora' Miluti-novic, was not only impressed with the team's attitude, but believes the members showed a lot of potential in a 1-1 come-from-behind draw against Peru at the National Stadium, on Wednesday night.
However, Milutinovic believes that patience will be key as the team embarks upon its bid for a place in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa - commonly referred to as the 'Back to Africa' campaign.
"They showed a lot of potential and more importantly very good attitude, but the most important thing is that we be patient." Milutinovic said.
"I was also impressed with their speed and I think that they are technically good, however, we must be patient and there is a lot of work to be done," said Milutinovic, who also had his technical crew on hand recording the game.
With the 2010 World Cup now less than four years away, the debate rages on as to whether the Reggae Boyz will be among 32 finalists that will line up when the tournament kicks off on African soil for the first time. Since their historic qualification for the 1998 tournament, Jamaica have been in the football wilderness.
Unimpressive results
The team has not only missed out on the past two tournaments, but a spate of unimpressive results - the most memorable being a 6-0 pounding by World Cup quarter-finalists, England, back in June, suggests that it might miss out on a third.
However, after watching a team that was still not at its best with first-string players Claude Davis, Ricardo Gardner, Damion Stewart, Jason Euell, Damani Ralph, and striker Marlon King missing, Milutinovic believes that there is plenty of time to develop a solid squad.
"We have time to prepare a good team, looking at the quality right now even without all the player's here. We must believe that the team will do well," he said.
"When you have time you need to build confidence, put in the work and everything should be OK," the naturalised Mexican added.
The 62-year-old Yugoslavia-born Milutinovic boasts an impressive resume. He is the only technical director to have coached five different teams at the World Cup - Mexico (1986), Costa Rica (1990), the United States (1994), Nigeria (1998), and China (2002) and is also the first coach to take four different teams beyond the first round. Milutinovic's contract will span the next four years and has been estimated at about US$1 million per year.
