Please Read.................

[saga pinto]

Cousin Saga Pinto,
First of all I want to thank you for introducing me to the Soca Warriors discussion forum last year on my arrival in the US. This forum has been an important link for me to keep in touch with my country and my sport. Jesse is also a frequent reader of the forum since he is always interested in learning about TNT football from the perspective of informed mature fans. I have, over the last few months, noticed comments made on the forum about Jesse and his perceived lack of ability at this level. I respect the right of people like Jah Goal and Touches to hold and express their particular views on Jesse. I would however suggest that we be a little more discrete about how far we go out of our way, to cry down and discredit our youth players.

My concern is not just for Jesse but for other youngsters who are merely doing their best to live up to the responsibility of representing their country. I remember reading some particularly unfair and unwarranted comments not too long ago on this forum, about the aspirations of another 16year old boy who has Trini roots, but is playing for a youth team in the UK. While access to express an opinion is restricted to private members, the forum is really a public place and is open to be read by all.

I have used the hostile sentiments expressed about him, to remind Jesse that he can’t expect everyone in life to like him, understand him or believe in him. He has to rise above criticism and do his best for team, inspite of harsh comments. As a former goalkeeper and student of technique ( I played for CIC 1st eleven for 3 years) I am convinced that Jesse has some ability and while in the opinion of others, he is “slow and makes bad decisions”, he is 100% committed to this team and its success, even as the “honorary” captain on the bench. As his father, I will always resist the urge to defend his playing ability or lack thereof, and will continue to allow him to speak for himself on the field of play. Hopefully, God willing, he will get an opportunity to do so at some point. Incidentally Jesse and Glenroy are very good friends and support each other, inspite of who actually plays. Before we moved to the US last year, Jesse would frequently ask me to go out of my way to pick up Glenroy on a Sunday morning to go to practice. Glenroy would always greet me, “ morning Uncle” with a smile and a handshake. He is a tremendous young man and deserves every opportunity he gets.

Finally Saga, I would like to comment on the current competition. To have any hope of qualifying for Korea, TNT needs at least 6 points, 2 wins. In my opinion the best chances of getting these have always been the first and last game. We had the element of surprise and complacency with CR playing them first. The CR coach did not know much about TNT and never bothered to really focus on us. I believe that his forgone conclusion was that CR drew with Honduras 3-3 and Honduras beat TNT 3-0, therefore they should do the same. Every team coming to this competition, including Jamaica, believed that TNT was good for at least 2 goals and an easy 3 points. This why in the first half, TNT took CR completely by surprise. The secret is now out and no-one, including the US, is going to take us for granted.

The US is the best prepared and strongest of all of the teams. Jesse and I had the pleasure of seeing them play the Brazilians late last year. The Brazilians were, man for man, far more skillful than the US, but the US forced 2 draws on the basis of pure bad mind, refusal to give up and rough play. They countered Brazil’s skill with pure aggression and came from behind twice to force a draw. It was a classic battle of boxer vs. brawler.
From the onset of the tournament I expected that the US will beat everybody by at least 2 clear goals. TNT got theirs last night.

I also had the pleasure of watching the Canadians play Jesse’s club/high school team (Weston Fury/Cypress Bay) last week Tuesday in Sunrise. The game ended 2-1 in favor of the Canadians although Weston was dominating for long periods and leading 1-0 at half time. The Canadians are an extremely well coached and organized team. They have 4 players of above average skill, a 6’ 3” defensive midfielder who is just unbelievable, their central defender and 2 “red” (black +white= red) boys playing upfront with plenty speed. The Canadians are very good at set plays and should score a high percentage of goals from corners and free kicks. Jesse’s coach at Weston is of the view that the way to beat them is to overload their left side, which is how Weston scored.  I feel that TNT can beat Jamaica on superior conditioning but will have a real hard time getting past the Canadians. Not impossible, but high degree of difficulty. I believe that Daniel Cyrus will have an influence on the next two games.

Robert.

[injunchile]

WEll Written Saga Pinto-We have to tell the youth that one has to take the thorns amidst the roses.One builds character with disappointments and defeats. Blessings.

[kounty]

good 2nd half of the post..but you coulda leave out the 1st half.  jack warner, GW Bush, Stern John are all somebody's son.  The thing is when you become a public personality that is part od the things you must have to face.  Training for the future.  If he cyah take a lil piccong on our website (whihc I didn't even notice), if he become a big star like Yorke, how he going to handle all the bad press and and people calling you lazy at every turn and every papers calling you a "blue man" even if you finsh with that years ago.
good trainig for yuh boy man...doh  train him up to be no panty man.  16 is almost a man.  

[Filho]

i feel for the youth and understand where his pops coming from.

but in the end, this is a public forum where many of us will exercise restraint in our criticism and others will not. just as some of us will lavish unretsrained raise while others' joy or optimism is a bit more guarded

a young man representing his country must learn how to use some criticism to become stronger and he must learn which criticism to ignore and file away as useless. he must remember that he is the one with true ability and he is on the verge of what would always be a tough profession where criticism (justified and not) will be the order of the day..He should always remember that he is the one out there giving his all for T&T...we are just armchair critics. And at the end of the day...the same men who dog him on this forum will always support him 120% once he step on that field for red, white and black....such is the carzy nature of the average football fan

Big up yuhself small man..look where yuh reach

Whenever it crosses our minds...we should try to remember who we talking about...but at the end of the day, the forum is about freedom of expression. so everyone should feel free to choose how they conduct themselves

and many thanks to his pops for the run down on the teams and the tourney. after all the chats, he move real cool. thanks and bless

[DeSoWa]

I do feel that some of us do go overboard with the criticism...but it's all part of this vicious cycle of life. Hope your son take it in stride..and keep his head grounded and do his best in the future. He don't have to prove anything to people here as long as he knows his abilities and do his best, because don't matter how good he gets in the future, they bound to have one person who will see a few faults. Also remember, no one is above criticism. Thanks for sharing the letter Saga. 

Big Up!

[kicker]

Advice to Jessie: Turn criticism into motivation...It can be done.

good luck.

[Cocorite]

I always appreciate good writing and clear communication. Well said. A work of art.

The responses so far, to my mind, are the harsh realities of life. With a Father like you, your son has all the encouragement [and most likely grounding] that he really needs.

However, although the responses are true that he will have to get used to the criticism, the father's request is that we or (I) be more thoughtful in my comments. That, I believe, could lessen the amount of extreme criticism which is so often NOT bassed on fact.

Just my 2 cents.

[trinikev]

I always appreciate good writing and clear communication. Well said. A work of art.

The responses so far, to my mind, are the harsh realities of life. With a Father like you, your son has all the encouragement [and most likely grounding] that he really needs.

However, although the responses are true that he will have to get used to the criticism, the father's request is that we or (I) be more thoughtful in my comments. That, I believe, could lessen the amount of extreme criticism which is so often NOT bassed on fact.

Just my 2 cents.

Well said Cocorite 

[Fyzoman]

so dat is de fellah ah make mention of in another post (can Anton Coach post), other men done talk bour de youth should use it as motivation, my take is this, is either de men (ah cyah remember who they were) who criticize him clueless bout de game, OR de men dem know real football and call it how they see it. if the latter is de case, my question is if dis youth really slow and makes bad decisions, what de hell he doing on the team in the first place.....and ah check de stats of the USA game, de fellah eh play at all....hmmmm?

[WestCoast]

let me quote a very good article
"Character in an individual means that he is able to act from within himself, that from the hidden recesses of his mind and heart he is able to put forth powers greater than the influences which are surrounding him in the outer world. We can imagine man as a being suspended between two lives; one an inner life full of ideas and aspirations, the second an outer life in which he is moved to act, feel and think as the servant of the physical body, with its insistent demands for security, comfort and satisfaction. The inner and the outer demands make a battlefield of the soul, and when on that field the inner man is triumphant we have a man of character."
When your inner man is able to control the outer, then you will do great.
http://theosophical.ca/BuildingCharacter.htm

[saga pinto]

Robert,
 Men misunderstod what I was trying to say. I am not some wounded daddy trying to defend his baby. Jesse is too much of a competitive beast for me to have to defend him. He is where he is because he can take pressure, heckle and fatigue. When he was 12 years old, a 6th former called him a shithound and told him he would never make the school team. Jesse's response was "pardner one day you will have to buy a newspaper to read about me"  The subtle point I was trying to make is that when it comes to commenting on individual youth players in particular, we need to be careful to criticize without sounding biased and spiteful. It is easy to get carried away with picong. For example based on recent performance, an appropriate response to the previous comments would be: 'Jah gol, where yuh say this keeper yuh bigging up from again? Book? Like he need to go back to school and sit on the bench. He get 5 goals in 2 matches."  In my view that woud be a fair response under the circumstances but it would counter productive and disrespectful to the young man even if he doesnt read the comment. Where do we draw the line? Anyway men will say what they will say.

[palos]

Anyway men will say what they will say.

And dat is de bottom line.

Young Fullerton, he daddy, you, me....none a we have any control over dat.  As long as he takes care of the things over which he does have a measure of control, understands what he does and does not control, ACCEPTS IT, and learns from it.....he good to go.

[Jefferz]

stewps...

it's all part of football...


Stop being such panzies.


I see nothing special in Jesse and he need tuh hear dat, cuz the last thing yuh want is de man gehin complacent and behavin otherwise.


The fact that he rel hadda improve doh mean ah doh like him.


I used tuh train wit him ah bit at GGS and frankly i didnt find anything wrong wit him... buh tuh me he was never a stand out... perhaps he has other leadership qualities that we dont see... but again... keeping skills wise... he have ah loooong way to go.

Whether he get discourage by some comments made by tom dick and harry is his buisness and quite frankly this is nothing compared to the amount of pressure and criticism he will get at the higher levels.... thats if he makes it.