‘Coaches undermining effort’

[Flex]

‘Coaches undermining effort’
T&T Newsday Reports.

Trinidad and Tobago football coach Bertille St Clair confesses to one objective: Getting the national team to the World Cup Finals next year in Germany. And he says he is receiving no help from his fellow coaches who are critical of his efforts. Today he continues his exclusive interview with Newsday correspondent ANDRE E BAPTISTE which was recently broadcast on i95.5FM Radio.

AB: Dwight Yorke’s return, you wanted it for a long time. Finally it happened, too late?
BS: Not really too late, but better late than never, and Dwight Yorke has a contribution to make to football in Trinidad and Tobago, whether we like it or not.

AB: In the midfield?
BS: Anywhere!

AB:Your preference would be where for him?
BS: Uhm, depending on the structure I play, I use him, you know, because I am saying that he has the ability, one, and he has the experience to play football. So I will use him for which best he is suited within the arrangements that I make.

AB:You mentioned structure, what is the best structure?
BS: There is no best structure. You see, everybody jumps up and says “system”, and what is system? The system is based on the type of players, and that is the first thing you have to do. You have to put in a system according to the kind of players that you have, and you see, no system in the world could work if you can not control the ball, pass ball, cannot or will not run.
But I am saying that you must put the structure in place according to the kind of players you have. I was reading an article of the Olympics where I believe it was Korea who changed their structure about four times in a day. When they played Azerbedjan they played 4-4-2 and then suddenly switched to 4-3-3. They thought they were good in the back so they put more players up front. You have to have players who can adapt quickly.

AB: Do we have that?
BS:  Well, as I say to you, with some of the guys who come back with experience you may be able to do that. For the others at home, you have to work and drill it in and drill it in to get that to work.

AB: David Nakhid, his return?
BS: David Nakhid’s presence in the team brings a sense of discipline. And what we do not like in Trinidad and Tobago is people who speak their mind and letting you know clearly that wrong is wrong and right is right. We have underminers, and that is how I view all the coaches, underminers. It is not like they would say “Come let’s talk”. No, instead they go through another channel, which is so sad.

AB: Do you see David Nakhid having a role to play on the field?
BS: Well, maybe, when I am training he works out with the guys. Hey, Nakhid in my opinion looks better than Kerwyn “Hardest” Jemmott for example, who is one of the more talented players we have for the moment in Trinidad. And as I said earlier, Frank Sinatra said: “My way”

AB: Why did David Nakhid not play against the USA?
BS: He just got back in the fold and I did not see him work. I was working with the youngsters and the players who came from away. They played in a practice match and I had seen them, so you have to give them the opportunity to play. If Nakhid works and works and is capable, here and there you give him a match.

AB: If you were able to go back in time, would you have let him play that USA match?
BS: No regrets. I thought we had an equal opportunity; we could have come out with two/three points or one in that match. We did not take our chances and as I said to you earlier, the man above had decided. And I add to that, if we had beaten USA we would have felt that we had reached, but now that we lost we have to work even harder to come there.

AB: Russell Latapy, you talk about his recall.
BS: As I said earlier, and I say it all the time, that this team is Trinidad and Tobago. Once you like Trinidad and Tobago, you will want to come here, that is also why I took this job, because I like Trinidad and Tobago. I had a job in the USA, and I had something else in England, but they said the national team and that comes first. The money out there was bigger than this. That is my challenge. So, I never close the door on anybody.

AB: But there is talk that he would want the role as a coach.
BS:Yes, but naturally everybody would want to do that. But if I am a young coach, I would take my time.

[AB.Trini]

First is this interview verbatium? is this in fact a true text or is this  a fictious anecdote to  incite discussion? anyways, here is my take:

In my job, I often tell folks, "It is easier to be critical than to be correct" After reading some of the posts about and following the exploits of our national football team, I  have to restrain myself at times from adhering to that maxim.

It would appear that  somewhere in the process of selection, preparation and planning for success, that there are evidence of essential disconnect. Whether it be the ineptitute of management or the strategic manouvers by the coaching staff.  How can one not systematically  map out  the teh ' friendly games' needed for our team to come together? How can we not effectively evalaute the  positional needs of the team? How can we not have a system in place by now for our opposition? Why are we not in the opposition's country earlier to acclimatize the players to altitute and field conditions?

I would like to think that the powers to be have very sound and experienced  knowledge that I do not have about these inquiries. I trust and  hope that the decisions being made are based on  factors albeit ones I have no knowledge of but ones I presume are in the best interest of the team.

Credits for having our most experienced overseas players on the squad  for a pivotal game. Like most others , I query some of the moves to bring in untried players  when you ave  'Warriors' who have gone to battle for this team on the bench?

I am not advocating mediocracy by allowing  so called expereienced players just for the sake of name. I believe that if there is a player who has demonstrated proven ability at an international or at a level of competition which he can parlay his skills and contribution to the team, then let's provide that opportunity.

But let's not resort to  'nepotism' like tendencies and name people to the team based on a 'likeness' or  'hunches' or intuition.  Recent past performances should be an indicator of  probable tendencies.

I implore our TNT football organization  once more to put  the best foot forward in these upcoming games. Let us be conjunctive in our approach; let us be resolute in our thinking and lets us be relentless in our actions to boldly claim our  intent to be in 'GERMANY' for 2006. ''FULL FORCE '' ahead.

[NC]

Could anyone conceptulize any National Coach outside of our own making such statements.  He is in essence the CEO of the National team and is responsible for putting together a team and will implement his agenda as thought it was theie own.  And if they can't then he should people with similar skills that will - this sounds like a recipe for failure.

[davidephraim]

Well de word on de street is not that BSC is being undermined but rather BSC  will agree with everyone and everything in a meeting and when people think that progress was made in whatever department, BHSC then goes on to do whatever he wants.

I am sure somewhere within his Job description he has to make the final call or decision on a given situation but Bertille is said not to not use or appreciate his Team of Coaches. I say then fire them and get new ones but you have to work with someone because we dont want to hear after it all that the undermining coaches caused us to lose the game.

I know that BSC is no Nuclear Scientist, however  I do expect him however to be smart enough to make all parts and members gel... That too is part of his Job description...

No excuses BSC, I dont care about you sayin either "it's my fault" i dont need excuses this time around only results...

I gettin older now BSC i want to see we in a World Cup so help us please or get to hell on....

[AB.Trini]

So in fairness to BSC , here is what the U.S.A.  coach has to say and what they have been doing with their line up:


The Americans, who won 2-1 last month at Trinidad and Tobago in their final-round opener, will spend this week training in Colorado Springs, joined by 10 to 12 Europe-based players who have finished up play overseas. Those players are expected to dominate the starting lineup in Mexico City and include international stars such as midfielder Landon Donovan, forward Brian McBride and goalie Kasey Keller.

``We will have a different team in Mexico,'' Arena said. ``Perhaps we'll have different teams for the games against Mexico and Guatemala. We'll have about 24 players in camp and from there we'll make decisions.'' While Arena sidestepped a question on whether this will be the strongest team the Americans take to the smog and altitude of Mexico City, midfielder Pablo Mastroeni likes the team's chances.

``It's going to be a great challenge in a great environment,'' Mastroeni said. ``This is what we live to do, to play in front of 100,000 people. With the decent camp we've had and the effort the guys have put out and the results we've gotten ... I think we're ready.''