Sunderland give rising Caribbean stars a taste for big time
By Paul Fraser (Northern Echo)
ROY KEANE has invited eight promising Caribbean footballers into Sunderland's dressing room ahead of today's Premier League visit of Manchester City after impressing during five days training.
Joseph Guemsley, Leston Paul, Gerard Williams, Emilio Limon, Renaud Brisley, Akeem Brown, Andrew Murray and Devaughn Elliott have all been at the Black Cats' Academy of Light this week.
The teenagers were all recommended to Sunderland by the head of Digicel Kick Start Football Clinics, former Liverpool and England winger John Barnes, and have been put through their paces by reserve team coach Neil Bailey on Wearside.
Paul, captain of Trinidad & Tobago Under-17s, is known to have impressed, and Keane also suggested yesterday that a couple could be heading back to the North-East in the near future.
The eight players, who will return to the Caribbean on Monday after watching this afternoon's match with City, are determined to make a career for themselves on these shores.
And Barnes, speaking in Sunderland yesterday, where he was filming the final part of a documentary being screened on the Caribbean islands, was encouraged to learn his talent spotting was deemed a success.
"I was never worried about their ability, I knew they had that," said Barnes. "When I was in the Caribbean I was impressed by what I saw. Fitness-wise they are probably short, but the most important thing is that they have shown the character and ability to impress at a tremendous club like Sunderland.
"This has been fantastic for Caribbean football. It will help everyone take notice. The future of football there has improved and European football is realising that.
"Kenwyne Jones and Carlos Edwards have shown they can handle it in the Premier League - there's no reason why there can't be many more. I don't know what will happen now but hopefully these lads will make it over here and be a success. I know they have really enjoyed it. I will watch their careers closely."
Many Premier League clubs are exploring ways of expanding their scouting network to Africa, where the likes of Didier Drogba, Kolo Toure, Obafemi Martins and Emmanuel Adebayor have developed a talent worthy of being showcased on the highest of stages.
Such progress by way of numbers has not been replicated in the Caribbean, although Jamaican- born Barnes feels it is an untapped market.
"Ten years ago African players rarely seemed to make it over here but now you have African players playing for all of the top clubs," said Barnes. "In the Caribbean we are Africans by descent.
They are all good technically in Africa and I have been telling these players from the Caribbean that they also have that technical ability.
"What Africans in sport have achieved all over the world in the last few years is incredible. They have shown that if you have the right attitude and character you can succeed. Footballers in the Caribbean have to tune into that."
Barnes was also full of praise for the way Sunderland, in particular Keane, were open to the idea of opening their doors to the young players.
"I knew the perception of Caribbean football around the country and the world," said Barnes. "If a similar programme was being done in Brazil or South America, and they had approached Liverpool, Manchester United or whoever, they would have snapped their hands off.
Given that it was the Caribbean, I expected that we would have had to go to a League Two club to do this.
"Fair play to Sunderland, they are a top-class club. Hopefully it has helped them too.
"What these lads have come over here and found is that while technically the players in this country are not any better than they are, there are other attributes they need to improve on."
