Dear Forumites,
For $100 I was thoroughly entertained...In fact, I have not had so much fun in a football match for a while.
The entertainment was good, but the old talk and jokes in the stands was so much better and for those in attendance it was a priceless evening.
The TTFF did well by having the game in the HCS. However, the 5pm kick off time was a bit inconvenient and worse yet the powers that be kept the stadium gates closed and did not allow parking on the compound. (Pack of ass). The police put up no parking signs on the street, were not allowing people to park on the grassed area in front of the stadium and everyone had to battle the Ariapita and Wrightson road traffic, double back and face the wrath of the wrecker looking for a park.
Walking in, the sounds of our national anthem filled the air and as a good patriot I stood at attention. But everybody else decided to walk towards the gate, talk on their phones, greet their friends and hustle to get a seat. The police nearby didn't budge or reprimand anyone..so hey...when the TT anthem playing alyuh just do what yuh want.
Reaching upstairs and joining the WN crew, the game had already kicked off and the TT team was as follows.
Oh Kenywne Jones was sitting right behind us in grounds for a little while. In a black jersey jeans and slippers, he really put on size and looking like a real strongman.
Ince
Cyd, Hislop, Lawrence, Avery
Edwards, Yorke, Birchall, Daniel
Latapy
Scotland
It was a 4-5-1 with Latapy playing like a withdrawn striker.
My first impression of our opponents was a bit unkind...It seemed as if Jack Warner had taken a trip to JR. Tolkien's World and went in the Shire to recruit opponents...It looked like eleven hobbits in tugs and to cap it off they brought in a number 11 in the second half with a proper Douen finish...imagine...Latapy was taller than him.
So TT starts to knock the ball around and the class and magic was on display. Like fine wine or aged cheese, the number #10, Russel Latapy was a joy to behold. For those who think some of us are still on a nostalgia trip...d ole man is the best ting in a tugs and was a joy to behold.
It have nothing better than him...Hyland, Daniel, Hardest, Dwarika...cyar tie he shoelace, or lift he jockstrap.
The exquisite control, the sublime passes, the tru balls, the shift and feint and dummy...and most of all the football brain that nobody on the pitch, except Yorke seemed to possess.
It is so funny eh...it was the same dull boring unimaginative Corbeaux brand, but with the personnel on the field we looked good. That opening first half and the performance from most of our players, football was back again.
We were knocking, we were running off the ball, we were making the tru pass, and it seems that Maturana has a big decision to make come saturday.
Scotland was nearly back to his best and his hattrick was excellent. The opening goal took about 8 minutes but the signs were there from early. DR had no answer for the "friend football" knock and Yorke and Latas were just on another level, spreading the ball, holding up the play, creating the opening and flicking it for scotland, Carlos or Daniel. Any threat was cleaned up by the J-cloth aka Me Mum and the fight and grit and determination was there for all to see. He won every tackle, ran back the length of the field to delay the play or stop the DR midfield or forwards. He had a few shot attempts and he will be hard pressed to lose his place on the team. The engine is back and is fitter and in form.
There were four pullstones for the night, Carlos, Glenn, Lawrence and Cyd. It was quite evident why Carlos was sent to Wolves and even against poor opposition was shitting on his tail whole evening. However maturana left him on the field to worm himself out...and he stepped up in the second half.
Opening few minutes Carlos mistrapping, ball running away from him, he beating and twisting and turning and going nowhere and then he doing the usual poor cross outside or to nobody with little or no pressure.
Scotland opened the scoring and it was a breathtaking hattrick. The first goal came from a pass from Daniel, Scotland screened off three men in the area, faked a pass to latapy, swiveled and shot low and hard. The keeper got to it but only looked on as it rolled into the net. Goal number one and we excited in the stands.
Goal number two would make Goal of the week anywhere in the world. On a break away a long ball is played from the back and the ball is going out for a THROW IN, just pass the half line. Scotland looks up and sees the Keeper off his line and makes an audacious VOOP. The ball was goalbound and would have scored anyway, but the keeper struggling to get back, pushes his hand up and touches it in, getting strung up in the process. It was a BOSS GOAL! and credit to him for even attempting such a feat.
Then the comedy start...a free kick is floated in and the DR keeper comes, flaps, misses and with an open goal, unmarked and in the six yard box, Dennis Lawrence heads the ball wide....well he get talk from everybody, but it was bad and Dennis also looked lazy and made some bad passes during the game.
Goal #3 came courtesy one of the DR defenders. A whipped cross, a scramble and ball across the line. Own goal and things just looking bad for DR.
It as this point in time the DR goal keeper decides he has had enough. In attempting to save the own goal he mysteriously pulls up and is replaced by a taller, normal looking keeper. 3 goals for him and about 20 minutes gone.
Somewhere in between Latapy Canons a Volley off the bar and Birchall follows up a bullet.
Keon Daniel started off a bit shakey, but Latapy kept playing balls to him and eventually he found his rhythm. Latapy gave him a ball in the box and with the goal at his mercy, he opted to pass to Latapy who inturn side footed it towards the keeper. It should have been a goal.
Goal #4 came from scotland and it was a counter attack. A neat interchange of passes between Carlos, latapy and Scotland and the Swansea man beat two and hit a perfect bullet, low and crisp into the far corner.
A wonderful hatrick and he punched the air and celebrated. You could see he was relieved and the entire stadium applauded.
Now it was pappy show time...4 nil up and we just began to play sloppy.
All the good runs stopped, men started making bad passes, Cyd just overlapping running wild and making errant pass. Lawrence playing lackadaisical, Carlos not going into the tackle. Yorke start to trot and we moved from second gear back to first. Daniel was still busy and Birchall was wukking overtime to protect the back 4, who had little or nothing to do.
At the half the changes were made and it all went downhill.
On came Hyland, Leon, Glenn. From what I remember Yorke and Daniel Came off. Thus Leon was the def mid, Birchall was the creative and Hyland was on the wing but drifting inside and Glenn uptop for Scotland.
Wolfe came on for Birchall eventually.
Then Latapy came off for Roberts, and Cyd came off for Telesford. Now Cyd looked to have a injury, he was running get a jam and fell awkwardly and was immediately substituted.
Now 5 goals were scored in this half. Men will say boy Trinis never happy nuh, yuh cyar please them....but TT just fell apart and nothing happened.
Also the hobbits, actually started to knock, try the counterattack, try the cross and try to put TT under pressure.
It was this half that Glenn played himself off the starting line up. Even though he scored a hattrick as well...the number of missed chances, easy opportunites and he even Unscored a goal on the line...caused him to bear the brunt of cuss directed towards the field.
Watch meh Glen was sickening at times, but brilliant the next. He was not sharp and did not have the hunger as seen before. He got the majority of chances and all were created by a cross from the flank or a ball was hoofed long over the defence and he ran onto it, having more speed than the hobbit backline.
He miss one on one trying all kinda chip when he have easy goal to slot, he hitting wide, he blazing overbar, he jumbing players, missing header on the line and arguing with hand on hip with Roberts and Wolfe.
Also all the forwards and midfielders were coasting and not following up on the play. Whenever they missed a goal they would turn their back and walk off and coast, even though the ball is trickling loose in the area and nobody is following up.... Edwards, Daniel and Glenn were guilty of this.
DR were clearly out of it, but they were very sportsmanlike and did not foul us, make any nastly tackles or elbows. They simply collected the ball out the net, dropped their heads and tried to knock a few passes together.
I cyar really remember how each goal scored after that, one was a cross and tap in from Wolfe who showed good hustle and composure. Roberts scored a shot and glenn scored three shots that rolled under the keeper.
The PAPPY SHOW MOMENT OF THE GAME...came in the 59th minute when the ball went out for a throw...our Keeper Clayton Ince walks out of the goal, retrieves the ball and makes the throw in himself to Lawrence. Even though the DR fwds were lurking and game is going on as normal. Well boy...those who were watching start to ketch kicks...Patriot was beside himself with shock and horror and immediately took note of the time this event happened.
The beat of the game came from Hyland...folks the fella look at two DR players, fan the ball, stepover it, and then flicks it between both of them while waltzing thru. He looked good, he looked sharp and was better than before. However he was guilty of fading out of the game.
TT now had no knock and it was just ball to Carlos, who would run down the line twisting and turning with no support. Only to whip in a ball to nobody. Carlos also had fun with the Douen on the flank. The poor Douen was trying his best to keep up....for every one stride Carlos took the Douen had to make three and the amount of beat he and his defence eat for the day.They wont be hungry for a while.
DR standout player was a hobbit named Frias. Apparently he is a W-Connection player and was the best of the lot trying to dribble, shoot and creat opportunities whenever he got the ball.
Now I think the DR team was a good confidence booster, however I am not sure how much one can glean from this exercise. Goals were scored, but only in the first half did TT stamp their authority on the game and show DR we were a big side. In the second half the lack of leadership, communication, ideas on the field, creative spark, cohesion etc was lacking. This is also very strange as the second half team has been together for a long time and has many games under their collective belts.
While the defense had little to do, due to Birchall in the second half DR nearly scored...or rather Hislop caused a scare. After playing tipsy in the back (18 yard box) with Telesford and Lawrence, one of the DR players put some pressure on him and he panicked and tried to boom kick the ball out...however, it came off the said player and headed goalwards just brushing past the post and Ince was just furious. Telesford then got some small cuss....Ince restrained himself...then after a play developed and a goal was scored, Ince immediately walked towards Hislop and had a few words with him.
The local players do not run off the ball well and the backs and fwds gap, lack of midfield and support and the lone fwd role being played by Glen just made things confused and not as polished as the first half.
I was impressed with wolfe, he has a hustle and physical presence and he goes for the ball. He actually tries to make things happen. Roberts made a poor first pass and everyone start to cuss as he came on. But that was his only real faux pas and he was running, passing, trapping and busy with the DR defense.
Now with 20 min to go and 7 goals on the board it looked like we were heading for double figures, but Glenn's lack up sharpness up top and lack of ideas in general offensively by our team only contrived 2 more before the final whistle.
In the end, a PFL side would have beaten this DR team handsomely and I am sure my fete match team on a good day could give this side some trouble. I would even go so far as to say I coulda heat up the Douen with some shake.
This team should be in a good frame of mind and brimming with confidence and the comments I have made before, which were criticised by some...notably Palos...look to be spot on. Again, I think the starting squad was what lined up for us yesterday. I am of the view Hyland will bench, daniel will get the nod for him and Birchall and Yorke will be the defensive middle. I would replace Hislop in the back for Keyeno Thomas but Thomas had a piss poor awful game for Joe public later on.
The main headache is the striker position. With a lone forward and with Scotland looking sharp and Glenn rusty I would go with Scotland. Glenn should come on and play some part...I think in the 2nd half to run at them when they tired. Also I like what I saw in Roberts...finally...where do we put our top scorer who is injured/not fully fit....Stern John?
Clyde Leon is now 3rd in the pecking order for the defensive mid position. Birchall and Yorke compliment each other well and is a good balance offensively, shots, thru ball etc and defensively, tackles and shielding/holding up the play.
I think the next few days will be interesting and hopefully we will get at least a point in Guatemala.
On an interesting note, while we want to beat guatemala and ease the tension. A draw is not the end of the world, also a draw vs the USA and win vs CUBA will see us thru to the hex.
Finally for all who saw the Joe Private vs Impact game...you had to be there in person.
Everybody got drunk by the end of the first match, so the shit talk and comments were the best. Also everytime a goal was scored by Montreal, a section of fans just steupsed and left the stadium. Myself included after the 4th goal.
Joe public could have won that game and conceded soft goals. Also from the time they took off Dwarika and Chubby with the momentum in their favour, they were gorn tru. Both subs heading straight to the showers with a disgusted look and not even bothering to watch the game from the bench.
Poor finishing and not taking their chances cost them, also the #14 the Jamaican real throwaway and the keeper had a bad night.
Keep the faith....See you next Wed.