March 28, 2024, 08:29:45 AM

Author Topic: Alvin Corneal Articles  (Read 49854 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline Controversial

  • Hero Warrior
  • *****
  • Posts: 6872
    • View Profile
    • Gino McKoy
Re: Corneal not optimistic about soca warriors
« Reply #90 on: June 09, 2013, 03:05:18 PM »
corneal makes some valid points and anyone who knows me, knows i'm not a fan of corneal in the slightest.. in saying that, we need a strong core of locals playing regularly in order to compete with these other teams.

however, corneal is another biased selector of players, so he should be the last one to speak and if you have a good system in place, foreign players can fit into that system once it is organized and well structured

Offline Trini _2026

  • Hero Warrior
  • *****
  • Posts: 13557
    • View Profile
Re: Corneal not optimistic about soca warriors
« Reply #91 on: June 09, 2013, 03:33:47 PM »
When you have a population of 1.3 million people you do have the luxury of having the foreign v local debate. It's simply play the best 11 with a T&T passport. That rationale is difficult for us to accept because of the politics, greed and fight down culture we have here.

Watch how Jamaica playing Daniel Gordon and others.

actually now its not foreign based vs local based  is foreign born vs local born .... corneal is not in favour of passport players he  stated that in an article when players were being   scouted  for the  under 17 team womens world cup.
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/sh8SeGmzai4" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/sh8SeGmzai4</a>

Offline D.H.W

  • Forever Man Utd
  • Hero Warrior
  • *****
  • Posts: 17937
  • "Luck Favours The Prepared"
    • View Profile
Re: Corneal not optimistic about soca warriors
« Reply #92 on: June 09, 2013, 04:02:05 PM »
Corneal aint say nothing that we aint  know already. Im waiting for less talk and more action
"Evil is powerless if the good are unafraid."
Youtube Channel


Offline ANC2

  • Hero Warrior
  • *****
  • Posts: 534
    • View Profile
Re: Corneal not optimistic about soca warriors
« Reply #93 on: June 09, 2013, 04:20:49 PM »
Alvin Alvin Alvin Are you saying that players should get picked simply because they were on an U17 team 5 years ago?
Alvin where is Leston Paul playing? Please Tell me.
Am I missing something, Molino played in the Digi and came on versus Estonia.
Cyrus started
Primus?
Joevin?
Moses?
David?
Gay?

Add  Mitchell, Hyland, Peltier, Winchester , David to that list & the average age will be U23 or 24.

Local based players. We saw them in the Digicel & they looked way below International level, versus Dominica Republic & Cuba.
Lets be fair most of the local based are not even close to the physical levels necessary to play for T&T.  As aconsequence they play very slow and are prone to errors. Unless T&T shut down the Pro League & allow National staff to train the team for 5-6 weeks, (still not enough to improve physical capacity) this is far from a reality

Not to mention the lack of support from Local Clubs.



Offline davidephraim

  • Do Good and Live!!
  • Hero Warrior
  • *****
  • Posts: 2986
    • View Profile
Re: Corneal not optimistic about soca warriors
« Reply #94 on: June 09, 2013, 06:22:59 PM »
Yuh know BaBBa and Shabazz could be coaching dey ass off right now and doing what Jose Mourinho would do to get a team ready but still get horrible results from our players. We talk about foreign players? I dare say that dem local coaches not demanding de respect dat a Don Leo would get.

We must demand more of ourselves than we even knew existed. Doh take no shorts coaches; get dem attitudes and body language correck. And then there is de TTFF and if ah guy even inspired to rep de country for love or money!  Lard help we!
Warren N. Boucaud

Offline just cool

  • Hero Warrior
  • *****
  • Posts: 8065
    • View Profile
Re: Corneal not optimistic about soca warriors
« Reply #95 on: June 10, 2013, 10:27:13 AM »
It seems some people just want to see Corneal name and they gone nuts,if we could just take our time to read and understand what people saying it will not have so much contention on the forum,thanks Coache for highlighting some of the important points Corneal made.
Coop yuh dun know yuhs ah fella ah like, so i will approach yuh respectfully on this one, but for the life of me i can't figure out why yuh sooo contrary these days?

breds alvin just talk ah heap ah fackry and you endorsing that thinking?? the man is ah fackin clown and you know it!

he's talking bout looking to the local league for answers when every yr we see what the league entails during the CCL.

when these local teams come up against marathon and taluca they look quite ordinary and five steps off the pace, and it's really embarrassing and heart wrenching to watch.

to show you how under par the local league is, five of the last six games we played, the team consisted of a majority local based with ah few foreign based in the mix, as ah matter of fact the only game we played with an over whelming majority foreign based was the first peru game.

in those games we had no chances on goal, ah slow midfield in transition from offense to defense and ah whole heap of unfit players being out paced by fitter more technical opponents.

just go back and look @ all our games recently AND YOU WILL SEE HOW WE ABSORB AH TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF OFFENSIVE PRESSURE IN THE CLOSING STAGES OF EVERY FRIENDLY WE PLAYED. that's bc of the lack of fitness amongst the players, so by the 80th min fellas are burned out and can't defend properly.

alvin talking nonsense!! we went with ah local team, and there's not much better out there to replace this bunch @ the moment, and doh tell me bout no damn under 17 players,

bc to make such a silly comparisons shows a lack of football knowledge on anyone's part who champion this thinking.

any schmuck could figure out the level of the senior team compared with any youth level would be light yrs apart, so why go there, are we that desperate??


« Last Edit: June 10, 2013, 10:36:31 AM by just cool »
The pen is mightier than the sword, Africa for Africans home and abroad.Trinidad is not my home just a pit stop, Africa is my destination,final destination the MOST HIGH.

Offline Tenorsaw

  • Hero Warrior
  • *****
  • Posts: 3247
  • YNWA
    • View Profile
Re: Corneal not optimistic about soca warriors
« Reply #96 on: June 10, 2013, 10:33:02 AM »
Sounds like Corneal and the coaching staff not on the same terms.  He is voicing this in public, when honestly, this sounds like stuff that should be discussed during a meeting with the coaching staff.  He is the technical director, so he should be setting the tone by keeping track of youth players that have come through the pipeline.  The reason we don't know what's going on with some of the past players is because we do not have a scouting network in place, nor do we truly bring players through the pipeline, as they fall away.  Until we implement a proper system from grassroots all the way through the senior team, we'll be singing the same song for generations to come.

Offline Coop's

  • Hero Warrior
  • *****
  • Posts: 4066
    • View Profile
Re: Corneal not optimistic about soca warriors
« Reply #97 on: June 10, 2013, 11:27:56 AM »
Sounds like Corneal and the coaching staff not on the same terms.  He is voicing this in public, when honestly, this sounds like stuff that should be discussed during a meeting with the coaching staff.  He is the technical director, so he should be setting the tone by keeping track of youth players that have come through the pipeline.  The reason we don't know what's going on with some of the past players is because we do not have a scouting network in place, nor do we truly bring players through the pipeline, as they fall away.  Until we implement a proper system from grassroots all the way through the senior team, we'll be singing the same song for generations to come.
     Is it Anton said this or Alvin?who is the Technical director of the TTFA?i don't think Alvin is in any position to discuss anything with our coaching staff,correct me if i'm wrong.

Offline D.H.W

  • Forever Man Utd
  • Hero Warrior
  • *****
  • Posts: 17937
  • "Luck Favours The Prepared"
    • View Profile
Re: Corneal not optimistic about soca warriors
« Reply #98 on: June 10, 2013, 11:31:49 AM »
Coops you right. Is Alvin not Anton.
"Evil is powerless if the good are unafraid."
Youtube Channel


Offline Trinitozbone

  • Sr. Warrior
  • ****
  • Posts: 342
    • View Profile
Re: Corneal not optimistic about soca warriors
« Reply #99 on: June 10, 2013, 11:35:37 AM »
But they are one and the same. One blocks for the other. you fools aint see that happening for a long while now. why you think he still in the post and no positive results over and over again.

Offline Tenorsaw

  • Hero Warrior
  • *****
  • Posts: 3247
  • YNWA
    • View Profile
Re: Corneal not optimistic about soca warriors
« Reply #100 on: June 10, 2013, 01:01:18 PM »
Sounds like Corneal and the coaching staff not on the same terms.  He is voicing this in public, when honestly, this sounds like stuff that should be discussed during a meeting with the coaching staff.  He is the technical director, so he should be setting the tone by keeping track of youth players that have come through the pipeline.  The reason we don't know what's going on with some of the past players is because we do not have a scouting network in place, nor do we truly bring players through the pipeline, as they fall away.  Until we implement a proper system from grassroots all the way through the senior team, we'll be singing the same song for generations to come.
     Is it Anton said this or Alvin?who is the Technical director of the TTFA?i don't think Alvin is in any position to discuss anything with our coaching staff,correct me if i'm wrong.

Yeah, it's Alvin.  He's not part of the coaching set-up in any official capacity, so I guess he is at liberty to express himself.  Didn't realize it was Alvin speaking , and not Anton.  Either way, it doesn't look good that he is coming out publicly like this, because it reflects on his son, who is the TD. 

Offline Coop's

  • Hero Warrior
  • *****
  • Posts: 4066
    • View Profile
Re: Corneal not optimistic about soca warriors
« Reply #101 on: June 10, 2013, 02:27:24 PM »
Sounds like Corneal and the coaching staff not on the same terms.  He is voicing this in public, when honestly, this sounds like stuff that should be discussed during a meeting with the coaching staff.  He is the technical director, so he should be setting the tone by keeping track of youth players that have come through the pipeline.  The reason we don't know what's going on with some of the past players is because we do not have a scouting network in place, nor do we truly bring players through the pipeline, as they fall away.  Until we implement a proper system from grassroots all the way through the senior team, we'll be singing the same song for generations to come.
     Is it Anton said this or Alvin?who is the Technical director of the TTFA?i don't think Alvin is in any position to discuss anything with our coaching staff,correct me if i'm wrong.

Yeah, it's Alvin.  He's not part of the coaching set-up in any official capacity, so I guess he is at liberty to express himself.  Didn't realize it was Alvin speaking , and not Anton.  Either way, it doesn't look good that he is coming out publicly like this, because it reflects on his son, who is the TD. 
      Do you know Alvin gets paid for the articles he writes?he makes an income from it so he have to come up with things to talk about,what ever he says take it or leave it he gets paid,don't worry with what Alvin says.

Offline maxg

  • Hero Warrior
  • *****
  • Posts: 6467
    • View Profile
Re: Corneal not optimistic about soca warriors
« Reply #102 on: June 10, 2013, 04:16:12 PM »
which is it ?
this
B.
      Do you know Alvin gets paid for the articles he writes?he makes an income from it so he have to come up with things to talk about,what ever he says take it or leave it he gets paid,don't worry with what Alvin says.
or this
A.
It seems some people just want to see Corneal name and they gone nuts,if we could just take our time to read and understand what people saying it will not have so much contention on the forum,thanks Coache for highlighting some of the important points Corneal made.

or once yuh check it again..yuh change yuh mind to B ? or ah take something out of context.. Alvin should discuss with the TD, cause his publicity is counter-productive. As JC pointed out..the National team has been selected based on the Pro League. But if we have a better player outside than that pro-league player, wheter he playing pick up league or not, and he is capable of being part of a team..then no sorry necessary.....is he saying select the Pro league player ? Good thing Cameroon went with OLD, jokey league player name Roger Milla..and they could have chosen about 200 players playing higher leagues, younger, probably more skilful...but the selectors decided to go with, combining a old experienced horse that was willing, with some open minded younger studs..They didn't win, they just put their best team forward..one can discover a kid with the skills of Pele(insert your greatest here ) in a fete match in Timbuktu..nah that is foreigner...in the revised Marlvern or Maple tryouts...he won't necessarily make a National team player in the next 2 to 3 years...Not saying it can't happen, just saying, we don't have that kinda faith in God (insert your diety here)   :-\

Offline Coop's

  • Hero Warrior
  • *****
  • Posts: 4066
    • View Profile
Re: Corneal not optimistic about soca warriors
« Reply #103 on: June 10, 2013, 05:20:40 PM »
which is it ?
this
B.
      Do you know Alvin gets paid for the articles he writes?he makes an income from it so he have to come up with things to talk about,what ever he says take it or leave it he gets paid,don't worry with what Alvin says.
or this
A.
It seems some people just want to see Corneal name and they gone nuts,if we could just take our time to read and understand what people saying it will not have so much contention on the forum,thanks Coache for highlighting some of the important points Corneal made.

or once yuh check it again..yuh change yuh mind to B ? or ah take something out of context.. Alvin should discuss with the TD, cause his publicity is counter-productive. As JC pointed out..the National team has been selected based on the Pro League. But if we have a better player outside than that pro-league player, wheter he playing pick up league or not, and he is capable of being part of a team..then no sorry necessary.....is he saying select the Pro league player ? Good thing Cameroon went with OLD, jokey league player name Roger Milla..and they could have chosen about 200 players playing higher leagues, younger, probably more skilful...but the selectors decided to go with, combining a old experienced horse that was willing, with some open minded younger studs..They didn't win, they just put their best team forward..one can discover a kid with the skills of Pele(insert your greatest here ) in a fete match in Timbuktu..nah that is foreigner...in the revised Marlvern or Maple tryouts...he won't necessarily make a National team player in the next 2 to 3 years...Not saying it can't happen, just saying, we don't have that kinda faith in God (insert your diety here)   :-\
    Breds i was just being sacastic there.

Offline andre samuel

  • Hero Warrior
  • *****
  • Posts: 4921
  • "ah love it!!"
    • View Profile
Re: Corneal not optimistic about soca warriors
« Reply #104 on: June 10, 2013, 09:32:26 PM »
Its interesting to note that the two players that he referred to first are players that were not born in Trinidad.  Didnt Andre Boucaud have a good couple of games and actually was one of our better players??

Those few lines made it clear to me that Alvin probably didnt even look at the games before he commented.

It is clear that he was standing up for the Proleague, but those wrong facts that he mentioned about Honduras and their apparent use of locally based players just makes him look a man grasping at straws.

Alot of people are also forgetting that alot of players were missing from this squad......KJones, Hyland, CEdwards, LPeltier, Primus, Bateau, Hector, SPower, KDaniel are just some players who would defintely add to any TnT squad

Just to get them playing together.

Andre Samuel, who controls all the rights to the phrase "ah love it!!"

Offline maxg

  • Hero Warrior
  • *****
  • Posts: 6467
    • View Profile
Re: Corneal not optimistic about soca warriors
« Reply #105 on: June 10, 2013, 09:37:09 PM »
Ok Coops...wasn't sure on which statement. I will presume the last. Any thought on my opinion ?

Offline Football supporter

  • Hero Warrior
  • *****
  • Posts: 5209
    • View Profile
Re: Corneal not optimistic about soca warriors
« Reply #106 on: June 10, 2013, 10:45:57 PM »
Obviously, I have a vested interest, but I wonder why there is so much negativity towards the Pro League. Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of changes needed in the attitudes of some clubs, but speaking from an experience of running a club for one season, guys, it's really tough.

Criticize by all means, but don't hate! Where would your national team players come from if the Pro League was scrapped? All the time the negative comments continue, it prevents people investing in the game, which in turn, leads to a continuation of the problems we face.

Most of the players overseas started life with Pro League clubs. The natural progression is for players to move overseas to further develop. It appears to me that a lot of professional T&T footballers just do not have a good attitude towards T&T football.

I'm willing to bet that if players were paid US$10,000 per game, you'd find a lot less overseas players unavailable. There is no pride in playing for T&T in many of these guys. And that lack of passion is seen on the pitch. Many of our current crop of overseas players see themselves as big time Charlies who don't need to make the effort for their country.

The legacy of 2006 is that the current batch of underachievers feel that 2006 was pure luck and that T&T would never be good enough to repeat that success.

My plan, as always, is to concentrate on 2022, work with the U17's and take the pressure off winning games and focus on building a compact squad who know each other inside out.

Offline just cool

  • Hero Warrior
  • *****
  • Posts: 8065
    • View Profile
Re: Corneal not optimistic about soca warriors
« Reply #107 on: June 11, 2013, 05:15:17 AM »
FS im afraid you don't know these ppl well enough. when i was ah lil fella there was no such thing as ah pro league, yet it had man kicking ball in front of the grand stands in mud burying their ankles, or getting stung up by zuti or being pricked by temari, and they were still putting in ah 200% effort with absolutely no pay!

these men played for their friends, their family, their alma mater or their community, and in the end they received nothing but ah nickle plated trophy, yet still they were honored, do you know why? there was a hefty respect for the game in those days and ppl had honor and way more national pride.

no amount of money and prizes would change the condition of these footballers on the island today, bc lets face it, they just don't care!

take a look @ other footballers around the world when they go out to rep their flag, man like buffon does be signing his anthem with tears in his eyes, fellas like ahsley cole and steven gerard does be diving in the path of some venomous shots and taking bullets up side their heads for their flag, these men does play like if they are playing for the ransom and lives of their family members.

yuh watch ah trini game, especially the local based and them men does be coasting, no intensity what so ever, it makes you wonder.

i remembered watching ah game between fatima and john D, the place was packed to capacity, vibes like rain, errol lovel made ah save to keep john d in the game and i remembered his team mates went over to him and hugged him like he saved their lives.

after that game i saw fatima players and supporters alike crying like somebody died, ppl was in shock that they lost, im talking bout grown men and women sobbing un controlably. now to see that kinda passion in football today is an anomaly, the ppl doh have no passion for nothing except having ah time.

i know you have a vested interest in the pro league and i don't blame yuh for that, after all ah man have tuh eat and protect his interest while doing so, but you can't watch me with ah straight face and tell me that skeene and romany is not the problem as to why the league is in arrested development.

if they were truly serious about running that league in ah professional manner they would do every thing in their power to make it happen!

but these old men in trinidad love rank, and they will do anything in their power to stay the head cook and bottle washer, even if it means destroying ah whole generation of talented ppl.

another thing that's holding back the progress is the fact that they want to go it on their own, they're too xenophobic to receive help from outsiders who may know the game better than they do, so they refuse good help bc it came from other than a trini.

both beenhakker and wim told them that their league was substandard and they need to raise the bar, but instead of listening they took offense, but only to the country's demise. maturana said the same thing in not so many words, so did latas and finally otto pfister, but did anybody listen?? noooo!

skeene came on TV criticizing otto saying that the league and the standard of play is pretty good and the level has intensified in recent yrs, with him refusing to take any responsibility for the condition of the league.

breds i don't care what you say, i'm of the opinion that there are too many clueless ppl holding high level positions in that country, and they are running the place in the ground!

and the sad part, instead of accepting the fact that they're clueless and need plenty help, they refuse the help of ppl in the know and opt to go it alone causing further damage.

this is why i can't live in that country anymore, these ppl have way more than we had back in the sixties seventies and eighties, yet still they continue to plunge deeper and deeper into degradation, despite the resources they have @ their disposal.

these are a ppl who hate excellence, bc it's threatening to behold. and anyone who champion's excellence is met with undaunted resistance.
  go figure
« Last Edit: June 11, 2013, 05:28:36 AM by just cool »
The pen is mightier than the sword, Africa for Africans home and abroad.Trinidad is not my home just a pit stop, Africa is my destination,final destination the MOST HIGH.

Offline Football supporter

  • Hero Warrior
  • *****
  • Posts: 5209
    • View Profile
Re: Corneal not optimistic about soca warriors
« Reply #108 on: June 11, 2013, 06:12:55 AM »
JC, a lot of what you said, I can buy into. I'm not sure about Skeene and I'll tell you why.

We recently had our player of the year awards. 4pm-6pm, bit of food, and drink, sponsors in attendance. A nice event.

Players were arriving after 4.30pm. I was vexed (as usual) but some of our coaches were "explaining" to lil ol colonial Kev that this is the culture here. I have to chill out.

I said that whether you're in Trinidad, Timbuktu or Titsuck,Tennessee 4pm is 4pm. It ain't rocket science, it's respect.

And I feel like giving up at those times. How can you fight a whole nation? The players may have been receiving a $10,000 cheque for player of the year, our sponsors were there to be impressed so we can continue to receive funding. But they still arrive late, and worse, the coaches are trying to justify that!

I'm not trying to say that Skeene is some kind of revolutionary thinker,  but I can vouch that he wants change. He's supportive of new ideas and very approachable. It may be that his weakness is leadership because decisions at the ProLeague are taken by the Board, which is made up of the clubs. It is a regular occurrence for  there to not be a quorum at board meetings. Often, club owners don't even send apologies for their absence.

You see, many of the clubs don't want change. They live in a comfort zone, so why work harder for no immediate return? Same goes for players. For many of the young, it's a live fast, die young culture. Get rich or die trying. There's no personal investment. As you said, no one wants to bleed to achieve.

I get disillusioned at times, I get frustrated.

In the UK, I had many friends who were footballers. There was mutual respect. I could walk into Orient or Spurs a sit down with 5 or 6 players and have a cup of tea and a chat. I'd meet them for a beer, go to their weddings, know their families. Sancho and Jack were at my wedding and my Dads funeral when they played for Gillingham.

I don't even know if some of the Central players are married or have kids. They don't want to know me. Their families and friends don't come to games and didn't come to the award ceremony. If every player bought 4 or 5 friends and family, that would double the attendance at matches!

I saw Graham Rix, one of the best coaches I've ever seen, disillusioned after a few months to the point that he would rather be unemployed than constantly ignored and disrespected. How must the guys like Pfister have felt?

We have to reinvent the T&T footballer. Catch them young, feed them passion for the game, separate them from the negative culture.

I won't give up yet. I have a 4 month old daughter who will become a soca princess! I can't quit, for her sake!


Offline just cool

  • Hero Warrior
  • *****
  • Posts: 8065
    • View Profile
Re: Corneal not optimistic about soca warriors
« Reply #109 on: June 11, 2013, 07:27:30 AM »
FS i feel real sorry for ppl like you and graham ricks, i really do.

the reason for this is bc i was in T&T last yr, and i had ah really hard time with the ppl all bc i was ah "fresh water" yankee, and they did every thing in their power to rub it in, and make me feel un welcomed.

from the airport and back i was met with incourteous ppl who went out of their way to be rude. i remember thinking to my self, "where the fack am i ??  this can't be trinidad"!

my point is , if these ppl went out of their way to make me, a T&T national feel like ah dastardly foreigner, then i could only imagine how you were treated.

i remember goin to a game in 2008 , it was T&T vs bermuda @ the marvin lee stadium, after the game ppl just dispersed not even engaging each other, i tried to spark up conversations with random ppl and they looked @ me like i was crazy for even engaging them.

i remembered back in the seventies and eighties when ppl attended games, how ppl would engage each other on the way out of the arena like if they knew each other for yrs.

it was lime and plenty dudup drum and iron going up the road win or lose. don't get me wrong, i'm not looking or expecting that kind of interaction anymore, but when did we get like this to the point where we totally ignore one another??

i could only imagine what you have to deal with down there. there was a time when trinidad was voted the friendliest nation on the planet back in the seventies, as ah matter of fact when our girls went out to represent the country in these international beauty pageants we would always win miss amity bc of how civilized our ppl were.

now today, i don't know who these savages are!! they must be an invading force who have conquered our land and gave our ppl their life style! some how i wish that was the case, but we all know better.  our nation truly suffered a serious brain drain in the eighties and nineties, that's the only thing i could come up with to explain this strange phenomenon.

hang in there FS, just keep up the good work, you shall be rewarded.
« Last Edit: June 11, 2013, 09:29:02 AM by just cool »
The pen is mightier than the sword, Africa for Africans home and abroad.Trinidad is not my home just a pit stop, Africa is my destination,final destination the MOST HIGH.

Offline Football supporter

  • Hero Warrior
  • *****
  • Posts: 5209
    • View Profile
Re: Corneal not optimistic about soca warriors
« Reply #110 on: June 11, 2013, 08:45:39 AM »
FS i feel real sorry for ppl like you and graham ricks, i really do.

the reason for this is bc i was in T&T last yr, and i had ah really hard time with the ppl all bc i was ah "fresh water" yankee, and they did every thing in their power to make me feel un welcomed.

from the airport and back i was met with incourteous ppl who went out of their way to be rude. i remember thinking to my self, "where the fack am i ??  this can't be trinidad"!

my point is , if these ppl went out of their way to make me, a T&T national feel like ah dastardly foreigner, then i could only imagine how you were treated.

i remember goin to a game in 2008 , it was T&T vs bermuda @ the marvin lee stadium, after the game ppl just dispersed not even engaging each other, i tried to spark up conversations with random ppl and they looked @ me like i was crazy for even engaging them.

i remembered back in the seventies and eighties when ppl attended games, how ppl would engage each other on the way out of the arena like if they knew each other for yrs.

it was lime and plenty dudup drum and iron going up the road win or lose. don't get me wrong, i'm not looking or expecting that kind of interaction anymore, but when did we get like this to the point where we totally ignore one another??

i could only imagine what you have to deal with down there. there was a time when trinidad was voted the friendliest nation on the planet back in the seventies, as ah matter of fact when our girls went out to represent the country in these international beauty pageants we would always win miss amity bc of how civilized our ppl were.

now today, i don't know who these savages are!! they must be an invading force who have conquered our land and gave our ppl their life style! some how i wish that was the case, but we all know better.  our nation truly suffered a serious brain drain in the eighties and nineties, that's the only thing i could come up with to explain this strange phenomenon.

hang in there FS, just keep up the good work, you shall be rewarded.

Don't feel sorry for me mate...I chose to live here and I believe it can get better.

I guess people don't engage because they're frightened of being shot! I keep myself to myself when I'm out, because you just don't know.

How did it happen? Well somebody taught these kids, so I guess you have to blame the parents!! I know the US TV had a big influence along with movies and music, but the parents still have a role to teach respect and right from wrong. I mean, if your kid was hitting a dog with a stick and you don't tell him to stop, next thing he's gonna hit your next door neighbour with that same stick.

Offline just cool

  • Hero Warrior
  • *****
  • Posts: 8065
    • View Profile
Re: Corneal not optimistic about soca warriors
« Reply #111 on: June 11, 2013, 09:17:51 AM »
Now back to the topic @ hand.  no i did not forget!

you said that skeene was a very nice fella and approachable to booth, and that might be true, but the question @ hand, is he capable of talking our pro league to the next level where we could contend with other leagues in concacaf?? and i'm afraid the answer to that would be........ NO!!!

i would rather have a fire breathing inapproachable all out grouch who knows how to get the job done right, than some soft talking easy going slickster pimp with no ideas.

skeene might be a likable fella, but after the beating we took from guyana he made me dislike him, and i'll tell you why.

i remembered right after the loss, him and david williams appeared in a television interview speaking out on otto pfister's failure in a manner which was most ignorant and extremely uncalled for! they seemed elated that the german had lost to a local coach, all bc pfister had the nerve to speak out on the manner in which they were taking players out of contention by sending them out on trails during WCQ.

skeene and williams were aghast @ the nerve of this white foreigner telling them how to run their business.

i could also detect a sense of relief and gloating by the pair that pfister had failed to get out of the preliminary round, i'm sure they were saying to themselves, "it wont be long now, the white trouble maker has failed and would soon be gone".

mind you, all this came @ the expense of our footballers, remember, otto pfister could walk away from any job and land another without breaking a sweat, bc he's that marketable, but our boys needed this WCQ to be seen by the numerous scouts who flock to these tourney looking for talent.

this would have made it easier on them without having to stress and strain just to get a trail in an elite league. but i guess this had alluded skeene and william who by then was more concerned with their own ego, than the welfare of the players.

lemme tell yuh something breds, i've seen this mentality for over 40 yrs, and for me jack warner exemplified that xenophobic autocratic self destructive T&T old man mind set to ah tee!

he would rather bring our football to it's knees than to have responsible capable leadership in the TTFF, all bc he hates being opposed and wants to hold on to complete power as long as he can, even though he lack the capability to bring football to a level where we could be competitive.     

imagine that this man was the vice president of FIFA, the president of concacaf, the president of CFU and he did not build one academy in T&T for the twenty something yrs or so that he's been in power??

the equivalent of that would be almost like, junior sammy's children living in ah one room wooden shack with no modern conveniences, despite him having the means to do much much better.

Does jack warner even know that youth development is the key to having a successful footballing legacy, did anytime in this man's reign did he care about having a legacy, do ppl in T&T even give ah fork about legacy??

FS, FYI i just want you to know that you are dealing with real backward one sided ppl, so be careful. yes there are wonderful ppl living in T&T, but the majority of them have ah "eat ah food mentality", and so does skeene IMO.
« Last Edit: June 11, 2013, 10:05:58 AM by just cool »
The pen is mightier than the sword, Africa for Africans home and abroad.Trinidad is not my home just a pit stop, Africa is my destination,final destination the MOST HIGH.

Offline Football supporter

  • Hero Warrior
  • *****
  • Posts: 5209
    • View Profile
Re: Corneal not optimistic about soca warriors
« Reply #112 on: June 11, 2013, 09:53:08 AM »
JC, there are many criticisms that you can lay at the feet of Skeene. I'm not sure what experiences you have had with him, but just to add a little perspective, for me, he is possibly the most forward thinking administrator I have come across in T&T.

He understands and encourages radical ideas. His major problem is that he doesn't have the necessary support to make changes, because those changes would cause clubs to think and work differently and force them to go and find sponsorship to cover additional costs.

If you could imagine a Minister of Sport who keeps getting his plans such as a national basketball academy vetoed by the cabinet because the results of his projects will not be felt for 10 years and they want to win the next election by organising another Hoops of Life.

Thats the kind of problem Skeene has. What can he do - remember, he's an employee - he can't sack the clubs CEO's!

Perhaps he's not doing enough because he's disillusioned, but when he gets a chance, he does what he can.

Offline maxg

  • Hero Warrior
  • *****
  • Posts: 6467
    • View Profile
Re: Corneal not optimistic about soca warriors
« Reply #113 on: June 11, 2013, 07:40:02 PM »
Obviously, I have a vested interest, but I wonder why there is so much negativity towards the Pro League. Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of changes needed in the attitudes of some clubs, but speaking from an experience of running a club for one season, guys, it's really tough.

Criticize by all means, but don't hate! Where would your national team players come from if the Pro League was scrapped? All the time the negative comments continue, it prevents people investing in the game, which in turn, leads to a continuation of the problems we face.

Most of the players overseas started life with Pro League clubs. The natural progression is for players to move overseas to further develop. It appears to me that a lot of professional T&T footballers just do not have a good attitude towards T&T football.

I'm willing to bet that if players were paid US$10,000 per game, you'd find a lot less overseas players unavailable. There is no pride in playing for T&T in many of these guys. And that lack of passion is seen on the pitch. Many of our current crop of overseas players see themselves as big time Charlies who don't need to make the effort for their country.

The legacy of 2006 is that the current batch of underachievers feel that 2006 was pure luck and that T&T would never be good enough to repeat that success.

My plan, as always, is to concentrate on 2022, work with the U17's and take the pressure off winning games and focus on building a compact squad who know each other inside out.
Hope yuh don't think my disagreement with Alvin is a negative reflection of the Pro League. Just saying that our BEST Snr players would not necessarily come from our Local Pro league. It just can't compete with a foreign contract and in many cases a foreign exposure from a development standpoint. Debatable, but would Latapy have been as good had he stayed local..as opposed to playing in Canada(jokey league), Jamaica (Jokey league)...would he have had the wherewithal to then crack into Portugal, Scotland etc
Pro league probably have a few players with the Latapy potential -is that blasphemy - but would it be possible yet, to develop these potential filled individuals to beas great, if they stay in the Pro league ? Nah, the pro-league with the right admin, the right coaching and the right support, could develop down the road, but at this point, it might be growing, developing, but can't yet see it developing players this fast. Might take 15  + years...but for now it not yet strong in any of these...even if Individuals and some clubs dream of one day attaining this...
Nb: I hypothesizing, cause I didn't see a game yet...your fault..   ;D

Offline Football supporter

  • Hero Warrior
  • *****
  • Posts: 5209
    • View Profile
Re: Corneal not optimistic about soca warriors
« Reply #114 on: June 11, 2013, 07:56:09 PM »
Obviously, I have a vested interest, but I wonder why there is so much negativity towards the Pro League. Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of changes needed in the attitudes of some clubs, but speaking from an experience of running a club for one season, guys, it's really tough.

Criticize by all means, but don't hate! Where would your national team players come from if the Pro League was scrapped? All the time the negative comments continue, it prevents people investing in the game, which in turn, leads to a continuation of the problems we face.

Most of the players overseas started life with Pro League clubs. The natural progression is for players to move overseas to further develop. It appears to me that a lot of professional T&T footballers just do not have a good attitude towards T&T football.

I'm willing to bet that if players were paid US$10,000 per game, you'd find a lot less overseas players unavailable. There is no pride in playing for T&T in many of these guys. And that lack of passion is seen on the pitch. Many of our current crop of overseas players see themselves as big time Charlies who don't need to make the effort for their country.

The legacy of 2006 is that the current batch of underachievers feel that 2006 was pure luck and that T&T would never be good enough to repeat that success.

My plan, as always, is to concentrate on 2022, work with the U17's and take the pressure off winning games and focus on building a compact squad who know each other inside out.
Hope yuh don't think my disagreement with Alvin is a negative reflection of the Pro League. Just saying that our BEST Snr players would not necessarily come from our Local Pro league. It just can't compete with a foreign contract and in many cases a foreign exposure from a development standpoint. Debatable, but would Latapy have been as good had he stayed local..as opposed to playing in Canada(jokey league), Jamaica (Jokey league)...would he have had the wherewithal to then crack into Portugal, Scotland etc
Pro league probably have a few players with the Latapy potential -is that blasphemy - but would it be possible yet, to develop these potential filled individuals to beas great, if they stay in the Pro league ? Nah, the pro-league with the right admin, the right coaching and the right support, could develop down the road, but at this point, it might be growing, developing, but can't yet see it developing players this fast. Might take 15  + years...but for now it not yet strong in any of these...even if Individuals and some clubs dream of one day attaining this...
Nb: I hypothesizing, cause I didn't see a game yet...your fault..   ;D

Max, you didn't see a game coz you have no satnav lol

I agree 100% in that a player won't reach his full potential until he regularly plays and receives coaching from a top European league club.
My argument is that the Pro League is a feeder league much like English League 1 and 2, Serie B etc  Pro League clubs should - and could - be the best in the Caribbean. They could compete in the USL eventually, if they really get organised.
We have to know our potential and limitations. I just feel that too many people don't support the belief that the league isn't that bad and with the support of fans, can be better.

There are more English supporters at non EPL games every week than at EPL games. They all know that their team will never be a chelsea or Man Utd, but their expectations are realistic. Most Trinis will never see a Barca game live, so why not follow a local team live and watch Barca on the telly.

Offline maxg

  • Hero Warrior
  • *****
  • Posts: 6467
    • View Profile
Re: Corneal not optimistic about soca warriors
« Reply #115 on: June 11, 2013, 09:59:19 PM »
We on the same page...however, Natinal team selection is a different beast entirely. Like indoor & outdoor football, same basic game, totally different selection of players. And so far, Pro l players not ready. Total different issue from selecting those players. Both fruit , yet apples and oranges, both have their benefits, but yuh have to pick off the tree yuh could afford to grow. Whether due to soil, climate or environment. I just saying PFL players good for home, and I will back them, but once we leave to compete in other climate & environment..look for apples. Hope I not gone to off deh

Add: still have 1st dibs on a Central kit. I'll be coming again.don't want any other. Well maybe an Impact one for balance.
« Last Edit: June 11, 2013, 10:02:56 PM by maxg »

Offline just cool

  • Hero Warrior
  • *****
  • Posts: 8065
    • View Profile
Re: Corneal not optimistic about soca warriors
« Reply #116 on: June 11, 2013, 10:02:52 PM »
We on the same page...however, Natinal team selection is a different beast entirely. Like indoor & outdoor football, same basic game, totally different selection of players. And so far, Pro l players not ready. Total different issue from selecting those players. Both fruit , yet apples and oranges, both have their benefits, but yuh have to pick off the tree yuh could afford to grow. Whether due to soil, climate or environment. I just saying PFL players good for home, and I will back them, but once we leave to compete in other climate & environment..look for apples. Hope I not gone to off deh
Oh god max, ah does want tuh read yuh columns eh, but my lord it hard tuh stick with.  :frustrated:  pls my brother, would you @ least use some paragraphs in our writing?? plsss
The pen is mightier than the sword, Africa for Africans home and abroad.Trinidad is not my home just a pit stop, Africa is my destination,final destination the MOST HIGH.

Offline Flex

  • Administrator
  • Hero Warrior
  • *****
  • Posts: 18062
  • A Trini 4 Real.
    • View Profile
    • Soca Warriors Online
Alvin Corneal Articles
« Reply #117 on: April 01, 2015, 01:54:12 AM »
Soca Warriors have a long way to go.
By Alvin Corneal (Guardian).


One of the most interesting features of analyses on football matches is to hear the comments coming from the coaching staff after a match is completed.

Because of the fact that the game against Panama on Friday was just a friendly and mattered not as to the relevance of the result, it is necessary for the coach to indicate his own feelings and interpretation regarding the satisfaction or lack of it by his players.

Having seen the interview given by Stephen Hart straight after the game, will surely give us all an idea as to his reaction of what he saw of his team.

Because TV interviews are sometimes very short, it was difficult to figure out whether Stephen was saying that he was very pleased, not so pleased or accepted the learning curve which the defeat gave to the team.

His diplomacy could well have been a comfort zone for his young players, a request for patience from the fans, and most of all, the consolatory relief for the anxious fans, whose main focus is to see the quality of football that this team can produce in three months’ time.

Statistically, anyone who saw the game, could not claim that they were satisfied with the fact that in 90 minutes, there was but one shot taken at the opponents’ goal. The percentage in possession of the ball in the game was a mere 38 per cent, as opposed to the Panamanians 62.

Admittedly, this particular detail does not necessarily mean that there should have been more goals by the team with greater possession.

What it does mean is that the warrior’s inability to dispossess their opponents deprived them from creating much goal scoring chances of their own.

Here was a visiting team which strength was clearly to dominate the midfield through a mixture of short crisp passing among four midfielders, shifting their positions, laterally and diagonally in order to disallow the locals to get close to regaining possession.

What that policy actually succeeded in doing was breaking the communication lines between the Warriors central defenders and leaving space for some vacancies for passing lanes which found chances created in and around the penalty area.

Strangely enough, the individual performances of both Sheldon Bateau and Mekeil Williams were technically good and their agility made up for the times when they were forced into poor covering positions.

Hart was right when he referred only to the last five minutes of the first half as good play by his team. Prior to that, the inexperience of players like Tyrone Charles, Neveal Hackshaw, and Shannon Gomez, not well supported by the more matured players like Khaleem Hyland, Ataullah Guerra, Kevin Molino and Justin Hoyte, deprived them of making full use of the opportunity given them to show their worth.

Despite Hoyte’s ability to defend well at times, he was easily drawn from the wingback position and allowed the opponents to travel the right flank and cross some dangerous services, one which was neatly headed past the keeper amidst a non-marking central defence.

The solitary goal had opened the door for Panama to capitalise, but their crosses brought three other headers, two of which needed to be saved by goalkeeper Marvin Phillip.

Recognising the vast experience of the Panama team and knowing their recent track record, I understood the complex state in which our team was challenged for keeping a well-balanced defence line.

Thanks to the national Under-20 captain Gomez, he stood out in terms of positional play, choice of passes, and decisions when in defence, to usher the flank runners to go towards restricted space between himself and the touchline.

Our selected engine room which consisted Hyland and Hackshaw, won the ball occasionally in midfield, but certainly too close to the final third of the field, causing Molino to receive the ball in his own half of the field, where there was too much traffic for him to use his scoring ability.

To be a heavy critic on this team will not serve the purpose of exposing the young players, but it requires some talking to the more advanced players, especially my favourite player Guerra, who was nonproductive most times.

Despite the substitutions by both teams in the second half, the game fell asleep and apart from a powerful drive by Codoy from near forty metres which struck the crossbar before the keeper could wink, there was very little from either side that helped keep the fans awake.

The picture is now much clearer. We must intensify the training sessions, increase the level of fitness of the players and most of all, coach Hart must decide upon strategy depending upon his opponents.

It is a task that may be possible, especially when players like Lester Peltier, Hughtun Hector, Carlyle Mitchell, Daneil Cyrus, Kenwyne Jones, Joevin Jones, and Aubrey David join the ranks.

If Hart has to continue to use these youngsters, they must be allowed to train together at least one day per week until the overseas players join them.

A few friendly matches will make a huge difference for the specific purpose of developing cohesiveness, through basic tactical patterns. This is our worst problem, hence the reason why the most attention must be made to correct it.

Structure is needed in our national teams. All of them, the juniors, the women and our senior team. We must find defensive methods which will help to win the ball, rather than just hope that the opponents make unforced errors in their passing.

The three months must be well spent and we must show improvement before we leave these shores for the Gold Cup.

« Last Edit: December 28, 2016, 07:42:05 AM by Flex »
The real measure of a man's character is what he would do if he knew he would never be found out.

Offline frico

  • Hero Warrior
  • *****
  • Posts: 2682
    • View Profile
Re: Corneal: Soca Warriors have a long way to go.
« Reply #118 on: April 01, 2015, 02:26:07 AM »
Corneal is ah boss,he's right again.

Offline Cowen

  • Hero Warrior
  • *****
  • Posts: 1531
  • Conquer without risk is to triumph without Glory
    • View Profile
Re: Corneal: Soca Warriors have a long way to go.
« Reply #119 on: April 01, 2015, 07:42:30 AM »
Corneal is ah boss,he's right again.

this time
Attended Mad Mad University
Studied Madology
Obtained a Mad Mad Degree

 

1]; } ?>