King sees need for improvement following CFU performance
ttproleague.com
Bmobile Joe Public head coach Derek King says he is aware that his side needs to improve mentally and physically ahead of the Concacaf Champions League stage.
Speaking on his team’s runners-up finish in the recently concluded CFU Club Championship, the Joe Public coach said, “We are now aware that we have to be mentally and physically stronger for the CONCACAF stage.”
“That level will be a much bigger stage than the (Digicel Pro) League and CFU Club Championship. Our entire technical staff met this week and assessed our performances in the CFU tournament and we are already working on preparing mentally and physically,” he continued.
The draw for the 2010-2011 Concacaf Champions League preliminary round is carded for May 25 in which CFU champions Puerto Rico Islanders, runners-up Joe Public and third placed finisher San Juan Jabloteh are part of.
Islanders finished the CFU final round with seven points, while Joe Public who needed to win by four goals in the final match against Bayamon FC finished second with 4 points, Jabloteh placed third with 3 points ahead of Bayamon based on goal difference.
Joe Public suffered a 3-1 defeat against Bayamon to squash their chances of lifting the regional title.
“It had a good and a bad about it,” said King over his side’s performances. “We qualified for the Concacaf stage but it was sad to see that we didn’t win the CFU title. We had a couple injuries in the final game (against Bayamon) in key players Trent Noel and Kerry Baptiste, plus we needed to win by four goals.
“We had good performances in our first two matches, and we see it as a good stepping stone for the players and staff knowing where we are moving into the Concacaf stage,” he said.
King also expressed the need to do more signings prior to the Concacaf Champions League.
The 2009 five title winning coach said that he’s not just looking at numbers, but more so, quality. One player currently on the mind of King, is former Caledonia AIA and Guyanese international forward Dwight Peters.
“We have opened talks about Peters. He is a good player and will fit in our system. We’re not just looking to sign players for numbers. We need two or three quality players. The doors are always opened but again, we are looking for quality,” ended King.
