Pierre: Defence Force glory days are back
T&T GuardianBy topping the first round in the Digicel Pro Football League, Defence Force has come in for high praises from Earl “Mango” Pierre, president of the T&T Players Association in Brooklyn. Pierre said yesterday, “I will like to applaud the Army for their present status in the Pro League. It looks like their glory days are back. When I had my team TNT Foreign-based and we played in New York, New Jersey and back home, I went no where without my soldiers and they were great representatives,” said Pierre. “We were always victorious …so how can I forget some of the players that represented the side like Hayden Thomas, Julien “Shiggy” Garcia, the Duncan brothers, Dexter Lee, Kerry Jameson, Hudson “Baba” Charles, Bertrand O’Brien, Reynold Carington, Neil Williams, Timothy Haynes, Dexter Francis, Russel Sutton, Richard Fraser and Roderick “Rambo” Gibbs to name a few. It would be a pleasure to honour my soldiers as champions of the Pro League this season,” Pierre confessed.
After a couple years in the doldrums, the sailor/soldier combination is back with a bang, playing unbeaten in the first round of the Pro League in nine outings, and showing the sort of resilance as in the 1990’s when it ruled the roost on the local soccer scene. On the opening day of the Pro League, Pierre surprised Pro League CEO Dexter Skeene by showing his gratitude to the League’s boss by presenting him with a plaque for his contribution and upliftment to football in the country. “It was a surprise for my friend Dexter when he found out be was being honoured,” said Pierre. “So surprise was Dexter that he just wanted to sit right there in the stadium chair and take the picture. “Dexter is an individual who loves what he is doing and he is very humble with it and this is what I love about him—his humility.”
Pierre explained the only thing that disturbed him at the opening was that it was not featured live on television nor on any of the radio stations, neither was there music or some form of entertainment at half time. “The atmosphere was a bit dead and I believe there should be some sort of entertainment at soccer games especially at the opening of the league. He further stated that while he was on vacation, he took the opportunity to witness some of the pro teams in training sessions. I was really impressed with some of the young talent that I saw at Mau Pau, Jabolteh, Caledonia, WConnection, Joe Public, and the Army. Pierre also paid tribute to the Coaches Association. “They’re finally becoming active again and I hope this time they would following leader Jack Warner, who constantly says I will ‘Make it Happen’. “We have a lot of young coaches who have the potential to be great coaches for the sport and our country and one day I would like to see them coaching in professional leagues abroad. Coaches like Michael Mc Comie, Angus Eve, Derek King, Reynold Carrington, Ross Russell and Earl Jean must continue to take the top coaching courses and licenses.
“Warner, now that he is a Minister in our Government should continue to use his resources to help the Pro league and the Coaches Association to take the sport to a higher level in our country.
“As for our national team, we should give Russell 'The Magician' Latapy his chance to prove himself and give him all the support that he needs. I will be looking forward to attending the next World Cup, my first, in my favourite team country Brazil, and it will be a dream come through to see my country also there being represented. Anyone who needs to contact me can do so on facebook—Earl Mango Pierre—or at the Trinidad and Tobago Soccer Players Associaton.
