Leo says T&T a little closer to being ready for Panama.
By: Shaun Fuentes.[/color]
National football coach Leo Beenhakker says he was not particularly happy with the wayward finishing in Wednesday’s 4-0 defeat of Bermuda but has hinted that he is well aware of how the “Warriors” will approach their June 4 World Cup qualifier against Panama.
Less than two weeks before the big clash at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, T&T warmed up with a comfortable 4-0 win over the visiting Bermudans and will get a second chance to do more damage to the inexperienced side and hopefully sharpen up further when they clash again at the Manny Ramjohn Stadium from 6pm on Friday.
Speaking after the match in which he attained his first win since taking over as coach, Beenhakker was not particularly pleased.
“Well no I was not particularly pleased but we got a win and this match gives us some guarantees for the matches against Panama and Mexico. We worked hard in the camp and you can see we are getting better little by little. It was a useful match for us especially in relation to last week’s match against Lima. We tried to play more in front and get more time in the box. We had several good chances and even though we didn’t make use of them, that could happen now, it’s not a problem.
“This is just a game to take us one step ahead,” Beenhakker said, adding that he was not concerned over the low rating of the Bermudans.
“We try to play with more possession and play football from behind. We also try to use every player and get on front based on football and not with the long ball coming back as soon as you play it down there. We are trying to understand each other very well.”
When asked whether he has put a team together for the match against Panama by a local reporter, Beenhakker replied without giving any details of the actual squad.
“Yes I know how we are going to play on the 4th. I still have more than a week to go and I will work with all of the players. I will build a team that will be ready to play every match because we have the Gold Cup so the focus is not just the Panama game but right now you can say that the most important game is the Panama one. I know more or less all the overseas players. I had my first impression with Brent Sancho, Marvin Andrews and Kelvin Jack today (in training). I know them and that’s a big advantage.
"This Friday we will give an opportunity to the other players in the camp in Friday’s game and then we start our final preparation on Monday. From my side it’s clear how we have to play Panama and with what team we have to do that.”
Finally asked about whether he now has confidence in the team’s chances following the win on Wednesday, Beenhakker said: “ I had confidence from the first day here because if I didn’t then I would not come over here. Little by little we are doing better. We still have a long way to go before we play at the level of Milan or Liverpool or I don’t know who but everyday you see some players picking up some details and playing better individually and then we are getting it better as a team. And if it’s enough to beat Panama and Mexico, I don’t know but at least we are playing more like a team now.”
Leo Beenhakker to coach local coaches.
By: Walter Alibey - Newsday.[/color]
Local football coaching is to benefit from seminars to be conducted by national coach Leo Beenhakker. According to Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation president Oliver Camps on Wednesday, these seminars have been planned with the hope of Dutch coaching staff transferring their knowledge, both practical and theoretical, to local coaches. The long-serving football administrator told Newsday that the seminars would be organised and arranged by technical director Lincoln Phillips. But he said, however, such seminars could not be carried out at this point in time, and would have to wait until after the World Cup qualifying campaign.
The local football boss made it clear that Beenhakker could not and must not be distracted by anything apart from the World Cup qualifying series. Camps said, “Right now I want the coach to focus only on taking this country to the World Cup and nothing else.” He said the Dutch coach would have a lot more time when this country has qualified for the World Cup finals in Germany next year. Trinidad and Tobago are bottom of the six-team chart with just one point from two matches. But the forthcoming round-three qualifier against Panama, June 4 at the Hasely Crawford Stadium is expected to not only begin their climb up the standings, but instil some hope back into the hearts of local fans, with a string of victories. Camps said the seminars would be opened to all local coaches so they could have a chance to improve themselves.
Mathematically Trinidad and Tobago could move into third position with a victory over the Panamanians, but they would need the assistance of some of the other qualifying teams. For instance, a win for the Warriors would take them to four points, while the results of the other games could help them maintain that position going into the fourth round. The call for the coaching seminars came after plans to utilise ex-national captains Russell Latapy and David Nakhid as player/coach with the current squad has not materialised. But Beenhakker requested and brought his own assistants, after Lebanese-based Nakhid accepted the invitation, but Latapy declined, and has since re-signed as player/coach at Scottish club Falkirk, who won promotion to the Premier Division.
News from the 26th of May 2005.David Nakhid to serve as ‘Warriors’ scout.
By: Shaun Fuentes.David Nakhid has been appointed as a National Senior Team scout to serve from within the Technical Staff assigned to work under Team head coach Leo Beenhakker with immediate effect.
The appointment was agreed upon after Beenhakker made the offer to Nakhid on Tuesday and a meeting will be held with TTFF Special Advisor Jack Warner on Friday to finalize the terms and conditions of the new position.
As a result of this, Nakhid, a former National Captain, is no longer available to the current “Warriors” outfit as a player.
The 41-year-old midfielder said he had no qualms over having to give up his role as a player and is ready to scrutinize T&T’s upcoming opponents.
“The coach spoke to me and he explained the situation. He did make the offer open to me saying that he would like me to be a scout for the team but he also said he still felt I could make a contribution as a player and the choice was up to me,” Nakhid told TTFF Media.
“I thought about it and it was a hard one to decide on, particularly when you know you can do it as a player but then up came the chance to make a valid contribution to the effort to get to the World Cup. It also means that I could continue my football in Lebanon and still be involved with the national team which is something I cannot turn my back on.
“I think as more time passes on, the team is becoming a stronger unit and all of the guys realize how important it is for them to make an honest and worthwhile contribution and for me, this new position will give me an opportunity to stay involved and be part of what will be history created by us when the team gets to the next World Cup,” Nakhid added.
He is expected to take up his first assignment on June 4, the same day T&T takes on Panama at the Hasely Crawford Stadium.
Beenhakker commented on the latest development regarding Nakhid.
“It is something that we discussed and I respect his decision. I was the one who offered him a chance to make a contribution as a player and now something different has come up whereby I felt David could make a significant contribution and we have agreed upon this,” Beenhakker said.
Meantime, Beenhakker will have a second outing against Bermuda when they clash with the “Warriors” in a second friendly at the Manny Ramjohn Stadium from 6pm this Friday. The match will be the first game of a double header with the Pro Bowl Final playing off between CL Financial San Juan Jabloteh and Vibe CT 105 W Connection.
Birchall, Edwards sparkle in Warriors win.
By: Nigel Simon.[/color]
English-born midfielder Christopher Birchall and Carlos Edward both had outstanding performances as T&T warmed up for its June 4 Concacaf World Cup Qualifier against Panama with a 4-0 shut-out of Bermuda at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo on Wednesday night.
In a match which was completely dominated by the Leo Beenhakker-coached line-up, Birchall, Edwards and to a lesser extent, Kenwyne Jones, Aurtis Whitley and defensive duo Dennis Lawrence and Anton Pierre all staked claims for a spot on Beenhakker’s 18-man roster for the qualifier against the Panamanians.
However, the same cannot be said of Coventry City striker, Stern John, who apart from his 65th minute goal, had a nightmarish performance in front of the Bermudans goal.
John’s dilemma began as early as the 13th minute when he failed to connect with a pin-point low right sided cross by Edwards six yards out from goal, after the latter had worked a clever one-two with Birchall down the right flank.
One minute later, the improving Leslie Fitzpatrick collected a short corner from Birchall, and with acres of space in front of him, he unleashed a powerful volley at goal which Bermuda’s goalkeeper Nigel Burgess went full stretch to his left to pluck out of the air.
Edwards again picked out John with a right sided centre after robbing a defender of the ball, in the 24th minute but with ‘keeper Burgess and the goal at his mercy, John somehow managed to clip the ball over the bar.
Six minutes later, John blasted over bar from a Jones feed inside the 18-yard box.
With all the chances falling to John, the question was whether T&T would break the deadlock before the half, which they eventually got through an own goal.
The go-ahead item came in the 33rd minute when defender Kentoine Jennings turned the ball into his own net past Burgess, when he attempted to cut out another centre, which was intended for John.
At the other end of the field, T&T goalkeeper and team captain Clayton Ince was almost a spectator for the night and was mostly called into action by his own defenders.
Two minutes into the second-half, Jones scored his first goal for the T&T senior team and the second of the match, when he ran onto a through ball from Edwards, ten yards into the Bermuda half, held off a weak challenge from defender Stevie Astwood and slotted the ball past Burgess on his near post.
John came close to ending his drought in the 50th minute, but his goalward chip was cleared off the line.
Despite his own poor form, the Coventry striker had a hand in his team’s third goal as he headed down a right sided corner from Birchall to the feet of Dennis Lawrence, which left the lanky defender with the easy task of dragging the ball over the line.
After squandering an open chance in the 58th minute when he just had to pick his spot with keeper Burgess stranded, John ended his drought with a 65th minute item.
He ran onto a through ball from Birchall and chipped the ball into the bottom left hand corner of the goal past the advancing Burgess to the delight of the 3,000 spectators on hand.
Edwards, John, Birchall and second-half substitutes Brent Rahim and Gary Glasgow all had chances to add to their team’s tally, but failed to beat substitute goalkeeper Daniel Johnson.
Both teams will meet again Friday at 6 pm in the first match of double-header at the Mannie Ramjohn Stadium, Marabella. In the feature match from 8.15 pm defending champions of the T&T Professional Football League Pro Bowl, Vibe CT 105 W Connection will put its title on the line against CL Financial San Juan Jabloteh.
T&T:Clayton Ince (capt); Anton Pierre, Dennis Lawrence, David Atiba Charles, Marlon Rojas (Glenton Wolfe 46th); Leslie Fitzpatrick (Densill Theobald 46th), Carlos Edwards, Christopher Birchall, Aurtis Whitley (Brent Rahim 80th); Kenwyne Jones (Gary Glasgow 62nd), Stern John.
Subs not used: Brent Sancho, Ian Cox, Duarance Williams.
Bermuda:Nigel Burgess (Daniel Johnson 77th); Kentoine Jennings (capt), Maurice Lowe, Kofi Dill, Domico Coddington; Jelani Scott (Seion Darrell 80th), Jahnai Raynor (Logan Alexander 58th), Khris Frick (Rohann Simons 46th), Stevie Astwood; Damon Ming, Aljame Zuill (Cecoy Robinson 65th).
Subs not used: Cecoy Robinson, Rohaan Simons, Kyle Lightbourne.
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