Brian Williams: Changing coach no solution to football problems
By Walter Alibey (T&T Guardian)
"Gone are the days when changing a coach is a solution to football issues."
Former national defender who was a standout with the now infamous 'Strike Squad' of 1989, Brian Williams, attempted to break down the issues that led to the failure of the Soca Warriors at the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Following a 3-0 victory over St Kitts and Nevis in Group A of the Gold Cup on June 25, T&T, coached by Angus Eve surrendered the other two matches against Jamaica 4-1 on the June 28, and then against the United States 6-0 on Sunday to send them packing out of the regional tournament.
The consequence of this has been calls for Eve to step down as coach, and bring in another coach. Former coach Stephen Hart, as it is being rumoured and suggested as Eve's replacement.
Williams, who like many, has spent his entire life in the sport, tried to explain the formula for success in sports and particularly football. He said it starts with having the right infrastructure and the right administration.
He said he wanted to stay away from the perceived "bacchanal" of giving such comments, but it would only continue a recurring situation that stagnates progress.
"I was totally moved with the selection of the team from the St Kitts and Nevis game, and then players' personal responsibility is what I looked at. I watched the whole drive by the players, the basic intelligence and basic understanding to do well and to play hard for the national team and I did not see that. I am not getting enough of that and that is an individual responsibility as a player," Williams explained.
In a most candid response, Williams added: "So the players we have presently, do we say that they are not good enough for international participation at this point in time? It could be so but I cannot really answer you to say get rid of Angus and bring in Stephen Hart, because that will be the consensus. 'Let us change the coach because he failed'. Did he fail? Really and truly? Okay, but statistics might show you otherwise.
"If the national team did not perform well, obviously it is the responsibility of the coach and that is what Angus has to deal with, and that is what we as spectators also have to look at because we are looking for results.
"If we get bad results then we get down to the nitty-gritty and find out what caused those bad results, what caused the players to perform so poorly, and then the coach will have to answer that with his staff because they are responsible for motivating the players."
The rasta-haired-style rugged former right-back, in his heydays, exhibited undying commitment that made him a preferred choice for coaches in the defence.
His playing days locally never hampered his passion to wear the red, white, and black for in T&T, but despite the successes of the Strike Squad in 1989, coming within a point of qualification to the 1990 World Cup in Italy, even then, there was not the administrative perfection to ensure the proper preparation of teams.
Williams said: "We might bring in Stephen Hart tomorrow and after two or three games, we might be saying it's better we kept Angus. It might be so because we don't have the divine rights to see these things, but certain infrastructure and sustainability, a properly run League, ensuring that the players are being compensated or paid a decent salary above the minimum wage, and a man could have a hope that he can really give his all to it because to play international football, it is a full-time job."
Williams has been paying close attention to the developments of regional teams that accounted for their success. As such, he concluded that maybe minus a couple of players, Eve did select the best pool of players to wear the red, white, and black.
"Putting things into perspective, all those challenges that Angus faced. Yes he will have to take responsibility for the team performances and so on, but if you look at the national team presently, I would say I think Angus has one of the best pool of players to represent the country. So from a positive standpoint, I don't think the selection of the team was bad because when you look at Jamaica, their League was functional and operating, but when the team was selected they did not have a player from the domestic league on the team."
He continued, "I listened also to Guadeloupe, where they say only one player who was playing locally was on the team, and it goes on and on with most of the teams. We look at the Jamaican Premier League and we say it is of a really good standard, so how come when it was time to play in the Nations League the coach didn't even select one player from there?"
Williams, who was solid defender pointed out, "And that was a big issue in Jamaica because they find that he should have at least selected one player who was playing locally."
Last evening, the T&T Football Association (TTFA) sent out a press statement advising that it has made no decision regarding the composition of the national senior men’s team’s technical staff.
It said: "Reports on the appointment of a new coach are purely speculative and without foundation.
"The TTFA is currently undertaking a comprehensive review of the team’s performance and its recent results. The head coach, Angus Eve, is an integral part of the discussions, as his feedback is a critical part of the process.
"Future plans will be determined following the review, and the TTFA will make an official statement at the appropriate time."
