Snak

Jamaica lacked clear team plan, says Maxwwell

Veteran football coach Geoffrey Maxwell has hit out at the lack of a Jamaican team plan during last Friday´s 1-1 draw with Panama in the CONCACAF World Cup Qualifier at the National Stadium.

Marvin Elliott of Bristol City had put Jamaica ahead in the 23rd minute when he headed home a Demar Phillips corner, but Luis Henriquez ensured a point for Panama with a 66th-minute strike.

"I didn´t see anything Friday night that indicated to me that there was a team plan," former national senior coach Maxwell said. "We could see what Panama were doing, but you couldn´t at any given time see what Jamaica´s method of play was.

"It was a disappointing result for us. I am also disappointed with the fact that we can´t seem to understand what possessional football is. You can´t ´over possess´, but you must have some idea of possessing at the right time," Maxwell said. "There was just nothing in midfield in terms of creativity for us to score goals."

STRONGER MIDFIELDERS NEEDED

Continuing Maxwell, who is the current coach of Premier League outfit Humble Lion added: "I think we need to have a midfield player that can dictate the pace of the game, when to play it long, when to play it short and when to play a possessional game."

Maxwell pointed out that a number of players were not playing in their usual positions and this hampered the flow of the team throughout the game.

"I think that selected individuals were not playing in their right positions. I have always said that Rodolph Austin is not a holding midfielder and, therefore, he should be playing right behind the two forwards," he said.

Looking ahead to the Reggae Boyz game against Costa Rica on Tuesday, Maxwell said: "Playing Costa Rica in Costa Rica is not going be easy for us because I know down there, and I think we have some homework to do very fast."

Former national youth coach, Donovan Duckie, believes that the Reggae Boyz could have won the game but a number of the players were too selfish.

"We looked lethargic on the field and weren´t pressing the ball," said Duckie. "I think that when we were on the offence, it was too much individualism by our players."

He added: "I also think a number of players looked match-rusty, because both Luton Shelton and Jermaine Beckford weren´t sharp. I think Panama played like they were at home because we backed up too deep and we should have been a lot more aggressive in all areas of the field.

Continuing, Duckie stated: "I am very disappointed because I think it was our chance to go atop the table. However, the important thing for us now is to ensure that we don´t lose the game against Costa Rica on Tuesday."

Nosworthy out with injury

Jamaica will be forced to make a change to their starting eleven for Tuesday´s CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying (WCQ) football match against Costa Rica because of an injury to Nyron Nosworthy.

The central defender was forced off time added for stoppages at the end of the first-half, during Friday night´s 1-1 draw against Panama at the National Stadium.

"Nosworthy requires surgery so he´ll definitely be out," Jamaica head coach Theodore Whitmore told a post-game press conference.

"We don´t know the extent of the damage, but he´ll definitely be out," Whitmore confirmed, noting that the player´s heel was injured.

Nosworthy was replaced by versatile midfielder, Omar Daley, who played in the right back position where he has represented Jamaica on many occasions. Right back Jermaine Taylor was shifted to central defence.

LIMITED OPTIONS

Among Whitmore´s options are Lloyd Doyley, a British-based recruit who plays right back for his club, and Alvas Powell, one of two schoolboys in the Jamaica squad for developmental purposes. The other is Andre Lewis, who can also play in defence.

The Jamaica team left the island yesterday via charter for Costa Rica, who they will face in their next WCQ on Tuesday.

Six countries are involved in CONCACAF Finals WCQ led by Honduras (four points), United States (three), Jamaica (two), Panama (two), Mexico (two) and Costa Rica (one).

‘Tappa’ blames fatigue, Nosworthy injury for result
´Tough game´

A crucial injury and fatigue were two of the main reasons head coach Theodore Whitmore blamed for his team´s lethargic performance in their 1-1 draw with Panama at the National Stadium on Friday night.

Jamaica took an early lead in the 22nd minute against the run of play, when Bristol City midfielder 28-year-old Marvin Elliot nodded home a Demar Phillips right-sided corner for his first goal for Jamaica.

But Luis Hernandez earned a share of the points for Panama, firing home from just outside the box in the 66th minute past a diving Donovan Ricketts in goal.

It was two essential points dropped at home and coach Whitmore admitted the game was not the sort of result he was looking for especially after losing top defender Nyron Nosworthy at the stroke of half-time through injury.

"Basically when we lost Nosworthy it changed the whole complexion of our team and caused us to make a lot of adjustments and that didn´t help the team. But again we have to give thanks for the one point," he noted.

"Tonight´s game is not the sort of result we were looking for but unfortunately we have to prepare ourselves for good moments and bad moments. We are looking forward now to the Costa Rica game and as I said before, any of the games we play, it won´t be easy and tonight´s game wasn´t an easy one," he added.

And how right he was, as Jamaica where playing second fiddle to the quicker and slicker moving Panamanians throughout and it wasn´t until late in the contest with the introduction of Theo Robinson of Derby County and Jermaine Johnson of Sheffield Wednesday that Jamaica showed any real threatening pace.

"I can agree that, especially in the second half, the team was a bit fatigued but as I said before, we have eight games to play and we just have to move on," said Whitmore.

Rudolph Austin, Elliott, Jobi McAnuff and Gareth McLeary all struggled in midfield to contain the slick moving Canalaros or even keep possession themselves and Whitmore was cognisant of the fact.

"Basically our engine room — the midfield — didn´t operate the way we wanted, so we will have to go back and look at tonight´s performance and take it from there."

"It was a very evenly contested game... (and) as I said before I know the Panama team is a very tough team to play against and we expected a tough game and they came and played a tough game," he reiterated.

Meanwhile, for Panamanian coach Julio Dely Valdez, it was little disappointing outplaying the opponent and leaving with only one point.

"I believe the tie here in Jamaica is very important although we came here to win and taking a point is crucial... and any team that comes to play in Kingston is going to have a rough time because Jamaica is a good football team," said Valdes, via an interpreter.

"I was surprised how Jamaica played. I expected them to come out in their classic style play which they did, but the only thing I was expecting, which they did not do, was pressure more on the defensive court and high press," he noted.


Teams:


Jamaica — (1) Donovan Ricketts (captain), (2) Nyron Nosworthy (Omar Daley 45th), (19) Adrian Mariappa, (12) Demar Phillips, (6) Jermaine Taylor, (4) Marvin Elliott, (17) Rodolph Austin, (10) Joel McAnuff (Jermaine Johnson 78th), (22) Garath McCleary, (21) Luton Shelton, (7) Jermaine Beckford (Theo Robinson 64th).

Subs not used: (13) Dwayne Miller, (23) Duwayne Kerr, (5) Alvas Powell, (18) Jermaine Hue, (15) Je-Vaughn Watson, (11) Dane Richards, (20) Andre Lewis, (3) Lloyd Doyley, (9) Ryan Johnson.

Booked: Beckford (17th), Phillips (45th+), Shelton (45th+), Daley (56th), McCleary (82nd).

Panama — (12) Luis Mejia, (23) Felipe Baloy, (5) Ramon Torres, (17) Luis Henriquez, (2) Leonel Parris, (6) Gabriel Gomez (19 Alberto Quintero 78th), (8) Marcos Sanchez, (22) Rolando Escobar (10 Nelson Barahona 63rd), (11) Armando Cooper (20 Anibal Godoy 54th), (7) Blas Perez, (18) Luis Tejada.

Subs not used: (1) Kevin Melgar, (21) Alex Rodriquez, (3) Harold Cummings, (9) Edwin Aguilar, (13) Jean Carlos Cedeno, (14) Juan Perez, (15) Alcibiades Jimenez, (4) Carlos Rodriquez

Booked: Sanchez (60th), Gomez (69th), Quintero (88th).

Referee: Hector Rodriquez (Honduras).

Assistant Referee 1: Oscar Velasquez (Honduras).

Assistant Referee 2: Christian Ramirez (Honduras).

Fourth Official: Raul Castro Zuniga (Honduras).

Referee Assessor: Carlos Gonzalez Iribarren (Mexico).

H´View missing key players as they brace for W´House

LEADERS Harbour View enter their crucial top-of-the-table clash against their latest title challenger Waterhouse, without top defender Montrose Phinn who has been drafted in the Reggae Boyz squad to replace the injured Nyron Nosworthy.

Phinn, left early Saturday morning en route to Costa Rica and while there is adequate replacement for Phinn in the form of national defender Dicoy Williams, Harbour View will struggle to replace the talented playmaker Jermaine Hue, also on national duties.

The Stars of the East are out front on 61 points while Waterhouse have surged into second spot, 11 points behind with 50 and with seven matches remaining after today´s encounter, if they can beat Harbour View and reduce that lead to eight points, things could get rather interesting.

On the other hand, if Harbour View win and establish a 14-point gap, the league is as good as over. Head coach Vin Blaine is cognisant of that fact.

"It´s not absolutely important that we do it, but getting a lead of 14 points with seven games left would almost put a seal on it. So it is important to go out and play hard tomorrow (today)," Blaine told the Jamaica Observer.

"The game against Waterhouse is definitely an important one. We are 11 points ahead and we want to justify our lead by getting into the fourth round with as many points as possible. Waterhouse is always a challenge to Harbour View and they are playing at home and will come out very hard and physical and we expect that," he noted.

Today´s match-up should be intriguing for more than one reason with several important match-ups all over the park. But one that could really decide the game is how the meanest defence in the league copes with the league´s top marksman.

Harbour View, regularly marshalled by Phinn and the calm Christopher Harvey all season, will have to contain the robust and deadly Jermaine ´Tuffy´ Anderson.

"We don´t pinpoint any one person. It is our overall team defending that is important. I know how Tuffy plays, we have played against him twice and he has not scored against us. I know his style and I know what his weaknesses are, so we are going to play the way we normally play," Blaine explained.

In two Premier League meetings this season, Harbour View are unbeaten against Waterhouse, winning their first encounter 1-0 before drawing the second 0-0.

In 2005/06 season, Waterhouse overturned a 13-point deficit and caught Harbour View and that splendid performance is still in their minds and the Drewsland based outfit is expected to make another run at them but it must start with a win today.

Meanwhile, defending champion Portmore United in third spot with 48 points, still believe they can win the title, and if they can get it right, it could be an intriguing three-way fight to the end. But first they must beat 10th-placed Humble Lion on 33 points to keep their slim chances alive.

Fourth-placed Boys´ Town on 48 points take on the improving Highgate United in 11th spot on 31 points and looking to climb out of the relegation zone with their third consecutive win.

Fifth-placed Arnett Gardens on 45 points should have an easy task against a Savannah team rooted to the bottom of the league on 18 points.

Westmoreland-based Savannah have lost 20 of their 30 games in their first season of Premier League football and Super League football awaits them.

Another team in relegation fight is ninth-placed Sporting Central Academy on 36 points and they host seventh-placed Montego Bay United on 41 points in a crucial encounter at Brancourt.

TODAY´S GAMES

3:30 pm Boys´ Town vs Highgate United at Collie Smith Complex

3:30 pm Sporting Central Academy vs Montego Bay United

6:00 pm Arnett Gardens vs Savannah @ Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex

6:00 pm Waterhouse vs Harbour View @ Drewsland

7:00 pm Portmore United vs Humble Lion @ Ferdie Neita Park.

Anderson set to leave Man Utd in summer - reports

Manchester United´s Anderson is set to leave the club in the summer transfer window according to Goal.com.

The website claims the Brazilian is concerned at the lack of first team opportunities handed to him by Sir Alex Ferguson and is prepared to seek a new club.

Anderson has reportedly targeted a place in the Seleção squad for the 2014 World Cup and believes that he needs to be playing regular football to achieve that goal.

Goal.com claims there are a number of South American clubs interest in striking a deal with Manchester United and that former club Porto are also interested in a loan deal.

Manchester United could also use the midfielder as a makeweight in a move for long term target, Colombia´s James Rodriguez.

Anderson is said to be valued by the club at €18m but do not envisage any team willing to offer that sum for the player.

Josué seals move to Atlético Mineiro

Josué has sealed a move to to his homeland with Atlético Mineiro after the Brasileirão outfit agreed an undisclosed fee with Wolfsburg.

The midfielder spent six years at the Bundesliga side and captained the team to title glory in 2009, but has been on the fringes of the squad this season.

"We have agreed to this transfer," Wolfsburg´s general manager Klaus Allofs told the club´s official website.

"Josue is one of the most successful players in the history of Wolfsburg.

"This switch is an interesting opportunity for him, therefore we have decided to sanction the move. He was a great servant to Wolfsburg down the years."

Josue, who is believed to have penned a deal until 2014 with Atletico, added: "Of course I am sad that I´m leaving Wolfsburg, but this move is a big challenge for me.

"It was a wonderful time with many good and bad moments. I wish the team all the best and I´m confident they will achieve a lot of success."

Two Curacao youngsters to keep an eye on

Posted on March 23, 2013

Curacao is a place not exactly blessed with extraordinary young talent, but they have two genuine gems in the pipeline…

Curacao isn’t exactly a hotbed for football. With a population of just over 140,000 people, the island has a very small pool of players in which to choose from. The domestic league is a bit of a mess, lacking substantial financial power, and the national team at all age levels is only marginally better.

But, there is some hope. Whilst the senior side is flagging behind, the under-20 team is excelling. It recently competed in the CONCACAF U20 Championship – following a third place finish in the Caribbean qualifying zone – which serves as a regional qualification platform for the upcoming FIFA U20 World Cup in the summer.

Curaçao 3 2 1 0 11 5 +6 7
Antigua and Barbuda 3 2 1 0 9 4 +5 7
Grenada 3 1 0 2 5 6 −1 3
Dominica 3 0 0 3 2 12 −10 0

They breezed past the first round of qualifying in a group consisting of hosts Antigua & Barbuda, Grenada – who were set to host but couldn’t due to financial difficulties - and Dominica (see above).

Curacao finished top, scoring 11 goals in the process. In the final round (see below) the team found it harder in a tougher group but managed to cement third spot (ending up best runner-up from final round).

Haiti 3 2 1 0 5 2 +3 7
Puerto Rico 3 1 1 1 3 4 –1 4
Curaçao 3 1 0 2 3 4 –1 3
Trinidad and Tobago 3 1 0 2 2 3 –1 3

So Curacao qualified, just. In the actual Championship, they were placed in Group D (see below) along with dominant force Mexico and solid El Salvador. Despite losing both matches, they gave a good account of themselves in terms of professionalism and work rate.

They didn’t win a game at the U20 Championship, but gave a good account of themselves

Mexico 2 2 0 0 6 0 +6 6
El Salvador 2 1 0 1 2 4 −2 3
Curaçao 2 0 0 2 1 5 −4 0

But there were two particularly impressive individuals that stood out from the rest of the setup. We feel it’s only justified to take a closer look at the duo who shone the brightest for Curacao in the competition (which was held in late February).

Denzel Slager – 19 – RKC Waalwijk

Slager is a thoroughly exciting prospect and arguably the best young footballer the island has ever produced. There is real hope the 19-year-old attacker will be able to force his way into one of Europe’s very best clubs. He is currently contracted to Eredevise side RKC Waalwiijk until 2014 following his move from FC Utrecht last summer.

Several well-known media outlets, including Sky Sports and "Goal.com", reported Newcastle United had offered Slager a week’s trial in late December last year after liking what they had seen from the youngster’s club performances off the bench. Nothing ever came of it, but it speaks volumes about his potential that such a household name was interested in acquiring his services.

The shoot-on-sight striker was mainly used as a lone frontman for Curacao in the U20 Championship. The national side’s manager, Hendrik Jan Schrijver – a Dutchman who favours a tight, compact system, ensured there were men around to support Slager but ultimately the service wasn’t good enough.

He was offered a trial at Newcastle United for a week and has a host of teams reportedly after his signature

Slager’s astonishing explosiveness and raw edge weren’t able to be utilised in the way Curacao would have foreseen. He was often found isolated and he cut a frustrated figure at times, as he is accustomed to a high standard of service in Holland.

There is talk he could be off in the summer for pastures new should the right buyer come along. Several teams in Europe are allegedly monitoring Slager’s development and it’s easy to see why. Well-built, deadly in the air and ominous when inside the box, Slager is Curacao’s leading light.

Derwin Martina – 18 – Ajax

Ajax is notorious for its excellent youth system and 18-year-old Martina is a considerable part of it. A versatile midfielder – who can operate on the flanks or just behind the striker – he featured prominently in the U20 Championship.

Despite not getting on the score sheet (the team only netted once and that was supplied by central defender Vidarrel Merencia), Martina still caught the eye with his composure on the ball and insatiable hunger to create opportunities for his teammates.

Versatile, a good creator and only 18 – Martina should progress steadily at Ajax

There is a strong Curacao-Holland bond in that nearly all the under-20 squad ply their trade in Dutch football. But Martina has a slight advantage in that he’s based at one of the most cultured and popular clubs in Europe and beyond.

Ajax’s youth academy is exceptional and Martina can only keep working hard and listening to the top notch advice he is receiving in order to become a key part of the Curacao senior setup.

Shabazz explains Soca Warrior selections

The Oxford dictionary’s definition of schizophrenia is a “mental disorder marked by disconnection between thoughts, feelings and actions.” So forgive me for feeling a bit sorry for myself since I find the headline used by our Wired868’s founder and head honcho, Lasana Liburd, as a bit harsh.

But, since I am not thin-skinned, I welcome this challenge especially since Liburd has proved his loyalty to objective journalism by his willingness to allow my response.

Given the fact that I operate in a unique partnership of coaches that does not yet have a clearly defined veto power, my thoughts, feelings and even actions are not a result of a mental disorder marked by disconnection. Instead, it is a work in progress as operating with a joint head coach and under a technical director is very different from my roles with Guyana and Caledonia AIA where I was chief, cook and bottle washer.

So, my position within the Trinidad and Tobago football set-up is not the ideal one for a national coach aspirant. But it is a challenge I have opted to take up as it checks my ego, my sense of patriotism and my ability to blaze a new trail at a very critical time in our country’s football history.

Hutson Charles and myself have decided to use the warm-up matches to build the Gold Cup team by keeping a core of players while, for each game, giving an opportunity to see two or three new faces. As far as possible, we have agreed that we will try to use players who perform at the highest level locally. But we will keep the door open to any player who, based on his talent, fitness and circumstance, can be an exception to the rule.

This is the case of Marcus Joseph who plays for Point Fortin Civic Centre in the Southern Football Association.

Lack of ambition is not a correct assessment of his decision to play for Civic but rather his ambition to get the southern team back to the highest level of football.

Joseph was paid a monthly salary to play for Civic while others got jobs and received a stipend. He had a choice to play with one of four Pro League Clubs and, even as recently as January, he had a choice between playing for Civic in a TTFF FA quarter final or jumping through the transfer window deadline to play in the Pro League.

I plead guilty to advising Marcus to stay and help Civic to reach the Super League and the FA final and I encouraged him to commit to coach Reynold Carrington and take up the challenge to help an important part of our football history climb its way back up the local football ladder.

Where are the southerners when you need them? Help me out here: Mr Mayor of Point Fortin, Cro Cro, Steve David, Iwer George, Super Blue. Rescue me please.

Marcus’ progress has been monitored by Hutson Charles and we are satisfied that this Under-23 standout can be given the opportunity to show he can be an exception to the rule. Only in the experiment will we be able to determine wisdom from folly.

Regarding Jason Marcano’s exclusion, I think he is in our radar and his time will come but we need a genuine left-sided player on the left flank who will go on the outside of the defender to cross the ball and we see Joseph as a good candidate to try out in these games against Belize and Peru.

Chris Birchall has been a committed soldier every time he wore the red, white and black and this is not the final list for the Gold Cup but an opportunity to see how he fits into our set-up. What better opportunity than these two matches?

Of course we want him to be playing every week but after seeing him in these two matches we will be in a better position to narrow down our list for players in that position.

These are warm-up matches and the arguments put forward by Liburd would be more potent if the Gold Cup was next week.

Enter Keon Daniel: the guy who went missing for the Tobago leg of the CFU, much to the disappointment to his teammates, fans and the staff.

Keon contacted the Manager and expressed remorse for his disappearance and, as a staff, we understood that he dealt with a challenging period in his life in a manner that he felt was best.

Should he apologize to the nation as a prerequisite? Maybe it is not too late for him to do that.

Does it affect team spirit including him now that he says he is ready to commit? This we will know in the next couple days but we have chosen to give this player a chance.

Are we singular in giving errant players a chance without a public apology? Even if we are, we stand by this in the same way as we stand by Cornell Glen’s re-inclusion into the squad.

International football presents a national coach, in this case joint coaches, with a wide variety of players to choose from, locally and overseas. We aim to build our team for the Gold Cup with a core group of players while continuing to leave a couple spaces open for trial players in the friendly matches.

Thus, players will be in and out of the national team, which is a fact of life playing at this level.

The squad that we pick today will have the Gold Cup in mind but it is a step towards our final conclusion and nothing more.

Consequently, Jan-Michael Williams is not blacklisted. But maybe his recent circumstance gave an opportunity for Marvin Phillip and Cleon John to get a look in and widen the pool of goalkeepers that we can call upon for July.

The player I know has the mind-set to claw his way back into contention and his move to St Ann’s Rangers is smart and admirable.

It will also take more than this string of exclusions to leave Clyde Leon out of the running.

I welcome opinions like Liburd’s because it provokes thought and forces you to operate on your P’s and Q’s. This is the thing about football and team management; I bet Terry Fenwick or Stuart Charles-Fevrier will select teams that would differ from ours.

But where are the people who attacked me when I said only Pro League players will be selected? They have gone silent. It shows that damned if you do damned if you don’t. But revolutionaries always do.

The old Shabazz would cuss at the schizophrenic reference. The new Shabazz would take it in stride and try to explain his viewpoint.

Freddy Adu "excited" at Bahia loan

New Bahia loan signing Freddy Adu has taken to Twitter to express his excitement at joining the Brazilian side for the 2013 season.

Ghana born Adu, 23, was once the youngest player in MLS history and considered one of the brightest young stars in world football.

After spells with Benfica and Monaco, though, it has not worked out quite as expected for the "American Pelé".

He will now join North-Eastern side Bahia for the coming season, with 2002 World Cup winner Kléberson heading to Philadelphia Union in a loan exchange.

Adu tweeted on Sunday morning: "Very excited for this new chapter. Thanks for all the good luck wishes and the continuous support!"

Very excited for this new chapter. Thanks for all the good luck wishes and the continuous support!

AC Milan and Juventus chase Hernanes - report

AC Milan and Juventus are chasing Lazio´s Brazilian midfielder Hernanes according to reports in Italy.

La Gazzetta dello Sport claims that the two clubs have offers on the table for the Lazio star, who could be set to leave the club in the summer.

The Premier League is also mooted as a possible destination for the Seleção star, who impressed alongside Grêmio´s Fernando against Italy.

Lazio are preparing a contingency plan and slapped a price-tag of €18m on the midfielder, whose contract expires in 2015.

The Brazilian has been a key figure in their positive campaign, which has seen Lazio fight for a top four finish, reach the Europa League quarter-finals and the Coppa Italia final.

Talks have been continuing for an extension to 2017, but according to La Gazzetta dello Sport the player is hesitant over staying in the Italian capital.