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Screensize: 640 x 480 800 x 600 1024 x 768 1280 x 1024 UserName: Password: Format Mode: Basic  Help  Prompt  Format: Font Andale Mono Arial Arial Black Book Antiqua Century Gothic Comic Sans MS Courier New Georgia Impact Lucida Console Script MT Bold Stencil Tahoma Times New Roman Trebuchet MS Verdana   Size 1 2 3 4 5 6   Color Black Red Yellow Pink Green Orange Purple Blue Beige Brown Teal Navy Maroon LimeGreen Message: * HTML is OFF * Forum Code is ON Smilies [quote][i]Originally posted by Karl[/i] [br]The promise of passion, bounty, hot rivalries & ball magic FOOTBALL - WRAY & NEPHEW NATIONAL PREMIER LEAGUE 2005/06 Observer Reporter Saturday, September 10, 2005 With $2 million awaiting the winner, a new league format, various cash incentives and awards and the return to the top flight of two exciting teams - former champions Boys' Town and Seba United - the 2005/06 season of the Wray & Nephew National Premier League is shaping up to be one of the most exciting ever. With the 'Red Brigade' on the march again, some legendary rivalries fossilised over time are expected to be resurrected. Fans will be in for a treat when Boys' Town meet Tivoli Gardens, Arnett Gardens, Seba, Reno, Harbour View and even Waterhouse. It is clear that some exhilarating times lie ahead, and with Wray & Nephew's announcement that they are willing to remain title sponsors for the league through to 2012 at a tag of $250 million, then this could very well be proven true. The action starts tomorrow. Meet The Teams Club: Portmore United Home ground: Ferdie Neita Park Coach: Paul Young Titles: Three Last season: Champions Everton Bunsie (left) and coach Michael Tulloch in discussion. Players in: Adrian Reid, Ashaine Murray (formerly of Reading Town in the English Conference League) Players out: Shane Mattis, Maurice Evans, Andrew Morrison, Sheldon Battiste, Dwayne Ford, Nicholas Dodd, Jermaine Montigue, Ezual Lewis. To Scholarships - Howard Wong, Ryan Maxwell and Michael Plummer. Summary: There might have been question signs about their consistency last season, but there was no doubt Portmore United were the best football club in the nation, and the many envious silverwares speak for themselves. Not only did they win the coveted Wray & Nephew National Premier League (NPL), but they also won the second end-of-round final, and the Under-21s retained their title for the third straight year, thanks to a most dominant season in which they played unbeaten. Portmore also won their parish title as well as being the all-island knockout champions and beach champions. That they dominated the season was no coincidence, as Portmore United, even in the absence of any individual brilliance, played the best team game, irrespective of which player entered the pitch - a testament to the quality of coaching available to them. The team was led technical director Horace Reid, along with former national players Paul Young, Lenny Hyde, Desmond Smith and Linval Dixon. Fabian Dawkins is expected back in January. For the start of their NPL defence, Portmore will be without a total of 24 players, 11 of whom have been transferred, including three players on US scholarships - Howard Wong, Ryan Maxwell and Michael Plummer. And like so many other clubs in the NPL, Portmore have been plagued by an exodus of players to the New York Corner League, which often times sees the players missing pre-season training. Eight players have yet to report for club duties. In addition, Reid's champions are without five players who are parading their skills professionally in Trinidad and Tobago, and will not be eligible to represent the club until the January transfer window reopens. They are Roen Nelson, Carlington Smith, Jacomena Barrett, Wolry Wolfe and Adrien Mitchell. If last year is any indication, then Portmore will once again be a force to be reckoned with. The fact is that Portmore have one of the most important ingredients in football - quality coaching - which will be enough, at this stage of Jamaica's football development, to see them prove competitive, at least. Seba players pose for a team picture prior to a game. Technical director's comment: Things are on track even though we should have started our preparations earlier, but last season was long so we had to give the players sufficient time to recuperate. Our pre-season is now four weeks shorter, but we are fairly comfortable with where we are at this stage. This season a number of regular players will not be in the system and we will have to prepare all our players for this. But 90 per cent of our addition to the squad will be Under-21 players. We have great belief in our junior players and they have consistently put their talents on display at various levels of competition. More than 50 per cent of the squad that won the league were Under-21 players, so they have proven that they have what it takes to compete at this level. Once we are well prepared. Over the years, the club has placed its emphasis on youth development and this is the philosophy that the club will continue to use. We have also started the process of rebuilding the Under-21 unit and we will promote some players to get their chance to play in the Premeir League. Defending the title will be tougher this season for a number of reasons. The two promoted teams are teams with a rich tradition in the competition and they have won the title before. So unlike previous years where you find promoted teams battling to avoid relegation, this season it will be different because these teams also have the quality. Also a title is much more difficult to defend, as all the teams will want a piece of you. Our players will need to be mentally focused to be able to deal with this challenge. We will have to double their efforts because every team will say they are playing the champions and want to beat us and this goes for both teams. But we are confident we can deal with these challenges and hopefully things will be in our favour again. This year, the team has one additional support, as for the first time in five years since we have relocated here, we are confident that the citizens will claim the team as their own. And we hope they don't just manifest this loyalty at home, but on the road as well. Since we won the Premier League, moving around the communities you can sense the pride and support, and there are more well-wishers. There are more people turning up at training and we have the full support of the municipality, and even greater support from the MPs Paul Robertson and Fitz Jackson and those are things that give us confidence that things will be better than before. We have also strengthened the organisation of the club and we did so when we went into partnership with MSE Group. The directors, Howard McIntosh, Bobby Polack and Debra Shaw, have brought vision, dynamism and their expertise to this crucial area, so our off-the-field organisation, which is also critical to our success, has also improved. Last season, the lord was very much present in our programme, so to him be the glory because there is nothing we could have achieved without him. We will continue to hold true to the faith and that he will give us wisdom, knowledge and fortitude. We will continue to have him in our midst and as the foundation of our development and success. Club: Tivoli Gardens Home ground: Edward Seaga Complex Coach: Glendon 'Admiral' Bailey Titles: Three Last season: Beaten finalists Players in: Goalkeeper Damion Crooks, Nicholas McCreath, Jermaine Johnson, Dwight Heron Players out: Marvin Morgan, Kirk Porter, Richard Brown, Philmore Crumbie, Wade Nelson Summary: Improved upon reaching the semi-finals last year and were just nosed out by the best team in the island in the finals, after whipping Harbour View in the semis. They have not been too busy during the transfer window, and with a number of their key players returning late, they could stumble out the blocks. Still, the mercurial Jermaine "Teddy" Johnson returns after a few seasons of English football, including the Premiership with Bolton Wanderers, and with him in the side, the west-Kingston team can match up favourably with any side. Manager's comment (Brian Rose): Pre-season for us started from about the middle of July before we went on the tour to America, and we have been in some training - not full scale - since then. We have picked up the sessions since we have returned from overseas. We have had quite a number of players who have come and tried out with us, but we haven't really signed off on anybody as yet. The overseas tour was really disappointing because we were supposed to play seven matches and we only played four and then return home because of poor organisation by the promoters. We got frustrated and said the best thing is to return home. I would never encourage clubs to do anything like this again, especially in New York... There was too much distractions... With the players participating in the Corner Leagues there and knowing a lot of people... The full attention and focus that should have gone into the tour didn't. What was expected for a pre-season wasn't met... Right now we are short seven players who are still overseas. We released some players and that has added to us being short in squad numbers, but the players who are here have done well... It has gone according to what we had expected. Right now we have a goalkeeping problem, we released one goalkeeper and we transferred another and now we are left with just two goalkeepers and both are overseas (Leon Gordon and Edsel Scott). Ultimately, I think we need to implement the programme we implemented when we won two years ago. Last year I thought we were a bit slack and relaxed in some of the things that we did. We need to have some strict disciplinary actions, similar to those we took when we won the final, so that we can let the players realise that they need to work twice as hard... but with the focus now on Portmore, being the champions, we could try to step up. Even when we get back to full strength I think we would still be short in some departments because last year I thought we were a bit short in the midfield area, and as injuries hit us we never had the suitable replacements, and this is one of the areas we are really trying to fill, but there seems to be no real quality midfielders around. Hopefully, before the transfer window closes, we will be able to acquire one such player. Once we can fill that area I am confident that we can give a good account of ourselves and make a run for the Championship. With the League format now, it ensures that teams will have to be consistent. You can't just hope to make it to the semis and then make a run for the title, you have to give of your best from day one. Club: Harbour View Home ground: Harbour View mini-Stadium Coach: Donovan "DV" Hayles Titles: One Last season: Third place Players in: Loxley Thomas, Leon Strickland, Alex Thomas, Keith Kelly, Kevin King, Rafiek Thomas, Marlon Dixon, Nicholas Dodd, Richard Edwards, Gregory Simpson, Daniel Shaw, Ronny Amaguana. Players out: Damion Stewart, Robert Scarlett, Jermaine Hue, Sean Fraser, Akeem Priestly Summary: Harbour View have become dependent on the midfield magic of Jermaine Hue for the past six years. Hue, and other outstanding performers such as Robert Scarlett, and Damion Stewart have moved on to professional circuit abroad and it will be interesting to see how well the 'stars of the east' respond to there players' absence. They have always possessed quality, and it would not be surprising if they rebound much quicker than many anticipate. Coach's comment: I am pleased with what has happened so far in terms of preparation for the competition. There is still some fine-tuning to do and that is expected because the team will be an almost new-look team. We have had a core group of players who have been at the club for a number of years and about five, and possibly six, have left, so to lose so many of the top players, it will be a new team, with players coming in from different backgrounds and systems of play. We know the transition from their style of play to the Harbour View culture is going to take a little time, but the players are learning fast and are warming to the instructions and the type of game that we play here. It is not a hundred per cent, but for me it is almost three quarters there and I like that. The biggest worry so far is the finishing, that out and out striker to put the ball into the back of the net. All in all, I am looking forward to the challenge and the players have been very receptive to the coaching staff and once we are travelling on that line, I think we will do well. The one-week tour went well, the only bad point on that tour was that we didn't come away with a victory. We build up well, but the finishing was not up there. I wouldn't say that we have replaced the players who have just left the club because those were players could not be easily replaced, they carry a level of individual brilliance, but we are going to try and make up for it by making the players more team- oriented. I welcome the league format because I think it is the right thing to do. Your domestic league is to find a true club champion using a league format, which is a true indication of the team that is most consistent over the season. So far, five regular players have not returned for pre-season training - Jomo Gordon, Craig Stewart, Donald Stewart, Daniel Shaw and Clifton Waugh. Christopher Harvey is away in Trinidad playing and will not be eligible until the January transfer window reopens. Club: Waterhouse Home ground: Waterhouse mini-stadium Coach: Calvert Fitzgerald Titles: One Last season: Fourth place Players in: Akeino Morgan, Miguel Coley, Narado Gentles Players out: Richard Edwards, Richard West, Adrian Reid, Uche Chinyere Summary: Waterhouse suffered immeasurably with the passing of Peter Cargill earlier this year. Cargill had done a lot of work in building and molding a unit, and just when they appeared set to challenge, everything crashed with his passing. Veteran coach Geoffrey Maxwell was brought in and in the short time to the end of the competition, he opted to reinforce his own philosophy on the team, and the players were not capable of making the adjustments that quickly. They still possess some quality, and like so many of the clubs, could start slowly, having also been affected by the absence of players to the New York Corner League. Coach's comment: I have been with them for just three weeks, but a lot of them have been playing football regularly. We could do with more time, but we will have to do with what we have. The New York league has affected our club as well - Irvino English, Weston Forrest, Damion Powell are playing in The Bronx League (and were expected to join the club two days). The players have been working well, and they could be sharper, but I think we are in good enough condition to give a good account of ourselves. Just like every other coach I am expecting to win the League, but we will have to do a lot of work because it is not a competition with a semi-finals and finals, it is a straight league and in order for you to win you have to be consistent over the three rounds and Harbour View and Portmore have always been consistent, so I would think that they are our two main challenges. I am fairly satisfied with the players we have on our roster, but I think we could do with some good wingbacks, I feel we fall short in that department. And of the five forwards we had last year, two are no longer with us - Chinyere and West - Roberto Fletcher did an operation and will be out until about November. So we have no depth in the forward position. We are still looking around for wingbacks and forwards before the transfer window closes. Club: Arnett Gardens FC Home ground: Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex Coach: Michael Tulloch Titles: Three Last season: Fifth place Players in: Shane Mattis, Anthowe Dawkins, Greg Taylor, Conroy Hall, Dichoy Williams, Lacon Brissett Players out: Alex Thomas, Leon Strickland, Kevin Mighty, Garfield Rennicks, Ray Graham, Loxley Thomas, Keith Kelly Summary: The former back-to-back champions had a roller-coaster season last year, and even with an array of experienced players including former national striker Onandi Lowe, they failed to live-up to their colourful reputation that makes them one of the best loved teams in the country. But this year they are promising to bounce back with a more youthful aggregation. The most notable youngsters to join them this season are Greg Taylor and Conroy Hall of Arlington and Nichoy Williams of Santos. They lost three key players in Leon Strickland, Keith Kelly and Alex Thomas to Harbour View. Arnett lost 3-1 on penalties to Constant Spring in the KSAFA President's Cup last weekend. In pre-season warm-ups, the 'Junglists' defeated a Police team 4-1, drew 1-1 with a St Catherine all-star side and beat a team from Mona 2-0. Arnett kick-off their campaign against Waterhouse at home. Coach's Comment: The main focus right now is team unity because I believe that's where we fell down the last time. this year we will be working hard on trying to develop a more loving family atmosphere, and once we have that the football will come out of the players. We will be placing emphasis on the youths, but of course there will be a blend with experience. We are looking for good things from the youngsters as they are eager to play at this level, once given the opportunity. I believe that they will perform to the best of their abilities. Training has been wonderful and the players have been putting out the effort, and I know that Arnett will be a factor this season and any team who thinks any less will be in for a big surprise. We are optimistic that we can win this season, but of course it is going to take great application. We are not weak in any given area; I would want to think that we are a rounded team. I cannot complain about the management of this team, especially the leadership of Mr Patrick Roberts (club president). we are not short on support when it comes to our management. What we need more than anything right now is for the players to be focused and work hard. Club: Village United Home ground: Elleston Wakeland Sports Complex Coach: Dr Dean Weatherly Titles: None Last Season: Sixth place Players in: Cedric Johnson, Ricardo Williams, Rhys Young, Roydeon Thomas, Newton Sterling, Troy Smith, Richard Sterling, Ricardo Reid, Rayon Vassell, Kirk Hendricks, Jeff Pearce Players out: Gregory Simpson, Marlon Dixon, Preston Bernard, Summary: Village United, the sole Trelawny contenders this season, will be hoping to make a serious challenge for the championship. There is no doubt that the Village aggregation possesses the armoury of fulfilling their championship dreams. The expected return of United Soccer League (USL) players Fabian Dawkins, Shane Crawford and Warren Ukah in January should add to the team's offensive thrust. The defence should also be bolstered with the return of the experienced Kirk Hendricks, who repatriated to Wadadah towards the end of last season. Jeff Pearce, who went to Waterhouse should also strengthen the back. Both defence and forward stand to benefit from utility player Newton Sterling, the former Real Mona player who will be donning the red and gold Village colours this season. Village's technical director Dr Dean Weatherly, who has won the daCosta Cup title three times as coach for his alma mater Cornwall College, made no effort to conceal his intention to add the coveted premiership title to his already impressive curriculum vitae. Coach's comments: We will definitely be serious contenders for the title this season, as the players returning from the USL will bring a certain level of professionalism to the team which I expect will be emulated by the younger players. There is a lot of talent in the youngsters who have been a part of the rebuilding process. With their talent and the exposure they were given should prepare them for this season. Last season we fell down by our fitness and endurance levels, so we are working seriously on those areas. I don't think the absence of USL players will be a major setback to the team's title aspirations after they return to their American clubs midway the local season. The team should be well positioned by then and the bench players hungry enough to fill the void created by the absence of the USL players. Club: Rivoli United Home ground: Spanish Town Prison Oval Coach: Harold Thomas Titles: None Last season: Seventh place Players in: Ray Graham, Dwayne Ford, Kevin Parchment, Henroy Mitchell, Players out: Dwight Heron, Damion Crooks, Dennis Clayton, Akeno Morgan, Conroy Hall, Fidel Anderson Summary: Rivoli United have proven to be very competitive on their day, but they are yet to really hit the big times and convince outsiders that they are worthy contenders, rather than pretenders. Coach's comment: We've had two and a half weeks training so far, which is very late... some of the players were away... it's very difficult to put your hands on exactly what the reasons were, but we couldn't get the players together. The training has been pretty intense, and the attitude is one in which the players are trying to make up for the lost time. We haven't lost the players, but they are not all back as yet and we have not been able to get everybody present at the sessions at one time. There are definitely concerns, but the nature of the competition is of such that once it kicks off the players usually go into that competitive mode, and hopefully that fire will be lit come Sunday, and whereas we might not be able to do our best, we might be at our most competitive. It (league) is difficult because you have to be ready from the first whistle, and it is a sprint all-the-way, but whatever the format, teams will lose games, so if you are off to a late start you might be able to recover some ground. I would say our prospects are as good as any. It is going to be a very tight competition, probably the tightest in years, and the team that stays focused, disciplined and with the resources over the long run will come out on top and I am hoping that we are one of those teams that can rise to the top, but it will be a challenge. Club: Constant Spring Home ground: The Spring Complex Coach: Christopher Bender Titles: None Last season: Eighth place Players in: Raymond Smith, Kendrick Bailey Players out: Kemeel Thompson, Fabian Watkins, Garfield Gillespie Summary: The unfashionable Constant Spring have managed to spring a surprise or two, but over the long haul none really expects them to seriously challenge for the title. Coach's comment: They started two weeks before I went there and I have been there for five weeks, so the team has been in training for seven weeks. Overall, the physical preparation of the team is about 60 per cent right now and we continue to work on that, because one of the downfalls of the team last year was the physical preparation, so I am spending a lot of time on the physical preparation. The President's Cup should have helped to bring on the tactical and technical aspects of the game. Looking at the statistics over the last three seasons, the team has conceded more goals than it has scored, so the first challenge is to block up the defence, concede less goals... look about the organisation of the defence, the responsibilities of players then look at formation, but the emphasis will be on defence, to make sure that it is sound. The major problem facing the club now is finance... a lot of quality players would want to join the club, but the finances are posing a problem... The team is lacking in defensive players and that is one of the areas that I was shopping around for, but because of the financial constraints of the club, that is becoming impossible. Realistically, we are hoping to finish in the top eight. If we fall short of that, it is not because of conditioning... On the change of format to league, I have to sit down and give this thing a grand thought... is this thing beneficial to the clubs? The federation? It is the first season that I hear the federation making money at the semis and finals and then to change it to a league format... One thing I know is that we will have to play it and everybody will be in the same position, and in the league system teams will have to be consistent ... Club: Reno Home ground: Frome Coach: Calvin Valentine Titles: Three Last season: Ninth place Players in: Pete Campbell, Fabian Blake, Kendrick Quarrie, Omar Evans, Kenrick Blair, Norman Wolry Players out: Barrion Authers, Tyrone Lampard Summary: The Westmoreland club barely escaped relegation last season, but with what new club president Paul Washington is planning to do in comments below, it would seem that Reno could possibly be on the path to rebound. Last season, the three-time NPL champions suffocated from a shortage of funds, but the new executive is obviously working hard to change that. Also they have made some useful acquisitions, luring a number of players over from Wadadah in Pete Campbell, Fabian Blake and Kendrick Quarrie and Omar Evans. Also they have signed a young goalkeeper in Kenrick Blair and midfielder Norman Wolry from Constant Spring. Reno open their account against Village United at Frome. President's comment: The plan this season is to get into the top six and we have a very energised team and the real aim is to get them focused on playing hard and to their best because they do have the skill and with a new executive in place we will be working to get them to do what they have to do. Last season was poor because the commitment wasn't there and that came as a result of a lack of funds, but this year we aim to change that. We are trying to get a few more sponsors on board and will also be looking to see if we can generate some funds from the sale of beverages and try to change a few things to see if we can earn some money from the gate. Club: Wadadah Home ground: Jarrett Park Coach: Anthony 'Follis' Williams Titles: One Last season: 10th place Players in: Barrion Authers, Preston Bernard, Zico Herrera, Paul Hardy, Owen Ricketts, Dwayne Jump, Ryan Brown Players out: Floyd Scott, Kirk Hendricks, Lacon Brissett, Fabian Blake, Kendrie Quarrie, Pete Campbell Summary: Last season Wadadah miraculously avoided the drop, having faced serious financial problems and a bunch of demoralised players who refused to train because they were not being paid. Somehow, they would turn up on game days and give performances that betrayed their lack of preparation. Coach Anthony Williams is a man of faith who refused to give up despite the challenges. It is hoped that the team's new training facility at Irwin will be fully utilised. Coach's comment: The vibes in the camp is good, everybody is jovial and everybody wants to be competitive for a place in the team. Club: Boys' Town Home ground: Collie Smith Coach: Andrew Price Titles: Three Last season: Promoted Players in: Fabian Watkins, Garfield Gillespie, Kirk Porter, Philmore Crumbie, Marvin Morgan, Richard Brown, Garfield Rennicks, Colin Oldham, Donovan Brown, Leroy Smith Players out: None Summary: One of the all-time fan favourites, the "Red Brigades" made a return to topflight football and if their President's Cup triumph is anything to go by, then they are going to prove competitive. However, they displayed moments of indiscipline and disjointedness last weekend, and now moving up in this ever-improving league, any weaknesses will be exposed. Coach's comment: Preparation has been going pretty good. We started from August 1, and we have been doing a lot of conditioning, a lot of tactical plays. We have a lot of new players within the nucleus of the team, so we are trying to let them adapt to our system of play, so the training has been going very good. The tournament (President's Cup) was our first set of practice matches for the season, so it was a good barometer to judge where the players are as we prepare for Sunday's NPL, so all in all I think it was a good tournament, and winning it was a good thing because we get the players used to winning things and that is always good. I told the players not to read too much into that victory because I know the other teams didn't put out their best players, but the fact of the matter is that if you can win a two-day tournament in pre-season it gives you a platform going into the season, so we will just have to build on that. We are going to have a competitive season. I believe that the cadre of players that I have is going to make the team very competitive and we should not be taken lightly, or for granted. We are going to come every Sunday to play some good, exciting football for the spectators. I think we have a pretty balanced team in all departments. We have good back-ups in all departments heading into a nine-month season and that is what is needed. The league format will keep all the teams honest because every team has to come out on a given Sunday and play good football to acquire as many points as possible. Coming back into the league after 10 years brings a lot of anticipation, but we have worked hard for it and I believe that we deserve it, and we are going to show the Jamaican public that we deserve to be here. Club: Seba United Home ground: Jarrett Park Coach: Paul 'Tegat' Davis Titles: Two Last season: Promoted Players in: Floyd Scott, Delroy Ellis, Navado Fisher, Jason Rose, Andrew Morrison, Kevin Mighty, Carlton Aikens Players out: Summary: Seba United, who are returning to the nation's top football competition after a one-year hiatus, is currently training at their new playing field at Tucker, St James. According to the coach, former Jamaican goal poacher Paul 'Tegat' Davis, who guided the team from the Western Confederation League back to the leading football competition, the current focus was trimming the 40-man squad. Seba became the third team that Davis ushered from the confederation to National Premier League following two Trelawny teams - Village United and Invaders - respectively. Coach's comment: I am not in a position to comment on the team right now as currently I am embarking on cutting the squad and that is our main focus now. [/quote]   Check here to include your profile signature.