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Karl
Senior Member
USA
914 Posts |
 Posted - Nov 13 2001 : 10:24:28 AM
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Hexagonal played Nov 11, 2001.
Archived as good read and he makes a few preditions that we'll all look to see how they play out in Qualifiers for World Cup 2006.
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Ja. vs. CR report, Part 1
Tue Nov 13 07:12:40 2001
Firstly, maximum respect to those who came out to support the Reggae Boyz. The crowd was vocal and appreciative from start to finish, except for a few backward lot that chose to boo Tyrone Marshall when he was introduced. As horrible as the Pearl was, not to mention Nandi and some others, such an action towards any Reggae Boy is too low for even me. Yes, I might applaud a player’s substitution, but to boo, no!
Since I mentioned Marshall, let’s start there. Okay, his match-losing tackle against the USA was simply dumb, so his detractors would revel in that for years. So too will they revel in Burton’s muffed chances and Wolde’s misses, no matter how near those misses might have been. Revel on! The fact is, Marshall is here to stay, and rightly so. I have seen dumber tackles and even own goals by players in the Serie A and other non-bush leagues, so I can easily forgive Tyrone’s asinine challenge on Donovan. Why, just last night, an Argentine player missed a similar shot as taken by Marshall when a ball was crossed from the left. Indeed, their (Argentina’s) forwards “missed” several chances, but they also created several and they scored two against an excellent Peruvian side. Back to Marshall. He played confidently, crossed excellently with both legs and attacked the goal relentlessly. It was his effort that brought the most out of the Costa Rican custodian. When was the last time our wing backs tormented an opposing goal like this? (Damn, did I just hear a pin drop?) Marshall redeemed himself thoroughly on Sunday and proved that he will be with us for a long time.
For Courtney to imply that whatever good came from Marshall was a result of the little pressure he was getting from the already-qualified Ticos, please! I doubt very much that the Costa Ricans decided before the match to ease up on Marshall but terrorise the hell out of the other ten players. Yes, Scarlett had a great game. Could it be because there was no pressure on him too?
Some will blame Marshall for the goal and it could indeed be his fault, but I have always complained about static we are as a team. Covering each other is always half-heartedly done. I will not be surprised once I see the replay of this match that no one had covered for Marshall. I was at pains to point out to those around me to observe how free-flowing the Costa Rican team was. Did I hear someone say “total football”? Total football did not disappear with the Dutch side of 1974. Every good team today plays total football. There were times in the game when Sunsing, the goalscorer, was on the right side of the field at the back or on the left, the side from he scored. Our players have traditionally been static. Mere novices (mawnin Shatta) can look at our team and discern who plays which position and which formation is in effect. And I am not making this up as an excuse for Marshall. We have discussed on this site before how the only person who covers for someone else is Goodison for his friend Bibi.
Now on to the other bush league player, Wolde Harris. I will give you the negatives - Wolde missed some chances, perhaps 3 or so. I also thought he tried to do too much sometimes, perhaps trying to convince the crowd that he “gots skills”. The positives – ran well off the ball allowing him to break free from his markers, receive the ball and continue the attack by passing to teammates, or to take a shot on goal. More energetic than Burton in doing so, but I believe that Burton would have buried at least one of those efforts. When was the last time a Jamaican forward moved so well as to create shot opportunities for himself? Not Nandi, not Burton, not Hayles, not Fuller. We would have to go back to, sorry, DJ. (Or “Sorry DJ”, depending on your point of view.) Wolde’s misses were all well struck balls that sailed just wide of target. On another day, we would be celebrating a hat-trick hero. Like it or not, Wolde is here to stay.
And for those who think running off the ball is aimless, just look at how Sunsing created his opportunity for a rahtid shot on goal. It was a thing of beauty! Long before the ball settled, he noticed a stretch of green ahead of him and with a sprint not often seen on the green parts of that stadium, he took off downfield, even BEFORE his own teammate had the ball. The ball was fed to him and the rest forms part of our dismal hexagonal history for the 2002 WC.
On to King Kelly. Courtney, had Kelly been a part of the Gold Cup squad as I suggested several moons ago, perhaps he would not have had the wayward passes of which you speak. He was not too young then, as you suggested. But we should not be surprised. You are the one who supports the ban on 18 year olds from the NPL. Fans of the Reggae Boyz, do not despair. Come 2004 when the Road to Germany begins, a real midfield general in the form of Keith “King” Kelly will guide us to the Promised Land. Memba mi tell yuh! Balance, vision, tenacity, the little general glides over the pitch, ball at his instep. Osvaldo Ardiles comes to mind.
To sum up the attack, I can’t remember the last time we CREATED so many opportunities to take clean shots at goal. Many of these shots, the vast majority of them sailed inches past the post or crossbar or had the goalie in stitches. The crosses, from Scarlett and Marshall, improved significantly. But don’t get me wrong. Marshall, Scarlett, Kelly and Harris must keep on improving, and if better comes along we should use them, of course. That killer striker is still out there, somewhere.
I will continue my report with another thread as this one is beginning to look like Courtney’s.
Mosiah
Karl |
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