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Tappa raring to go
Interim head coach of the Reggae Boyz excited by new responsibilities
PAUL A REID,
Observer Writer
reidp@jamaicaobserver.com
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
WHITMORE. we have the expertise and the know-how to impart the game to the younger players
MONTEGO BAY, St James - Newly-appointed interim coach of the national senior team, Theodore 'Tappa' Whitmore, is ready and raring to take on his new responsibilities, even if it is only for two games.
Whitmore, the former national midfielder and captain, who is guiding leaders Seba United in the JFF Cash Plus Premier League, was last week named as the man to take the reins of the national team in two friendly internationals against Central American countries El Salvador and Guatemala at the national stadium later this month.
Last week's invitation from the JFF to Whitmore was not the first one he was receiving, but he said the difference was in how the invitation was extended.
Whitmore told the Observer that the previous administration had approached him to be an assistant to sacked coach, Velibor 'Bora' Milutinovic, but it was not done properly.
Whitmore said he had not spoken to the former president Crenston Boxhill in over two years since Jamaica's draw against the United States in Columbus, Ohio, in 2004 during the last CONCACAF World Cup qualifying campaign.
Instead of contacting him directly, Whitmore said, the JFF used Bora to make the contact and he did not appreciate how that was done.
He is the third former Reggae Boy who played in the last 15 years to make a smooth transition into coaching, following in the footsteps of Paul 'Tegat' Davis and Hector Wright, both of whom, ironically, also played for Seba United.
Davis had success at both schoolboy and club levels, taking William Knibb Memorial to the daCosta Cup final and qualifying three teams to the Premier League.
Wright was one of the first players who played under Brazilian Rene Simoes to get into coaching and had scored highest on the JFF Level Two exam before migrating some years ago.
Whitmore, the man who scored two goals in Jamaica's 2-1 win over Japan in the 1998 World Cup Final in Lyon, France, chiselling his name in World Cup history, denied a suggestion that he was reluctant to take on what appears to be a natural progression by going into full-time coaching last season after also turning down a request from Seba United to take on the job full-time after Geoffrey Maxwell was fired.
While taking the Seba job then and turning around the team's fortunes before handing it over to Peruvian Danilo Barriga, Whitmore said any job he is taking on must be his from the start.
Maxwell, he said, had laid a foundation at Seba and it was his players and systems that were still there. "If I am going to succeed or fail as a coach, then it must be with my own systems, not someone else's," he pointed out.
His early success with Seba United did not come as a surprise for many who have watched his close interactions with the players, many of whom he played alongside up to last season. Despite being listed as player/coach at Seba this season, he has not inserted himself into any of the six games the team has played so far.
Asked whether he was enjoying his stint as coach so far, Whitmore's answer was to the point. "I would not be doing it if I did not enjoy it."
Going into coaching is not something that he started thinking about only recently, he said, pointing out that former teammate and the man who succeeded him wearing the armband as captain, Ricardo Gardner, has always been urging him to take the step.
"Bibi has always been telling me that we (national players) must be the ones to take over and become the next generation of coaches. We have the expertise and the know-how to impart the game to the younger players," he said.
Whitmore is still to be properly certified, but said he is not ruling out going overseas to get his certification 'in order' if courses are not offered locally.
While admitting that his familiarity with the players and their styles of play will make things easier for him to access them in short notice, he also said he was prepared to make the tough decisions, like sitting a player down or taking them off when they are not playing well.
"As a player, especially at this level, they must understand the decisions the coach has to make for the good of the team," he said, adding: "Likewise, the coach must know how to deal with each and every player."
"At the end of the day I must pick the best 11 players to start and those who can't get on need to understand this," he said.
Even though his contract is for two games, Whitmore said he was eager to stay on in the national system, "either as an assistant to the national senior team coach, whoever that may be, or with the Under-23 team".
He was not sure how the appointment would affect his responsibilities with Seba or Greens FC, a club he formed recently in his Norwood, St James, neighbourhood, but said he did not predict it would have a negative effect.
"That is something we have to work out, but I think it will have a positive effect as the players will try harder now, seeing they will be seen by a national coach almost every day, in training and will want to impress him."
Camp for the two friendly internationals will not start for a few days yet, but Whitmore is ready to get the job on the way.
Interim head coach of the Reggae Boyz excited by new responsibilities
PAUL A REID,
Observer Writer
reidp@jamaicaobserver.com
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
WHITMORE. we have the expertise and the know-how to impart the game to the younger players
MONTEGO BAY, St James - Newly-appointed interim coach of the national senior team, Theodore 'Tappa' Whitmore, is ready and raring to take on his new responsibilities, even if it is only for two games.
Whitmore, the former national midfielder and captain, who is guiding leaders Seba United in the JFF Cash Plus Premier League, was last week named as the man to take the reins of the national team in two friendly internationals against Central American countries El Salvador and Guatemala at the national stadium later this month.
Last week's invitation from the JFF to Whitmore was not the first one he was receiving, but he said the difference was in how the invitation was extended.
Whitmore told the Observer that the previous administration had approached him to be an assistant to sacked coach, Velibor 'Bora' Milutinovic, but it was not done properly.
Whitmore said he had not spoken to the former president Crenston Boxhill in over two years since Jamaica's draw against the United States in Columbus, Ohio, in 2004 during the last CONCACAF World Cup qualifying campaign.
Instead of contacting him directly, Whitmore said, the JFF used Bora to make the contact and he did not appreciate how that was done.
He is the third former Reggae Boy who played in the last 15 years to make a smooth transition into coaching, following in the footsteps of Paul 'Tegat' Davis and Hector Wright, both of whom, ironically, also played for Seba United.
Davis had success at both schoolboy and club levels, taking William Knibb Memorial to the daCosta Cup final and qualifying three teams to the Premier League.
Wright was one of the first players who played under Brazilian Rene Simoes to get into coaching and had scored highest on the JFF Level Two exam before migrating some years ago.
Whitmore, the man who scored two goals in Jamaica's 2-1 win over Japan in the 1998 World Cup Final in Lyon, France, chiselling his name in World Cup history, denied a suggestion that he was reluctant to take on what appears to be a natural progression by going into full-time coaching last season after also turning down a request from Seba United to take on the job full-time after Geoffrey Maxwell was fired.
While taking the Seba job then and turning around the team's fortunes before handing it over to Peruvian Danilo Barriga, Whitmore said any job he is taking on must be his from the start.
Maxwell, he said, had laid a foundation at Seba and it was his players and systems that were still there. "If I am going to succeed or fail as a coach, then it must be with my own systems, not someone else's," he pointed out.
His early success with Seba United did not come as a surprise for many who have watched his close interactions with the players, many of whom he played alongside up to last season. Despite being listed as player/coach at Seba this season, he has not inserted himself into any of the six games the team has played so far.
Asked whether he was enjoying his stint as coach so far, Whitmore's answer was to the point. "I would not be doing it if I did not enjoy it."
Going into coaching is not something that he started thinking about only recently, he said, pointing out that former teammate and the man who succeeded him wearing the armband as captain, Ricardo Gardner, has always been urging him to take the step.
"Bibi has always been telling me that we (national players) must be the ones to take over and become the next generation of coaches. We have the expertise and the know-how to impart the game to the younger players," he said.
Whitmore is still to be properly certified, but said he is not ruling out going overseas to get his certification 'in order' if courses are not offered locally.
While admitting that his familiarity with the players and their styles of play will make things easier for him to access them in short notice, he also said he was prepared to make the tough decisions, like sitting a player down or taking them off when they are not playing well.
"As a player, especially at this level, they must understand the decisions the coach has to make for the good of the team," he said, adding: "Likewise, the coach must know how to deal with each and every player."
"At the end of the day I must pick the best 11 players to start and those who can't get on need to understand this," he said.
Even though his contract is for two games, Whitmore said he was eager to stay on in the national system, "either as an assistant to the national senior team coach, whoever that may be, or with the Under-23 team".
He was not sure how the appointment would affect his responsibilities with Seba or Greens FC, a club he formed recently in his Norwood, St James, neighbourhood, but said he did not predict it would have a negative effect.
"That is something we have to work out, but I think it will have a positive effect as the players will try harder now, seeing they will be seen by a national coach almost every day, in training and will want to impress him."
Camp for the two friendly internationals will not start for a few days yet, but Whitmore is ready to get the job on the way.
...but, particularly Arsenal 2007) player he was! 
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