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December 4, 2007
Dear Jamaican friends,
A wise man once said: “It’s better to have a happy ending than a triumphant beginning.” Nothing could be more appropriate for the return of this technical staff to Jamaica. The problems, defeats, victories and achievements of the past; the glory of that November 16th and the Road to France which took us on an incredible journey cannot guarantee the success of this new challenge. The past can only serve now as a source of inspiration and knowledge for the present.
Effort and hard work must once again be at the forefront of everything we do. We cannot let our guards down in the insatiable quest of our objectives for the road blocks and difficulties we must surpass are bigger than ever now. The preparation time is shorter, our opponents no longer see us as an easy target against which they do not need to prepare and our team will not be together full-time. The group spirit created in the past and the experience gained with a large number of international games will come in strides. Camps will be short and games will be fewer. Observation and discussion will be the basis of the work in the beginning, and I will once again have to ask for the patience and support of the local teams as players will have to travel in order to gain international experience.
The roof of our house, our 2010 team, must be the focus of our work. However, no roof can stand on its own. Therefore, we cannot forget our foundation and pillars, that is, the Under-15 through U-23 national teams. They are the senior teams of the future and their development today ensures our success tomorrow. Let’s also not forget the development of the women’s national team, which after the 2004 Olympics, as many of you know, is a topic close to my heart and of increasing interest in the world.
I hope my return will encourage the creation of a school for coaches; a project which I’m sad to see has not been completed. We cannot build new talent to compete at the world level if we do not capacitate those who will lead them in this direction.
We will have to be professionals above anything else, we cannot treat ourselves as old and dear friends who are scared to demand results and question actions. My desire is to create a unified group, not a unanimous one. If we are united, then we can observe, question, recommend and demand maintaining strict professionalism even if we do not always agree. If the relationship between the technical staff and the Federation does not follow this principle, then we will be nothing more than an old group of friends on vacation in the Caribbean.
I apologize for not standing next to Captain Burrell, Horace Reid and other members of the Federation as the news of my return is announced. However, in the last seven months I have worked intensely with Coritiba, one of Brazil´s greatest teams, which for two years had struggled to return to the elite first division. We achieved our goal in style, not only guaranteeing a spot in the first division for 2008, but also celebrating the national championship in the division. I will pass the holiday season with my family in Brazil, gathering my strength and looking forward to my return.
It’s been 13 years since I first went to Jamaica, ten since the qualification and seven since I left. I’m not the same man I was then. I have less hair, the mustache has more grey hair now and the belly beings to stubbornly grow. However, I still believe in the same principles of careful planning, execution, hard work, respect, learning lessons from temporary losses and success. My return has been a joy for my family and I, who have always felt a strong attachment to Jamaica and Jamaicans. The bonds of love and friendship created are as true now as they were many years ago, and we are happy to be back.
Some say lighting doesn’t strike twice, but I say – NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR GOD.
May He be with you all and bless us on this new journey to South Africa 2010.
Yours in football,
Rene Simoes
Dear Jamaican friends,
A wise man once said: “It’s better to have a happy ending than a triumphant beginning.” Nothing could be more appropriate for the return of this technical staff to Jamaica. The problems, defeats, victories and achievements of the past; the glory of that November 16th and the Road to France which took us on an incredible journey cannot guarantee the success of this new challenge. The past can only serve now as a source of inspiration and knowledge for the present.
Effort and hard work must once again be at the forefront of everything we do. We cannot let our guards down in the insatiable quest of our objectives for the road blocks and difficulties we must surpass are bigger than ever now. The preparation time is shorter, our opponents no longer see us as an easy target against which they do not need to prepare and our team will not be together full-time. The group spirit created in the past and the experience gained with a large number of international games will come in strides. Camps will be short and games will be fewer. Observation and discussion will be the basis of the work in the beginning, and I will once again have to ask for the patience and support of the local teams as players will have to travel in order to gain international experience.
The roof of our house, our 2010 team, must be the focus of our work. However, no roof can stand on its own. Therefore, we cannot forget our foundation and pillars, that is, the Under-15 through U-23 national teams. They are the senior teams of the future and their development today ensures our success tomorrow. Let’s also not forget the development of the women’s national team, which after the 2004 Olympics, as many of you know, is a topic close to my heart and of increasing interest in the world.
I hope my return will encourage the creation of a school for coaches; a project which I’m sad to see has not been completed. We cannot build new talent to compete at the world level if we do not capacitate those who will lead them in this direction.
We will have to be professionals above anything else, we cannot treat ourselves as old and dear friends who are scared to demand results and question actions. My desire is to create a unified group, not a unanimous one. If we are united, then we can observe, question, recommend and demand maintaining strict professionalism even if we do not always agree. If the relationship between the technical staff and the Federation does not follow this principle, then we will be nothing more than an old group of friends on vacation in the Caribbean.
I apologize for not standing next to Captain Burrell, Horace Reid and other members of the Federation as the news of my return is announced. However, in the last seven months I have worked intensely with Coritiba, one of Brazil´s greatest teams, which for two years had struggled to return to the elite first division. We achieved our goal in style, not only guaranteeing a spot in the first division for 2008, but also celebrating the national championship in the division. I will pass the holiday season with my family in Brazil, gathering my strength and looking forward to my return.
It’s been 13 years since I first went to Jamaica, ten since the qualification and seven since I left. I’m not the same man I was then. I have less hair, the mustache has more grey hair now and the belly beings to stubbornly grow. However, I still believe in the same principles of careful planning, execution, hard work, respect, learning lessons from temporary losses and success. My return has been a joy for my family and I, who have always felt a strong attachment to Jamaica and Jamaicans. The bonds of love and friendship created are as true now as they were many years ago, and we are happy to be back.
Some say lighting doesn’t strike twice, but I say – NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR GOD.
May He be with you all and bless us on this new journey to South Africa 2010.
Yours in football,
Rene Simoes
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