Thanks to the Harbour View footballers....

[DweetSweet]

...for providing me with 80 minutes of comedic hilarity and amusement during their 2nd leg CONCACAF Champions Cup game against DC United. After 10 minutes of watching supposedly professional footballer not being able to show even basic first touch, passing, decision-making, the lack of even basic footballing skills showed up the huge gulf between Harbour View and even the worst DC United players.

I manage a men's team in a recreational Sunday league out here in Orange County, California (which actually includes today;s match commentator, Mark Rogondino, who is a half-decent midfielder), and believe me, none, none, of Harbour Views players could make it into my amateur Sunday league team based on today's performance in thier game against DC United. Well, I take that back. HV's goalkeeper could make my team, but no one else.

DC United didn't overpower and outplay Harbour View based on superior tactics or organization (even though that is very important). Harbour View's players lost the game by making a mistake every 3 seconds of the game. Mistakes in ball control, protecting the ball, first touch, decision making as to who to pass to, slow pace, and of course wasteful passing to give the ball away--take your pick. After ten minutes of the first half watching the game became an exercise of looking for the next mistake, and counting how many seconds or attempted passes before Harbour View gave the ball away. On average it seemed to me to be either 7 seconds or four passes.

What lack of imagination (especially in the final third)? What lack of invention? What naivete? The lack of basic skills was so pitiful I was beyond crying for HV, or getting angry, or embarrassment, so I started to laugh. It does not get worse than that.

Is that the best we can do? Does Harbour View FC's player represent the level of individual skill in Jamaica's Premier league. Is this the kind of football that is played every Sunday? I have not seen a NPL game in over 10 years so I don't know.

Even supposed professionals with European and MLS league professional experience like Scarlett, Hue, were woeful with the amateurish footballing skills.

This was bad, real bad.

[No Mercy]

This is why I think we still do not have any capable replace

ment for Bibi and phillips on the left. Our coaches rely on individual talents to win games in jamaica at the demise of teamwork. Maybe there was no proper mental preparation and thus the wayward passes. There is also the tendency to lose games before we even play it because of the american inferior thinking complex. I really hope harbour view at least make some money out of this to invest back into the players and club development which will trickle into the national sides for the future. I really think our players meals is not conducive to proper nutritional content and greatly affect them on a cellular level without them even know it. I say it before and will continue say it at , jamaica need to adapt to proper standards for the development of their sports personnel by reinforcing first class habits in their players from a tender age. We do not really value sports nationally and that need to be change. It hurts to see players who the jamaican media is hyping up every report can't even make 3 good attacking passes.

[Jangle]

I was going to make some "in-depth" analysis of the game, but DweetSweet said almost everything for me. I just want to add that the HV players displayed a basic lack of self discipline, and this is a reflection of the Jamaican soceity at large.

[Brush]

...for providing me with 80 minutes of comedic hilarity and amusement during their 2nd leg CONCACAF Champions Cup game against DC United. After 10 minutes of watching supposedly professional footballer not being able to show even basic first touch, passing, decision-making, the lack of even basic footballing skills showed up the huge gulf between Harbour View and even the worst DC United players.

I manage a men's team in a recreational Sunday league out here in Orange County, California (which actually includes today;s match commentator, Mark Rogondino, who is a half-decent midfielder), and believe me, none, none, of Harbour Views players could make it into my amateur Sunday league team based on today's performance in thier game against DC United. Well, I take that back. HV's goalkeeper could make my team, but no one else.

DC United didn't overpower and outplay Harbour View based on superior tactics or organization (even though that is very important). Harbour View's players lost the game by making a mistake every 3 seconds of the game. Mistakes in ball control, protecting the ball, first touch, decision making as to who to pass to, slow pace, and of course wasteful passing to give the ball away--take your pick. After ten minutes of the first half watching the game became an exercise of looking for the next mistake, and counting how many seconds or attempted passes before Harbour View gave the ball away. On average it seemed to me to be either 7 seconds or four passes.

What lack of imagination (especially in the final third)? What lack of invention? What naivete? The lack of basic skills was so pitiful I was beyond crying for HV, or getting angry, or embarrassment, so I started to laugh. It does not get worse than that.

Is that the best we can do? Does Harbour View FC's player represent the level of individual skill in Jamaica's Premier league. Is this the kind of football that is played every Sunday? I have not seen a NPL game in over 10 years so I don't know.

Even supposed professionals with European and MLS league professional experience like Scarlett, Hue, were woeful with the amateurish footballing skills.

This was bad, real bad.

I too did not know if I should cry or get upset. I cannot explain how they could have performed so creditable in Jamaica an come to DC and look so amateurish. The lost came down to one team losing all its discipline and form than another improving. DC in my estimation did not look that much better than they did in Jamica, it was more a case of H/View looking like crap in comparison to how they looked in Jamaica. Scarlett and Hue looked a shadow of the players that played a week earlier. I don't know what type of instruction Scarlett was playing under but he rarely ventured forward with any purpose and Hue's passing and shooting was sub par to say the least.

What or where is/was the offside trap being employed. H/View supposedly had two current or former central defenders in their line up and it appeared as if they were clueless on how to play the offside trap. I am so disappointed with this showing that words cannot explain. I really felt that H/View could have given DC a run for their millions. Well they say a teams league position over the season tells what they are about and H/View lying 5th in the CPPL is no fluke based on their performance last night.

[Mosiah]

I just want to add that the HV players displayed a basic lack of self discipline, and this is a reflection of the Jamaican soceity at large.

Please explain.

[Brush]

I was going to make some "in-depth" analysis of the game, but DweetSweet said almost everything for me. I just want to add that the HV players displayed a basic lack of self discipline, and this is a reflection of the Jamaican soceity at large.

If this is true then Simoes recent statement about the local contingent that tour Brazil contradicts your view ite.

[Rockman]

I wasn't head over heels over or defenders as a whole from the get go, and really we had the same problems in the first leg, it was only manified in the second.
My guess is we need FARIN coaches in the NPL,I suspect only then we will see the real problem. The days of getting 11 decent players and leaving everything to them is looong over, the pen on paper approach is what we are lacking.



Blessed

[Scaly Spurs]

...for providing me with 80 minutes of comedic hilarity and amusement during their 2nd leg CONCACAF Champions Cup game against DC United. After 10 minutes of watching supposedly professional footballer not being able to show even basic first touch, passing, decision-making, the lack of even basic footballing skills showed up the huge gulf between Harbour View and even the worst DC United players.

I manage a men's team in a recreational Sunday league out here in Orange County, California (which actually includes today;s match commentator, Mark Rogondino, who is a half-decent midfielder), and believe me, none, none, of Harbour Views players could make it into my amateur Sunday league team based on today's performance in thier game against DC United. Well, I take that back. HV's goalkeeper could make my team, but no one else.

DC United didn't overpower and outplay Harbour View based on superior tactics or organization (even though that is very important). Harbour View's players lost the game by making a mistake every 3 seconds of the game. Mistakes in ball control, protecting the ball, first touch, decision making as to who to pass to, slow pace, and of course wasteful passing to give the ball away--take your pick. After ten minutes of the first half watching the game became an exercise of looking for the next mistake, and counting how many seconds or attempted passes before Harbour View gave the ball away. On average it seemed to me to be either 7 seconds or four passes.

What lack of imagination (especially in the final third)? What lack of invention? What naivete? The lack of basic skills was so pitiful I was beyond crying for HV, or getting angry, or embarrassment, so I started to laugh. It does not get worse than that.

Is that the best we can do? Does Harbour View FC's player represent the level of individual skill in Jamaica's Premier league. Is this the kind of football that is played every Sunday? I have not seen a NPL game in over 10 years so I don't know.

Even supposed professionals with European and MLS league professional experience like Scarlett, Hue, were woeful with the amateurish footballing skills.

This was bad, real bad.

Dweetsweet u hit the nail on the head(btw I notice u get nuff big up from the commentators..u a de real Big Man) I would go a step further though and ask why did they decide to play so high in defense ?

HV in my estimation showed a lack of respect for DC and their attacking ability, if you decide to play high it is basically saying we have speed and athletic ability to run down anything which get through but that didn't happen. The other question is how do you go into a game in a second leg fixture with an even score against a team you have never beaten on their turf and play a high defense. I have never seen that done by any team in any league anywhere.

I think a whole lot of blame lays on the coach...the tactics were just flawed and wrong.

Some positives for me though was Scarlett's abilty to play well going forward and the American kid at right back...now his technical skills are the best of all HV players.

1 more thing on the high defense, if u play high then u wingbacks cant risk running up in the attack so far that is football 101.

[Karl]

Dweetsweet u hit the nail on the head(btw I notice u get nuff big up from the commentators..u a de real Big Man) I would go a step further though and ask why did they decide to play so high in defense ?

HV in my estimation showed a lack of respect for DC and their attacking ability, if you decide to play high it is basically saying we have speed and athletic ability to run down anything which get through but that didn't happen. The other question is how do you go into a game in a second leg fixture with an even score against a team you have never beaten on their turf and play a high defense. I have never seen that done by any team in any league anywhere.

I think a whole lot of blame lays on the coach...the tactics were just flawed and wrong.

Some positives for me though was Scarlett's abilty to play well going forward and the American kid at right back...now his technical skills are the best of all HV players.

1 more thing on the high defense, if u play high then u wingbacks cant risk running up in the attack so far that is football 101.

The coach may be to blame in having this pool of players. They were all aweful...save for the goalkeeper. The greatest coach in the world could not have done anything with the type of technical ability and lack of basic commonsense that was on display.

NB: Forgive me for breaking my word on not saying anything further on this match.

[Lazie]

The coach may be to blame in having this pool of players. They were all aweful...save for the goalkeeper. The greatest coach in the world could not have done anything with the type of technical ability and lack of basic commonsense that was on display.

Ummmmm .... interesting!

[Assasin]

same thing was said when we lose pon the Asian tour last year.

Now a "man" take over and the same players them a look over Brazillian papers, and what them call Brazil again "football Mecca"?

You can't just blame the players. They held HV 1-0 for a good long time, I don't know what the halftime instructions were but it did no good as after they came back out man just start pull some long shot but their was no power and direction so the plan went buss.

[Karl]

Ummmmm .... interesting!

Does that mean because the 30 players at Harbour View do not show there is anything between their two ears that talent does not abound in Jamaica?

Perhaps you shall find working on the answer to that question, interesting?!

Maybe?

[OJ]

were they awful in the first leg. I think the score line is bad but I did not see where they were that bad. They made some mistakes and paid for it but that is football. I would not throw out the baby with the bath water. Dweetsweet team must be hell of a team. I wonder how they would look against DC United.

[Jawge]

I won't start another thread as there is enough already.
I know it's hard at times for one to take constructive criticism but in this case I think HV should. I know that there are people of high professional standards within HV and some serious decisions will have to be made.

I won't hurt any feelings, hence I will say that some key posters have made some quality statements of last night game. As is noted one of our ites is even connected with the fox people. I also think HV should seek the advice of Prof.Simoes on last night's game (seeing that the Prof recruits from HV for national duty).

It's my hope that HV will grow into a quality team based on what happened last night. Some of what's been said on this board may sound harsh but in the long run your true friend is the one that tells you the truth. Your enemies will smile with you and say; hey you are doing fine, only to find out in the long run they are scheming to destroy you.

[Me]

Dweetsweet simply overreacting.

Anyhow, it is difficult for any team that is playing a man down (Donald Stewart), especially if you are not as technically sound as your teammates. Because of Fowly, Edwards or some other player had to tackle the player closest to Fowly leading to a series of attacks on our goal. Because of Fowlie Edwards and Hue had to wait a while for a midfield option to become available. You can get away with Fowly in the NPL, but not against a professional entity.