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Seba eye shake-up after NPL demotion
PAUL A REID, Observer Writer
reidp@jamaicaobserver.com
Sunday, May 18, 2008
MONTEGO BAY, St James - Being relegated from the National Premier League (NPL) for the second time in five years was never on the cards for Seba after a good start under first-year coach Theodore Whitmore, the former national midfielder.
Playing what was described by some as fluid, passing football, the two-time former national champions failed by a point to qualify for the first end-of-round final, but many saw this as a mere hindrance on the way back to glory.
A 2-1 defeat to Arnett Gardens at home at Jarrett Park last Sunday capped a sorry second half of the season as Seba's drop from the top of the standings to Western Confederation football next season was confirmed as Seba finished with 42 points joining Auguist Town as the teams to go down.
While the legions of fans in Montego Bay, western Jamaica and the island are wringing their hands and bemoaning "bush league football" for at least a year, the club's management said it is seizing the opportunity to restructure the club to make it more viable.
Managing director Orville Powell, chairman Bruce Gaynor and head coach Whitmore all say all is not lost and this setback gives them the opportunity to set the foundation for a more sustainable Seba United in the future.
"Seba is an institution, Seba United can never die," said Gaynor in an interview with the Sunday Observer last week.
While admitting their demise this season was "a sad day not just for the club, but for the entire western Jamaica" Gaynor said he had to shoulder some of the responsibilities as there were things that should have been done but were not.
"Over the years we've had plans that should've been put in place to make the club more viable. There were structures we had planned... but a number of them have been neglected. The focus now must be on the club itself. We must ensure that when Seba United rises again, the club will be sustainable," he said.
While not wanting to get into details as to the specific actions that will be taken, Gaynor who has been with the club for over 20 years, said "changes will be made at every level, from administration to the players and the support staff".
Whitmore, who had several stints as stand-in player/coach until his official appointment last year, said Seba's relegation was a failure on his part.
"I have to take some blame and this failure allows us to look back at what we did wrong as coaches and managers," he said.
Whitmore said, "In hind sight we can all point fingers, but that won't help; we have to face reality and realise it's a time to refocus."
Whitmore, who played for years in England and Scotland, committed his future to the club, saying it would be difficult to rebuild while playing in the NPL and going back to the Super League would allow them more leverage to put in the necessary changes.
According to Whitmore - who is part of the national coaching set-up under technical director Rene Simoes - his absence from the team is not to be blamed for Seba's performance.
Meanwhile Powell argued that if the club doesn't learn from the disappointments of this season "then something is wrong".
Having taken the brunt of the anger from fans during the latter part of the season when the team slid from top to mid-table, then to the relegation zone, Powell said changes will be made but must be well thought-out and not made on the spur of the moment.
Like Gaynor and Whitmore, he said relegation could ultimately benefit the club, which will have to decide whether to field one or two teams next season.
For the past few seasons the club fielded an NPL and Hart Senior League team - a controversial move as some players played in both competitions, plus the Under-21 league.
Gaynor concedd it proved "a distraction" and a waste of energy.
PAUL A REID, Observer Writer
reidp@jamaicaobserver.com
Sunday, May 18, 2008
MONTEGO BAY, St James - Being relegated from the National Premier League (NPL) for the second time in five years was never on the cards for Seba after a good start under first-year coach Theodore Whitmore, the former national midfielder.
Playing what was described by some as fluid, passing football, the two-time former national champions failed by a point to qualify for the first end-of-round final, but many saw this as a mere hindrance on the way back to glory.
A 2-1 defeat to Arnett Gardens at home at Jarrett Park last Sunday capped a sorry second half of the season as Seba's drop from the top of the standings to Western Confederation football next season was confirmed as Seba finished with 42 points joining Auguist Town as the teams to go down.
While the legions of fans in Montego Bay, western Jamaica and the island are wringing their hands and bemoaning "bush league football" for at least a year, the club's management said it is seizing the opportunity to restructure the club to make it more viable.
Managing director Orville Powell, chairman Bruce Gaynor and head coach Whitmore all say all is not lost and this setback gives them the opportunity to set the foundation for a more sustainable Seba United in the future.
"Seba is an institution, Seba United can never die," said Gaynor in an interview with the Sunday Observer last week.
While admitting their demise this season was "a sad day not just for the club, but for the entire western Jamaica" Gaynor said he had to shoulder some of the responsibilities as there were things that should have been done but were not.
"Over the years we've had plans that should've been put in place to make the club more viable. There were structures we had planned... but a number of them have been neglected. The focus now must be on the club itself. We must ensure that when Seba United rises again, the club will be sustainable," he said.
While not wanting to get into details as to the specific actions that will be taken, Gaynor who has been with the club for over 20 years, said "changes will be made at every level, from administration to the players and the support staff".
Whitmore, who had several stints as stand-in player/coach until his official appointment last year, said Seba's relegation was a failure on his part.
"I have to take some blame and this failure allows us to look back at what we did wrong as coaches and managers," he said.
Whitmore said, "In hind sight we can all point fingers, but that won't help; we have to face reality and realise it's a time to refocus."
Whitmore, who played for years in England and Scotland, committed his future to the club, saying it would be difficult to rebuild while playing in the NPL and going back to the Super League would allow them more leverage to put in the necessary changes.
According to Whitmore - who is part of the national coaching set-up under technical director Rene Simoes - his absence from the team is not to be blamed for Seba's performance.
Meanwhile Powell argued that if the club doesn't learn from the disappointments of this season "then something is wrong".
Having taken the brunt of the anger from fans during the latter part of the season when the team slid from top to mid-table, then to the relegation zone, Powell said changes will be made but must be well thought-out and not made on the spur of the moment.
Like Gaynor and Whitmore, he said relegation could ultimately benefit the club, which will have to decide whether to field one or two teams next season.
For the past few seasons the club fielded an NPL and Hart Senior League team - a controversial move as some players played in both competitions, plus the Under-21 league.
Gaynor concedd it proved "a distraction" and a waste of energy.