Glad for the win, but worried about first touch

[DweetSweet]

First congrats to the Boyz for dispatching lower quality talent with the requisite 6-0. Any more goals would have been have been too embarrassing to our opponents, and indeed to Jamaica.

On watching the Trelawny game though, I was frustrated by the extremely poor first touch of most of the Jamaican 11. When a Jamaican player receives the ball 9 times out of 10 the ball "cox up" at least to waist height, requiring another touch to control it, or ball unintentionally moves way by more that a yard, again requiring another touch to control the ball. At first i though it may be that the pitch was uneven in level and bounce. Can any one who was actually at the game comment on the quality of the playing surface? Or was it the strong wind blowing from goal-to-goal during the entire game? I notice that the flags and Red Strip banners were flapping and flying horizontal all during the game?

If the playing conditions and surface were not ideal, shouldn't our pros be able to adapt to the playing conditions and have better ball control? If we are playing stronger teams that would give us as much time on the ball and will close players down more quickly than Bahamas, then the team wont be able to keep possession, and cant play the two-touch pass-and-move football required for WCQ.

Wassup wid dat

[Reggae-Fan]

We need to bring our football pitches up to international standards before we can even start to address the poor first touch of our players. I was very disappointed with the condition of the national stdaium field. I am sure that watering that field 3 times every week for about a hr each time would produce a significantly better surface. too many brown patches.

[Mosiah]

Other teams come to Jamaica and exhibit better first touch than our players, so the field is not the problem.

As much as I don't like seeing the brown patches, that is really an aesthetic matter. Not a real problem for the teams.

[Me]

If you receive poor coaching at the youth level, then poor first touch and bad movement off the ball should be expected. That is what happens with our players. Youth systems that produce them are all inadequate.

[Scaly Spurs]

First congrats to the Boyz for dispatching lower quality talent with the requisite 6-0. Any more goals would have been have been too embarrassing to our opponents, and indeed to Jamaica.

On watching the Trelawny game though, I was frustrated by the extremely poor first touch of most of the Jamaican 11. When a Jamaican player receives the ball 9 times out of 10 the ball "cox up" at least to waist height, requiring another touch to control it, or ball unintentionally moves way by more that a yard, again requiring another touch to control the ball. At first i though it may be that the pitch was uneven in level and bounce. Can any one who was actually at the game comment on the quality of the playing surface? Or was it the strong wind blowing from goal-to-goal during the entire game? I notice that the flags and Red Strip banners were flapping and flying horizontal all during the game?

If the playing conditions and surface were not ideal, shouldn't our pros be able to adapt to the playing conditions and have better ball control? If we are playing stronger teams that would give us as much time on the ball and will close players down more quickly than Bahamas, then the team wont be able to keep possession, and cant play the two-touch pass-and-move football required for WCQ.

Wassup wid dat

Dweetsweet u r 100% correct. Jamaican ballers specifically the ones who play in the NPL have a very POOR first touch.

Is not the field, is not the wind or anything else.

The only local player I see with any skill in that area is Jermaine "Put the team on his shoulders" Hue.

[Karl]

We need to bring our football pitches up to international standards before we can even start to address the poor first touch of our players. I was very disappointed with the condition of the national stdaium field. I am sure that watering that field 3 times every week for about a hr each time would produce a significantly better surface. too many brown patches.

Fields can help players with less technical ability 'look better'...but your touch is your touch! Some of our players are lacking!

Just think of it - How was "Skill" Cole, "Dove" Marsten and "Tappa" Whitmore able to have that 'great touch' on fields much worse than our present ones? How is it when the visiting South American and English teams visit on our horrible fields their players have 'great touch'?

As mi seh yuh touch his yuh touch!

[Mosiah]

I have often wondered how Maestro also gets the ball to move so smoothly over a rough field. I guess when you pass with pace and confidence...

Genius!

[Me]

Boyd, Whitmore, Socrates Christie, Nathaniel Barnes, Ali Rose, Hue are some of the few who I saw over the last ten years not looking like they are fighting the ball on our bumpy pitches.

[Sensi]

Greetings bredrin! Do you know what happened to that baller Socrates Christie? Seems like another promising talent gone to waste.

[Karl]

I have often wondered how Maestro also gets the ball to move so smoothly over a rough field. I guess when you pass with pace and confidence...

Genius!

I should not have left Maestro out of the 'ball artists' who take the ball and move it sweetly on our terrible fields.
Respek tuh Maestro! Technically stands with our best ever!

[Reggae-Fan]

So what do you think is the problem then? Is it that our players are just dunces and cant learn?

[HL]

The surface of the football "feel" was not ideal Mosiah. It was on the 'bumpy' side.

The ball did not roll. It bounced most times. That added to the first touch observations...

I saw this before--and mentioned it on this forum when Portmore and Harbor View (i think) played for the NPL championship. That game was televised on Fox maybe a year ago. That "feel" was bumpy as ...as...as....

(Tomorrow when you watch the European Championship...observe how the ball rolls...not bounce...you will see what i mean).

It's time you expect good standards and expectations for local football Mosiah.

Temperate countries are so advanced in football landscaping--they create designs on the pitch.

Jamaica, a tropical paradise should have some of the best pitches in the world. What is stopping that?

If you think about it, creating world class football pitches is a BIG trickle down business opportunity from the game itself.

Sod farming is only one example of money waiting to be made from the game of football...

Aesthetics matters Mosiah!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Mosiah]

sekkle down. where are we saying anything different? who cuss di field dem a jamaica more dan me? please, hl, even a JLIJ can appreciate a carpet.

why did i bother respond to your post? obvious yuh just trying to **************** me off.

[Me]

Greetings bredrin! Do you know what happened to that baller Socrates Christie? Seems like another promising talent gone to waste.

Last I heard of him was him playing for Wadadah couple of years ago and a breddah tell me seh him nuh interested in football, him interested in less productive activities.

Him, Ali Rose and Llewylen Meggs were very talented players who could have had a significant impact on the National team over the past 10 years.

[Muadib]

Tappa, Andy Williams, Demar Phillips...