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Reggae Boyz strength to be tested in Azteca
published: Thursday | September 4, 2008
WHILE WE may be disappointed at not being able to sit in the National Stadium come Saturday for the always intriguing match-up of Jamaica's Reggae Boyz against [COLOR=orange! important][COLOR=orange! important]Mexico's[/COLOR][/COLOR] El Tri in the semi-final round of the [COLOR=orange! important][COLOR=orange! important]World [COLOR=orange! important]Cup[/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR] qualifiers, the game being switched to the Azteca Stadium may be a blessing, and one perhaps not even that well disguised.
The tough atmosphere of the Azteca Stadium has long given us a solid indication as to exactly where the national team is in terms of its preparations, and for the René Simoes-coached squad the test will come at a good time. With the Boyz still very much in the building process, a test as stern as an away Mexico game will show which parts fit where, but most important, which parts do not.
In Saturday's game, expect the sheep to be separated from the [COLOR=orange! important][COLOR=orange! important]goats[/COLOR][/COLOR], so to speak, and with the team still early in the qualification campaign, this can only be a good thing. The past three visits to Mexico City have, quite frankly, been shockers for the Reggae Boyz, as they have conceded an amazing 15 goals without scoring. Any result along those lines would indicate that there are changes to be made.
In my estimation, the national team, while not bad, is two or three overseas players short of being close to full strength. While we have still not been given a reason for the refusal to call the obviously outstanding Sunderland centre/right back Nyron Nosworthy, the continued [COLOR=orange! important][COLOR=orange! important]shelving[/COLOR][/COLOR] of Jamaica's most clinical striker, Marlon King, continues to be a major issue.
Indiscipline
Now don't get me wrong, indiscipline cannot be tolerated within the national set-up, or anywhere for that matter. I certainly agree with coach Simoes in respect of letting players understand that they are not bigger than the team. However, in this case, there has to be a certain amount of objectivity with regard to handling the situation.
From what I understand, a couple of the English-based players, including King, became annoyed about not receiving adequate playing time. While the way they brought the issue to the attention of the coach was entirely wrong, one can see where they are coming from.
These players often leave their clubs under duress from their managers and coaches as they do not want them to be injured while playing for their country. Therefore, flying several thousand miles to train and sit on a bench might be a bit of an annoyance.
Suspension
However, while criticising the coach is a no-no, the announcement of a suspension from the team for a finite number of games should be good enough to resolve the situation. While indiscipline has no place in the national set-up, permanently dropping a player for speaking out of turn borders a bit on arrogance and there certainly isn't room for that in the national programme either.
Fans who have stuck with the team and are, after all, willing to fork out thousands of dollars for not just [COLOR=orange! important][COLOR=orange! important]tickets[/COLOR][/COLOR] but jerseys, deserve to see the best players that the team has on the pitch. In a team seriously looking to secure a spot in the World Cup final, there has to be space for a striker who has a better than 50 per cent strike rate for the national team, even if he has to be punished at some point along the way.
While the team has started off well with a solid result against Canada, the next couple of games will be tough ones, and we can ill afford to simply throw resources out the window. Feedback: kwesi.mugisa@gleanerjm.com
published: Thursday | September 4, 2008
WHILE WE may be disappointed at not being able to sit in the National Stadium come Saturday for the always intriguing match-up of Jamaica's Reggae Boyz against [COLOR=orange! important][COLOR=orange! important]Mexico's[/COLOR][/COLOR] El Tri in the semi-final round of the [COLOR=orange! important][COLOR=orange! important]World [COLOR=orange! important]Cup[/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR] qualifiers, the game being switched to the Azteca Stadium may be a blessing, and one perhaps not even that well disguised.
The tough atmosphere of the Azteca Stadium has long given us a solid indication as to exactly where the national team is in terms of its preparations, and for the René Simoes-coached squad the test will come at a good time. With the Boyz still very much in the building process, a test as stern as an away Mexico game will show which parts fit where, but most important, which parts do not.
In Saturday's game, expect the sheep to be separated from the [COLOR=orange! important][COLOR=orange! important]goats[/COLOR][/COLOR], so to speak, and with the team still early in the qualification campaign, this can only be a good thing. The past three visits to Mexico City have, quite frankly, been shockers for the Reggae Boyz, as they have conceded an amazing 15 goals without scoring. Any result along those lines would indicate that there are changes to be made.
In my estimation, the national team, while not bad, is two or three overseas players short of being close to full strength. While we have still not been given a reason for the refusal to call the obviously outstanding Sunderland centre/right back Nyron Nosworthy, the continued [COLOR=orange! important][COLOR=orange! important]shelving[/COLOR][/COLOR] of Jamaica's most clinical striker, Marlon King, continues to be a major issue.
Indiscipline
Now don't get me wrong, indiscipline cannot be tolerated within the national set-up, or anywhere for that matter. I certainly agree with coach Simoes in respect of letting players understand that they are not bigger than the team. However, in this case, there has to be a certain amount of objectivity with regard to handling the situation.
From what I understand, a couple of the English-based players, including King, became annoyed about not receiving adequate playing time. While the way they brought the issue to the attention of the coach was entirely wrong, one can see where they are coming from.
These players often leave their clubs under duress from their managers and coaches as they do not want them to be injured while playing for their country. Therefore, flying several thousand miles to train and sit on a bench might be a bit of an annoyance.
Suspension
However, while criticising the coach is a no-no, the announcement of a suspension from the team for a finite number of games should be good enough to resolve the situation. While indiscipline has no place in the national set-up, permanently dropping a player for speaking out of turn borders a bit on arrogance and there certainly isn't room for that in the national programme either.
Fans who have stuck with the team and are, after all, willing to fork out thousands of dollars for not just [COLOR=orange! important][COLOR=orange! important]tickets[/COLOR][/COLOR] but jerseys, deserve to see the best players that the team has on the pitch. In a team seriously looking to secure a spot in the World Cup final, there has to be space for a striker who has a better than 50 per cent strike rate for the national team, even if he has to be punished at some point along the way.
While the team has started off well with a solid result against Canada, the next couple of games will be tough ones, and we can ill afford to simply throw resources out the window. Feedback: kwesi.mugisa@gleanerjm.com
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