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BY PAUL A REID Observer Writer reidp@jamaicaobserver.com
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
MONTEGO BAY, St James - Jamaica's interim national senior football coach, Theodore 'Tappa' Whitmore, says he is not feeling any pressure as he gets ready to take charge of the Reggae Boyz in their must-win CONCACAF World Cup semi-final round game against Mexico on October 11.
Whitmore was named interim coach for the first two of the three return-round matches after the sacking of Brazilian Rene Simoes following a string of poor results in the first round.
Jamaica are at the bottom of the four-team group with one point after a draw away to Canada and defeats to Mexico and Honduras.
Jamaica will host Honduras on October 15, but Whitmore said the focus must be on beating the Mexicans to keep alive their hopes of advancing to the next round.
John Barnes, the Jamaican-born former England international, will take over as national coach on November 1 and will be on the sidelines for the final game of the round against Canada on November 19.
Whitmore said there were no secrets to his game plans for the Mexico game.
"We must attack, we want the win, we must score goals. We don't know what their plans will be so we must dictate the game," the former attacking midfielder told the Observer on Saturday.
Whitmore, who is starting his second stint as interim coach, added: "We have a lot of work to do and we must prepare well."
To this extent, he said, he had told Captain Horace Burrell, president of the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF), the list of players he wanted and said the latter had granted his request.
Whitmore's list of players for the game against Mexico and Honduras includes just three local-based players and sees the recall of defenders Claude Davis and Damion Stewart, as well as midfielders Dane Richards and Jamal Campbell-Ryce and striker Marlon King.
Whitmore, who had been named to replace another former coach, Velibor 'Bora' Milutinovic, last year, said he is always ready to represent his country any way he can and welcomed the call from the JFF last week.
He said, however, he was not surprised that he was chosen despite the names that were being mentioned for the job. "Nothing comes as a surprise anymore," he said, and added that he was "expecting the call".
He was nonetheless surprised by the firing of Simoes, a close friend of Burrell's, he said, but added that this was the nature of the business and it was up to the president to make tough decisions in the best interest of the programme.
If asked to work with Barnes, Whitmore said he would be ready.
"I can work with anyone," he said, pointing out that he had not accepted an offer to work with Milutinovic as he thought the call should have come from the president of the JFF and not the coach.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
MONTEGO BAY, St James - Jamaica's interim national senior football coach, Theodore 'Tappa' Whitmore, says he is not feeling any pressure as he gets ready to take charge of the Reggae Boyz in their must-win CONCACAF World Cup semi-final round game against Mexico on October 11.
Whitmore was named interim coach for the first two of the three return-round matches after the sacking of Brazilian Rene Simoes following a string of poor results in the first round.
Jamaica are at the bottom of the four-team group with one point after a draw away to Canada and defeats to Mexico and Honduras.
Jamaica will host Honduras on October 15, but Whitmore said the focus must be on beating the Mexicans to keep alive their hopes of advancing to the next round.
John Barnes, the Jamaican-born former England international, will take over as national coach on November 1 and will be on the sidelines for the final game of the round against Canada on November 19.
Whitmore said there were no secrets to his game plans for the Mexico game.
"We must attack, we want the win, we must score goals. We don't know what their plans will be so we must dictate the game," the former attacking midfielder told the Observer on Saturday.
Whitmore, who is starting his second stint as interim coach, added: "We have a lot of work to do and we must prepare well."
To this extent, he said, he had told Captain Horace Burrell, president of the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF), the list of players he wanted and said the latter had granted his request.
Whitmore's list of players for the game against Mexico and Honduras includes just three local-based players and sees the recall of defenders Claude Davis and Damion Stewart, as well as midfielders Dane Richards and Jamal Campbell-Ryce and striker Marlon King.
Whitmore, who had been named to replace another former coach, Velibor 'Bora' Milutinovic, last year, said he is always ready to represent his country any way he can and welcomed the call from the JFF last week.
He said, however, he was not surprised that he was chosen despite the names that were being mentioned for the job. "Nothing comes as a surprise anymore," he said, and added that he was "expecting the call".
He was nonetheless surprised by the firing of Simoes, a close friend of Burrell's, he said, but added that this was the nature of the business and it was up to the president to make tough decisions in the best interest of the programme.
If asked to work with Barnes, Whitmore said he would be ready.
"I can work with anyone," he said, pointing out that he had not accepted an offer to work with Milutinovic as he thought the call should have come from the president of the JFF and not the coach.
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