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'Tappa' is the man in charge - Barnes
GORDON WILLIAMS, Star Writer
John Barnes ... I have no role (with the team) right now. - file
John Barnes may be taking over Jamaica's football programme come November 1 but, for now, the Jamaica-born former England star has no problems allowing interim coach Theodore 'Tappa' Whitmore all the space he needs to prepare the Reggae Boyz to get past their next World Cup qualifying opponent.
"I have no role (with the team) right now," Barnes explained yesterday, less than 24 hours after 116th-ranked Jamaica scored a shock win over number 24 Mexico in a Group Two CONCACAF World Cup qualifier at the National Stadium.
"I've come to support Jamaica. It's up to Tappa to determine what role he would want me to do now."
Whitmore has already reached out to Barnes, asking him to talk to the team before Saturday's game and ride on the team bus. He also invited him into the locker room at the stadium.
Tactical preparation
Barnes, who said he is primarily in the island to continue discussions with the Jamaica Football Federation's (JFF) top brass, stated emphatically that he would never try to interfere with the workings of Jamaica's team, including tactical preparation, until his tenure as technical director begins in a few weeks.
"He (Whitmore) is the man in charge," said Barnes, who watched the game from a booth in the grandstand.
Yesterday, Barnes declined to discuss details of his chat with the team, limiting his response to: "I wished them all the best."
However, the technical director-in-waiting said Whitmore did a good job getting Jamaica, ready to play Mexico. The Boyz, he said, played with "spirit, determination and desire". He has no doubt Jamaica can duplicate Saturday's performance on Wednesday against Honduras, another must-win game for the Boyz, who are currently in third in the group on four points, behind Mexico and Honduras on nine each. Canada, with a single point from four games, have been eliminated.
"I'm as confident as I was against Mexico," said Barnes, whose first assignment as technical director will be for the final group qualifying game against Canada next month at the National Stadium.
Barnes replaced René Simoes after the Brazilian was fired following Jamaica's 2-0 loss to Honduras in the first leg of qualifiers. That defeat followed on the heels of the Boyz's 3-0 drubbing by Mexico and a 1-1 draw with Canada.
Immediately overhauled
Whitmore was then named interim coach, a post he has held before. Jamaica's squad was immediately overhauled. Several players preferred by Simoes were left out. Some hardly used by the Brazilian, or ignored totally, like Claude Davis, Jamal Campbell-Ryce and Oneil Thompson, all started Saturday. Substitutes Damian Stewart, Jermaine Johnson and Omar Cummings were recalled as well.
Yet, the overhaul did not appear to affect the team's cohesion or commitment, despite a training ground bust-up between a couple players a few days before the Mexico game.
"I think you see the team work together, as a unit," said Campbell-Ryce, after his solid performance on Saturday. "We got our goal and we defended doggedly.
"No, I had nothing to prove," he added, explaining his recall. "I think the nation knows what I'm about, how I play. Obviously, I was disappointed not to be in the last couple of squads, but Tappa showed faith in me and, hopefully, I have repaid him."
Whitmore, a former Reggae Boyz World Cup star who was an assistant to Simoes, also showed belief in his own plan. He changed Jamaica's tactical approach, pushing captain Ricardo Gardner more into attack with goal-scorer Ricardo Fuller and Luton Shelton, employing Rudolph Austin in an interesting 'bird dogging' role of Mexican playmaker Gerardo Torrado in central midfield, and exploiting the quickness and skill of Campbell-Ryce and Demar Phillips along the flanks.
And, rather than sitting back, especially early in the game, Jamaica applied pressure to the Mexicans, disrupting their normally flowing game. It all paid off, although Austin is expected to miss the Honduras game after accumulating too many cautions, and one of several received by the aggressive Jamaicans on Saturday.
"Our aim was to tighten the midfield and use the width (of the field)," Whitmore said while explaining his change of philosophy from the first game in Mexico.
Mexico's coach Sven-Goran Eriksson conceded Jamaica's intent was too much for his team to handle.
"It was a tough game, very tight game," he said. " Physically, we can't compete with them."
However, Whitmore believes further improvement is needed.
"There were areas we could do better," he said of Saturday's game. "We have a lot of work to do."
If he needs any help, he can always ask the man waiting to succeed him.
Gordon Williams is a Jamaican journalist based in the United States.
GORDON WILLIAMS, Star Writer
John Barnes ... I have no role (with the team) right now. - file
John Barnes may be taking over Jamaica's football programme come November 1 but, for now, the Jamaica-born former England star has no problems allowing interim coach Theodore 'Tappa' Whitmore all the space he needs to prepare the Reggae Boyz to get past their next World Cup qualifying opponent.
"I have no role (with the team) right now," Barnes explained yesterday, less than 24 hours after 116th-ranked Jamaica scored a shock win over number 24 Mexico in a Group Two CONCACAF World Cup qualifier at the National Stadium.
"I've come to support Jamaica. It's up to Tappa to determine what role he would want me to do now."
Whitmore has already reached out to Barnes, asking him to talk to the team before Saturday's game and ride on the team bus. He also invited him into the locker room at the stadium.
Tactical preparation
Barnes, who said he is primarily in the island to continue discussions with the Jamaica Football Federation's (JFF) top brass, stated emphatically that he would never try to interfere with the workings of Jamaica's team, including tactical preparation, until his tenure as technical director begins in a few weeks.
"He (Whitmore) is the man in charge," said Barnes, who watched the game from a booth in the grandstand.
Yesterday, Barnes declined to discuss details of his chat with the team, limiting his response to: "I wished them all the best."
However, the technical director-in-waiting said Whitmore did a good job getting Jamaica, ready to play Mexico. The Boyz, he said, played with "spirit, determination and desire". He has no doubt Jamaica can duplicate Saturday's performance on Wednesday against Honduras, another must-win game for the Boyz, who are currently in third in the group on four points, behind Mexico and Honduras on nine each. Canada, with a single point from four games, have been eliminated.
"I'm as confident as I was against Mexico," said Barnes, whose first assignment as technical director will be for the final group qualifying game against Canada next month at the National Stadium.
Barnes replaced René Simoes after the Brazilian was fired following Jamaica's 2-0 loss to Honduras in the first leg of qualifiers. That defeat followed on the heels of the Boyz's 3-0 drubbing by Mexico and a 1-1 draw with Canada.
Immediately overhauled
Whitmore was then named interim coach, a post he has held before. Jamaica's squad was immediately overhauled. Several players preferred by Simoes were left out. Some hardly used by the Brazilian, or ignored totally, like Claude Davis, Jamal Campbell-Ryce and Oneil Thompson, all started Saturday. Substitutes Damian Stewart, Jermaine Johnson and Omar Cummings were recalled as well.
Yet, the overhaul did not appear to affect the team's cohesion or commitment, despite a training ground bust-up between a couple players a few days before the Mexico game.
"I think you see the team work together, as a unit," said Campbell-Ryce, after his solid performance on Saturday. "We got our goal and we defended doggedly.
"No, I had nothing to prove," he added, explaining his recall. "I think the nation knows what I'm about, how I play. Obviously, I was disappointed not to be in the last couple of squads, but Tappa showed faith in me and, hopefully, I have repaid him."
Whitmore, a former Reggae Boyz World Cup star who was an assistant to Simoes, also showed belief in his own plan. He changed Jamaica's tactical approach, pushing captain Ricardo Gardner more into attack with goal-scorer Ricardo Fuller and Luton Shelton, employing Rudolph Austin in an interesting 'bird dogging' role of Mexican playmaker Gerardo Torrado in central midfield, and exploiting the quickness and skill of Campbell-Ryce and Demar Phillips along the flanks.
And, rather than sitting back, especially early in the game, Jamaica applied pressure to the Mexicans, disrupting their normally flowing game. It all paid off, although Austin is expected to miss the Honduras game after accumulating too many cautions, and one of several received by the aggressive Jamaicans on Saturday.
"Our aim was to tighten the midfield and use the width (of the field)," Whitmore said while explaining his change of philosophy from the first game in Mexico.
Mexico's coach Sven-Goran Eriksson conceded Jamaica's intent was too much for his team to handle.
"It was a tough game, very tight game," he said. " Physically, we can't compete with them."
However, Whitmore believes further improvement is needed.
"There were areas we could do better," he said of Saturday's game. "We have a lot of work to do."
If he needs any help, he can always ask the man waiting to succeed him.
Gordon Williams is a Jamaican journalist based in the United States.
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