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Appoint Whitmore full time
On The Sporting Edge Paul Reid
Thursday, October 23, 2008
There is an 'Americanism that says 'if it ain't broke don't fix it'.
In Jamaican parlance it simply means if nutten nuh wrong wid it leff it alone'.
The Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) should heed these sayings and leave well enough alone as far as the naming of the head coach for the national team is concerned.
So far, Theodore Whitmore has not put a foot wrong in his interim role, leading the team to back-to-back wins over Mexico and Honduras in crucial World Cup qualifying matches to keep the country's slim hopes of advancing to the final stages of CONCACAF qualifying alive.
After firing Brazilian Rene Simoes as the coach of the team, the JFF named Barnes as his replacement effective November 1 as Barnes had contractual obligations to take care of.
With Barnes set to take over the job on November 1, just over two weeks before the Reggae Boyz are to face Canada in their final game in this stage, the JFF made their second best decision by keeping Whitmore at the helm.
The JFF does not deserve any applause for this decision as it was a 'no brainer' .
The decision the JFF must make now is to keep Whitmore in the job for the long term.
If it means investing in him by sending him away to some European club or country to get him certified, then so be it.
Barnes could take over the role of technical director, which in civilised, modern football is more administrative as opposed to guiding the national senior team in training and in games.
Barnes should be the person in the background drawing up the blue print for Jamaica's football that Simoes promised nearly 15 years ago and which we are yet to see.
Obviously one of the reasons the JFF went for Barnes was his perceived ability to get corporate Jamaica to open their cheque books and continue sponsoring the Reggae Boyz. It is also obvious that unless someone comes with a foreign accent, pedigree or no, the sponsors are more willing to support him than one who has been home-grown and who may be better than the import.
Whatever role the JFF sees for Barnes, they need to allow Whitmore to continue coaching the team on a day-to-day basis even after November 19, during the upcoming Digicel Caribbean Cup and onwards.
What more does he need to prove? Four games in an interim capacity have yielded four wins and no goals against, including two must-win games against tough Central American oppositions, something not even Rene 'Jesus saves' Simoes managed to do.
On The Sporting Edge Paul Reid
Thursday, October 23, 2008
There is an 'Americanism that says 'if it ain't broke don't fix it'.
In Jamaican parlance it simply means if nutten nuh wrong wid it leff it alone'.
The Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) should heed these sayings and leave well enough alone as far as the naming of the head coach for the national team is concerned.
So far, Theodore Whitmore has not put a foot wrong in his interim role, leading the team to back-to-back wins over Mexico and Honduras in crucial World Cup qualifying matches to keep the country's slim hopes of advancing to the final stages of CONCACAF qualifying alive.
After firing Brazilian Rene Simoes as the coach of the team, the JFF named Barnes as his replacement effective November 1 as Barnes had contractual obligations to take care of.
With Barnes set to take over the job on November 1, just over two weeks before the Reggae Boyz are to face Canada in their final game in this stage, the JFF made their second best decision by keeping Whitmore at the helm.
The JFF does not deserve any applause for this decision as it was a 'no brainer' .
The decision the JFF must make now is to keep Whitmore in the job for the long term.
If it means investing in him by sending him away to some European club or country to get him certified, then so be it.
Barnes could take over the role of technical director, which in civilised, modern football is more administrative as opposed to guiding the national senior team in training and in games.
Barnes should be the person in the background drawing up the blue print for Jamaica's football that Simoes promised nearly 15 years ago and which we are yet to see.
Obviously one of the reasons the JFF went for Barnes was his perceived ability to get corporate Jamaica to open their cheque books and continue sponsoring the Reggae Boyz. It is also obvious that unless someone comes with a foreign accent, pedigree or no, the sponsors are more willing to support him than one who has been home-grown and who may be better than the import.
Whatever role the JFF sees for Barnes, they need to allow Whitmore to continue coaching the team on a day-to-day basis even after November 19, during the upcoming Digicel Caribbean Cup and onwards.
What more does he need to prove? Four games in an interim capacity have yielded four wins and no goals against, including two must-win games against tough Central American oppositions, something not even Rene 'Jesus saves' Simoes managed to do.
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