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GEORGETOWN, Cayman Islands – The Reggae Boyz will on Sunday evening get a truer test of their readiness for the Digicel Caribbean championship when they meet the Cayman Islands national team on the final day of a week-long training camp. Game time is 7:00pm.
This game will come two days after hurricane Paloma kept everyone on the islands indoors and robbed the Reggae Boys of two days training. Coach John Barnes however expects no ill-effects from the missed training sessions.
“There has been no ill-effects of our not training for two days. In fact I think the rest should do them some good,” Barnes said of his charges on Saturday following their morning training session at the Annex Football Field in Georgetown.
The Reggae boyz looked a confident bunch during their training session as they moved the ball around fluidly with Rodolph Austin and Ricardo Cousins in particular looking composed in midfield. Barnes is expecting them to take that confidence into tomorrow’s game.
“The players should be going in with confidence despite not training for two days but we trained on Saturday morning.
“I am confident in them and as long as they continue to do what we have been working on, then their quality will shine through,” Barnes said.
While Barnes is brimming with confidence the man who will be on the opposition’s bench, Carl Brown is expecting a tough encounter.
“This will be very tough. It is the highest ranked team that we will face since I have been in charge of this team. Technically they are the best team we will be playing against and that I think will make it tough,” said Brown whose team has climbed 22 places up the FIFA ladder since he took charge over a year ago.
Brown is hoping that his knowledge of the Jamaican players and the team will make his job a little easier, having been an almost consistent presence around the team for close to two decades.
“The fact that I know most of these players and have coached a number of them has given me a fair idea of what we need to do but our success will depend on how we execute and how prepared the players are,” he said.
Traditionally the Reggae Boyz have always had the better of the Cayman Islands team but in 1994 they pulled off a major upset with the Ramoon brothers, Lee and Anthony playing a crucial role in that victory. This time around however the Cayman Islands are lacking that talismanic type player.
“There is no real dominant player in the team but I think young Fa.gan and Gary Whittaker are two of the better players. Whittaker is one of those players who came up after Lee and Anthony Ramoon. I do not think they have lived up to their potential and I think one of the problems with Cayman football is that they lack role models,” Brown lamented.
While they are lacking that leadership on the field Brown is hoping is players would have been spurred on by the display of the Jamaican team against the Cayman Islands All-Stars on Wednesday last.
“The good thing about Wednesday’s game is that the entire team watched the game. They need no more motivation than that. What I think will also motivate them is the fact that they are playing a top team. The fact that I am their coach as well should play a role as well as their desire to get a good result,” Brown said.
But while Brown is expecting his team to rise to the occasion, Barnes is expecting a clinical performance from his Boyz.
“If we keep the football and dominate possession we will create more chances and prevent them from scoring. I am satisfied with what I have seen so far based on how they played on Wednesday and how they trained on Saturday morning. The more I see them the more they seem to be picking up what I have been trying to impart so it is good so I am looking forward to a good display,” the Watford and Liverpool Legend said.
Jamaica’s possible starting lineup: Shawn Sawyers, Jermaine Taylor, Keniel Moodie, Eric Vernan, Lance Laing, Rodolph Austin, Ricardo Cousins, Nicholy Finlayson, Jermaine Hue, Omar Cummings and Roland Dean.
This game will come two days after hurricane Paloma kept everyone on the islands indoors and robbed the Reggae Boys of two days training. Coach John Barnes however expects no ill-effects from the missed training sessions.
“There has been no ill-effects of our not training for two days. In fact I think the rest should do them some good,” Barnes said of his charges on Saturday following their morning training session at the Annex Football Field in Georgetown.
The Reggae boyz looked a confident bunch during their training session as they moved the ball around fluidly with Rodolph Austin and Ricardo Cousins in particular looking composed in midfield. Barnes is expecting them to take that confidence into tomorrow’s game.
“The players should be going in with confidence despite not training for two days but we trained on Saturday morning.
“I am confident in them and as long as they continue to do what we have been working on, then their quality will shine through,” Barnes said.
While Barnes is brimming with confidence the man who will be on the opposition’s bench, Carl Brown is expecting a tough encounter.
“This will be very tough. It is the highest ranked team that we will face since I have been in charge of this team. Technically they are the best team we will be playing against and that I think will make it tough,” said Brown whose team has climbed 22 places up the FIFA ladder since he took charge over a year ago.
Brown is hoping that his knowledge of the Jamaican players and the team will make his job a little easier, having been an almost consistent presence around the team for close to two decades.
“The fact that I know most of these players and have coached a number of them has given me a fair idea of what we need to do but our success will depend on how we execute and how prepared the players are,” he said.
Traditionally the Reggae Boyz have always had the better of the Cayman Islands team but in 1994 they pulled off a major upset with the Ramoon brothers, Lee and Anthony playing a crucial role in that victory. This time around however the Cayman Islands are lacking that talismanic type player.
“There is no real dominant player in the team but I think young Fa.gan and Gary Whittaker are two of the better players. Whittaker is one of those players who came up after Lee and Anthony Ramoon. I do not think they have lived up to their potential and I think one of the problems with Cayman football is that they lack role models,” Brown lamented.
While they are lacking that leadership on the field Brown is hoping is players would have been spurred on by the display of the Jamaican team against the Cayman Islands All-Stars on Wednesday last.
“The good thing about Wednesday’s game is that the entire team watched the game. They need no more motivation than that. What I think will also motivate them is the fact that they are playing a top team. The fact that I am their coach as well should play a role as well as their desire to get a good result,” Brown said.
But while Brown is expecting his team to rise to the occasion, Barnes is expecting a clinical performance from his Boyz.
“If we keep the football and dominate possession we will create more chances and prevent them from scoring. I am satisfied with what I have seen so far based on how they played on Wednesday and how they trained on Saturday morning. The more I see them the more they seem to be picking up what I have been trying to impart so it is good so I am looking forward to a good display,” the Watford and Liverpool Legend said.
Jamaica’s possible starting lineup: Shawn Sawyers, Jermaine Taylor, Keniel Moodie, Eric Vernan, Lance Laing, Rodolph Austin, Ricardo Cousins, Nicholy Finlayson, Jermaine Hue, Omar Cummings and Roland Dean.
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