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Tegat booted again by crisis-ridden Village
PAUL A REID, Observer Writer reidp@jamaicaobserver.com
Friday, January 16, 2009
DAVIS... there are lots of things going on, but I don't want to say anything right now
FALMOUTH, Trelawny - Paul 'Tegat' Davis was yesterday fired as coach of bottom-placed Digicel Premier League club, Village United, after just seven games in charge.
Under Davis, the Trelawny club earned just two points while scoring four goals, dropping to last place after being beaten 1-0 by Sporting Central Academy at Elliston Wakeland Centre on Wednesday.
Village and Sporting are each on 14 points, but the latter have a superior goal difference.
Village, who are also seeking international clearance for national striker Teofore Bennett, will play Reno at home on Sunday and unless a new coach is named, assistant Mervin White will give orders from the sidelines.
To make matters worse, the club has lost two of its top executives - Steve Bennett, who resigned late last year, and Glen Lawrence, who handed in his resignation on Monday.
When contacted yesterday, all three individuals confirmed what the Observer had learnt. At first, Davis referred the Observer to the club's management but then admitted he was asked to step aside.
"When I took over the club was in disarray... there are lots of things going on, but I don't want to say anything right now," he said.
Davis' failure to travel with the team for a match in Kingston against Waterhouse sparked speculations that there was unrest, but this was denied by both coach and club.
The explanation then was that he was suffering from a stomach upset and did not want to travel.
His dismissal makes him the sixth coaching decision taken by the Trelawny club since the start of last season. Davis was the fourth coach hired by the club last year and took them from last place to security, going unbeaten for a long stretch late in the season.
The former national striker, however, failed to come to a financial agreement with the club at the start of this season and was replaced by another former coach, Dr Dean Weatherly.
After an opening game defeat against Harbour View away, Village, managed to garner 11 points from their next six games and challenged for a top three spot but faltered late in the first round, losing three of their last four games, which cost Weatherly his job.
Reports reaching the Observer are that there are a number of internal squabbles threatening to rip the club apart, but efforts to contact a member of the executive proved futile yesterday.
Lawrence, who has been with the club for the past five years, did confirm there were differences between members of the executive, but said it was not "one issue" why he decided to throw in the towel.
The hotel executive said his decision came after a "culmination of management decisions over a litany of issues".
"Prudent decisions in the best interest of the club were made but not acted on," he said, adding that this situation "threatened the very viability of the club".
He insisted that he was not walking away because of the club's poor results, pointing out that the club had been in dire straights as recently as last season and at one point they had five points after 17 games.
The present position of the club, he said, was not as bad as it looked despite being in last place. "A couple of wins and good results and they are back in mid-table," he suggested.
Bennett, who was club president, said he resigned from last year for "personal reasons" which prevented him from giving his total commitment.
PAUL A REID, Observer Writer reidp@jamaicaobserver.com
Friday, January 16, 2009
DAVIS... there are lots of things going on, but I don't want to say anything right now
FALMOUTH, Trelawny - Paul 'Tegat' Davis was yesterday fired as coach of bottom-placed Digicel Premier League club, Village United, after just seven games in charge.
Under Davis, the Trelawny club earned just two points while scoring four goals, dropping to last place after being beaten 1-0 by Sporting Central Academy at Elliston Wakeland Centre on Wednesday.
Village and Sporting are each on 14 points, but the latter have a superior goal difference.
Village, who are also seeking international clearance for national striker Teofore Bennett, will play Reno at home on Sunday and unless a new coach is named, assistant Mervin White will give orders from the sidelines.
To make matters worse, the club has lost two of its top executives - Steve Bennett, who resigned late last year, and Glen Lawrence, who handed in his resignation on Monday.
When contacted yesterday, all three individuals confirmed what the Observer had learnt. At first, Davis referred the Observer to the club's management but then admitted he was asked to step aside.
"When I took over the club was in disarray... there are lots of things going on, but I don't want to say anything right now," he said.
Davis' failure to travel with the team for a match in Kingston against Waterhouse sparked speculations that there was unrest, but this was denied by both coach and club.
The explanation then was that he was suffering from a stomach upset and did not want to travel.
His dismissal makes him the sixth coaching decision taken by the Trelawny club since the start of last season. Davis was the fourth coach hired by the club last year and took them from last place to security, going unbeaten for a long stretch late in the season.
The former national striker, however, failed to come to a financial agreement with the club at the start of this season and was replaced by another former coach, Dr Dean Weatherly.
After an opening game defeat against Harbour View away, Village, managed to garner 11 points from their next six games and challenged for a top three spot but faltered late in the first round, losing three of their last four games, which cost Weatherly his job.
Reports reaching the Observer are that there are a number of internal squabbles threatening to rip the club apart, but efforts to contact a member of the executive proved futile yesterday.
Lawrence, who has been with the club for the past five years, did confirm there were differences between members of the executive, but said it was not "one issue" why he decided to throw in the towel.
The hotel executive said his decision came after a "culmination of management decisions over a litany of issues".
"Prudent decisions in the best interest of the club were made but not acted on," he said, adding that this situation "threatened the very viability of the club".
He insisted that he was not walking away because of the club's poor results, pointing out that the club had been in dire straights as recently as last season and at one point they had five points after 17 games.
The present position of the club, he said, was not as bad as it looked despite being in last place. "A couple of wins and good results and they are back in mid-table," he suggested.
Bennett, who was club president, said he resigned from last year for "personal reasons" which prevented him from giving his total commitment.
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