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Birthday boy Morrison aims to flourish in midfield
by Andre Lowe Observer staff reporter lowea@jamaicaobserver.com
Sunday, June 07, 2009
When Hungary-based midfield enforcer Jason Morrison suits up for the Reggae Boyz in today's friendly against Panama at the National Stadium, not only will he be celebrating his 25th birthday, but he will also be confirming his status as a key element in the John Barnes-coached squad.
Morrison, who plays for the recently promoted Ferencvaros in Hungary's top league, has excelled under the tutelage of Liverpool legend Barnes and has been a revelation in recent friendly internationals.
Morrison... pleased with performance with national team
With a signature style that pairs intelligent positioning with gentle aggression and composure, Morrison's career has blossomed in recent years to much recognition.
His impressive domestic form did not only alert the local technical 'Hivatalos' (Hungarian translation for 'officials'), but also gripped the attention of several English clubs such as Sheffield United with whom he had a trial stint in 2006 before joining Belgium outfit White Star Woluwe.
Hardly possessing the physical attributes to match his dominant style of play, the former Village and Portmore United standout has made a habit of disturbing opposing advances and chopping down attacks with mechanical efficiency and is steadily earning a reputation as the nation's chief midfield 'bully'.
However, things weren't always looking up for the Morrison who has had to overcome the challenge of settling in a distant country and coping with the rigours of high level competition.
Said Morrison: "At first it was very difficult but after a while I think I fitted in very well. I was in Belgium before and the food was pretty much the same as what I saw in Hungary; the language was an issue but it wasn't too bad because I have an English-speaking coach and a lot of English-speaking teammates."
Now comfortably over the acclimatisation bump, Morrison is focusing his energy on cementing his place in the national set-up and is looking to take his craft to a new level in anticipation of greater opportunities on the horizon.
"At the moment I'm pleased with my performances with the national team. I feel like I'm improving and growing in confidence after each game so I'm pretty satisfied, but I still hope to do better because I know I must improve if I'm going to achieve my goals," Morrison said.
"I think I've been doing very well. I get a lot of positive feedback from the coach and I continue to try and improve." he added.
With English football knocking on his door, Morrison - who has not been on a losing team in over a year - is trying hard to focus on the task at hand: success at this year's CONCACAF Gold Cup, a feat he believe is well within the Jamaicans' grasp.
"We stand a very good chance of winning the tournament. Jamaica is one of the best teams in the CONCACAF even though we're not in the World Cup, but this is a great opportunity to lift the Gold Cup (considering the) players that we have," said Morrison.
by Andre Lowe Observer staff reporter lowea@jamaicaobserver.com
Sunday, June 07, 2009
When Hungary-based midfield enforcer Jason Morrison suits up for the Reggae Boyz in today's friendly against Panama at the National Stadium, not only will he be celebrating his 25th birthday, but he will also be confirming his status as a key element in the John Barnes-coached squad.
Morrison, who plays for the recently promoted Ferencvaros in Hungary's top league, has excelled under the tutelage of Liverpool legend Barnes and has been a revelation in recent friendly internationals.
Morrison... pleased with performance with national team With a signature style that pairs intelligent positioning with gentle aggression and composure, Morrison's career has blossomed in recent years to much recognition.
His impressive domestic form did not only alert the local technical 'Hivatalos' (Hungarian translation for 'officials'), but also gripped the attention of several English clubs such as Sheffield United with whom he had a trial stint in 2006 before joining Belgium outfit White Star Woluwe.
Hardly possessing the physical attributes to match his dominant style of play, the former Village and Portmore United standout has made a habit of disturbing opposing advances and chopping down attacks with mechanical efficiency and is steadily earning a reputation as the nation's chief midfield 'bully'.
However, things weren't always looking up for the Morrison who has had to overcome the challenge of settling in a distant country and coping with the rigours of high level competition.
Said Morrison: "At first it was very difficult but after a while I think I fitted in very well. I was in Belgium before and the food was pretty much the same as what I saw in Hungary; the language was an issue but it wasn't too bad because I have an English-speaking coach and a lot of English-speaking teammates."
Now comfortably over the acclimatisation bump, Morrison is focusing his energy on cementing his place in the national set-up and is looking to take his craft to a new level in anticipation of greater opportunities on the horizon.
"At the moment I'm pleased with my performances with the national team. I feel like I'm improving and growing in confidence after each game so I'm pretty satisfied, but I still hope to do better because I know I must improve if I'm going to achieve my goals," Morrison said.
"I think I've been doing very well. I get a lot of positive feedback from the coach and I continue to try and improve." he added.
With English football knocking on his door, Morrison - who has not been on a losing team in over a year - is trying hard to focus on the task at hand: success at this year's CONCACAF Gold Cup, a feat he believe is well within the Jamaicans' grasp.
"We stand a very good chance of winning the tournament. Jamaica is one of the best teams in the CONCACAF even though we're not in the World Cup, but this is a great opportunity to lift the Gold Cup (considering the) players that we have," said Morrison.