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**Tilla** · January 18, 2007, 10:24 AM

RE: Overseas-based players a must

Good article.

Assassin, over to you sah.

**Karl** · January 18, 2007, 10:37 AM

RE: Overseas-based players a must

[quote]Mosiah (1/18/2007)Overseas-based players a must
published: Thursday | January 18, 2007 <DIV class=KonaBody xVlvo="true">

When Jamaica made its historical debut at the 1998 World Cup in France, seven players in the 22-man squad were based overseas.

In fact, some of them had never even set foot in the country before the qualification process began.

Full of hope, the nation now turns its eye to South Africa 2010, and the issue of using overseas-based players versus local ones will no doubt once again slip back into the limelight.

The question remains: Is there anything wrong with using players who had no previous link to the nation other than by birth or parentage, to the extent that home-grown talent will not be exposed (at the international level)?

Prior to the 1998 campaign the issue was never a significant one, despite the fact that Jamaica have been attempting to qualify for the world's premier sporting event since 1965.

Those squads were predominantly local-based, but the fact remains that before the successful 1998 campaign, which was the first to employ significant use of overseas talent, Jamaica remained in relative obscurity from the standpoint of international football.

The basketball fraternity faced a similar issue the other day when, for the first time in their history, they won the Caribbean Amateur Basketball Association Championships with both the men's and women's teams.

Murmurs

The murmurs coming from some of the crowd, and even some members of the administration then, was the same for football in 1998, as only five players from a combined total of both squads plied their trade locally.

But, let's face the truth, while the idea of a purely or mostly local squad taking us to the highest levels of sport is a noble one, it never has, and will perhaps never be, a realistic one.

Apart from concrete examples of consistent failure, theoretically, any nation that competes internationally should always wish to put its best foot forward, and this will always include players taking part in the game at a higher level.

While there is certainly no denying that our home-grown players have the talent, they not only suffer from a lack of quality coaching but also from a lack of quality competition.

This fact alone makes it difficult, if not impossible, to compete with opponents who not only have first-class development facilities available, but also are consistently exposed to both.

The issue, which speaks to the local players taking the team to the big dance and then locked out of it, is not uniquely a Jamaican scenario and will exist forever in sports, which has winning as its primary objective.

Big business

Once better and more experienced players are available we have to use them. Any notion of loyalty to the ones that got you to this point does not count; sports is, after all, a big business.

Nonetheless, the existence of a strong local contingent will doubtlessly be crucial in this qualification campaign, and the experience of new technical director, Velibor 'Bora' Milutinovic, is already beginning to come to the fore as he has been scouting around for the best local talent available.

Bora himself expertly pointed out when asked if he had got a chance to look at any of the overseas players:

"I don't really need to they already play for big clubs and we know that they are good, I will focus here," he said.

The home-grown talent, just as they were in 1998, will after all need to be the core of any successful Reggae Boyz team.

However, there can be nothing wrong with including a few overseas gems. After all, the best way to expose local talent is on the world's biggest stage, and to get there you will

**Tilla** · January 18, 2007, 11:28 AM

RE: Overseas-based players a must

When you use quote, why do you always do the entire article? It actually defeats the purpose of quoting as it is not highlighting any specific part of the initial post. It is like you are forcing us to read the entire thing again. . .

How things outta Shady Pines?

**GaryD** · January 18, 2007, 12:29 PM

RE: Overseas-based players a must

At the heart of this are 2 issues in my mind: 1) Getting our poor down trodden brethens out of the poverty that so many of them/us are in. 2)The team should be represented by those born and bred on the island.

Let's focus on #2 which I think is the source of most of the angst and a driver of #1. Given that we are not an ethnic group and don't have a single home grown somewhat unique religionfollowed by the majority of us (bigotry towards rasta), how the heck do we define who is a Jamaican. Is it simply being born on the island? Is it attitudinal

?For meit's simply based on the law the pre-dates WC France, which is anyone of Jamaican parentage (used to be just father) born in or out of the island can claim their Jamaican national identity represented by a passport. this means we don't have to have a birth certificate in Spanish Town. Which btw, some of us born on the island and still on the island don't have one. So even that definition would be less than absolute.

From the economic perspective and given the limited population in JA, I would also ask who is helping to prop up our economy thru consumption. To whom is most of our food export going? Who are the people consuming the products from that Bermudan company (Grace). BTW, I would also note that Grace's "Discover Your Jamaican Heritage Program" is discriminatory in that if you were born and bred in JA and are pursuing your college degree, you don't qualify. I wonder what they are trying to do? (rhetorical)...market expansion by capturing a new generation that wasn't force fed their ketchup???

So the bottom line is that defining Jakans as narrowly as the "yu no born ya, mi naa left ya,"advocates, I think sub-optimizes our potentialboth on the field and economically. In that I think we are on teh same page.

Guidance

**Assasin** · January 18, 2007, 12:35 PM

RE: Overseas-based players a must

mi have nothing against the foriegn players as long as we bring them in in due time and play a few friendly and no bother with nuh Jason Euell savior thing at the last minute.

When foriegn based players come in them must go back with homework so they can add something to the squad.

Too many last minute addition when we have no confidence and so far it hasn't worked. There is only one Maradona, and one Pele and none a dem nuh deh a England yah now. We need to prepare and then get people who add something, not to undeprepared and then look for savior from foriegn.

**Tilla** · January 18, 2007, 12:54 PM

RE: Overseas-based players a must

<SPAN id=_ctl1_ctlTopic_ctlPanelBar_ctlTopicsRepeater__c tl3_lblFullMessage>mi have nothing against the foriegn players as long as we bring them in in due time and play a few friendly and no bother with nuh Jason Euell savior thing at the last minute.</SPAN>

Remember, it was not the JFF's or Jason's fault why he came in at the last minute. It was FIFA's hold up why we had to wait so long for the man to get clearance.

I think it is up tothe technical staff to decide if and when to bring in other players.

**Assasin** · January 18, 2007, 01:01 PM

RE: Overseas-based players a must

Tilla you say it simple. It is also up to the TD how he Boyz perform and we see how they do with lack of preparation and rush last minute call up. It don't help against good teams.

Man a come off a plane inna them pretty boots alone nah go save we. It never did, from Lennie Dennis till now.

It takes good prepartion at home and then include the players who can help and place them in a system thatthey can add to.

**Mosiah** · January 18, 2007, 01:36 PM

RE: Overseas-based players a must

GaryD (1/18/2007) BTW, I would also note that Grace's "Discover Your Jamaican Heritage Program" is discriminatory in that if you were born and bred in JA and are pursuing your college degree, you don't qualify. I wonder what they are trying to do? (rhetorical)...market expansion by capturing a new generation that wasn't force fed their ketchup???

Sound arguments and that ketchup line was hilarious!

**Siya** · January 18, 2007, 01:57 PM

RE: Overseas-based players a must

This article just makes no sense. There are Jamaicans like Ricardo Gardner, Luton Shelton, Teofore Bennett, Shavar Thomas etc, playing for clubs overseas. There are also players like Daryl Powell (Morning Mosiah) Richard Langley Joel Grant who are not from Jamaica weren't developed in anyway by Jamaica but are put out on the football field as Jamaican players sometimes in a hurried Haphazard way where theyarent even made to try out to show if they are international quality.

Before we start up any empty arguments/cussing over this empty article can we do what the author should have done to make his article good - please lower the claws and differentiate between the overseas players who are causing the controversy because I haven't seen anyone except Tony Becca suggesting thatClaudeor Bibior Luton should not play for Jamaica!

**Mosiah** · January 18, 2007, 02:06 PM

RE: Overseas-based players a must

<DIV>From the Luton interview:</DIV><DIV></DIV><DIV>MM: Okay. We saw the clip on the website. Good goal!
With the Gold Cup coming up, you have some big plans, big hopes for that tournament?

LS: Yeah, big hopes. Praying and hoping that I get enough games because you know a lot of overseas players are going to come over.

MM: What do you think about that?

LS: I don’t think it is necessary because the local-based players playing very good sides and winning, so I don’t think we really need the overseas players because the overseas players feel like they have achieved everything already and come in with the star mentality thing and when they are here they are gone to one place leaving the rest of the players. Local based players stay together and play hungry and show you that they want it. Overseas players play like they already achieved what they wanted to achieve.
</DIV><DIV>It's the hurried, haphazard inclusion that many of us dislike. It comes from an assumption that this player must be good because he plays in the EPL or the Champs League. Crap! Even if he is good, he just might not be a good fit for the team, sorry, TEAM! </DIV><DIV></DIV><DIV>Surely, Luton did not just exclude himself by the above statement. Then again, if him come back with a "dun rich arready" attitude, better him stay whey him deh!</DIV>

**Siya** · January 18, 2007, 02:14 PM

RE: Overseas-based players a must

Oops you mus a wonder why Iwas calling your name beside Darryl Powell - You should know I made a mistake and wrote Powell instead of our friend the great Marcus Gayle...

**Mosiah** · January 18, 2007, 02:16 PM

RE: Overseas-based players a must

I was wondering. However, I didn't have much ratings for Powell either!

**Siya** · January 18, 2007, 02:44 PM

RE: Overseas-based players a must

and Powell did haffi start too. I never saw one game where he looked anything like a man who belonged in the international arena.

I didn't rate him he was a quality player -just not for Jamaica on the other other handGayle and Langley took the cake. I remember how peed off I was when I read of Richard Langley mulling on his website over whether or not he should play for Jamaica. He decided to forgo his England National team career:P I guess and came to play for Jamaica.

He started with a bang scoring out of midfield in two friendlies but then came the meaningful games Gold Cup etcand this man who was given the luxury to decide whether or not to play for us slowlyshowedhis true caliberand quickly played his way onto the bench then back into lower leaguedom. And some UB 40 lover bout ya still have him in their starting eleven...

**Karl** · January 18, 2007, 02:51 PM

RE: Overseas-based players a must

Assasin (1/18/2007)mi have nothing against the foriegn players as long as we bring them in in due time and play a few friendly and no bother with nuh Jason Euell savior thing at the last minute.

The above suggestslocal born added at the last minute is OK!

What a :w00t: ...????

We need to prepare and then get people who add something, not to undeprepared and then look for savior from foriegn.

What?

We all know the underpreparating of our teamsfrom 2001 through to the present -(Do we know if Bora's TEAM will be prepared? As far as I know he has notevengot a squad?) - has brought us...as the writer mentioned...persistent failure! (tdown)

Massa: We need to prepare! End of story! (tup)

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