Hats off to Wendell Downswell for continuing to take Jamaic

[Sir X]

Hats off to Wendell Downswell for continuing to take Jamaica into FIFA tournaments

**A Brief History about Wendell Downswell
**
Playing career
**
High school and college

Downswell played for and attended St. Elizabeth Technical High School in Jamaica. He then completed his degree in Physical Education at G.C. Foster College in Spanish Town, Jamaica.

Professional

Downswell played for Reno F.C. in the Jamaica National Premiere League as a winger.

International

From 1976, Downswell made several appearances for the Jamaica national football team.

Coaching career
**
Downswell has traveled extensively to the United States, Germany, Paraguay, Brazil and other countries to participate in numerous coaching certifications courses and programs. He is also currently the lead instructor for the JFF Coaching Program.

St. Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS)

In 2007, He also joined the St. Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS) football coach staff as technical director.

Reno F.C.

Downswell had been involved in the coaching department of Reno F.C. since 1985.

Jamaica Youth National Teams

Under the guidance and recommendation of Rene Simoes, Downswell was selected to coach the u20 national team in 2000 and held that position until 2005. In 2001, he coached Jamaica U20 national team at the 2001 FIFA World Youth Championship. He rejoined the youth national team staff from 2007–2008 and again in 2010. During the 2007 Pan Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, he led his squad to team to a silver medal. In 2010, He led the Jamaica u17 national team tour in São Paulo, Brazil ahead of the 2011 CONCACAF U17 finals where they qualified for the FIFA U 17 WC in Mexico

Jamaica Senior national teams

During his time as national team head coach, he won the 2005 Caribbean Cup title and made the quarterfinals of the 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup. Downswell also serves as an assistant national coach of Jamaica to Theodore Whitmore.
**
What is remarkable about this qualification to the U17 World Cup in Mexico is the manner in which Jamaica qualified for this FIFA tournament. Given an initial three week preparation tour in Brazil by the JFF and its Brazilian contacts, extended to 6 weeks a short period of time to prepare any team. Wendell Downswell qualified Jamaican for this prestigious tournament. A tournament where Jamaica will expose it youths to football scouts from around the world.


The personal misguided attacks directed at W.D and the team for its style of play in qualifying for this tournament can only be looked at for what it really is ignorance! In truth a miracle was achieved .Given the short time they had to prepare for said tournament. While the powerful elite in concacaf, Mexico and the USA have multimillion dollar youth academies. These elite youths are in camp on a yearly basis, where system and tactical play can be executed to perfection. Jamaica on the other hand has a program that can at best afford when on good terms, financially sporadic training camps to Brazil. To execute some would say the impossible, consistent qualification to FIFA tournaments.

W.D clearly made reference to this in Brazil when commenting on the youths adapting to a change of pace. "When we reflect on the early games and the youngsters realized the movements of the Brazilians and their pace, we knew with time, we would get just as good as them.”

**
This view is supported by Horace Reid of the JFF "Players learn more through competing situations, therefore exposure to a professional environment will have a lasting impact on these boys. A training camp in Jamaica even with perfect facilities is never equitable," Reid pointed out.
**
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Not taking anything away from our young boyz and Wendell Downswell but the impossible was achieved, a miracle was granted and Jamaica did qualify for another FIFA tournament under the guidance of the brilliant Wendell Downswell.He also did it in 2000 under the guidance of technical director Rene Simoes. Given the hack and chop preparation granted by the JFF, unless you believe that we have a national youth program equipped to consistently compete with the elites in concacaf and consistently qualify for FIFA tournaments, W.D accomplished some would say a miracle.
**

It is comparable to carrying water in a basket and guess what W.D took some home for Jamaica to drink and quench its thirst for FIFA tournaments.
This seems to be a part of our football culture, a problem ingrained in our national psyche, we expect the impossible and miracles to be attained on a regular basis and if these objectives are not achieved we blame the individuals instead of the tools and environment where the task is delegated.

**
I call for the JFF to implement the academy as soon as possible and work in unison with ISSA to harness the best, so that qualification isnt a miracle or a mission impossible but a normal believable objective.

The JFF neds to aggresively solicit our business and governmental leaders to get involved. It was reported that all the hotels were filled for this recent FIFA U17 tournament in Jamaica and over a million us dollars was made. It’s a win win situation for the JFF to advocate for `so Jamaica can continue to invest in and develop the young Wendell Downswells of the Islands.

[Sir X]

Sorry bout some a di typos , but it was a hack and chop job , trying to post a miracle masterpiece.

[Tilla]

Is that the rough draft? If so, then good start.

[Sir X]

Yuh lucky.

[Farmah]

Hats off to Coach Downswell. He did well to qualify the young Boyz and he deserves all accolades for that. I am excited that one of our own steered the ship to WC-Mexico, and even considering the brief time (six weeks) in which he had to do it some say it's "a miracle."

However, looking back on 1999 and 2001 I am still left to wonder what is the object here! Are we selling ourselves short? Do we want to go to the youth world cup to boast that we have been there? And then where is the continuity? Where is the upward mobility for these players who go there to rub shoulders as others have done with the likes of Ronaldinho, Anderson, Christiano Ronaldo, Fabregas, Essien et al? Are we satisified spending all these millions to go there and lose the games without learning anything or making any statement?

Many questions there are but I'm faced with the reality that there is no FIFA reimbursement and all we are doing if our players gain nothing from this, is attending the ball and spending millions that the JFF can barely afford.

We have many talented players. Yet, they were made to look inept against a Panama team which schooled them in marking, passing accurately, making the right passing decision, keeping shape etc. We did not just walk around the island and pick players whom we considered to be talented. We selected from players who have been involved in active competitions. But the bad habits were clear in the way they played. And after 6 weeks in Brasil one would've expected better. I hate to think of how they would've played had they not been to that camp in Brasil.

Many here hold WD40 in high esteem and it's hard to blame them because, in fairness, he did well to quality the team. But is that all we are looking for? Not me! I want to see us win a couple games and surprise some folks.

X said, "the impossible was achieved, a miracle was granted!" I see it differently! I believe we should be doing this on a regular basis if we intend to be named among the CONCACAF elite. We have been at this since 1994/5 honing, nurturing and building a football culture. What is the hold up? We have regressed in some areas while other teams whack the crap out of us. Coach Downswell has taken us far and I salute him but if we plan to rise above the accepted level in Jamaica, then we need better teachers/coaches, and that's the way I see it.

[Sir X]

Better teachers and coaches in a stagnant enviroment leaves naught......WD,fergie,mourinho,rafa cannot change that....thats the jff responsibility

[Tilla]

Farmah, I agree with you wholeheartedly. I have refrained from telling it as I see it right now because I do not want to rain on anyone's parade.

The truth be told though, there is a lot of improvement needed to get this team in a position where they can just compete when they get to the WC. For me, the least I would demand of this team is to be able to maintain possession of the ball when they get it. So many times they get the ball, they make the first pass, then the second and the third is usually to an opponent. Their opponents do not have to fight to win the ball from them! Secondly, when it comes to set pieces, we seem unprepared as a team. The ball is just kicked aimlessly and the attacking players only stay in one position and not even attacking the ball. Thirdly, there are some players on the team who still think that once they get the ball, it should be an opportunity to show off their dribbling skills. They only play the ball to a teammate when they find themselves in a position where they are cornered.

I think if they focus on some of the fundamentals of the game, they should be able to put up a respectable showing as I think the individual talent is there. I hope Downswell can turn things around buy the time Mexico rolls around, or it is not going to be pretty.

[Karl]

Coach Downswell has taken us far

Yes, indeed!

...and I salute him but if we plan to rise above the accepted level in Jamaica, then we need better teachers/coaches, and that's the way I see it.

...did you say Wendell had the players for 6 weeks?

Well my take is, even a god would not be able to do better in 6 weeks. So I suggest a program modeled on the one the US uses. ...a continuous preparation that starts from the kids are introduced to the game...through to age-group matches where the best continue on together on continuous preparations...to also adding a diet of international matches.

As far as I am concerned these US players have been preparing from at least age 10. The matter of "passing and moving", "maintaining shape" ..."playing TEAM"...touring the world and playing quality games has been unending! ...they are, as fact, being prepared for one day steping into the national senior TEAM...a continuous process.

Poor Wendell with his 6 weeks and players who would not know "passing and moving"..."maintaining shape"..."playing TEAM" if as it did when they met the opponents in the just concluded U-17 tournament, hit them over the head.

6 weeks against years in a quality system? ...and some claim it i the coach who must go...not the Jamaica system that must be improved?????

Aaaaah bwoy? ...but the blind cannot see!
It is not Wendell...it is the coaches at the lower levels and the failure of the JFF to put a quality system in place.

This nonsense of a few weeks intense work being expected to erase years of conditioned (reflex) bad habits is just plain ridiculous.

Talent abounds! ..yes, Wendell can improve! Hell he is man and man never stops learning! ...but looking at 6 weeks of work and expecting it to produce what years of expert work does, does not seem reasonable.

[Don1]

exactly

[Lionpaw]

Although WD is a way better coach than Carl Brown is(along with half of the Jamaican population), I still dont really rate him.

[Sir X]

The issue isnt if we rate him , but given the enviroment that he operates in , even a rated coach i.e Laza, Rene would lament the working enviroment.

Lets not forget when Rene walked the 1st time he lamented the hacking and chopping of the program post WC 98 and it contributed to the break down of a working relationship with Burrell, Laza came and declared it as hacking and chopping, Clovis said the same thing, I remember Clovis saying he only gets his players a couple days before a WC qualifier and he hasnt the luxury of friendlies because the JFF was broke.

Who in their right mind expect perfection or close to it in 6 weeks ? well its my opinion dem neva play ball inna dem life.

[Jawge]

While the powerful elite in concacaf, Mexico and the USA have multimillion dollar youth academies. These elite youths are in camp on a yearly basis, where system and tactical play can be executed to perfection. Jamaica on the other hand has a program that can at best afford when on good terms, financially sporadic training camps to Brazil. To execute some would say the impossible, consistent qualification to FIFA tournaments

.

What is it with this inferority complex? Sad to say this is what's passed on to the players. " a juss chue dem P.... haff money mek dem ah gwaan so, if wi did haff money... yada yada.

You were around in the Golden age of the forum and the foundation of my argument then (and still is today) if it was wealth Saudi Arabia and other wealthy nations would have won the WC many times over. When Ja beat Mexico and outplayed the US in RFK (97), was the US poor and Ja rich then? I would advise you to seek better excuses to shore up WD's glaring defeciencies. Your argument is weak.

Truth be told; Ja is not poor (yes you heard it here first, more on this over by everything side)

[Sir X]

All that was achieved in a 6 weeks training camp for free on pure natural talent ?....aaaaaah boooooy !

Your reference to Saudia Arabia is laughable winning the world cup isnt about the myopic essential of money , no one said that , it cannot be bought !It can only be achieved by implementing a system and winning it isnt gauranteed.How you use that developed talent is the key in that system to achieve winning the WC.

That being said they have qualified on numerous occasion with the intention i believe of winning it with thier system.

I believe it cost some money , Is that not true?

Saudia Arabia has done well with its system.

1994 Round of 16
1998 Group Stage
2002 Group Stage
2006 Group Stage

[Me]

But you don't think the coach plays a big role? Walter Gamma's teams looked good against CONCACAF competition. From under 17 to under 20, possession, shape and movement off the ball was never a problem until they got to the World Cup where everything was much faster. and those teams did not get as much funding as this one.

Congrats to Wendell sameway and he deserves some praise and your writeup for getting two teams to the finals.

[Jawge]

I let you twist in the wind because you seem to just endorse my point. Keep throwing your pity parties and be sorrry for yourself. No one is forced to play in the WC, if you feel it's for the elite, then don't play.