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JFF shows thinking in response to Reggae Boyz's losses
Saturday, September 10, 2011
WE were pleasantly surprised with the very sober response from the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) following the Reggae Boyz's latest friendly international loss to Colombia on Tuesday.
It was the third straight loss in international friendlies (0-1 to China in Hefei; 2-5 to Ecuador at high altitude Quito, and 0-2 to Colombia in Fort Lauderdale) and the fourth-in-a-row if the 0-2 defeat to the USA in the CONCACAF Gold Cup Tournament is added.
Instead of throwing the technical staff, led by head coach Mr Theodore Whitmore, under the proverbial bus, the JFF — through its technical committee chairman Mr Howard McIntosh — has sought to put the present modus operandi into context, allay fears and reassure agitated supporters that the programme remains well and truly on track.
According to Mr McIntosh, the targets set by his group are being met and the JFF is not overly perturbed by the latest results, which could negatively impact our FIFA world ranking. Not that the FIFA ranking has suddenly become unimportant, but in the overall plan, it is secondary.
In Thursday's edition of this newspaper, Mr McIntosh was quoted as saying the "first objective was to get games on all FIFA dates"; the second was to acquire "quality opponents" and the third was to facilitate the technical staff with the opportunity to examine a number of players in an effort to strengthen the player pool.
The recent games have also given the players and technical staff the experience of playing and managing under trying circumstances and in unfriendly environments.
Mr Whitmore, too, has had his say, and while results were secondary in his experimentation, he was dissatisfied with the "attitude" of some of his players and has vowed an immediate shake-up of the team.
Mr Whitmore, a former professional player in England, is cognisant of the hazards of the job. He knows that if he does not get the required results during next year's World Cup Qualifiers, he will be sacked, and as such he's prepared to give it his best shot.
As Mr Whitmore executes his shake-up of the pool of players, we think it is only proper that either he or Mr McIntosh states clearly the policy regarding English-based players. For too long, whether by words or deeds, this issue has been left ambiguous.
Jamaica kick off the Brazil 2014 World Cup Qualifying campaign next June, and we believe if those players are to be integrated into the team, then the time is now, as there are only two playing dates left this year, and about one or two next year for FIFA-approved friendlies.
Time is clearly running out for Mr Whitmore and his staff to sieve through the player pool, identify the core group of players and to settle on a balanced and solid squad to launch the campaign.
But as we reflect on Mr McIntosh's clear-headed approach to the recent losses, we hope that it translates into a maturing of the minds of not only the administrators, but the general public as well. In other words, losing is an important part of learning.
A similar situation unfolded a few years ago when then head coach Mr Bora Milutinovic, in an effort to examine the local talent pool at his disposal ahead of the World Cup Qualifiers the following year, embarked on a horrendous four-match tour of Asia and suffered losses to Indonesia (1-2), Vietnam (0-3) and Iran (1-8), with a solitary 2-0 win over Malaysia.
Mr Milutinovic and then JFF president Mr Crenston Boxhill were taken to task for the results and their impact on the FIFA ranking, with little regard for the context of the "building and preparation phase" of the programme at the time.
We appreciate the importance of the FIFA ranking, especially in marketing the Reggae Boyz brand for friendly matches, but we also fully recognise the importance of developing and building a successful team. The latter involves risks, and sometimes the greater the risk the greater the consequences.
There is a thin line between the two, but we trust that our administrators opt for what is in the nation's best interest at that particular time.
Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/edito...#ixzz1XYebcRLl
Saturday, September 10, 2011
WE were pleasantly surprised with the very sober response from the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) following the Reggae Boyz's latest friendly international loss to Colombia on Tuesday.
It was the third straight loss in international friendlies (0-1 to China in Hefei; 2-5 to Ecuador at high altitude Quito, and 0-2 to Colombia in Fort Lauderdale) and the fourth-in-a-row if the 0-2 defeat to the USA in the CONCACAF Gold Cup Tournament is added.
Instead of throwing the technical staff, led by head coach Mr Theodore Whitmore, under the proverbial bus, the JFF — through its technical committee chairman Mr Howard McIntosh — has sought to put the present modus operandi into context, allay fears and reassure agitated supporters that the programme remains well and truly on track.
According to Mr McIntosh, the targets set by his group are being met and the JFF is not overly perturbed by the latest results, which could negatively impact our FIFA world ranking. Not that the FIFA ranking has suddenly become unimportant, but in the overall plan, it is secondary.
In Thursday's edition of this newspaper, Mr McIntosh was quoted as saying the "first objective was to get games on all FIFA dates"; the second was to acquire "quality opponents" and the third was to facilitate the technical staff with the opportunity to examine a number of players in an effort to strengthen the player pool.
The recent games have also given the players and technical staff the experience of playing and managing under trying circumstances and in unfriendly environments.
Mr Whitmore, too, has had his say, and while results were secondary in his experimentation, he was dissatisfied with the "attitude" of some of his players and has vowed an immediate shake-up of the team.
Mr Whitmore, a former professional player in England, is cognisant of the hazards of the job. He knows that if he does not get the required results during next year's World Cup Qualifiers, he will be sacked, and as such he's prepared to give it his best shot.
As Mr Whitmore executes his shake-up of the pool of players, we think it is only proper that either he or Mr McIntosh states clearly the policy regarding English-based players. For too long, whether by words or deeds, this issue has been left ambiguous.
Jamaica kick off the Brazil 2014 World Cup Qualifying campaign next June, and we believe if those players are to be integrated into the team, then the time is now, as there are only two playing dates left this year, and about one or two next year for FIFA-approved friendlies.
Time is clearly running out for Mr Whitmore and his staff to sieve through the player pool, identify the core group of players and to settle on a balanced and solid squad to launch the campaign.
But as we reflect on Mr McIntosh's clear-headed approach to the recent losses, we hope that it translates into a maturing of the minds of not only the administrators, but the general public as well. In other words, losing is an important part of learning.
A similar situation unfolded a few years ago when then head coach Mr Bora Milutinovic, in an effort to examine the local talent pool at his disposal ahead of the World Cup Qualifiers the following year, embarked on a horrendous four-match tour of Asia and suffered losses to Indonesia (1-2), Vietnam (0-3) and Iran (1-8), with a solitary 2-0 win over Malaysia.
Mr Milutinovic and then JFF president Mr Crenston Boxhill were taken to task for the results and their impact on the FIFA ranking, with little regard for the context of the "building and preparation phase" of the programme at the time.
We appreciate the importance of the FIFA ranking, especially in marketing the Reggae Boyz brand for friendly matches, but we also fully recognise the importance of developing and building a successful team. The latter involves risks, and sometimes the greater the risk the greater the consequences.
There is a thin line between the two, but we trust that our administrators opt for what is in the nation's best interest at that particular time.
Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/edito...#ixzz1XYebcRLl