Tweet
Barnes: Ja's football not on decline
BY DANIA BOGLE Observer staff reporter
Sunday, October 16, 2011
IT has been two years since he lost the job as head coach of Jamaica's senior team, but John Barnes says he has no regrets during his tenure in charge of the local football programme.
The former England international and Liverpool and Watford striker was hired in November 2008 and lasted less than a year in the job, but as he shared with the Sunday Observer in an interview, it is not his policy to rue his choices.
BARNES... our problem in the Caribbean is the re-emergence of the Central American countries
"I have no regrets in life at all. Things haven't worked out in some situations obviously in life, generally, but it's all part of a process to get you where you are," Barnes said.
"Especially with this job it really empowered me because we did well. We never lost a game and my whole philosophy in terms of getting a group of people and giving them the right discipline and determination and spirit and they can achieve, and that's what they did," he added.
Barnes' assistant during his time in charge, Theodore Whitmore, has led the national team since June 2009 when Barnes departed.
The two now work together conducting the Digicel Kick Start Clinic, with the latest edition ending at Barbican a few days ago.
Whitmore himself has had a rocky past few months as the Reggae Boys have lost their last five games, but Barnes expressed faith in the former national player's abilities, despite the hiccups.
"We have a great relationship. I recommended him for the job when I was leaving. I said he would be fantastic and I really believe that local coaches should be given an opportunity," he said.
"I work in Africa a lot and what I say in Africa is, 'Have enough respect and belief in your own coaches to not believe that you have to employ somebody from abroad.'
"So even when I got the job (in Jamaica) I saw myself as a foreigner. The local coaches have the talent, but they need the respect of everyone outside to give them that opportunity and to stick with them."
There have been questions about whether Whitmore has been using too many overseas-based players, which Barnes also addressed.
"I went through a period where I used a lot of local players because... I didn't have a lot of time with (Ricardo Fuller). But you go for quality, you go for experience, so if you can use players who have better quality and better experience, yes, but don't forget the local players. They have got the experience and they have the potential if you empower them and you embrace them they have the potential to be as good.
"We never lost one game and people have said 'there are better players; you're picking the wrong players', but if you get a group of players you empower them and they have discipline they can be successful, and that's what I felt when coaching the Jamaican team, that's what happened."
He added: "That is how the Ricardo Fullers and the Ricardo Gardeners got to Bolton in the first place; because they played here, so you have to have the respect for them..."
Barnes, who had an equally short stint at English league side Tranmere Rovers when he left Jamaica, said the value of the local players who are then able to make it overseas makes it worthwhile to invest in them.
"We can see it now even with how well the Ricardo Fullers and so many Jamaican players now experiencing life and coming back now to help the national team, so the more opportunities, the better."
The England-born players do, however, bring the values of professionalism and discipline when they come here, Barnes stated.
"(Because) they are brought up in that environment, but in terms of raw ability, they are the same. I've always said that. However because they're brought up in a professional environment maybe the attitude (is different), but you can get that attitude anywhere."
He drew a parallel with the current success of local track and field:
"Once upon a time these athletes felt they had to go to America to be able to compete, now they can stay at UTech and they're still winning because that's a state of mind. Attitude is a state of mind; you don't have to go abroad to get that state of mind."
With the World Cup qualifiers ahead, Barnes attempted to assess the country's hopes of getting to South America in 2014 and said contrary to popular opinion, local football isn't necessarily on the decline.
"Our problem in the Caribbean is the re-emergence of the Central American countries," he said.
"With the social changes and problems they had in the 70s and 80s, football took a back seat, but now these countries are back. These countries are stronger than Caribbean countries, so while it's harder to qualify now, we assume that Jamaican football is going backwards because in 1998 we qualified and we haven't since.
"But if you stop to look at the quality of the players and the players... in the top leagues in Europe, you'll see that Jamaican football is better. It's just that it's just much harder to qualify."
Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/sport...#ixzz1axv6QSvP
BY DANIA BOGLE Observer staff reporter
Sunday, October 16, 2011
IT has been two years since he lost the job as head coach of Jamaica's senior team, but John Barnes says he has no regrets during his tenure in charge of the local football programme.
The former England international and Liverpool and Watford striker was hired in November 2008 and lasted less than a year in the job, but as he shared with the Sunday Observer in an interview, it is not his policy to rue his choices.
BARNES... our problem in the Caribbean is the re-emergence of the Central American countries
"I have no regrets in life at all. Things haven't worked out in some situations obviously in life, generally, but it's all part of a process to get you where you are," Barnes said.
"Especially with this job it really empowered me because we did well. We never lost a game and my whole philosophy in terms of getting a group of people and giving them the right discipline and determination and spirit and they can achieve, and that's what they did," he added.
Barnes' assistant during his time in charge, Theodore Whitmore, has led the national team since June 2009 when Barnes departed.
The two now work together conducting the Digicel Kick Start Clinic, with the latest edition ending at Barbican a few days ago.
Whitmore himself has had a rocky past few months as the Reggae Boys have lost their last five games, but Barnes expressed faith in the former national player's abilities, despite the hiccups.
"We have a great relationship. I recommended him for the job when I was leaving. I said he would be fantastic and I really believe that local coaches should be given an opportunity," he said.
"I work in Africa a lot and what I say in Africa is, 'Have enough respect and belief in your own coaches to not believe that you have to employ somebody from abroad.'
"So even when I got the job (in Jamaica) I saw myself as a foreigner. The local coaches have the talent, but they need the respect of everyone outside to give them that opportunity and to stick with them."
There have been questions about whether Whitmore has been using too many overseas-based players, which Barnes also addressed.
"I went through a period where I used a lot of local players because... I didn't have a lot of time with (Ricardo Fuller). But you go for quality, you go for experience, so if you can use players who have better quality and better experience, yes, but don't forget the local players. They have got the experience and they have the potential if you empower them and you embrace them they have the potential to be as good.
"We never lost one game and people have said 'there are better players; you're picking the wrong players', but if you get a group of players you empower them and they have discipline they can be successful, and that's what I felt when coaching the Jamaican team, that's what happened."
He added: "That is how the Ricardo Fullers and the Ricardo Gardeners got to Bolton in the first place; because they played here, so you have to have the respect for them..."
Barnes, who had an equally short stint at English league side Tranmere Rovers when he left Jamaica, said the value of the local players who are then able to make it overseas makes it worthwhile to invest in them.
"We can see it now even with how well the Ricardo Fullers and so many Jamaican players now experiencing life and coming back now to help the national team, so the more opportunities, the better."
The England-born players do, however, bring the values of professionalism and discipline when they come here, Barnes stated.
"(Because) they are brought up in that environment, but in terms of raw ability, they are the same. I've always said that. However because they're brought up in a professional environment maybe the attitude (is different), but you can get that attitude anywhere."
He drew a parallel with the current success of local track and field:
"Once upon a time these athletes felt they had to go to America to be able to compete, now they can stay at UTech and they're still winning because that's a state of mind. Attitude is a state of mind; you don't have to go abroad to get that state of mind."
With the World Cup qualifiers ahead, Barnes attempted to assess the country's hopes of getting to South America in 2014 and said contrary to popular opinion, local football isn't necessarily on the decline.
"Our problem in the Caribbean is the re-emergence of the Central American countries," he said.
"With the social changes and problems they had in the 70s and 80s, football took a back seat, but now these countries are back. These countries are stronger than Caribbean countries, so while it's harder to qualify now, we assume that Jamaican football is going backwards because in 1998 we qualified and we haven't since.
"But if you stop to look at the quality of the players and the players... in the top leagues in Europe, you'll see that Jamaican football is better. It's just that it's just much harder to qualify."
Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/sport...#ixzz1axv6QSvP
Comment