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Fuller wants new start after int'l hiccup
BY LIVINGSTON SCOTT Observer staff reporter
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
AFTER coming through an injury-plagued season with English Premier League side Stoke City, Jamaican striker Ricardo Fuller says he is working hard to regain his sharpness and will be using the two warm-up matches against Panama to prepare for the World Cup Qualifiers.
The temperamental striker who has just six goals in 53 appearances for Jamaica admitted he has not produced his best form in a national jersey.
Jamaica’s Ricardo Fuller (left) eases past Panama’s Anibal Godoy during their international friendly at the National Stadium on Sunday. Panama won 1-0. (Photo: Garfield Robinson)
However, he says has put the past behind him and is eager to do the business for the fans in both friendly matches and the upcoming CONCACAF Qualifiers.
"This was really a season coming back from injury and not getting enough chances... but when the manager makes his decisions as a player, you have to respect that," he said.
"You just have to dust yourself off and come again," he told the Jamaica Observer following a Reggae Boyz training at the National Stadium on Friday.
"In terms of match fitness, I'm not back to my best, and that's why I want to take these two practise game and push myself. I want to try and cover as much ground as I can and get as sharp as possible for the Qualifiers," he reiterated.
The tricky striker said the most important thing is to be ready for the qualifying games, but insisted the friendlies will be crucial in getting him to peak fitness for those matches.
"I'll try to use these games and these sessions to push myself and get as sharp as possible for those two qualifying games because the most important thing is to be ready for the game against Guatemala and Antigua," he said.
The former Tivoli Gardens player said he won't argue with his critics who say he has not performed at his best for Jamaica. However, he insists the past was behind him and he is now looking to do his best and score some goals in the upcoming matches.
"The record is there to show... but those games are in the past; that's history. I'm now looking forward to the games to come.I'm just concentrating on developing my sharpness and the energy it take to get goals," he added.
"At the end of the day, I'm a striker and I get marked on scoring goals, so hopefully, I can grab as much goals as I can in these practise games and carry it into the Qualifiers," he said.
He added that his responsibility as a senior player has also grown, but he and other senior players relish the challenge of leading the thrust for a berth at Brazil 2014.
"The responsibility is massive; most of the young players already look up to me as they would've seen me playing on the television for my club Stoke City. They all give me respect and I've not encountered any who have been stubborn and not trying to do the right thing," he said.
"People like myself, Marlon King, Claude Davis and Luton Shelton who have been around for a few years, and (Nyron) Nosworthy who have been around at the professional level for some time will all have to chip in to enable the young ones to do the... positive things so we can get good results," he said.
Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/sport...#ixzz1wGciKeWh
BY LIVINGSTON SCOTT Observer staff reporter
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
AFTER coming through an injury-plagued season with English Premier League side Stoke City, Jamaican striker Ricardo Fuller says he is working hard to regain his sharpness and will be using the two warm-up matches against Panama to prepare for the World Cup Qualifiers.
The temperamental striker who has just six goals in 53 appearances for Jamaica admitted he has not produced his best form in a national jersey.
Jamaica’s Ricardo Fuller (left) eases past Panama’s Anibal Godoy during their international friendly at the National Stadium on Sunday. Panama won 1-0. (Photo: Garfield Robinson)
However, he says has put the past behind him and is eager to do the business for the fans in both friendly matches and the upcoming CONCACAF Qualifiers.
"This was really a season coming back from injury and not getting enough chances... but when the manager makes his decisions as a player, you have to respect that," he said.
"You just have to dust yourself off and come again," he told the Jamaica Observer following a Reggae Boyz training at the National Stadium on Friday.
"In terms of match fitness, I'm not back to my best, and that's why I want to take these two practise game and push myself. I want to try and cover as much ground as I can and get as sharp as possible for the Qualifiers," he reiterated.
The tricky striker said the most important thing is to be ready for the qualifying games, but insisted the friendlies will be crucial in getting him to peak fitness for those matches.
"I'll try to use these games and these sessions to push myself and get as sharp as possible for those two qualifying games because the most important thing is to be ready for the game against Guatemala and Antigua," he said.
The former Tivoli Gardens player said he won't argue with his critics who say he has not performed at his best for Jamaica. However, he insists the past was behind him and he is now looking to do his best and score some goals in the upcoming matches.
"The record is there to show... but those games are in the past; that's history. I'm now looking forward to the games to come.I'm just concentrating on developing my sharpness and the energy it take to get goals," he added.
"At the end of the day, I'm a striker and I get marked on scoring goals, so hopefully, I can grab as much goals as I can in these practise games and carry it into the Qualifiers," he said.
He added that his responsibility as a senior player has also grown, but he and other senior players relish the challenge of leading the thrust for a berth at Brazil 2014.
"The responsibility is massive; most of the young players already look up to me as they would've seen me playing on the television for my club Stoke City. They all give me respect and I've not encountered any who have been stubborn and not trying to do the right thing," he said.
"People like myself, Marlon King, Claude Davis and Luton Shelton who have been around for a few years, and (Nyron) Nosworthy who have been around at the professional level for some time will all have to chip in to enable the young ones to do the... positive things so we can get good results," he said.
Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/sport...#ixzz1wGciKeWh
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