We Neva learn our lesson, keep banging the wall!

[Stonigut]

Montesso's words
He lamented that some players didn't recognise the tone of the game and didn't make the necessary adjustments in such a hostile environment.

It is unbelievable that this was actually said by Montesso, if it was me there is no way I would have admitted that. This is just reinforcing the arrogance of our view on guat, our arrogance on what it would take to win or draw this game.

How could they not realize the critical importance of this game, we we t through the same thing last qualifying, how quickly we forget.

You in the man dem backyard, defensive effort should have been primary, hustling bustling, shaking them up keeping them uncomfortable, but no, we are so good, we had so much possession and guess what we lose. I swear if the management cannot understand the brevity of where they are and the stakes it is no wonder we lost in the way we did. To bring in a man that can't even star in the rspl league as the top playmaker, I just don't understand what is happening and what they are thinking, it makes me sick to think we are not making the hex when we had the whole thing in our hands, we could have decided our own destiny and now we are at the mercy of two teams that probably will play safe ball to finish the round. I hope the us coach has a big ego and wants to show that his team is better than the barely scrape by Antigua team, but somehow I feel that he is not that guy.

[Stonigut]

Listen, it is not pacific ally about hue, but we cannot bring a man who hasn't played in the heat of the battle of qualifying and expect magic especially when we know he has a defensive liability that the other mids have to make up. A hole in the fort is a hole in the fort, he was a hole in the fort and the first goal is symbolic of that, guat should never be able to score and move the ball like than through mids and into defense.

[Tilla]

Take out Watson and put in hue you think you gain something in passing but in reality what you lose is a fighter and busy bee, shutting down space keeping guat mids off balance, defense starts outside the fort not inside the fort.

I thought Watson and Hue started the game. I do not see the link in your discussion about taking out Watson and putting in Hue. Am I missing something here? Watson was taken out and the speedier Dane Richards brought in to replace him. Richards won the penalty when they brought him down on the edge of the box.

Watson might be younger and quicker than Hue, but he is an unfinished article. He is not consistent with his passes, has the tendency to make rash tackles and getting yellows (see last two games against the USA). Moreover, he and Hue did not have the same roles in the team.

I pit it to you Stoni, Hue may be slow, but that is all you can say about him. There is no one in that Jamaican lineup who could take free kicks or corners like him. Although his lack of speed, there is no one on the field who can make the ball do the work as Hue does. no one in the Jamaican side can make defense splitting passes to create opportunities like Hue.

Not every player have to have that "speed over ground" as Karl is known to speak about. There have been very effective creative midfielders who were not known for their prowess in a foot race. They have the ability to receive a pass, turn on a dime and make that defensive splitting pass to allow forwards to score when you least expect it.

I think Hue was not the liability on the team Friday night. Lovel Palmer, Taylor, Miller come to mind. Palmer passed about 80 percent of the balls he got to Guatemalan players. He may have taken 6 corners, and none of them were good enough to worry the opposition defense. Yet Tappa continued having his run to that corner to take corners at every opportunity. I find it surprising that those were the quality corners he was taking in practice that convinced the coach that Palmer should take the corners on that side of the field. Only Hue I saw delivered a perfect corner right on the head of a player in the box, only for it to be headed over the crossbar.

Taylor as replacement for Austin did not pan out. That is where his speed and combative nature of play was needed, but it did not com through.

[Tilla]

You just have to get over your Hue bias Stoni. Hue was not the problem the other night. Do not try to place the blame on the player as that is unfair.

[Stonigut]

We are not Argentina, we are not brazil or Italy, they can afford that kind if player they have skil from head to toe of the team. Plus hue does not come close to comparing to those guys, he had his chance in mls in Sweden etc and he couldn't convince a non Jamaican franchise that they must play him, why would we make him the centerpiece of our most critical game to get to the hex, we knew where we were, us had seven points playing Antigua, guat had seven points playing us, we had to beat guat and you know what they scored two goals on us, Montessori said the Guys did not realize the importance of the game and the environment they were in, whose fault is that. They failed Jamaica again and pulling in a non defensive mid who has not played in a while just says that we don't know what we doing, even though he may have played ok on attack side, his combination play was not good enough to make the difference which was the hope that somehow magic would flow from this one guy, totally unrealistic, our defensive system should have tightened the noose on guat that should have been the focus.

[Mosiah]

To bring in a man that can't even star in the rspl league as the top playmaker, I just don't understand what is happening and what they are thinking...

I wonder myself why Andre Lewis was included. And I don't believe Lewis plays for an RSPL side. He plays for StGC.

[Mosiah]

Were we able to do more with Hue's passes, incl. the picture perfect corner that Luton could not handle, we would not be having this conversation. Not to mention if our defenders, the guys in whom we have entrusted defensive responsibilities, had done their part.

But it's easy to blame Hue.

Carry on!

[Stonigut]

I wasn't even going to touch that one.

[Jawge]

Finally some one got it. Yes part of it is that Ja lacks depth. Austin absence (i believe was the main reason Hue was called in) was glaring. The fact that Ja played without their striker (Mattocks) did not help. Why is our team lacking depth in quality players for this level? Keep relying on High school soccer the answer will jump out one day.

[Tilla]

Man, Stoni is really going off on this Hue thing. He wants to put all the blame on the loss squarely at the feel of Hue. I think this is so wrong.
Stony, please you are showing a chink in your armor of objectivity we have come to expect from you.

swear if the management cannot understand the brevity of where they are and the stakes it is no wonder we lost in the way we did. To bring in a man that can't even star in the rspl league as the top playmaker, I just don't understand what is happening and what they are thinking, it makes me sick to think we are not making the hex when we had the whole thing in our hands

I remember when Tappa himself was struggling to hold down a game in some 4th Division English leagues and he was always penciled in before any other player on the starting team for the Boyz. He came home and went to Seba and was not tearing up the place with his ball mastery, but then again, he was always getting game in the national team.

The management have called on Hue out of desperation to turn things around. It is no fault of the player why he is just being called to the squad and he has consistently performed over the years as the best midfielder in the NPL. Team selection maladroit has kept Hue out and the coach only needs him when he finds his back against the wall.

[Stonigut]

Listen what is more objective that being consistent and straightforward in how you choose a team, what did hue do to make the team. He comes from nowhere to start the game jumping over other guys that were in the squad, we know what he brings, but we know what he does not bring, in a game such as this we needed no holes in the defensive unit with Austin out and maps out. I just saw that this is where they were potentially going with this creative midfielder business, it just goes against the type of team and the type of mids we need and the type of defensive scheme we needed to bring to this level of the game, it truly is not about him as a person.

[Mosiah]

Stoni, Hue did not come out of retirement! He has been playing consistently well for HV. And he performed admirably in some friendlies for Jamaica. On those performances alone...!!!!!!

I don't see where you have blamed our defensive unit for not filling those holes. Our defenders were woeful!!! But, again, it is easier to blame Hue.

[Tilla]

OK, so leave out Hue, what would have been your combination to make the team more effective?

Hue comes out of nowhere and jumps over other guys who were in the squad.

This was the coach's decision to put in the man as he saw that our creative game was both myopic and anemic. Hue is the most experienced creative player we have. I want to remind you that Austin does not play as a creative mid, he is a hard running defensive mid. His position was taken by Jermaine Taylor and Taylor did not live up to Austin's game - but you blame Hue. I cannot understand your bias against the player who came in and did what he was asked to do. If Shelton was a better header, we could have taken the lead off Hue's expertly taken corner.

Speed is overrated sometimes. Of course it can be an asset if you possess it and can put it to use, but if you are lacking and you can make it up with other facets of the game, then more power to the player. Again, Hue did what he was asked to do, leave him alone and find someone else to blame.

[Karl]

You have been a consistent and strident detractor of Maestro, so respect for taking back some of your criticism.

However, to say that Hue "has nothing more to give" is just not true, but can be excused because you do not have the pleasure of seeing him do his thing for HV each week. Friday's performance by Hue was certainly one of the slowest I have seen from him in recent times, and that has to do with both decision-making and "over ground". It was clear to me that this was a result of his unfamiliarity with his teammates.

So, don't put yourself again into a position where I can say, I told you so! Hue can do much better than what you saw on Friday. Let's hope he brings it on Tuesday.

Let me make my point as forcefully as possible -

Mosiah: We have had discussions on "what is good football", "playing well" and "what to look for when seeking players to represent"...I have never been able to make you understand most of what makes a "good footballer" and what makes for "playing well". It does not surprise me that you think playing at the "crawl pace" (both pace at which decision making takes place and execution occurs) of our NPL is worthy of putting on a comparable level of these 2nd preliminary rounds of CONCACAF World Cup.

I also know...not just believe...based on your utterances and your present comments on Hue's recent play...that you are underlining that you have not improved skill on judging players one bit. Hue did not have an outstanding match. He was just a wee bit better than the best we had on display in this match. Let me repeat: whereas many of those our players who were on display vs Guatemala are 'miles' faster than Hue and can with improved use of commonsense and technical skills perform at a higher level, Hue who was operating at optimum pace on thinking and movement and his technical skills, has nowhere else to go...nothing more to give. He cannot think faster! He cannot run faster! He cannot execute faster!

Again - He has nowhere to go! He has nothing more to give!

It is for our players - the players around him - to optimize on his strengths against the faster (than the Guatemala players) Antigua and Barbuda players so as to afford him more time to 'think' and execute plays. When we move to the higher levels e.g. The Hex, and the even higher levels, World Cup finals...not even our players can make for him the time he needs to operate!!! Impossible! Again: He cannot run faster...so very often he will not even get the ball! He cannot think faster and thus when he does get the ball he will be under pressure that will cause - giving ball to opponents...lost directly, poor passes, bad decisions!!! Even passing directly to his feet will not compensate even for 2% of the time he touches the ball!!! That is a losing situation!!!! A waste! A playing with 1 player less on offense! He is already a liability on defense - One less player on defense!!! ... so telling us Hue can give more says you believe he will be an asset at levels above this round of World Cup qualifiers! I say you do not know what you are talking about!!!

[Assasin]

is that agreeing with the man Mosiah? Busy Bee who have no cutting edge will not accomplish much. We have too many. We need players to make the difference in special areas. Dane is a busy bee and should have started over Watson. We saw what his end product was like.

Watson is too indecisive at the moment and turn over too many balls. Stoni nuh count it again?