Jamaica's football development and the UB40 debate

[Sir X]

Some forums I have visited have strict rules against this type of behavior...you gotta be kidding me , so we cant talk about bribing in football ,Dunny post wasnt changed by me , I followed on a question by Mo which highlighted the corrupted MPs agenda , it is football part and parcel, from the administration, delegation to the partaking of it (playing) , so is corruption !to address your issues of hijacking said post by me or to me , calls into question your line of thinking i.e motive.

Like you said you dont want to get into it , but other forums have more stringent rules....OH PLEASE!

[Peter R]

Tilla,

As you said it is not a big deal but even this comment by me could fall into the hijack category, and I am not disagreeing with you here. Having said that Dunny's heading was : Jamaica's football development and the UB40 debate. X is inquiring into the Sturridge situation which I think it is an example of one of the situations that exist in Jamaica's football development, in this case with a family from England (UB40). In that context, IMHO, I don't see X's post as a hijack, just following a strand in the thread of the broad topic.

My quatty wut

[Tilla]

OK sar, I stand corrected. I thought it was.

Sorry X!

[Peter R]

Respect every time sir ... you are indeed a big man

[Sir X]

@ Tilla

My apologies too.

[Islandman]

The farm system does appear to be the best option for now.

That said , given where things are today the UB40s are the only way we have a chance of being in Brazil. My disappointment is that we seem to be in almost the same place we were in 1997. Not exactly the same I guess, we have more professionals now that learnt the game in JA but not much further along the road.

[Stonigut]

We have moved along significantly, just look at how many pros we have now who grew up in jamaica, we probably have thirty plus guys making money playing all in 98 we barely had one if that.

The next crop of players is ridiculously rich, especially the wave coming via the us and mls so we have a strong core and we continue to build on that skeleton, really there are just two things lacking, disciplined approach to the game, individually and team wise, which translates into a chance to get to the pros to get the other thing which is guys hardened by battle and are consistent starters and contributors on winning teams.

[Islandman]

That is true, it's just that where the reggaeboyz are concerned it hasn't been that obvious. Maybe it is because the other CONCACAF countries are moving as well so our relative progress is less.

[Assasin]

I am with you for most part but for me Nathan is a good little player but if he couldn't commit to final round then he can stay where he is.

I believe development don't have to be used in the same sentence as UB40 because every coach I know will want that option. Development have been slow but the fact that we have over 50 born Jamaican players playing professionally, some in good leagues say we are going in the right direction.

Part of the development process we overlook is parenting. Many of our successful players like Andy, Worlde Harris, Kari stephenson, Luton Shelton, Jermain Taylor, Sean Fraser, Jermain Hue have parents who fight for them and work with they and their community teams at an early age and gie them the guidance they needed. We can't forget that part of it, we need parents and communities to be more involved as well and this will result in better organzation, better people elected to the FA board and overall better standards that are needed.

How many of us felt we a baller yet our parents never watch one game we played yet?

Deveopment means a better squad, more players and better organization but that don't mean UB40 shouldn't be amongst the mix.

[Don1]

Dunny, you did a good job making a case for UB40s. To really make my case, no one would bother to read it, unless I do it in bullet form. Let's see how this works.

This is the ideal situation for me:

1. JFF, the parish FAs and the local clubs must give serious meaning to development of players.
2. I know it will be difficult to get the sort of financial input for effective development because of the economic situation that exists in the country and which will continue for the foreseeable future. Clubs have to be creative. The government needs to stop interfering into projects conceived by those foreigners with money. Why was the Sturridge family frustrated to the point of not bothering with their planned football academy?
3. With this real commitment to development, better players get called up to the age group national teams and the senior team. From here, they can be showcased to the world and be offered foreign contracts.
4. These contracts give their clubs money badly needed to further their development, not just coaching and providing nutriment, but also their infrastructure (fields, clubhouse, dormitories).
5. These contracts also pump money back into the players' communities by way of remittances.
6. The Jamaican players who now have the benefit of playing in top leagues against top players every week, can now compete with UB40s for places in Reggae Boyz teams more effectively.
7. If this is not the formula, then what we will eventually see is a team composed only of UB40s. Not sure this is what anyone wants to see. Not sure this is what the local sponsors want to see. Will foreign companies pick up the slack?
8. UB40s must declare themselves relatively early. My cut off point is prior to qualification for the Hex. We can talk now because we had a good result against the Mexicans in the Azteca. I would caution against this sort of unbridled euphoria. I am seeing where there are some who feel we can qualify by June!
9. Not all players are created equal. I can understand the JFF making allowances for players, like a Raheem Sterling, and giving them more time to consider. Not all cases are the same. Now, this family tree investigation and begging that we did the other day is a factor of the level of local development. Hopefully we will see less of this if development improves.
10. Having said all that, I do appreciate the apparent quality and commitment by our current UB40 crop. One match can't demonstrate quality and commitment for me, hence my use of the word "apparent".

Unfortunately your insightful and cogent position will be superficially interpreted by many now in euphoria as "yuh nuh want di UB40 dem"

But dats just an occupational hazard of the analytic and development-minded observer of Jamaican football

[Tilla]

My respects Boss.

[Assasin]

Yes we have moved significantly but people tend to forget or give no credit at all. In 1998 we had no professional born Jamaican player. Now we have maybe about 60 which is significant for a country the size of Jamaica. Granted they are not knocking down the doors of Manu and Real but the scouts have us on their radar.

A little more organization and we will be on the next. Transition take time and sometimes when we are in the middle you don't see it. It remind me of American soccer and how people say it was going nowhere until one day the woke up(this includes Americans).

[Karl]

The farm system does appear to be the best option for now.

That said , given where things are today the UB40s are the only way we have a chance of being in Brazil. My disappointment is that we seem to be in almost the same place we were in 1997. Not exactly the same I guess, we have more professionals now that learnt the game in JA but not much further along the road.

On point!
Progress has been like lifting a foot for that first step...but not having yet advanced sufficiently on the journey to put that lifted foot forward and down.

It is ridiculous to talk of lack of funds...harp on lack of funding from 1998 to present and not to maximize on what we currently have. Our leaders within - the schools, the Parish FAs, Confederations, the JFF...and each club...have all failed us. If it were not so our quality of play in the local leagues would be much higher...and so would be the quality of our national TEAMs.

...let us face facts management of our institutions of learning (matters not if it is our academic institutions, schools or football enities) ....regardless of discipline (matters not if it is the sciences, languages or football...the teaching...the improvement year over year...is subpar.

The truth is those entrusted with advancing our welfare are wanting!

[Karl]

Yes we have moved significantly but people tend to forget or give no credit at all. In 1998 we had no professional born Jamaican player. Now we have maybe about 60 which is significant for a country the size of Jamaica. Granted they are not knocking down the doors of Manu and Real but the scouts have us on their radar.

A little more organization and we will be on the next. Transition take time and sometimes when we are in the middle you don't see it. It remind me of American soccer and how people say it was going nowhere until one day the woke up(this includes Americans).

If we have the talent...why are you so easily satisfied?
"Transition takes time" you say. Forget France '98 as that did not show organised development; think instead on the decades we have been awaiting organised development of our football talent?

I would say we have been awaiting that from before our independence. Not yet 100 years but certainly more than 50 years.

...and billions of dollars worth of time and engery...and cash has been spent. ...and what do we have? No plan that has us pooling our resources or developing our talents to even a half-way decent level.

We have produced individual cricketers, track and field athletes, boxers and a sprinkling of others in various other sporting disciplines who were TOP OF THE WORLD. Football? No one!

The nearest to TOP OF THE WORLD we have come in football is Lindy Delaphena, Allan "Skill" Cole and Ricardo "Bibi" Gardner. Lindy being the leader (some in England wanted him on their team)...a footballer developed to top world standard in England.

Football is a TEAM sport. We should be producing top quality footballers...and even before that top quality national TEAMs. The sum of the parts should be greater than the whole. ...unfortunately our best is not uplifted by our national TEAMs rather they are being dragged down.

Where are the plans to build on available resources? ...where is the seen effort at pulling the various parts (organisations and institutions) together to move the football to the TOP OF THE WORLD?

[Assasin]

It is not been satisfied Karl it accepting where we are and move forward. Without accepting that we have made some progress we are having a dream.

Hasn't it been progress when TSA formed and was able to get some players in a professional environment??? These maybe little steps to some but they are commendable steps to me. Craig and Freddie Butler stepped up and others. Yes we are not where we want to be but it is so easy to say "nuthing nah gwaaan" Too easy for us Jamaicans.