Let's call a spade a spade

[Jawge]

Not following you.

[Bruce]

Better Yet...

Tell me two clubs in rural jamaica that has a youth program? You get the point most of the players are develop through H.S and the level, the coaching is poor. Dont you get ceen in ny jwage.. man you too cheap.. pay the 7$

How many clubs in Jamaica have clubs going down in age level to U-8?

[Reggaedoc]

Why Brazilians? Yuh ah mad don't? yuh tink two weeks in Mexico can fix those bad habits. I see pryce run in the 18 fake ah mexican an dismiss him, im nuh fire wid di other foot, no him cut again. Di mexican dem jus sheperd di clown out of di box where he is no threat.

Boss it would take four to six months in Brasil to begin to correct all hose weaknesses (JFF would not have money for road to brasil) they need drills, play against quality opposition, sit in the Morumbi and watch D1 ball and watch videos and listen lectures. They have good physique and speed. The Mexicans use superior technique and tactics to beat them (I like the three goals that came after the first) Our ballas don't believe in crossing the ball. How will you truly test the opposition defence.Saw what happened when Mexico hit us with a cross? Goal 2.

Yes man blame the Brasilian and not the joke high school league.

Worse than that, I see a player playing left back and is right foot dominant to the point that the guy can't kick a ball effectively with his left foot. This is really embarassing.

[Reggaedoc]

We need a European coach???
End the Brazilian experiment now.
The cappo must also go...that's the only way we r going to purge our youths of this brooky boo mentality

Are these really our best players???? I don't think so. These u20 players looked clueless, they couldnt even execute the most basic and fundamental aspect of the game, passing.

JFF need to look at the football concept in DaCosta and Manning cup.
Athleticism naw do it no more, the fine art of passing and moving off the ball is lost in our school system.

Where this thing about our great football athleticism came from?. The Mexicans and Panamanians appeared far more athletic, among other things, than our players.

[Reggaedoc]

I have been saying it for a while now. We don't have to look too far to get competent and qualified coaches to teach our youths the basics of the game. Jamaicans are GENECTICALLY athletic and fast. Our natural abilities will come to the fore once we learn the basics of the game at an early age. There are thousands of qualified football coaches between the USA and Mexico. Why should we spend big money, that we don't have, to bring in Brazilian or European coaches when we cannot beat USA and Mexico who are being taught by their own coaches? We don't need to spend more than US$60k per year on a (foreign) youth coach, once we take care of his housing and transportation. Whatever little money that we can scrounge up should be heavily invested in setting up a proper structure/system that will train our youngsters, even if it means using our local coaches. We need a foresigner, however, because he would be uncontaminated by our isms and can add a objective perspective towards our development.

I agree with you Jangle. There are many good youth coaches in the Americas, that does not include Brazil. This whole idea that we should play "Brazilian Style" football has worn thin a long time ago. We need a new mindset, or we will continue to waste money and time.

[Don1]

Why must the conversation always have to come back to schoolboy football? It is not schoolboy football's fault that our national program is dependent on them. The NBA or NFL are not criticising the US high schools for not training and developing kids for their leagues.

aaaahh....finally some wisdom

[Jangle]

Well Ashley Young, who plays for ManU (since you don't watch English football), is right-footed and he plays on the left wing. His left foot is for walking.

[Paul Marin]

I have been saying it for a while now. We don't have to look too far to get competent and qualified coaches to teach our youths the basics of the game. Jamaicans are GENECTICALLY athletic and fast. Our natural abilities will come to the fore once we learn the basics of the game at an early age. There are thousands of qualified football coaches between the USA and Mexico. Why should we spend big money, that we don't have, to bring in Brazilian or European coaches when we cannot beat USA and Mexico who are being taught by their own coaches? We don't need to spend more than US$60k per year on a (foreign) youth coach, once we take care of his housing and transportation. Whatever little money that we can scrounge up should be heavily invested in setting up a proper structure/system that will train our youngsters, even if it means using our local coaches. We need a foresigner, however, because he would be uncontaminated by our isms and can add a objective perspective towards our development.

Have you ever thought that part of the problem is that we don't have a culture predisposed to education? We know everything. Fix the Jamaican elementary and high school education system and football will follow. I guarantee it.

[Peter R]

Jangle,
You cannot compare, IMO, US H.S. basketball and American football to JA H.S. football.... after H.S. the American yute in those two disciplines have a clear path to the senior level via the college system.

The "problem" with the H.S. football in JA is that when we watch mediocrity that is played over , what three months if that, plenty people get fooled including the media and all of a sudden we have the next Pele coming out of H.S. "dis" and Maradona coming from H.S. "dat"... and even if that were the truth, where do they go next??? lucky if they get a US scholarship, other than that is NPL... maybe.

Correct , it is not the HS fault but people start to believe and look at (and have been looking) HS ball to produce our national players when in reality the leap from U17 to U20 as we just saw in Mexico is not a small leap... but "we" continue to fool these yutes (and ourselves) dat we good... it's sad that we cannot have a different path for developing national players, at the U20, 23 and senior level. I wrote different path... in fact the current "path" is not even clear to me.

[Karl]

Jangle,
You cannot compare, IMO, US H.S. basketball and American football to JA H.S. football.... after H.S. the American yute in those two disciplines have a clear path to the senior level via the college system.

The "problem" with the H.S. football in JA is that when we watch mediocrity that is played over , what three months if that, plenty people get fooled including the media and all of a sudden we have the next Pele coming out of H.S. "dis" and Maradona coming from H.S. "dat"... and even if that were the truth, where do they go next??? lucky if they get a US scholarship, other than that is NPL... maybe.

Correct , it is not the HS fault but people start to believe and look at (and have been looking) HS ball to produce our national players when in reality the leap from U17 to U20 as we just saw in Mexico is not a small leap... but "we" continue to fool these yutes (and ourselves) dat we good... it's sad that we cannot have a different path for developing national players, at the U20, 23 and senior level. I wrote different path... in fact the current "path" is not even clear to me.

Peter: You are on the right path. I think we have a propensity for making the simple...appear complex.

As far as football is concerned -
i) We know exactly the talent pool;
ii) The aim: that which we wish - a) first rate footballers & b) high quality football teams;

...and...

iii) Where we are - Attended at a few FIFA Final tournaments and once there been abject failures.

iv) We know the task is 2-fold,
a) produce a system that can provide continuous improvement in quality - footballers and football teams produced;

b) the support personel to provide/drive/manage
1. administration and funding to allow financial for/of the tasks;

2. the teachers/technical experts/instructors to provide the quality education needed to produce the players/teams graduates year over year.

Matters how 'nice' or long winded the documents or documents produced or how eloquently stated...the above is it!

We already have the captive youth - in our schools (the clubs and 'the academies or academies' are mere off-shoots...would be institutions at which it is hoped the youth will receive advanced schooling on/at/of football!

Dare we repeat it - at the schools and in the clubs currently the teachers/technical experts/instructors are horrible and no surprise, the graduates are most often not up to scratch/snuff.

There are just about 100% persons here whose position is raising the standards in the schools is a waste. A variety of reasons are put forward - from not the job of the schools, to only idiots manage and work in schools...to the talent in the schools is lousy and will never amount to anything/never develop into quality graduates and worse.

I guess I am sick and tired of pointing out that in the schools are our youth. The GOJ underwrites the major investment in human resources, physical plants and administration of schools, school teams and school competitions...and permits at their discretion our youth/'their youth' to clubs and national associations ( Don1 claims not so. He states the massive coverage of our talent pool island-wide is done/underwritten by Alumni Associations and other entities ...but that is to be answered elsewhere...soon come Don1, neva fear!!!!) .

Like every 'living entity' there is no 'this must be done first...then that'. All the essentials must be done simultaneously! We know that is the way to go...but our love for 'ma-gole-in'/'cass-cass' has had us 'discussing' FORWARD from before 1962...or for some the marker is preparations for 1966, our 1st timid step into organised international competition. That is a hell of a long time to be discussing "how do we move forward"? ...surely the result by our age-group national teams will spur us to cut the wasteful talking and act to produce top quality footballers and teams?

[Jawge]

There in lie the problem.

[Karl]

Philip Lahm - Right-foot...but for me, best Left Back and best Right Back in the world!

[Mitty]

Athleticism does not come from been purely physical. A player can look athletic if he can read a play, react quickly, anticipate well, and even from the angles he takes to the ball, etc.

Our players are very reactive, so they arrive late, which means they are always trailing the play, and hence look slow footed.

How many times our goalie punt the ball and a defender gets to it first. or a pass to our forward is intercepted by the defense b4 our forward can react.

Ja footballers also ball watch a lot and mark in no mans land. these are just a few reasons why we appear to be less athletic than most teams.

[Karl]

You are correct. We did not lack for pace...but we were often late in reacting and late in getting to the ball. Also spent too much time on the ball...that led to late and inaccurate on passing!

[Don1]

I guess I am sick and tired of pointing out that in the schools are our youth. The GOJ underwrites the major investment in human resources, physical plants and administration of schools, school teams and school competitions...and permits at their discretion our youth/'their youth' to clubs and national associations ( Don1 claims not so. He states the massive coverage of our talent pool island-wide is done/underwritten by Alumni Associations and other entities ...but that is to be answered elsewhere...soon come Don1, neva fear!!!!) .

Ok boss...I am ready to be corrected...Once you can show data making clear GOJ's huge investment in school sports development