Jamaica's dilemma: Can a bunch of strangers qualify for WC??

[Don1]

Let's hope so.

http://gleanerblogs.com/sports/?p=1794

Do they wear name tags at team meetings??

[Historian]

Well, We Did it Before....

Let's hope so.

http://gleanerblogs.com/sports/?p=1794

Do they wear name tags at team meetings??

Well, boss, we did it before – almost 16 years ago to be exact. I closely followed virtually all of the qualifying matches for World Cup 1998, and trust me, we never stood a chance of qualifying until Horace Burrell and Rene Simoes discovered and added a “bunch of strangers” to the squad.

Deon Burton, Paul Hall, Robbie Earle, Fitzroy Simpson, Frank Sinclair, and Darryl Powell were all a “bunch ofstrangers” who were picked from various places in England.

Like it or not, we NEED these professional strangers.

[Don1]

Ok...but I disagree with your analysis. You only skim the surface and need to drill down deeper imho. I also closely followed that campaign and attended several qualifiers. The 1998 campaign and the current one are definitely NOT analogous

The core of the 1998 qualifying team was not composed of strangers....they were local players who played together constantly for years under Simoes...thereby developing group cohesion, appropriate playing style to their situation and individual tactical & technical skills. Performing seals became a credible unit by massive overseas exposure and quality technical guidance...all this because of the time & space they were allowed

Yes...That unit had glaring performance weaknesses in some areas...which were brilliantly patched by Hall, Simpson & Burton in qualifying

From that brilliant winning template in 1998 Jamaica has degraded to an inadvisable, incoherent, incomprehensible and unsustainable patchwork philosophy of wholesale player importation....at the 11th hour of qualifying to boot

Associated with this semi-lunacy is the neglect of basic youth & local player development....but of course that allows the JFF to say truthfully that local players are "not ready"...a self fulfilling prophecy if I ever saw one

Time will tell if this opportunistic, import-led strategy will be the goose that lays the golden egg...or if wi aggo juss get whe di duck get once again

Incidentally, even if this group qualifies for the WC we will be no closer to developing our football. Player importation will be validated as a correct strategy for the myopic majority. There will be no incentive to accelerate the hard, grinding grass roots development work which Jamaica really needs

[Mosiah]

And that there's the facts. Thanks!

[Historian]

Excellent Points

True. Although you’re making a rebuttal to my comments, I’m forced to fully agree with everything you’ve said here. I think, in fact, that it would be very difficult for me (or anyone else here for that matter) to successfully argue against the points you raised.

Jamaica’s “progress” in soccer since the late 1990s is truly a tragic story of wanton neglect.

[Don1]

Ok boss

respek