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Who is Marlon's King problem?
Published: Friday | April 19, 2013
By Orville Higgins
Earlier this week, The Gleaner carried a story which implied strongly that Marlon King would think about coming back in the national fold if there was a change in the manager. In England, 'manager' is the word for coach, and speculation started to mount that his differences with Theodore Whitmore were the real reason why King announced his sudden international retirement a few months ago.
The Gleaner was quoting one Mr Finnegan, the agent for King, and in most people's minds that was easy to believe. It was Whitmore who had suspended King a few days before the start of the World Cup Qualifiers. It was Whitmore who refused to pick him even after his two-match ban was served, and it was natural to believe Whitmore would not be invited to King's Christmas party
On a television programme earlier this week, King made the surprise announcement that he doesn't, in fact, have a problem with the head coach, which seemed to be in direct contradiction to the Gleaner story, with his agent speaking only days earlier.
Fingers were now pointed squarely at assistant coach Alfredo Montesso, with both the host of the show and the general football public feeling that he must be the problem.
I spoke to Mr Montesso on my radio show on KLAS FM 89 on Wednesday and he denied that he has ever had a fallout with King. In fact, he said he was the one who had recommended him to Whitmore when the 2014 World Cup qualification campaign started last year.
The puzzle is even more complex, and a slew of people started wondering why the TV host didn't ask King directly with whom he had a problem and why, rather than inviting the public to speculate. I have since seen a repeat of the show and I'm disappointed that the host spent more time telling of a supposed private conversation with King than actually interviewing King who was live online.
My call-in programme on Wednesday was replete with callers who felt that the host, generally, has got to be less concerned about himself, who he knows, and who he is on friendly terms with, and seriously tackle sports issues of national interest.
So now we can rule out Whitmore and Montesso as the real reason why King wouldn't return. This still leaves the jury out as to who this mystery person could be. I am interested in finding out because I am interested in King coming back into the programme.
Indeed, it is widely known that I didn't think he should have been suspended in the first place. Apart from believing that no grown man should be suspended for breaking curfews, it is obvious that in King's absence, goalscoring has been a problem for Jamaica. In four games on the road since the World Cup Qualifiers started, we have scored only one goal in open play. King's proven goalscoring ability is surely missed. That cannot be denied.
MYSTERY PERSON
In my effort to find out who this mystery person is, I have spoken to a lot of people in football circles in Jamaica in the last few days - from players, to administrators, to coaches. Everybody has a different theory, but there does appear to be one consistent trend.
From what I have garnered, there appears to be a player, or a group of players, who Marlon King doesn't get along well with at all. This is natural. In any team, people will have differences, and part of administrators' responsibility is to manage personalities who are at odds with each other. This one, however, is probably more serious than normal.
Based on all that my investigations have revealed, I'm now left to wonder if there are individuals in the national squad who cannot coexist with King on the pitch, or vice versa, which is the real reason King is out. Is there a power group in this squad, loyal to coach Whitmore, that can effectively derail the programme if they don't get their way.
These are mere questions, but the answers might surprise you.
Orville Higgins is a sports journalist and talk-show host.
Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com
http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/2...cleisure3.html
Published: Friday | April 19, 2013
By Orville Higgins
Earlier this week, The Gleaner carried a story which implied strongly that Marlon King would think about coming back in the national fold if there was a change in the manager. In England, 'manager' is the word for coach, and speculation started to mount that his differences with Theodore Whitmore were the real reason why King announced his sudden international retirement a few months ago.
The Gleaner was quoting one Mr Finnegan, the agent for King, and in most people's minds that was easy to believe. It was Whitmore who had suspended King a few days before the start of the World Cup Qualifiers. It was Whitmore who refused to pick him even after his two-match ban was served, and it was natural to believe Whitmore would not be invited to King's Christmas party
On a television programme earlier this week, King made the surprise announcement that he doesn't, in fact, have a problem with the head coach, which seemed to be in direct contradiction to the Gleaner story, with his agent speaking only days earlier.
Fingers were now pointed squarely at assistant coach Alfredo Montesso, with both the host of the show and the general football public feeling that he must be the problem.
I spoke to Mr Montesso on my radio show on KLAS FM 89 on Wednesday and he denied that he has ever had a fallout with King. In fact, he said he was the one who had recommended him to Whitmore when the 2014 World Cup qualification campaign started last year.
The puzzle is even more complex, and a slew of people started wondering why the TV host didn't ask King directly with whom he had a problem and why, rather than inviting the public to speculate. I have since seen a repeat of the show and I'm disappointed that the host spent more time telling of a supposed private conversation with King than actually interviewing King who was live online.
My call-in programme on Wednesday was replete with callers who felt that the host, generally, has got to be less concerned about himself, who he knows, and who he is on friendly terms with, and seriously tackle sports issues of national interest.
So now we can rule out Whitmore and Montesso as the real reason why King wouldn't return. This still leaves the jury out as to who this mystery person could be. I am interested in finding out because I am interested in King coming back into the programme.
Indeed, it is widely known that I didn't think he should have been suspended in the first place. Apart from believing that no grown man should be suspended for breaking curfews, it is obvious that in King's absence, goalscoring has been a problem for Jamaica. In four games on the road since the World Cup Qualifiers started, we have scored only one goal in open play. King's proven goalscoring ability is surely missed. That cannot be denied.
MYSTERY PERSON
In my effort to find out who this mystery person is, I have spoken to a lot of people in football circles in Jamaica in the last few days - from players, to administrators, to coaches. Everybody has a different theory, but there does appear to be one consistent trend.
From what I have garnered, there appears to be a player, or a group of players, who Marlon King doesn't get along well with at all. This is natural. In any team, people will have differences, and part of administrators' responsibility is to manage personalities who are at odds with each other. This one, however, is probably more serious than normal.
Based on all that my investigations have revealed, I'm now left to wonder if there are individuals in the national squad who cannot coexist with King on the pitch, or vice versa, which is the real reason King is out. Is there a power group in this squad, loyal to coach Whitmore, that can effectively derail the programme if they don't get their way.
These are mere questions, but the answers might surprise you.
Orville Higgins is a sports journalist and talk-show host.
Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com
http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/2...cleisure3.html
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