Theodore Whitmore on the sports desk

[Karl]

Jangle you are wrong. Tappa did more work than Hue has every done.

Funny thing is this lot of players are potentially better than our 1998 TEAM...but they are ruining it all by being poorer TEAM.

This lot do not all give full effort. The '98 TEAM every player was a warrior. This lot do not share the ball as well as the '98 TEAM did...and that tells you everything.

Look as with the '98 team our players man for man is worse than say a Spain or Germany...we can only hope to compete at the top if each player recognizes ultimate selfishness for TEAM success reside in total unselfishness of each individual.

...the greatest of the modern TEAMs will b all about TEAM and to hell with personal craving for self-glory.

[Jangle]

This lot do not all give full effort. The '98 TEAM every player was a warrior. This lot do not share the ball as well as the '98 TEAM did...and that tells you everything

This is solely down to the organization and the coaching. We still don't have an identity as a team which is a poor reflection on Tappa as a coach. At this stage we should not be chopping and changing players after every match. Why the 98 team is so dear to our hearts was because we didn't have that many choices in player selections and each player was playing above their limitations ......including Tappa. Tappa has an "idea" of how he wants Jamaica to play however, we "may" not have those types of players. He is asking Hue to become a player that he is not instead of allowing him to play his natural game and run our middle. You and the rest of the anti-Hue fans all agree that after searching for many years, we are yet to find a midfielder of Hue's quality, yet still every month you launch your anti-Hue campaign. You compare him to Pirlo and in fact he plays exactly like him, just for a bigger team. Jamaica's way forward at this stage is pick 10 other players around Hue and come up with a strategy that has him running our middle.

[Tilla]

Tappa was not much of a tackler and a pass and move, move and pass guy as we are making him out to be. Especially after 1998 World Cup, Tappa was like a fifth wheel on a car. He is there is needed but most of the time did nothing. In games post 1998, every now and then he would get the ball, do two pretty dribble to wake up the crowd, then go back to being the fifth wheel. I spoke about it a lot of times here on this forum that I was considered a Tappa hater by many.

That said, Tappa and Hue are two different types of midfielders. I see Tappa as the more attacking midfielder, while Hue is a playmaker. If Tappa decides to utilize Hue, then he needs to play to the man's strengths and not try to make him into something he is not. Either use his as he saw fit when our backs were against the wall in the must win game against Antigua, or let him go and we continue our merry way to the bottom of the qualifying pool. Simple as that. . .

[Me]

Tappa was very much a pass and move guy and kept the team ticking. It is a pity many of his teammates couldn't keep up. When he was iced out of the team, we could no longer maintain possession and string passes together.

Not to mention the whole accusing him of disappearing, but changing the tone to "the defense is bypassing the midfield" once Hue and other came onto the scene. (Mosiah in particular).

[Karl]

This is solely down to the organization and the coaching. We still don't have an identity as a team which is a poor reflection on Tappa as a coach. At this stage we should not be chopping and changing players after every match. Why the 98 team is so dear to our hearts was because we didn't have that many choices in player selections and each player was playing above their limitations ......including Tappa. Tappa has an "idea" of how he wants Jamaica to play however, we "may" not have those types of players. He is asking Hue to become a player that he is not instead of allowing him to play his natural game and run our middle. You and the rest of the anti-Hue fans all agree that after searching for many years, we are yet to find a midfielder of Hue's quality, yet still every month you launch your anti-Hue campaign. You compare him to Pirlo and in fact he plays exactly like him, just for a bigger team. Jamaica's way forward at this stage is pick 10 other players around Hue and come up with a strategy that has him running our middle.

So I compare Hue to Pirlo yet I am against him?

You overlook one little thing. Pirlo's work-rate!!!

[Jangle]

Why do you ASSUME that he's not giving his all? Because he's not playing how you like YOUR midfielder should play?

[Jangle]

You overlook one little thing. Pirlo's work-rate!!!

.......is the same as Hue's. It's just that Pirlo is playing in a team and with a coach that recognises his skills and builds a team and tactics around him. Simple.

[Karl]

Why do you ASSUME that he's not giving his all? Because he's not playing how you like YOUR midfielder should play?

t

I saw him in 2005 when he was not as experienced as he now is! He can reproduce the same commitment not the same pace. He is far superior on skill (technical level) and wiser. ...I know he can do better.

[1of1]

formation is tailor made for him at club and country

[Jangle]

Did you question Tappa's commitment when he used to walk for 80 mins in a game,? He was one of those players whom Simoes was complaining that was not up to international fitness level.

[HL]

HL fyi you are completely wrong with this statement. Tappa's work rate at his peak was worse than the mythical Hue's laziness. Tappa would slow down the game every time he collected a pass and many of his passes were backwards or lateral. He did have that ability to make the killer pass but he was certainly no box-to-box midfielder arhe demanding from Hue. Time, the fact that he scored two goals at the world cup and nostalgia have embellished Tappa's reputations. I remember the days pre-98 when sitting in the sun hot of the bleachers, nuff man used to cuss nuff bloodclath when Tappa got the ball. I always preferred Hector Wright who was a more talented version of Rudi Austin.

Jangle you are wrong!!

There was a time that I attended (maybe most of the reggae boys games A-Live). During those days I have seen Tappa play. He was box to box. He carried the team. Tappa literally picked up the ball from the defense and delivered it to the front men. He was a worker! Tappa changed after shorty Malcolm's death.

And yes, there was a time when Tappa was just pure rux. Example, I traveled to Scotland and watched Tappa when he played for Livingston FC. He was a shaddow of his past then. I met him after the game-- and was gracious enough to not tell him that his played like shyte

[Mosiah]

You overlook one little thing. Pirlo's work-rate!!!

Pirlo's what?!?! Wooiiee! Mi belly fat a jiggle too much!

[Mosiah]

Tappa was very much a pass and move guy and kept the team ticking. It is a pity many of his teammates couldn't keep up. When he was iced out of the team, we could no longer maintain possession and string passes together.

Not to mention the whole accusing him of disappearing, but changing the tone to "the defense is bypassing the midfield" once Hue and other came onto the scene. (Mosiah in particular).

The difference between Tappa and Hue when we would resort to our big kick is that Hue will actually start the play from his own 18. To my memory, Tappa was content to see the ball float over his head.

I would agree with you though that Tappa was a pass and move player. Not sure where he was heading though because he certainly was not a genius when it came to creating goals for others. In fact, he was better able to create goals for himself.

But hey, this is not about Tappa! And my campaign for Maestro is over! But it's really funny reading Karl's description of the player. It is about as accurate as his description of Jermie Lynch.

The sad thing is, if Hue is ever used in this campaign, if he doesn't produce wonders and miracles, our Karls and Stonis will be saying, see I told you he could not operate at this level. Nevermind that he would be operating at such extreme pressure to want to make sure that every time he touches the ball he creates a goal-scoring opportunity.

[Mosiah]

Young Gamma? Does Gamma know about this?!?

Oh, you mean young Gama! Luciano Gama!

Sheez!

[Karl]

Tappa was not much of a tackler and a pass and move, move and pass guy as we are making him out to be. Especially after 1998 World Cup, Tappa was like a fifth wheel on a car. He is there is needed but most of the time did nothing. In games post 1998, every now and then he would get the ball, do two pretty dribble to wake up the crowd, then go back to being the fifth wheel. I spoke about it a lot of times here on this forum that I was considered a Tappa hater by many.

That said, Tappa and Hue are two different types of midfielders. I see Tappa as the more attacking midfielder, while Hue is a playmaker. If Tappa decides to utilize Hue, then he needs to play to the man's strengths and not try to make him into something he is not. Either use his as he saw fit when our backs were against the wall in the must win game against Antigua, or let him go and we continue our merry way to the bottom of the qualifying pool. Simple as that. . .

That is your opinion. ...an erroneous one.

Tappa was a defensive presence. - He was ALWAYS A SUPPORT OUTLET!!! ...and contributed greatly to possession both in defensive positions and attacking positions. He was AWAYS MOVING! ...and ALWAYS PASSING. He was never quiet - He was all over the field!!! Even when his TEAM-mates went into crazy long periods of long high balls soaring above his head.

...as to Tappa not being a tackler?
That was crazy foolishness put out by the press and even fed by Tappa himself (I remember on one interview it was suggested to him that he was poor at defending and he agreed).

It may be that the subtle toe-ing off of ball or otherwise playing off the ball from an opponent to his teammate or swiftly taking a ball from an opponent without frontal body clashing assault is not recognized as a tackle (a winning of the ball)...and thus not worthy of being considered a tackle by some. Unfortunately for those persons those are tackles -- important tackles....just that they are blind to same.