I feel like a hypocrite in this

[Don1]

that would imply you are playing games... we are not.

I believe we need to play games....seriously

Wasn't that a HUGE part of the '98 WCQ model mi love??

[Muadib]

Stick with the early age-group Simoes Tactic then hope for the best...

Not possible with professional age players..

Unless yuh going come wid some communist system..

[Don1]

LOL...Professional age??? Dem age nuh relevant-- wha relevant is dem latent ability an dem availability fi play national ball

mi dun propose mi system areddy...yuh did si nuh role fi commie inside dat??

[Muadib]

Is there such a system in place working in other countries.. send me a list..

[Don1]

But wait.... mi fi sen yuh list?? Yuh ah pay mi? Wha rate??

Is ongly yaad mi ah defen.... mi nuh ave time fi more freeness ar nuh list ah fryas

[Muadib]

ah.. I see..

[Jawge]

Karl I was liberal with the numbers. You don't need a big research here. You have a ceiling of 2.7 mil overall population. You then start looking at men within this ceiling within the age of 19 and 28. You look at the number of teams within the RSPL (you now have to think about them drawing from the population pool). You have other males who desire track and field, not to mention cricket. Can RSPL compare to other nation with larger population size and stronger economy (with the ability to pay for foreign talent). The weights are there , this isn't an assumption.

Why do you think with Ja's present system only one talent (Tappa comes to mind) shows up every 15 fifteen years? Brasil and other countries don't wait for luck. They apply a system. A system based around academies (an institution specializing in football) hence their continued success in the game.

[Jawge]

Number one shows why Ja locals do so poorly at the highest level.

2 and 3 ; I will give you the ret.General's maxim (IT CAN BE DONE!). See this is why the US dominates. They don't look for failure. They say what if I cannot fail? Boss you have to let that inferiority baggage go and be bold.

As Garvey would say: "GO OUT THERE AND SHOCK THE WORLD". Stop looking for reasons to fail because you will surely fail.

[Jawge]

You really need to stop. prof. Simoes had no belief in HS football. Who do you think I got the youth league idea from?

Obviously you were not around when the forum would rinse the Prof's manifesto for days.

Let me post it for you (cause mussi tink mi juss ah grab ting out ah di air) :

I have missed our talks, but lately I have also been busy and tired, so I did not want to risk being misinterpreted. I am like this, if I do not have something that I consider positive and capable of improving or helping, to say, I prefer to keep quiet and retrieve to the attic like a good Martian (as the book " Men are from mars, woman are from Venus")

Perhaps until the next World Cup, many comments will be made about the events involving the national team during the World Cup 1998. I think this is great, but we must know how to separate the superficial from the essential. The essential that must be discussed are:

1. What was done, and what took us to France
2. What happened during the World Cup, what we can repeat and what we cannot repeat - a general review.
3. What must be done for 2002
4. How to gather financial resources
5. How and when to introduce the professional league
6. Formation, professionalism and improvement of the staff members
7. Shell Cup
8. U-17, U-20, U-23

1. What was done, and what took us to France.

Diagnosis - all people involved in football were consulted. The future is a consequence of what we know about the past. What we found in the diagnosis were:

(I) Players lost jobs because (of) trips overseas
(II) Promises not fulfilled by the JFF
(III) No hopes throughout football for players
(IV) Do (No) discipline
(V) No understanding about tactic
(VI) Very weak infrastructure
(VII) Poor diet
(VIII) No medical treatment prevention
(IX) No proper sport equipment
(X) Lack of credibility from the JFF with businessmen
(XI) No international exposure
(XII) No money policies
(XIII) No proper accommodation
(XIV) Privileges for some players, especially professionals
(XV) Lack of self-esteem
(XVI) No knowledge about psychology, sociology
(XVII) Poor vision about football as a cultural expression of the country
(XVIII) No sports facilities with international level
(XIX) Lack of leadership
(XX) Players playing as individual, lack of unity

I feel very interested when some very wise people comment that this programme succeeded because of financial support. Since we started this programme called "Road to France" a plan was building which we strongly followed. Many, but many times the wise men advised to keep concentrated for 2002 because '98 was impossible. Jamaicans, I am sure you remember that , don't you? In 1995 we had no money but we did not give up and thank God he gave us the wisdom and ideas all of which were fruitful. To achieve all these 20 points (mentioned earlier), were the necessary sacrifices, fighting capacity, faith and love.

We transformed players into professional, the JFF fulfilled all its promises, and its transparency with auditors gave credibility. Three camps in Brazil, one in Argentina, gave the players the motion about professional players life and tactical knowledge. A very competent fitness trainer gave to the players a very special fitness condition. The discipline was established and they learned the "the more we sweat in training the less we bleed in battle" (Alert '98 Magazine). The rental of a beautiful house at 102 Shortwood Road gave superb accommodation to the players. We established connections between Jamaica and Brazil in lab tests and diet programmes. The players are treated equally; no one has more privilege than another. We showed them that they could perform in the same way as any professional player and they believed that they could do it. The players got the right to use their own hairstyles since the hairstyle does not interfere with their vision and performance. The team started to play as a team, everyone had a right to express himself, but must remember he is a part of a team. Almost 140 games were played in this four-year period, more than 50 trips overseas, more than 20 countries visited (some of them more than twice) and all of these gave a lot of exposure and confidence to the players.

Each completion of a plan has an invisible side, which is usually the result of behaviour. The "Road to France" was not different; it did not merely produce fruits on the field with victories and qualification, there are other achievements.

A. Football as a business: Everyone now believes that sports, especially football, is the biggest publicity agent for products and companies. It is a money machine (if well managed). Clubs all around the world, following orientations from FIFA, are becoming companies and putting their chares on the stock market. Television is paying more and more for the event. The number of people who watched the last World Cup has been estimated at 37 billion.

B: Football as a career: Four years ago there were no mothers or fathers in Jamaica who would encourage their sons to become football players, because there was not future in it. Today, everything has changed. There is hope for a better life. In the last 10 years Brazil sent 2000 players to all corners of the world. We have potential to send players abroad. Our boys of today will one day parade their talents in other countries, with a label on the chest that reads "Made in Jamaica". Ricardo Gardener will be the first.

C. Football as an educational tool: Football can take and channel the best in human beings (solidarity, friendship, generosity, courage, virtuosity and willpower) as well as the worst (aggression, violence and obsession) when manipulated in an intelligent manner. All of these points can be fundamental in the formation of a human being that is honest, balanced, confident and a winner.

D. Football in Patriotism: "Jamaica Land We Love"; now this has new meaning. When seen as your homeland the county is grand and beautiful, you and the land are one. What must be differentiated is how you see the country on political matters. That is an ideological line, which should not affect your love for the country. Football has united the differences, was above political interest and worked as an element for giving value and rescuing the respect for national symbols such as the anthem and the flag.

E: Football debate: The players are beginning to see that they are workers and as such have rights and should participate in the discussions concerning the future of the team. It is obvious that internal habits which are deeply embedded, cannot change in such a short period of time. The practice of democracy, where rights and duties walk hand-in-hand, requires plenty of exercise. The theory of practice and mistake is fundamental. This debate is also advanced on the newspapers, TV programmes and radio stations. We must continue to cultivate the habit of questioning, because this is the only way to progress. However, to question without a noble cause is like planting disagreements and harvesting confusion and we all are tired of that.

F: Football for the family: In Jamaica, as in many countries, football has become a common element of pleasure for the entire family. Much like cricket, there are a great number of children and women in the stadiums, which I admire. Parents and children spend time together, watching discussing and feeling the same emotions. We have rescued the dignity of this sport in Jamaica. Today, football is no longer a sport of underprivileged classes, but a national sport, where the fantasies, hopes and frustrations of many are projected.

G: Football for charity: For a long time, football had to knock door to door asking for help to survive. Today, football can open its door to help other institutions. The players have discovered that the money given to charity comes back in the form of blessings, and that the act of giving is more important than the amount of the donation. If the world does not humanise itself so we may all become our brother's keepers, the future will be an uncontrollable fight for survival. "It is better to give than to receive."

H: Football as a tourism ambassador: No one, at any time, has been able to project Jamaica to the world as much as now. The number of documents concerning the qualification was enormous. The schedule that was done before the World Cup was fantastic, the word Jamaica was said in all corners of the world. I can risk saying that the Reggae Boyz produced a publicity space of more than US$50 million for the tourism in this country. Only the JTB's giant football produced US$5 million in two months.

One of my favourite composers/singers from Brazil is called Gonzaguinha, and on of his songs has the following line:

To live without being ashamed of being happy
To sing and sing the beauty of being an eternal learner
I know, I know that life should be much better and happier
But this does not stop me from repeating, it is beautiful, it is beautiful, it is beautiful!"

To be an eternal learner without being ashamed of being happy is one of the greatest secrets of intelligent and experienced people. Who is an intelligent person? It is the one who has the sensibility to identify and accept a personal or group mistake; someone who is humble in recognizing his own faults, who is generous when others make errors, and who has strength and leadership to alert others as they are about to make a wrong step. What is an experienced person? It is one who lived, analyzed, absorbed, learned and practiced all of the experiences in his life.

2. What happened during the World Cup, what we can/not repeat, general review.

A.. The planning of 5 games and many trips before the World Cup gave maturity and helped the team to adjust to changes. The World Cup is not like the qualification rounds when we played against teams from the same continent. The change in strategy was excellent. The teams such as Argentina, Holland and France showed us that the players of tomorrow will have to exercise multiple functions on the field. The arrival to the competition place, talking that there is not a great difference in local times, must be fairly close to the beginning the competition as ours was. The cup became long and tiresome. The decision to take Dixon was a correct one. The average of the players used by the team was once again 18, therefore, four are considered risk players. The players from England added strength. The argument of calling only local players because they could represent the nation better became weaker as we saw the French team win the World Cup with only three local players and 11 players who are descendants of immigrants from Argentina, Algeria, Portugal Senegal, Italy, French Guiana and others. Michel Platini himself is the son of Italians. Training sessions with closed doors worked very well for the French team and should be done for Jamaica. The rotation of players, depending on opponent(s) team, is very positive, however, it is only recognised and accepted if the team wins. France used this weapon throughout the cup.

B. Calling players too close to the competition is something we cannot repeat. The minimum time for adaptation should be five months. Staff members should also be hired at least five month before the World Cup so that they may have a closer contact with the project. Cellular phones on camp should have established time for usage. The difference between local time for the players and local time for the World Cup venue makes everything more tiring. When in association with the JFF, the exhibition of documentaries without previous presentation should not be allowed. Rules should be made to ensure such material will previously be viewed by someone from the JFF.

C. The overall review is that the team was brave, united and consistent during the first week. The relationship among all was excellent. After the presentation of the documentary there was a break in the connection link between the sub-groups of the team. There was mistrust and the appearance of immature leadership was extremely bad. The loss of leadership by the three leaders of the three sub-groups was what lead to the poor level of co-operation and support inside the field. I must say that there was no lack of fight and determination, they were all there. The efforts, however, were not combined. This is a delicate process and is sometimes difficult to be understood by those who do not have a basic grasp of sociology.

I will try to explain: Imagine your company or working group of 22 people. Of course there are some who become closer to each other, lets say that these people form three sub-groups. Within each sub-groups there is one person who stands out more than others and becomes the leader, the one who represents all the hopes and necessities of that sub-group. The manger of the company then discovers who these leaders are and makes sure that they relate well to each other and that they are always aware of the needs of the company. Any problem can be adjusted and corrected by these leaders., Now imagine that these three leaders are disappointed at/with each other because of a documentary. What there is then is a group of 22 workers complaining and working individually. Making sure that their colleagues do not make mistakes or that the company keeps on producing are no longer priorities. Now each one is on his own. In this case, the manager must call the leadership to himself and keep the boat from going only on instincts, because every navigation equipment is malfunctioning.]

It was difficult hard, stressful, but in the end there was signs of an improvement, and after the last game we could see a small normalization of the old relationship. I believe that once more God used this team to talk to Jamaicans and show what must be done for the development of the country. We qualified because we were disciplined, united, competent and faithful to our mission. When we separated, the losses came as a form of punishment. The message is here again that only with the strength found in a union can we advance and achieve victories.

3. What must be done for 2002:

To start, we must recognize that it will be harder than it was in 1998. The teams will be more prepared and alert when playing Jamaica. Also, we will not have all our players here: Ricardo Gardener is leaving, and others, I hope will go to play abroad too. We must concentrate on the U-20 and U-23 teams. These players will be around 23 and 26 years old respectively, therefore, will make up for most of the 22 players, with the addition of some of the seniors who were in the World Cup. Trying to qualify for the Olympics and the 99 World Cup (for U-20) must be the next goals. The work with the senior team is also very important with the idea being for one game a month, and one international camp every year. Until the year 2000 this process will be one of transition, after the Olympics the team will be somewhat formed and should gain maturity from 25 games against national teams and 15 games against clubs from other countries. This will give use approximately 100 games against national teams and 60 against clubs. The international camps should take 30 days each, and one of these should take place in an Asian country so that the players can experience the change in local times.

Facilities for medical and dental treatment as well as a lab should be made available. The creation of a project called BMF (body, mind, feet) must be executed. The athletes of the U-15, U-17 and U-20 will be identified as talents and will see a psychologist, social worker, cardiologist, nutritionist, doctor and physical trainer every month. They will follow a strict programme of muscular training and diet to produce a good athletic structure. By the way Zico is a result of a work similar to this one.

4. How to gather the financial resources.

1n 1989 I watched a political debate in Brazil where on of the candidates presented many projects. The opponent asked the candidate how he planned on getting the money for the projects since he was poor. The answer was intelligent and came quickly, "the financial resources are not in the pocket of the one who manages, but in his mind." Creativity, transparency, well-developed plans, and realistic information between money spen


4. How to gather the financial resources.

1n 1989 I watched a political debate in Brazil where on of the candidates presented many projects. The opponent asked the candidate how he planned on getting the money for the projects since he was poor. The answer was intelligent and came quickly, "the financial resources are not in the pocket of the one who manages, but in his mind." Creativity, transparency, well-developed plans, and realistic information between money spent and money that comes in, make the manager a winner.

Some ideas

1 Partnership with companies offering exclusive publicity.
2 Pre-sold annual tickets for games that will take place in Jamaica Football Federation
3 Partnership with the orange bowl in Miami, RFK in Washington, QPR in London and Varsity on Toronto for the use in tournaments and games.
4 Early sale of TV rights for friendly games to an international TV station.
5 Stores for the commercialisation of all products with the name of Reggae Boyz.

Project Development for more players:

It is obvious that in this case there is a human aspect, but we can compare the formation of a player with the production of a car. There are steps that must be respected otherwise the line of production will stop. Imagine putting the body of the car without first putting the seats, it would get complicated. Also, we cannot forget those things that are extremely necessary. Have you ever thought of a car with cassette player, AC, bit no engine. The football player is the same, we must look at the things that he cannot do without, his physical and mental structure, as well as fundements(fundamentals) before those things that are merely show off.

Project BMF (mind, feet, body) - these athletes between 15 and 18 years old will stay in a house where they will live and receive assistance:

Social -- A social assistance will gather their family histories. School
will be provided close to the housing facility. The social assistant will
arrange for regular visits with the family.

Clinical -- A report on their medical history will be made. Every six months there will
be examined for urine, faeces, eyes, ears, and others.

Cardio -- Annual electrocardiograms, Family history will be examined.

Orthopedics -- Treatment to prevent problems. Measurement of bone structure.

Nutrition -- Family history will be examined. Balanced diet according to the training
phase, vitamin supplements. Measurement of body fat.

Dental -- Regular exams, hygiene orientation.

Psychology -- Family history will be examined. Counseling, vocational tests.

Religion -- Participation in a church close to the housing facility (type to be chosen by
the athlete) regular counseling sessions with Rev. Al Miller.

Rescueof -- Notion of duties and rights, legal help for families, orientation about work
Citizenship laws.

In this project there are all the necessary steps for the formation of a proper medical department, one which will be able to provide its services to all the athletes. The MBF will have the following divisions which will work together: Reception and diagnostics, general clinic, cardiology, orthopedics, physiology labs, sports nutrition, psychology, religious, legal.

This housing facility can be called "the workshop of men". This name is appropriate because the attention will be given to the human being in general, the player will be a consequence of a well guided man.

By the way (I): "Not even democracy or market economy have spread so widely around the continents as has football". This statement is from Pascall Bonifarik, one of the 30 thinking minds that were united by the magazine Maniere De Vo sponsored by "Le monde diplomatique". Another wonderful statement came from Gerard Ernault, chief editor if the France Football. He said, "football is the most simple, tolerant, flowing, democratic, and improbable sport." The greatest minds increase our desire to see a strong and passionate football in Jamaica, as in the rest of the world.

5. How and when to introduce the professional league:

We must set goals to be met by clubs so that they may participate of the first professional league in 2000-2001.

Goals.

98-99
1. Creation of an U-20
2. Fields with fences around them
3. Locker rooms for home and visitor teams

99-2000
1. Creation of an U-20
2. Seats for 5,000 spectators
3. One training field
4. Playing field in perfect condition

2000-01
1. All players must have contracts with their teams
2. All staff working under contracts: Coach. Assistant coach, physical trainer, doctor, masseur and goalkeeper's coach.

By the way (II):
Football is a passion of the planet, the most universal entertainment, the sport of the crowds, or a complete social fact. A research by "The Economist" revealed that the biggest reason for pride among English youngsters is not the great conquest of the British Empire, but football."

5. Formation, professionalisation and improvement of staff members:

The greatest difficulty that I have found in this is the lack of understanding many people have about professional football. There is confusion between profession and hobby, competence and love, training and scrimmage. The football professionals are like any other. Just because I like medicine and have been to hospitals, does not mean that I can decide from one day to the next that I will start to prescribe medication. This requires knowledge, talent, availability and love. A profession and life often become one, bringing happiness to the individual.

More than 200 coaches received a diploma for the first level. The second level course will be conducted by October 1. The regular courses for football professionals is something that must come off the paper. This is something that bothers me, but how can we do it if the interested parties are not available. It will be necessary to invest on (in) the players who are ending their careers and in the physical education students of GC Foster. In the next couple of months, six coaches and six students for GC Foster will be identified and the JFF will invest in their professional formation. This problem will only be completely solved when the professional league starts and the clubs start paying the coaches in order to have fulltime dedication. Until then the JFF will have to give a lot of support and put in a great effort.

By the way (III)
The body expresses what the brain imagines, dreams and thinks. A mental diet is just as important as the physical diet, in which what you eat is expressed in your body. Looking at a skinny person and a fat person, without considering psychological and hormonal problems, the difference is in their diet. When we look at a winner and a loser the difference is almost always in the mental diet. A couple of days ago someone asked me, "how many minutes it usually takes for a player who goes in as a substitute to reach good physical condition in order to do something positive in the game." My answer to that was, "it varies from player to player." Salid from Denmark needed only 14 seconds to score; Babangida No 13 from Nigeria needed only five minutes, and Gallarado from Argentina took two minutes to assist Batistuta in scoring a goal. It varies. It depends on the mental strength.

The players need to recognise that a team is the sum of thoughts, wishes and attitudes from all the members of the team and not only the 11 starters. This thought keeps the players warmed up and ready at all moments of the game, if it were not so it would better to establish that after a certain time of the game, substitutions should not be allowed. It is time for us to grow and upgrade our football to a professional level. The soldier must always be ready for battle.

By the way (IV):
Many people have asked me about my "Jesus Saves" shirt since they say that defeats came because of the absence of the shirt. Some asked me if I did not believe anymore, or if it was just an act of publicity during their qualification rounds.. When Jesus was asked if it was correct to pay taxes he asked whose money it was and said "to Caesar what is Caesar's." He was talking about following rules, regulations, laws, etc. FIFA has strict regulations concerning commercial, political, religious and ideological publicity. Therefore, I was not allowed to wear the shirt, but the messages was always present in the interviews, training sessions and autographs. There is another detail that must be discussed - the messages cannot turn into a superstition, Jesus was always against the worship of symbols, but it is good to state that "Jesus Saves".

By the way(V):
I have been asked about the tactical formation, if I regretted it, if I was right; others state that I was wrong. Some points must be cleared.

1. I have as a principle not to make my speeches different from my actions. I have always said that I do not have problems with opinions because I am a democrat. What I have problems with is the twisting of facts. This is why I now listen, respect and analyze opinions without troubles.

2. I have been in this profession and involved with football for over 30 years and it has never changed. The coach is only right if the team wins. This is why I do not alter my behavior in victories and I do not get so affected over defeats.

3. After Brazil's defeat against France, a natural avalanche of criticism appeared against Zagallo. He said that anything he had done would not affect the result since after the problem with Ronaldo the group lost its balance and spirit. Therefore he was calm. It was the circumstance that lead to the defeat.

I say the same thing about Jamaica. One day before the game against Croatia, the team had the spirit of a winner. The Chemistry though acceptation and understanding were all there. I had no doubts that we could win over Croatia. The changes were discussed and practiced. I only changed the positioning of the mid-field. The training sessions were going great and the number of goals scored in them were the highest since I started with Jamaica. However, after the documentary everything changed, and I cannot guarantee another formation or other players would have made a difference. Everyone talks about the game against Japan, the team also did not play as good as it did before. If Japan had scored the three goals that they had the chance to (before our first goal), the game would have been lost for us. The important thing is that the lesson and the history remained. It is not easy to participate in a first world cup, score three goals and play in the same groups as the third and fifth place. Go Jamaica!

7. Shell cup

Finally, it's here. I have been in many different cups, like Europe, Asian, Brazilian, Rio De Janiero, Sao Paulo, Qatan (probably Qartar) United Arab Emirates, Portugal, etc, but the Cup I have to confess was the most difficult. First of all the opposition to the Jamaican team is in and out of the country. The first time I had experience to have three players with red cards was in this Cup and in the same tournament in 1996 two goalkeepers with red cards. We Won!
The pressure people inside Jamaica put on the team was terrible in previous years. They said "the coach must prove himself. Only the first place showed competence." This year I took the decision not to sit on the bench, therefore, making the impression that I wasn't there. This worked! Those who normally cheered against us this year were relaxed. This was the most relaxed atmosphere I had experienced in this cup. I was there and I'm very proud to have won. This is result of the programme. Last year we were unbeatable. We lost in penalty kick. The accomplishments were not by accident. It took a long and dedicated period of training leading up to the success. Special congratulations to Carl Brown for his integrity discipline, honesty, courage, loyalty and commitment.

8. U-17,U-20, U-23

I remember after we qualified to France, and I'm sure you do, that the wisemen started complaining about or foundation. Now, what are we seeing is that all categories are playing very well. Our plan is not stopping them any more, they have to keep in permanent training camp and travel overseas as much as possible.

By the way(VI):
"The worst feeling of failure would be to come to the conclusion that you did not live to your fullest, were not considered an independent human being, never had your voice heard, were never stimulated to have your own opinion, and to know that you were seen as someone else's property."

Today I feel like a winner, and hope that you do too. If you do not, it is never too late, so wake up, feel useful, feels a full-time participant in a society anxious for leaders who are dedicated to the general well-being of people and Christian principles. Today is the day, yesterday is no more, tomorrow may be too late. Decide to be someone, and someone very special, someone who is the image and resemblance of Christ. I would like to finish our talk with a thought:

It is not the critic that counts, nor the man who points out how the strong man stumbled or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust, sweat and blood, who survives valiantly, who errs and comes short again and again; who at best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement; and who at worst, if he fails, at least fails while doing greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.
Theodore Roosevelt

"Let us keep faith and courage to try to do what others only have the capacity to talk about!" Jamaica and Jamaicans, land and people I love.

[Don1]

Look like yuh comprehension get shatta yuteman....Fi mi plan nuh based pon HS ball.... it circumvents it. Mi dun seh dat ballas in di national pool should not be playing HS ball...dem should exclusively be inna di national development system

[Don1]

LOL... ok yuh fi guh pon one foolfool crusade fi start one MLS franchise inna Jamaica. Mi hope seh yuh willin' fi trow some ah yuh owna money down dat sinkhole .....wooooiiiee

Football is a business yuteman.... Investors go into projects expecting a financial return.... not a charity affair based on well intentioned but wishful thinking