Lazie, Jamaica has an abundance of talent...

[Karl]

This "Snow Balla" vs. "Local Talent" argument between you all profoundly demonstrates the larger problems we face as a nation. It is obvious we lack the ability to take time to analyze, understand and compromise in the interest of reaching a common vision and mutually agreed upon execution framework.

In my opinion - raw talent in Jamaica does abound, but as Karl correctly points out, the teaching is not there. I think we can all agree that we should not take steps to aggressively develop that talent. Secondly, it is foolhardy for us to consider the "snow ballas" as "foreigners". They are Jamaicans. End of story. Who among you would have any of us label your child a foreigner were he - through no doing of his own - be transplanted to another country being of Jamaican heritage? Silly.

So the way forward in my opinion is to recognize that we need to leverage our people no matter where they reside and figure out what our goals are for the next 30 years and start working diligently towards putting together what we need to have in order to achieve them. This would have to factor in both local development and exploitation of foreign based talent. But that will never happen if we fail to realize that we have to work together and stop the arguments. Yes, talent abounds, but snow ballas are not foreigners. Fi mi tuppance.

Agreed...FULL 100!

[Don1]

Paul don't be misled by semantics like "Snow Ballas"
I speak as the father of a sublimely skilled Snow Balla

Everyone recognizes that help from the diaspora is critical to Jamaica's success in all areas... the issue here is one of scale and the avoidance of.dependency on players who have zero background in Jamaica and merely show up for a few days to play a game... then vanish. At one point there were 8 such playerson the field.during WCQ
.
That's no way to build a team or a football industry.

That friendly sobriquet emanated from Stoni's misguided proposition that RBZ players should play "in snow" as a prerequisite...or that such players should be given an automatic preference over locals. The term is used to ridicule not.the players but the bankrupt thinking it represents

They key failing in football is myopia AKA a lack of vision. That failing is demonstrated by the JFF and most Jamaicans ALWAYS choosing short term fixes and goals where long term strategies will bear self sustaining results

It is just another manifestation of the get-rich-quick WITHOUT doing the work mentality which plagues that country

[Mosiah]

See if you can answer this question, Paul: what's the difference between a Nosworthy and a Mccleary? Are they both snow ballas?

Not sure yuh understanding the term.

[Paul Marin]

See if you can answer this question, Paul: what's the difference between a Nosworthy and a Mccleary? Are they both snow ballas?

Not sure yuh understanding the term.

Based on how I have seen the term used, I would think they are both snow ballas...if I am wrong, please educate me.

[Assasin]

you are a very smart man.

[HL]

yuh seet tu 'ssasin?

[Rockman]

I agree with Don1.
How many WC have we missed and what is the make up of the teams that qualified?

Recently,we saw Mexico benching some of its acclaimed players and seemingly with good results.See Hl,Nosworthy,Jamie Turbo Lawrence etc were worthy additions;they brought to the team things needed.You have to think we Jakans are an inferior breed hence the problem isn't a lack technical assistance and not having looooong term objectives,we are inherently just not good enough.We know better than that.Ricketts,Marshall,Tappa,Lowe,Bibi all came from the same era.

You will be forty before we stop beating a dead horse,and apparently that is applicable only to newborns.

Forget WC,put the resources in the junior WCs,it is a win win situation,better chance of doing well there,scouts for international clubs are interested at that level,more value for the dollar,and a future viable men's national team is more likely.

Ricketts,Bibi,Lowe,Tappa etc would have been marginalized had the snowball doctrine been rigororouly pursued back then.

Apparently,players that were not called up for the England squad are deemed good enough for CONCACAF,I believe that belief is the costly error,it is not good enough to beat a sound team.

[Don1]

I agree with Don1.
How many WC have we missed and what is the make up of the teams that qualified?

Recently,we saw Mexico benching some of its acclaimed players and seemingly with good results.See Hl,Nosworthy,Jamie Turbo Lawrence etc were worthy additions;they brought to the team things needed.You have to think we Jakans are an inferior breed hence the problem isn't a lack technical assistance and not having looooong term objectives,we are inherently just not good enough.We know better than that.Ricketts,Marshall,Tappa,Lowe,Bibi all came from the same era.

You will be forty before we stop beating a dead horse,and apparently that is applicable only to newborns.

Forget WC,put the resources in the junior WCs,it is a win win situation,better chance of doing well there,scouts for international clubs are interested at that level,more value for the dollar,and a future viable men's national team is more likely.

Ricketts,Bibi,Lowe,Tappa etc would have been marginalized had the snowball doctrine been rigororouly pursued back then.

Apparently,players that were not called up for the England squad are deemed good enough for CONCACAF,I believe that belief is the costly error,it is not good enough to beat a sound team.

Easy Rocky

Jamaicans tend to be myopic

D1 ah di ophthalmologist wid di diagnosis & prescription fi ameliorate di malady

Now wi juss need one optometrist dung ah yaad fi fill wi prescription and relieve dem blindness

Give dem vision lest they perish My Lawd

[Assasin]

Fools dream. It nuh matter where the players them come from, if we are not prepared we can forget it. You coulda call Messi or Ronaldo and play them inna world cup qualifiers without any gelling and it is hard for us to qualify.

We as Jamaicans always looking for god, whether it is "Blacka" Boyd, Marlon King, or you name it. The fact is Jamaica's best player is "never on the team".
If local team lose them call for foreign team, if foreign team lose them call for local team.

The fact is until we really start to prepare and pick the best players over time, we are in trouble. Local players have no inherit good qualities that you can't call some overseas players and overseas based players have no inherit quality that makes them better than Yard base players.

A time we see the foolishness. If man want make Reggae boys whether a foreign or yard him come from him suppose to be prepared and work hard all the time or we doom.

[Mosiah]

Assassin, it has never been about where the player is from. Well, at least, not with me.

But no matter what I say, how I explain myself, it always gets back to that. So I no longer try to explain it. Keep thinking whatever yuh gwine think, no matter what is said.

[Assasin]

why you take it personal??? The fact is we fail because of leadership and fail to prepare. Too much colonial talking about the man them fail we.

We are in a very bad place currently whether we use local team or overseas players. Get on with the work of building a strong team. We may know not know what to do, but we know what not to do but we keep on doing it over and over and will be bawling for it next world cup qualifiers when we draw another game.

[Don1]

We may know not know what to do, but we know what not to do but we keep on doing it over and over and will be bawling for it next world cup qualifiers when we draw another game.

[Mosiah]

Of course I take it personal, but without rancor. Something about me - hate being misunderstood, misquoted and misled!

[Paul Marin]

Paul don't be misled by semantics like "Snow Ballas"
I speak as the father of a sublimely skilled Snow Balla

Everyone recognizes that help from the diaspora is critical to Jamaica's success in all areas... the issue here is one of scale and the avoidance of.dependency on players who have zero background in Jamaica and merely show up for a few days to play a game... then vanish. At one point there were 8 such playerson the field.during WCQ
.
That's no way to build a team or a football industry.

That friendly sobriquet emanated from Stoni's misguided proposition that RBZ players should play "in snow" as a prerequisite...or that such players should be given an automatic preference over locals. The term is used to ridicule not.the players but the bankrupt thinking it represents

They key failing in football is myopia AKA a lack of vision. That failing is demonstrated by the JFF and most Jamaicans ALWAYS choosing short term fixes and goals where long term strategies will bear self sustaining results

It is just another manifestation of the get-rich-quick WITHOUT doing the work mentality which plagues that country

Here's a question for you: what is the appropriate balance between "snow ballas" and foreign based talent in the team? I don't think we disagree on the lack of long term strategies, but the way to get there is to look for common ground. Here's what I see as common ground; we all want to have:

1. a team that consistently challenges for top honors in the region
2. a program that consistently produces talented home grown individuals that can compete at the highest levels in Europe and by inference, the rest of the world
3. a consistent presence in the world cup

Meeting these targets without leveraging all our resources will be near impossible.

[Paul Marin]

Of course I take it personal, but without rancor. Something about me - hate being misunderstood, misquoted and misled!

So - you asked me a question about Nugsy and McCleary...what is the answer? (I don't want to miquote, misundertand or mislead! so make it plain as malcolm x used to say).