Not to kick a man after the fact but lets get this straight.

[Siya]

Tappa at his best operated behind the forwards and created for HIMSELF not a selfish player but he did his damage off fearless dribbling - at times he was the only Jamaican player who seemed to have the will or ability to consistently get into an opponents penalty area. Even with a horde of top notch defenders around him he could still go anywhere he wanted to go that was the beauty of Tappa.

In that brief period when Carl Brown played him as a holding midfielder (Gold Cup 2003 to when Lazaroni came) he excelled in front of the defense with his concentration and precise short passing that always played us out of tight situations it was almost a stroke of genius by Carl except his holding midfielder couldn't tackle, was useless in the air despite being over six feet tall and did not make long passes to start anything....

Tilla I think for years you have been sabotaging your own arguments when you say Tappa was washed up or unfit - its not that. The fact is we put a dribbling terror in the role of general and he lost his ability to influence the game. Carl Brown harnessed the calmness, mastery of tight turns and excellent short passing ability by placing him in front of the back four but even that was driving the nail further in the coffin because Carl really only succeeded in removing him from where he flourished up to 1998 under Simoes - close to the goal responsible for himself...

[Mosiah]

You are a blessing to this site!

Can't remember how many times I've said it. Tappa was a dribbling genius. That genius did not create goals as it should. Yes, point to his World Cup goals and his record of scoring for the Boyz. While you are at it, state the number of games he played and the number of assists. And again I ask, what did Tappa's genius do for us in the 1998 World Cup? In fact, had Tappa not scored those two goals against fellow minnows, Japan, many would have said he had a bad game.

Give me the assist king over the dribble king any day of the week!

No, I am not berating the great Tappa. I still want to see that statue in Sam Sharpe Square. But a football god he is not!

[Muadib]

You are a blessing to this site!

Can't remember how many times I've said it. Tappa was a dribbling genius. That genius did not create goals as it should. Yes, point to his World Cup goals and his record of scoring for the Boyz. While you are at it, state the number of games he played and the number of assists. And again I ask, what did Tappa's genius do for us in the 1998 World Cup? In fact, had Tappa not scored those two goals against fellow minnows, Japan, many would have said he had a bad game.

Give me the assist king over the dribble king any day of the week!

No, I am not berating the great Tappa. I still want to see that statue in Sam Sharpe Square. But a football god he is not!

That is odd.. what impressed me most about Tappa is his ability to pass beautifully weighted balls to the feet of his forwards with consumate ease.. that and his balance and positioning on the ball.. di man mek football look simple..

Jamaica has never been short of dribblers..

[Mosiah]

Fair. But I can only imagine how yuh rate Maestro!

So then, are we back on the "assist game" topic? Or wi talking about possession?

[Muadib]

Fair. But I can only imagine how yuh rate Maestro!

So then, are we back on the "assist game" topic? Or wi talking about possession?

Wi talking about a gifted player that should be preserved.. not treated like a dime a dozen.

When a Yard player can stand-out in a game against Brazil... yuh lucky..

[Tilla]

Siya, I am going to have to put in an emoticon taking a bow. You have made some very valid argument sir! Fi now, I will just give this post a thumbs up until later.

I agree with every word of that post.

[Rockman]

I get the feeling one of your many points will be overlooked, Tappa had no limitations, Walter Boyd was another such player. Today we find that same fire in Omar Daley(fearless from the get go).
In Bora's search for players that probably would've been ignored, we expect him not to limit that search to locals but include players such as Shavar...
Bora has the opportunity to (and will)'buss' a few players.

Blessed

[Farmah]

Good post but the sad reality is - and I noticed it clearly when I watched the Reggae vs Chile game on Fox - that we are sorely missing a midfield general in the mold and conifidence of a Tappa Whitmore. My hopes of our having a successor to Tappa has dwindled in the way in which our ''program'' has failed our young Boyz. Keith Kelly, Akeem Priestly and Lenny Hyde Jr seemed primed to pick up the baton but seem a lost hope. Kelly is damaged goods and Lenny Hyde Jr fell off tracks. Akeem Priestly is on the USA college circuit and may still be capable in his post-college years.

A bright spark in the U-20 squad is young Joel Senior. If he continues to progress, we could have a capable linkman, though nothing near a Tappa.

One of Bora's quest right now should be to find us another Tappa. Without that quality midfielder who can impose himself upon the game, we will be fodder for CONCACAF's top 10. I look at Mexico, USA, Canada, Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama, Haiti, TnT, Cuba and El Salvador and I wonder if we realise how difficult it will be this time around to even crack the #4 spot.

[Karl]

Tappa at his best operated behind the forwards and created for HIMSELF not a selfish player but he did his damage off fearless dribbling - at times he was the only Jamaican player who seemed to have the will or ability to consistently get into an opponents penalty area. Even with a horde of top notch defenders around him he could still go anywhere he wanted to go that was the beauty of Tappa.

Tilla has forgotten - He needs to pay me a visit in Shady Pines. I have a seat for him. - that he was saying Tappa was washed up immediately after the 2002 World Cup. Many were the other shouts that he was disappearing in games.

I was forced to put out a post that in the games where it was claimed he went missing that his supposedly teammates were always by-passing him. When it was not a big aerial kick from defender to attacker...they thought, as the ball invariable when to the opposing defence...the ball was most often passed around him. It was not as say, a France used Zidane or a T'rinidad in the last World Cup used a Dwight Yorke...or, as previous to 2002 the REGGAE BOYZ used Tappa.

Yes, Tappa is an excellent dribblier but he also was an excellent creator for his teammates. He was...has always been able to breakdown defenses.

As you rightly said once Tappa was once more allowed to operate as focal point through which we attacked the REGGAE BOYZ entered a phase where most thought qualifying for World Cup 2006 was a forgone conclusion.

A relook at the discs/tapes of those qualifying games with Tappa on the field showed an energised attacking force. It is still incomprehensible how there was the papacy of goals as goalscoring opportunities in matches came in floods.

Aside:
In our last game I heard the commentators claiming Fuller disappeared. I have heard some posters here after having seen the game claim the same thing. Now I am not sold on Fuller as he still plays more anti-TEAM brukie-boo than he does team...but, if the last match was really seen, it would have been observed that Fuller more often than not was a passing option...one that was often not used! Now you tell me, how can a player use the ball when his teammates do not include him in their calculations.

The man was all over the place and most often he was not given the ball. Sure he did not help his cause when, at times, he picked up the ball and lost it by holding it too long.

...and, it must have been the blind who did not see that both Shelton and himself seemed to be working together. The claim that they both could not perform together appear to me to be hasty. Let's see what develops between them, and with them and their teammates.

[Mosiah]

Unnu fenneh now! Unnu wouldn't finish di argument and now unnu mek di most Karlesque of them all come jine it.

Unnu deh pon unnu own!

[Mosiah]

Aside:
In our last game I heard the commentators claiming Fuller disappeared. I have heard some posters here after having seen the game claim the same thing. Now I am not sold on Fuller as he still plays more anti-TEAM brukie-boo than he does team...but, if the last match was really seen, it would have been observed that Fuller more often than not was a passing option...one that was often not used! Now you tell me, how can a player use the ball when his teammates do not include him in their calculations.

The man was all over the place and most often he was not given the ball. Sure he did not help his cause when, at times, he picked up the ball and lost it by holding it too long.

...and, it must have been the blind who did not see that both Shelton and himself seemed to be working together. The claim that they both could not perform together appear to me to be hasty. Let's see what develops between them, and with them and their teammates.

I'll comment only on this part. If the teammates were not giving Fuller the ball - great! They are smarter than I think. He does nothing with the ball when he gets it, apart from lose it.

And this talk about "working together with Shelton", huh? Maybe he presents himself when Luton has the ball, won't argue against that, but if yuh going to frig it up when yuh get it, might as well yuh never present yuhself. Better him did tek whey himself!

And Karl, Fuller did not just begin playing like him nuh have nuh sense. He has underperformed for at least the last 5 games or so.

[Tilla]

I get the feeling one of your many points will be overlooked, Tappa had no limitations, Walter Boyd was another such player. Today we find that same fire in Omar Daley(fearless from the get go).

I am yet to see a player with no limitations. Those players are very rare and I can only think of a Pele or Maradona when it comes to that.

Tappa was good, but there are a number of areas in his game which could use improving. Have you ever seen Tappa head a ball? Boyd had his faults too, even if you were to start with discipline. Omar Daley, is full of energy and is fearless, but he is not a player to use his head (and I do not mean as in heading the ball).

[Karl]

I'll comment only on this part. If the teammates were not giving Fuller the ball - great! They are smarter than I think. He does nothing with the ball when he gets it, apart from lose it.

And this talk about "working together with Shelton", huh? Maybe he presents himself when Luton has the ball, won't argue against that, but if yuh going to frig it up when yuh get it, might as well yuh never present yuhself. Better him did tek whey himself!

And Karl, Fuller did not just begin playing like him nuh have nuh sense. He has underperformed for at least the last 5 games or so.

Have not one solitary thing to disagree with! That description of Fuller is right on the money...but, unnuh need tuh be fair an speak it as it happens. Bout Fuller disappear? ...man neva get nuh ball fi disappear based on performance or fi run weh wid hit!