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Give Bora more time
Bora Milutinovic - file
I am not surprised by the bashing Jamaica's Reggae Boyz received during their recent tour of Asia.
The tour, which ended with an 8-1 defeat to Iran on Monday, was nothing short of a disaster but one can sympathise with the local Boyz. They played against teams which are getting ready for a major competition - the Asian Cup. The Reggae Boyz, on the other hand, have just completed a long domestic season. Most players would have lost their competitive edge and are now jaded.
Coach Velibor 'Bora' Milutinovic should be given some more time to get a squad for next year's World Cup qualifiers together. Jamaica's non-qualification for the recent Gold Cup in the United States was a big blow.
Coach Bora had to seek matches in which he could see all the players in action and it seems an Asian tour was the only available avenue.
Despite all that has been said, 'Bora' is a very shrewd man. The tour would have given him a good chance to look at those who can seriously be considered for the campaign ahead. On his return home, he can start to weed out those who are unlikely to make the grade.
Like Rene Simoes in the 1998 campaign, the coach will now be moving quickly to find out who is available overseas to bolster the squad.
Been unimpressive
Not many good new players are out there. A number of the Boyz who have done yeoman service for the country are now all nearing 30 and will find the going tough in the qualifiers, but the coach, at least in the near term, will have to stick with some of them. Two who come readily to mind are defender Claude Davis and long-time captain Ricardo Gardner. I am not a fan of Ricardo Fuller, who I think has been unimpressive in recent outings for his country.
Young gun Luton Shelton will be the key to many of the coach's plans as far as getting goals is concerned. The team, as the tour showed, has been having problems scoring goals and the bustling Shelton could provide some of the answers to the goalscoring woes.
Midfield is also overall very weak and some new blood is needed in this area. The only local player who looks likely to make the grade is Demar Phillips of Waterhouse. He is one of the few players who looked up to the task on the just-concluded Asian tour. He has been playing a defensive role in some recent matches but he has a good eye for goal and his best position could be just behind the two forwards.
Careful attention should also be paid to the form of the young players who will travel to the Pan American Games next week. It is good that the experienced Wendell Downswell will be going with this squad as three or four from the group should be good enough to be promoted to the senior team.
Only players below 30 will be able to withstand the rigours of a World Cup campaign. In the successful 1998 campaign, the average age of the squad was somewhere near 25. Players such as Theodore Whitmore, Onandi Lowe, Walter Boyd, Ian Goodison and Linval Dixon were all in their mid-20s. The goalkeepers then, Warren Barrett and Aaron Lawrence, were both still short of their 28th birthday when the World Cup was played.
Send your comments to elton.tucker@gleanerjm.com.
Bora Milutinovic - file
I am not surprised by the bashing Jamaica's Reggae Boyz received during their recent tour of Asia.
The tour, which ended with an 8-1 defeat to Iran on Monday, was nothing short of a disaster but one can sympathise with the local Boyz. They played against teams which are getting ready for a major competition - the Asian Cup. The Reggae Boyz, on the other hand, have just completed a long domestic season. Most players would have lost their competitive edge and are now jaded.
Coach Velibor 'Bora' Milutinovic should be given some more time to get a squad for next year's World Cup qualifiers together. Jamaica's non-qualification for the recent Gold Cup in the United States was a big blow.
Coach Bora had to seek matches in which he could see all the players in action and it seems an Asian tour was the only available avenue.
Despite all that has been said, 'Bora' is a very shrewd man. The tour would have given him a good chance to look at those who can seriously be considered for the campaign ahead. On his return home, he can start to weed out those who are unlikely to make the grade.
Like Rene Simoes in the 1998 campaign, the coach will now be moving quickly to find out who is available overseas to bolster the squad.
Been unimpressive
Not many good new players are out there. A number of the Boyz who have done yeoman service for the country are now all nearing 30 and will find the going tough in the qualifiers, but the coach, at least in the near term, will have to stick with some of them. Two who come readily to mind are defender Claude Davis and long-time captain Ricardo Gardner. I am not a fan of Ricardo Fuller, who I think has been unimpressive in recent outings for his country.
Young gun Luton Shelton will be the key to many of the coach's plans as far as getting goals is concerned. The team, as the tour showed, has been having problems scoring goals and the bustling Shelton could provide some of the answers to the goalscoring woes.
Midfield is also overall very weak and some new blood is needed in this area. The only local player who looks likely to make the grade is Demar Phillips of Waterhouse. He is one of the few players who looked up to the task on the just-concluded Asian tour. He has been playing a defensive role in some recent matches but he has a good eye for goal and his best position could be just behind the two forwards.
Careful attention should also be paid to the form of the young players who will travel to the Pan American Games next week. It is good that the experienced Wendell Downswell will be going with this squad as three or four from the group should be good enough to be promoted to the senior team.
Only players below 30 will be able to withstand the rigours of a World Cup campaign. In the successful 1998 campaign, the average age of the squad was somewhere near 25. Players such as Theodore Whitmore, Onandi Lowe, Walter Boyd, Ian Goodison and Linval Dixon were all in their mid-20s. The goalkeepers then, Warren Barrett and Aaron Lawrence, were both still short of their 28th birthday when the World Cup was played.
Send your comments to elton.tucker@gleanerjm.com.
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