Lawrence: I expected senior players to take control; T&T on life support after Honduras horror show

With his team having only three points and three goals to show from their six CONCACAF Hex outings before last night, National Senior Team coach Dennis Lawrence expected the Soca Warriors to show real fire in their bellies.

He didn’t see it. Not for long anyway. Honduras extinguished it early, with—Lawrence implicitly conceded—more than a little help from their opponents.

Photo: Honduras playmaker Alexander Lopez (centre) wheels away to celebrate after scoring the opening goal against Trinidad and Tobago during World Cup 2018 qualifying action at the Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva on 1 September 2017.
(Courtesy Allan V Crane/CA-images/Wired868)

Up against a Honduran team which, before a ball was kicked last night, had only two points more than them, the Warriors lost the plot early on. And, to the coach’s disappointment, the team leaders did not step up to steady the ship.

In what was billed as a must-win game, played before a disappointing crowd officially tallied at just over 5,000, the local team put in a below-par display to fall to a 2-1 World Cup qualifying defeat.


“I don’t understand exactly what went on with the boys,” a disappointed Lawrence said last night, addressing the media after the game. “I don’t know if the occasion got to them but it wasn’t a first half that we expected. I said to the boys there is no sense in trying to give away two goals and then trying to climb back in the next 45 minutes.”

And what a first half it was—but for Honduras! Just as they did when they entertained the then Stephen Hart-coached Warriors back in November 2016, the Hondurans were two goals up inside the first 20 minutes.

“In the first half, I was expecting the senior players to grab a hold of the situation and calm things down a bit,” Lawrence said. “[…] We all need to question ourselves and find out why the boys performed in that manner in the first 45 minutes of the game.

Photo: Trinidad and Tobago midfielder Kevin Molino (left) walks past coach Dennis Lawrence during World Cup 2018 qualifying action against Honduras at the Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva on 1 September 2017.
(Courtesy Sean Morrison/Wired868)

“Okay, we conceded a goal. But every time Honduras came into our penalty area, we looked like we were going to concede.”

With players such as Daneil Cyrus, Khaleem Hyland, Joevin Jones and stand-in skipper Jan-Michael Williams all possessing in excess of 50 senior team caps, Lawrence expected one of those players to put up his hand and rally the troops. It did not happen.

“We’ve got experienced players who have gotten a number of caps for Trinidad and Tobago,” Lawrence lamented, “and I didn’t feel they took the responsibility to try and take control of the situation so I was a bit disappointed from that aspect.”

The former national defender, who formed a steady centre-back partnership with the bullish Marvin Andrews back in his playing days, would have been disappointed too that old habits seem to be dying hard; the Warriors continue to shoot themselves in the foot by giving up early, soft goals.

Perhaps, he would be able to stomach the leakages at the back if his charges were banging them in at the other end. Sadly, that was not the case.


Photo: Trinidad and Tobago winger Joevin Jones strokes home from the penalty spot during World Cup 2018 qualifying action against Honduras at the Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva on 1 September 2017.
(Courtesy Sean Morrison/Wired868)

The T&T coach, players and not-so-flattering crowd in Couva got a little lift when winger Joevin Jones calmly struck a penalty past goalkeeper Luis Lopez in the 67th minute. But it was hardly enough to erase the memory of their woeful first-half performance.

Lawrence obviously has not forgotten.

“We needed to have that [intensity] from the very first whistle which we didn’t have,” Lawrence said. “And as I said before—the concern I raised against Jamaica—we can’t keep conceding goals so early in games; to climb that mountain, it is tremendous.”

The lively Alberth Ellis’ 16th minute goal had emphasized the extent of the defensive problems as he and the other goal-scorer, Alex Lopez, seemed to be allowed an age on the ball while full-backs Aubrey David and Kevon Villaroel were often left in isolation, something which clearly did not benefit the hosts.

With no intervention coming from his team leaders, Lawrence took action himself at the interval. He replaced David with W Connection right-back Alvin Jones for tactical reasons.

However, the page from that playbook was presumably cruelly ripped out in the 58th minute when Jones received a straight red for a heavy tackle near the centre circle.

Photo: Trinidad and Tobago midfielder Khaleem Hyland (centre) gets in the face of Mexican referee Fernando Guerro as he prepares to send off Alvin Jones (far right) during World Cup 2018 qualifying action against Honduras at the Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva on 1 September 2017.
(Courtesy Sean Morrison/Wired868)

Jorge Luis Pinto and the Honduran coaching staff’s game-plan remained intact, though, as they registered their second win in the Hex to date—both of them having come against T&T.

Last night’s was particularly sweet, drawing them level as it did on eight points with the 2017 Gold Cup winners USA and thus putting them within striking distance of an automatic World Cup berth.

“We did our work [and] we controlled the Trinidad and Tobago team [in the first half],” Pinto boasted through a translator. “We were leading 2-0 by halftime and we expected the TT team to fight back and they did.

“We had to maintain our focus and concentration to get all three points. We are happy with the effort and we are very happy with these three points, which are very important for us.”

Next week, the Hondurans host the US, 0-2 losers against Costa Rica last night, and they will be hoping to exact revenge for the 6-nil thumping which Clint Dempsey and company handed down to them on 24 March.

Photo: Trinidad and Tobago forward Willis Plaza looks to run at the opposing defence during World Cup 2018 qualifying action against Honduras at the Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva on 1 September 2017.
(Courtesy Sean Morrison/Wired868)

Lawrence’s charges, however, desperately needing a victory to keep alive their paper-thin hope of survival, are away from home. They travel to Panama City for a second successive bottom-of-the-table clash against the giant Roman Torres and the fifth-placed Panamanian team, sitting just above them on seven points.

As things stand, Lawrence seems not quite ready to throw in the towel. Not yet having relinquished hope of taking this team to Russia next year, the man whose goal took the Warriors to Germany in 2006 would presumably be content next week with a repeat of the slim 1-0 win his men eked out over the then visitors in March.

“We are going to hope [results go our way],” he said without any real conviction, “and we are going to try to put in a positive performance against Panama.”

“We have got another game,” he reminded his listeners. “ […] We’ve got to put our heads on as soon as possible and face what’s coming.”

Is “what’s coming” a repeat of last night or a repeat of 24 March? And is “too late, too late” going to be the cry?

For the T&T Warriors, time and next Tuesday will tell…

Photo: Trinidad and Tobago midfielder Kevin Molino (right) skips past a tackle from Honduras midfielder Jorge Claros during World Cup 2018 qualifying action at the Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva on 1 September 2017.
(Courtesy Sean Morrison/Wired868)

(Teams)

Trinidad and Tobago (4-1-4-1): 21.Jan-Michael Williams (GK) (captain); 2.Aubrey David (16.Alvin Jones 46), 5.Daneil Cyrus, 4.Sheldon Bateau, 13.Kevon Villaroel; 19.Kevan George; 7.Cordell Cato (16.Nathan Lewis 77), 8.Khaleem Hyland, 10.Kevin Molino, 3.Joevin Jones; 20.Jamille Boatswain (9.Willis Plaza 56).

Unused substitutes: 1.Marvin Phillip (GK), 22.Adrian Foncette (GK), 6.Radanfah Abu Bakr, 11.Tyrone Charles, 12.Carlyle Mitchell, 18.Hughtun Hector, 15.Curtis Gonzales, 17.Mekeil Williams, 23.Leston Paul.

Coach: Dennis Lawrence

Honduras (4-3-3): 1.Luis Lopez (GK); 2.Felix Crisanto, 3.Maynor Figueroa, 4.Henry Figueroa, 7.Emilio Izaguirre; 20.Jorge Claros, 8.Alfredo Mejia, 10.Alexander Lopez (14.Boniek García 77); 17.Alberth Ellis (23.Jhonny Palacios 68), 9.Anthony Lozano (13.Carlo Costly 46), 12.Romell Quioto.

Unused substitutes: 18.Ricardo Canales (GK), 5.Ovidio Lanza, 6.Carlos Discua, 11.Eddie Hernandez, 15.Carlos Sanchez, 16.Jhonny Leveron, 19.Oliver Morazan, 21.Sergio Peña.

Coach: Jorge Luis Pinto

Referee: Fernando Guerro (Mexico)

Photo: Honduras goalkeeper Luis Lopez (left) gets ready to deal with a cross from Trinidad and Tobago substitute Nathan Lewis (centre) during World Cup 2018 qualifying action at the Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva on 1 September 2017.
(Courtesy Sean Morrison/Wired868)

CONCACAF World Cup qualifying results

(Friday 1 September)

Trinidad and Tobago 1 (Joevin Jones 64 pen), Honduras 2 (Alexander Lopez 7, Alberth Ellis 16) at Couva;

United States 0, Costa Rica 2 (Marco Ureña 30, 82) at New Jersey;

Mexico 1 (Hirving Lozano 53), Panama 0 at Mexico City;

Photo: Trinidad and Tobago head coach Dennis Lawrence (right) gives instructions to left back Kevon Villaroel during World Cup 2018 qualifying action against Honduras at the Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva on 1 September 2017.
(Courtesy Sean Morrison/Wired868)

Standings

Mexico            7-5-2-0-10-2-17

Costa Rica      7-4-2-1-11-4-14

United States  7-2-2-3-11-10-8

Honduras        7-2-2-3-8-15-8

Panama           7-1-4-2-4-5-7

T&T                7-1-0-6-4-12-3

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About Roneil Walcott

Roneil Walcott is an avid sports fan and freelance reporter with a BA in Mass Communication from COSTAATT. Roneil is a former Harvard and St Mary's College cricketer who once had lofty aspirations of bringing joy to sport fans with the West Indies team. Now, his mission is to keep them on the edge of their seats with sharp commentary from off the playing field.

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143 comments

  1. i remember once some dutch coaches from ajax came down to run a clinic over the august vacation and they were demonstrating a drill and training technique they use with their youth teams .. when time came for club players here both senior and youth to run the same drill the Dutchmen were shocked that none of the senior or youth team players could run the drill or even be consistent. they pointed this out at a technical session and asked about our approach to player development and training targets . they were even more astonished when they were told that a plan was either non existent or just a framework but nothing set. we often wonder why we have such poor performance at this level….at this stage our talent pool should be bursting at the seams …

  2. football is 90% mental ability im afraid some of those guy lack the mental fortitude and tenacity to play … all we saw was a physical showing … this unlike many other games before speaks to the level of football development at a national level. we have too many coaches and teams operating in silos…. in 2017 what is mandate of our national football development programme? what are the targets to be met? who are going to benefit from this programme? foundations and core structures are lacking and it is evident in the quality of football seen.

  3. Khaleem Hyland’s performance for the national team within the past few matches have been sub par compared to the past few years. He actually set up the 1st goal for Honduras by mis passing the ball to Honduras with no pressure on him. What happen to Guerra and Boucaud?

  4. These are supposed to be the cream of Trinidad and Tobago football playing at the highest level and we cannot keep possesion against a team which is not supposed to be ranked much higher than us if not at all ..keeping possesion under pressure is as basic as football gets at this level this is not sumn that should be taught by a senior national team manager..all players at this level should not have a problem with this.. which makes me wonder what are our coaches doing at the developmental level …?

  5. For far too long the national team have been lacking a ‘gifted’, naturally talented playmaker..I’m talking about someone with that flare, that heart stopping, jaw dropping skills set, a Russell Latapy type player who can pull the strings in midfield, a dribbler with peripheral vision, who can drop his shoulder and use both feet if forced to do so, who can pick a pass from long range, a player who can draw the fouls on the “D”, and a “deadball” specialist to convert those free-kicks…We have players presently who can’t control a pass played in to them while back to the goal, a basic drill such as “1-2 passing”, running off the ball to create space for attacking players, it doesn’t take rocket science to know and realize that pretty much like academics, you can’t put a square in a circle and expect it to fill the entire space. Until we unearth another “midfield maestro” we will always end up at the end of the standings..

  6. Interesting opinions and comments Bass Cleff you on point straight talk

  7. When this island take away friendship from football we will have a better team

  8. We hired a man (dennis) who never coach at a senior level and entrusted him with our World cup dreams, we not serious about life !!!

    • Admittedly Don that is true but sometimes it could work. He has been working in the premiership as a coach. I think our players have to take some responsibility but the thing is the administration. T&T teams for the most part are. It properly prepared. So you always starting with a disadvantage.

    • Ivor zidane want coaching RM reserves before given head coach job…jus rem….so he had actual experuence

    • I am not disagreeing with you Don. Dennis Lawrence does have coaching experience with Wigan and Everton. The same thing happened with Pep as he was coach of Barca’s reserve team. Admittedly that pool of players were on a different level ?. It can work out or not. He may not be a bad coach. It I think he has got a team that needs a lot of work and preparation.

    • Ivor Thomas i kno he was at wigan and everton, but not as head coach and thats the difference

  9. The (non) performance on the pitch is an accurate reflection of the sub-standard feeder local competitions, from which our players originate. Now do the rationalizing and work out what has to be fixed.

  10. just do what jamaica did for years go shopping for foreign born players and start using them and only then jamaican local players stepped up there game so the same might happen with our local born players who always keep getting a free pass to the national team with little or no talent

  11. ..Since October 2015 what have we seen? 1. Failure to qualify for the Gold Cup. We are now a laughing stock in the CFU 2. Failure to qualify for the World Cup. Disgraceful removal of Hart and loss after loss since his replacement. 3. Failure of our youth teams under Latapy. We an’t beat anybody. 4. Failure in women’s football at every level. 5. Failure in the secretive operation of what is supposed to be a national youth development programme. Who knows what is going on with that. 6. Failure in the appointment of national coaches I could go on. What am I leaving out? The entire TTFA leadership should resign.. .

    • Don’t stop there, Keith. The big question, as in the politics, is who we go put?

      Any ideas?

    • ..To replace that lot ain’t hard. We couldn’t do worse..

    • damn straight!!….we fall from being one of d most improved team in concacaf and playing d best game in gold cup history and all round program that was on d up to this crap….well I tell u

      I will say it again, with all his faults mistakes d product on d field would still be going strong if timkee had remained, and no I am not an apologist for him, I am just ah big picture type thinker and no other candidate showed that they understand d “big picture” and would eventually seek to undermine and dismantle d foundation that was built, so said so done……and we back to frenism in we football……..why have we bothered to bring back Shabazz and anton, two failed entities at CONCACAF level, all dat going and do is continue d pattern of failure in our national programs

    • Sadly, I’ve seen the “can’t do worse” line turn out wrong before. I’d need to see better than that next time.

      • Agreed! And, as with the politics, we don’t have to look far.

        I essentially gave up on T&T football after 1989 and I have no regrets about that, well, I regret that, as a country, we weren’t able to put that ole thief JAW where he belongs.

        But I share the view that we aren’t much better off with DJW. There’s greater transparency, not in the good sense of knowing what’s happening behind the scenes but in the narrow sense that any fool can see that he’s an incompetent with no interest in the national welfare. And, because he doesn’t boast the same kind of international clout as JAW, more people are prepared to challenge him.

        But saying “He’s no good” doesn’t really get us very far. What I want to hear is “Here’s a good man to take over the reins because…”

        I might lend an ear then…

    • ..But that is my point. There are better people. But the cynicism runs deep in our national political culture amd good people maybe shy of taking on the awesome responsibility of turning the indebted, corrupted association around..

      • Well, Keith, yuh cyar play mas and fraid to get powder on yuh clothes. It’s in the crisis that you need good competent, courageous men to step up. Crisis, courage and competence are all part of the same family, bro. Cometh the hour, they say, cometh the man.

        Cowards, I can comment with certainty, will not cut it!

    • Keith I think the problem is there appears to be slim pickings from inside the football fraternity. I’m definitely NOT saying that they aren’t people in football who can do the job. But there is such a wide lack of knowledge that many football stakeholders don’t know enough about what we need to work out who can and can’t do the job.

    • Firstly….the short term quick fix is going to do absolutely nothing for Trinidad Football….Costa Rica was severely out of sorts a decade ago…
      They put a plan in place…and we r seeing the fruits now…..
      PLANNNNNNNN….
      Plan what we r going to do with our players over the next 10yrs…
      France went to their colonies and took all the quality youth players and brought dem back to the academies in France…we all know how that turned out….
      Whats the PLANNNNNNNNNNN

    • When u think football isn’t a global enterprise and its some island gig where u could recycle the same old panplayers every panorama and win ,then you end up like what Keith is explaining in the above …football belongs to the people

  12. We play the game several ticks too slow which is both a cultural and fitness issues….Jamaica ain’t much better than us technically but utilize strength speed and physicality to get the job done……..sumting we were beginning to do very well under Hart, thenl we get rid of ah Pres dat was good on the football side of things…..man might argue differently, but I personally woulda overlook his admin deficiencies based on the growing success on d field……it was not a perfect situation, but it was the best we had, instead we install ah pres dat either truly over sells the pro league as a source of good playing resources or has an outright selfish agenda or both.

  13. Levi is a must, NO more dubious claims. Why aren’t we calling Atulla Guerra? He will help the midfield to maintain possession and has 5 goals in 40 caps but not even invited to camps lately

  14. No comment from coach on that disastrous substitution at the half? Also, Team does not have luxury of leaving out Levi once he is fit. Lastly, our midfield needs more mobile players to stand up against Latin American teams.

  15. My broken-record question is, what does T&T plan to do different to qualify for Qatar?

    We’ve been trying vaps and it hasn’t worked, so what’s the next move?

  16. That’s when dey only picking town men an leaving the best in country latapy team came up mayaro an got beat up by a small team easy lol

  17. Start playing for the colours and not your pocket! I understand we all need finance, but please put country first…. Should we treat them like the African Prime Minister “Lock them up.”

    • dat not no issue…..football at this level is work and u should be payed fairly for it….d problem is dat we can seem to find management dat know how to prepare teams at this level……fitness policy in d pro league is ah joke, team discipline also appears to be enforced unevenly, don’t let me even start on game management…..we going and play on Savanna grass in ah stadium dat is ah logistical shit show…..players most likely wore d wrong cleats and d few spectators dat ventured out ketch dey ass to reach due to said logistics

      Our issues lay square on the lack of management skills at d head of football this country…..we ain’t even realizing that we play TOOOOOOOOOOO SLOWWWWWWWWWW at all levels in d game, and our foreign pros apparently does jus be glad to come back and fall into these deficiencies

  18. Waste ah facking time and invest in d blind them have more potential.

  19. Best they had kept hart, Lawrence record ain’t better and woulda save money

  20. the worst display of football from captain to cook Highland,Cyrus,Jan Michael Williams were just sickening. But i will continue to support my team.

  21. Stupid comment wow clearly an idiot ?

  22. Trinidad will get good when dey start playin young talented players .. we hav old men in dey late twenties goin up against opponents that usin young talent .. and we hav a side full of partiers and drinkers and willin to get money more than passion for the sport .. levi Garcia and kadeem corbin is an example of a young talent we could use .

  23. I am certain NOT ONE of them shed a tear after that loss…when they here these guys like they never see Hennessy Rum and Woman!!! They not on country far less football… and we grown idiots are the ones who will go out to party, see them out even though we know they’re here for a game and still wanna give them bounce in party and buy them drinks etc…is to RUN DEM WHEN WE SEE THEM OUT!!! Then want to go in de stadium and expect them to play well??? We CANNOT keep doing the same things and expecting a differnt result! Then we just as dumb as them then to add insult to injury we turn around to like all dem ignorant gulluble idiots and blame the coach and the TTFA??? TIME TO START DEMANDING MORE OF OUR PLAYERS…

    • star boy mentality. u see these even in the junior players. like u said in ur previous post they think theyre all that when theyre not. fete match lords yea but they aint ready for big ppl party. immature in alot of ways on and off the pitch.

    • EXACTLY!!!! And nun wrong with having a star boi mentality yuh kno… Ron La Forest had it, Dwight Yorke had it but them fellas could have PLAYED THIS GAME…THEM FELLAS WHAT YUH CALL REAL PLAYERS!!! In other words… EARN YUH STARBOY STATUS BIG MAN…

    • Bass Cleff i remember a client of mine telling me about when Yorke went up to trial for Aston Villa. It wasnt him alone it was a group of them. Yorke turned up earlier than them to practice and started doing laps around the field. the others huddled in a corner liming. when the manager came he asked who was that guy doing laps and someone told him one of the trinidadian trialists. He looked at the others huddled in a corner limin doin nuthin and told them to pack their bags and return to trinidad including one supremely talented rasta player. d kinda professionalism needed at the highest level i just not seeing it from the bulk of those guys.

    • Couldn’t agree with you more Kojoshumba Edwards…

    • Even if some players are like that, you’d end up tarnishing the players who are working hard and giving their all. That isn’t fair.

    • Colouring of the hair says alot. It might seem innocent but it says alot about their mindset. Especially # 10, yall forget he wanted to give the team a break because he was reprimanded for going a boatride twice. while in camp. Dont forget tt played their best football during his injury. Yes one player can affect an entire teams chemistry

    • Oh I totally agree with you there about the colouring of the hair Lindon Mcain. It sure does speak a lot to the mindset of the individual and where their focus is… I maintain…Im not blaming no coach nor the Federation because we came one point away from qualifying in 1989 with players who played for country FIRST!!! Whilst i agree football has evolved but them guys must be at least worth their salt… NOBODY could convince me that had they been paid a lot more money that they’d perform any better. The problem here is these fellas HEAD AND WHAT’S IN IT!!! Even the present coach and his team… those guys played with HEART!!!! All these critics are just like me…NEVER KICK A LIME IN DEY LIFE OR EVEN OWNED OR MANAGED A TEAM but ready to lay blame on the coach and the administration. I managed a team and I can tell you this generation of players have a long way to go to EARN PEOPLE’S RESPECT! Oh Corporate sponsors not coming on board, oh de pro league not marketing the league. Whilst I agree but you try marketing a product that’s not good nah… I’m saying the product here is the football and IT IS NOT GOOD! If you see the kind of goals one of our local strikers who’s on the national team currently threw away IN ONE GAME for his club team!!!! I was in awe and quite frankly I think I see far better quality in the SSFL…

  24. Listen I say get some 12/13 year old and let’s focus on 2026…NOT EVEN 2022. We just don’t have the quality of players required to take us to any World Cup and the sooner we realise that the better… They lack passion, heart, discipline, patriotism and most of all technical ability. When you have keepers like Jan who does not even know when to leave his goal line, Kenwyn tho he was absent who cannot even take down a ball, Molino despite being one of our best players throwing away goals that I COULD HAVE SCORED… Dennis Lawrence is NOT GOD. He cannot take mediocrity “at best” in the likes of Daneil Cyrus, Sheldon Bateau, Aubrey David and turn that inferior quality and create miracles okay! That team and many young players today just not good enough and the sooner they too realize that they are not as good as they think they are…the better for all of us… 2026…12 year olds from now and there’s hope…

    • To say Jan doesn’t know when to come off his line is a crazy statement. This is a guy who saved us in so many games, played professionally in four different countries and was twice named among the best goalkeepers in the whole of CONCACAF.
      These same players played in two successive Gold Cup quarterfinals which means they accomplished more than Dennis Lawrence did as head coach.
      Now I’m not pinning this on Dennis. But I’m confused as to how you decided that the players are rubbish but the coach is fine.

    • Lasana Liburd those players then are not the same players now…probably same names but these fellas get too big for this game… dem not on football. One player was up to last week wining low in Frankies.. you wah me call names ah wah? Ah next one six hours before the game was in a car outside camp with a gyal…look Lasana I doh wanna go down this road here nah… Jan saving us in “so many games”??? Saving us from what getting 8??? And we still end up losing 1-0 coz you saved 8 and the SOFTEST GOAL SCORED ON YUH?? Dat making any sense?? He was named twice among the top keepers in CONCACAF okay can you honestly say tho that he has been saving well within recent times??? Well okay your opinion is my statement is crazy and my opinion is still that he eh no dam good!!!

    • Look at Jan agaaaiiinnn last night. He looked anything close to a keeper who was once nominated in the top keepers even in a minor league??? Steups

    • Bass everyone can have a bad game. I won’t write him off so quickly. That’s all.
      I really don’t know who was misbehaving. I’m sure it wasn’t the entire squad. But it is sad if some players were indisciplined and dragged down the reputation of the team.

    • Everyone can have a bad game… in my view Jan has had COUNTLESS!!! I REST MY CASE… When I think of goalkeepers from Earl Spiderman Carter come right up to even Ross Russel, Clayton Ince etc…as compared with Jan Michael Williams… “CHALK AND CHEESE” and yes… THAT’S MY TAKE ON JAN…

    • You wicked to say Jan is no good

    • An opinion to which you’re very much entitled…not that it affects me or my opinion in any way…

  25. Many may not want to admit it but since the exit of Jack from football in T& T it has been a downward slide

  26. The first goal was due to serious errors

    The defender kept the players onside

  27. Absolutely. Horrible i. Still. Deperessed

  28. This team is poor even worse without kenwyn and. Boucaud and hyland was hard to watch for the entire game if he is the best we have in that position the engine room as I call it we are going backwards fast forget qualifying try build a team for the next campaign now

  29. As BAD as things looked last night it’s only going to get WORSE…this campaign is doomed and our youth team’s are being routed by our CARIBBEAN neighbors so unless there is a total and complete overhaul of our football expect …and more
    If we are brutally honest we would accept that our talent pool has dimenished immensely over the last 2 decades… in the early 90’s we had Latapy Leo & Marcelle in Portugal’s top flight Dwight in the Premier League and Nakhid in Switzerland 1st div…the 2005 era had several players in the English Championship along with others in Scotland …Today where are our so-called Marquee players plying their trade now? The MLS…where the aging Premier League players go to retire… We need to begin identifying our best pool of teenage locals, scout some young foreign-born talent a la the Hoyte brothers Birchall etc. get a top class coach at U-14/15 and start grooming a team…Get rid of Latas before he does any more damage and use the Elite funding to do the above…then evaluate and make the necessary changes going forward…just my two cents.

  30. Trinbago simply not ready….Get used to it!….love my country.

  31. Whole team is a big waste of time, blighted by the PN m

  32. When men like hughton hector in sub position rather than active you will get results like that

  33. I don’t understand what Dennis Lawrence’s strategy is.

  34. Is it just KJ, CE, and LG from the first panama squad who are missing from this one?

    • Friday 24 March 2017
      T&T x Panama at Hasely Crawford Stadium, Port of Spain. 1-0.
      Goal: Kevin Molino 37.
      Trinidad and Tobago: 21.Jan-Michael Williams (GK); 11.Carlos Edwards, 25.Curtis Gonzales, 5.Daneil Cyrus, 17.Mekeil Williams; 19.Kevan George, 8.Khaleem Hyland; 7.Cordell Cato (16.Levi Garcia 64), 10.Kevin Molino (13.Hughtun Hector 79), 3.Joevin Jones; 9.Kenwyne Jones (captain) (20.Jamille Boatswain 83).

    • Carlos Edwards, Curtis Gonzales, Mekeil Williams and Kenwyne Jones out. So he changed three/fifths of his defence. Also the formation was tweaked because we played Hyland and Kevan as midfield shields against Panama whereas Kevan alone played there last night.

    • Think I heard Kenwyne Jones was injured. What about Carlos Edwards, Mekeil Williams, Levi Garcia, Andre Boucaud?

    • Jessel he didn’t fancy Boucaud or Mekeil enough. Guess Carlos problems with Central worked against him… and I suspect he couldn’t guarantee Levi that he was a valued member.

    • I am glad the heartache is over and hopefully we can see less politics going forward. When will we ever get another proven goalscorer? The team was almost playing to Boatswain like if he is Kenwyne Jones. Cyrus would have been the most impactful wildcard as a right back. We seem to have lost some bite in attack since he was moved to CB and we still look as vulnerable. Knowing that Hyland pushes up to be impactful as the game progresses Kevan was missing a partner to help pressing. When Honduras was on the ball is was just too easy for them to have passes in the final third. In 2006 our striker options were Stern John, Jason Scotland, Collin Samuel, Cornell Glen and Kenwyne Jones. It just seemed that the team was too defence heavy and our attacking options are dwindling with each squad selection. Joevin may be the leading scorer in our campaign but that also proves how others need to show up to these games.

    • Andrew Ovid, we haven’t really been producing top attackers and I think the team discarded Cornell Glen far too quickly. I like Jamille Boatswain. I think he has a good attitude and will develop. But maybe this promotion came a little too quickly and we are giving him responsibilities that he is not quite ready for yet.
      Goals win matches. We still struggle until we find an efficient frontman, especially as the team isn’t as solid defensively as during the first half of Hart’s tenure.

  35. Joevin works really hard at left back but is below average playing out of his best position internationally

  36. And I think that plenty folks has to much high expectations from Joevin Jones and he is really not on the real professional level that he needs to be where he will always be consistent in all the games, cannot wait to see him play for the German club in Germany to see if he will be able to handle the beautiful game in a real professional league. Them really good yes.

  37. We lose possession in the midfield far too easily and too often which allows the other teams to dictate the pace at which the game is played. For the life of me I cannot understand how Dennis does not put Boucaud straight into the side to correct that.

    In my opinion, Khaleem is our best midfielder but needs the support of a strong defensive player right behind him so that he can showcase his creative qualities. That is very hard to do when he is trying to do his job and that of two other players.

    Ball retention is the name of the game in the first 20. Let the lads focus on maintaining possession and then start trying to impose themselves on the game once they have settled in a bit.

    • From the time I realised that for us to keep the ball, Kevan George had to make 20 and 30 yard chipped passes, I knew we were in big trouble.
      Shows we were not playing to the strengths of players.
      We needed a Hyland or Boucaud dropping into pockets to collect the ball in deeper areas. And we needed to play balls for Boatswain to run onto and not to his feet. He looked really bad last night but I think we didn’t play to his strengths and embarrassed him.

    • My friend when a coach wants you to play the ball out from the back and you don’t have a Boucaud who wants the ball and can protect the ball, the coach does not know what he is doing.

    • I really don’t know what alyuh seeing in Khaleem et all eh he is one player that I doesn’t feel at all. he isn’t a midfield general , isn’t creative and most definitely he isn’t a goal scorer the same like the Magician eh. Them really good yes.

    • Correct. Somebody needs to i) want the ball & ii) have the ability to play under pressure. I am sorry, but Kevan George is not capable of doing the job in that role.

  38. Scoring Goals does win games eh, Them really good yes,

  39. We had the best man for the job and we fired him…is heartache without hart now

  40. The game was fought by Khaleem Shaquille Hyland-bruce,Molino,and at times Cato in attack

  41. Well Joevin promised to do that but he must have been talking about the next game.

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