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“[…] I don’t think many of these player care to understand that many of us are left broken-hearted, kids left with tears in their eyes, and others just feeling like a laughing stock. I think it is time to get back the pride and dignity of playing for your country…”
The following Letter to the Editor on Trinidad and Tobago’s first round elimination from the Qatar 2022 World Cup qualifying series was submitted to Wired868 by Nicholas, a football coach:
Nine of the 11 Soca Warriors starters play professionally in North America and Europe.
(via TTFA Media)
Who to blame?!
I sat and looked on from the first whistle with child-like anticipation of the first goal. Then, as time went by, my anticipation painfully switched to heartache as I wondered: who to really blame?
Yes, I will accept the coach’s resignation letter without questions, but I see players on the pitch playing without heart or grit. Where is the passion? This isn’t a beautiful game anymore? Where’s the love and pride for representing one’s country? Don’t they care that there are little boys and girls dreaming of one day doing what they do?
Well not so much what they did yesterday, but they dream of having an international football career too.
I don’t think many of these player care to understand that many of us are left broken-hearted, kids left with tears in their eyes, and others just feeling like a laughing stock. I think it is time to get back the pride and dignity of playing for your country.
At the end of the day, most of you are professional football players. So we expected better!
St Fleur is also the captain of the Bahamas Beach Soccer Team.
(via TTFA Media)
Don’t get me wrong, I’m a big fan of Levi Garcia, Keston Julien, Sheldon Bateau, Duane Muckette; but something is absolutely wrong with quite a few of them and how they think of what they are a part of.
We are all in this together. So next time you step on the pitch, think about us too—especially the kids who scream their guts out, hoping one day to be just like you.
And, as for you Mr Terry Fenwick, yuh big and yuh have sense… Thank you in advance!
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the coach & his team selected should be fired immediately after the draw with bahamas because bahamas got beaten 7-0 by puerto rico & trinidad did not have the best players
Let’s blame the coach; let’s blame the players; let’s talk about who should or shouldn’t have been on the team. Guess what, we missed the part about no domestic league being played. as well as the internal issues plaguing both the team and management. How do you assemble a team 3 days before a match and hope to win? How do you have the team captain join the team 24hrs before the game? Is this what we call ideal preparation? We can fire Terry all we like but unless we fix the issues plaguing our football we’ll be “spinning top in mud”. As the old saying goes, “when you fail to prepare, then prepare to fail”.
Thank God we had jack Warner in the past… no one can fill his shoes… they better apologize
It is time to start all over. To get back to the drawing board. Ivan Nurse, our local flagman, introduced one of our most talented gutsy players – Joshua. A player who could turn things around with his dazzling dribbles and goal scoring abilities. A player who one coach called “the beast” because he never stopped running during matches and because at the end of the match or training sessions his coloured jersey would unlike the others turn black with dead sandflies. A match winner….Jabloteh players called him “the German” because no one, and I mean no one, could get past him. And what was done? He was turned away.Joshua is more skillful and gutsy than three quarters of the team. He is world class. Trained with Manchester United Camps in the UK.and was highly acclaimed. Personally I believe he is among the best in the world. …..But in Trinidad. We do not want the best. We destroy the best. We settle for mediocrity… our friends and those in the circles. I know of another player from the Caledonia area, best ever perhaps has a little edge on Joshua in the area of passion for the game off the field. He never even got close to trials. T&T needs help. We are in deep trouble We have to throw out the old guards. All of them…. and bring in some newbees. I am willing to assist. Is there anyone else? Terry (and the entire outfit/crew) as gentlemanly, humble and warm a person as he is..needs to throw in the towel.
“And, as for you Mr Terry Fenwick, yuh big and yuh have sense… Thank you in advance!”
True. But he eye big too and it have plenty US dollars–not just cents–involved so doh hold yuh breath, bro.
Dis goin de distance!
I remember Terry Fenwick use talk bad, past Trinidad and Tobago football team coaches but if it’s one thing they never embarrassed the nation as this team did yesterday. Those guys that played yesterday lacked energy, hunger and ideas. How can a team that conceded 15 goals prior to playing against us be able to gain a scoreless result against us.
I don’t even feel if we fire Fenwick it would solve the problem. I believe that because I remembered even Stephen Hart as much as he was a brilliant coach he was fired because the team suffered a few embarrassing results.
Rather I believe our mentality as a people is to be blamed for our result yesterday, we are too laid back and lackadaisical in our approach to most things as a people.