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“[…] You mentioned that building a team is a process, not an event. I understand and respect that but context matters. Dwight has had a year and 13 matches—ample time to establish systems. The qualifiers are not part of that process, they are the event.
“[…] Raising red flags when we’re at the brink of elimination is not negativity, it’s responsible advocacy…”
(via TTFA Media.)
In the following Letter to the Editor, football analyst and former Trinidad and Tobago international midfielder Ken Butcher responds to criticism from Wayne Mandeville over his views on Dwight Yorke’s management of the Soca Warriors:
Dear Wayne,
I hope this message finds you well. I’ve taken some time to reflect on your recent public response to my comments on the national team’s performance and coaching situation.
Given our longstanding relationship, I feel it’s important to clarify my position with respect and transparency.
We’ve known each other for over 30 years. While we played football casually and later worked under the same leadership, our interactions have always been grounded in mutual respect. That’s why I was surprised by the tone of your remarks, particularly in the public domain.
You described me as a “self-proclaimed pundit” and “God of Football,” and suggested my call for coach Dwight Yorke’s resignation reflected negative energy and a lack of faith in the team.
With due respect, I believe this misrepresents both my intentions and my message. I never called for the removal of Russell Latapy and I certainly did not dismiss the team’s potential.
In fact, I was one of Dwight’s strongest advocates when he was appointed, recommending him as the best-qualified local coach with the potential to grow into a World Cup-calibre leader. That potential still exists but it must now translate into urgent, results-based leadership.
Photo: Nicholas Bhajan/ Wired868.
With four must-win matches remaining, this is no longer a phase for “process”. It is crunch time.
My analysis was not personal; it was grounded in ten globally recognised coaching pillars, which objectively assessed our technical direction. These benchmarks are used worldwide to evaluate coaching effectiveness.
Based on that framework, we are well behind where we need to be.
(via TTFA Media.)
Let me clarify what I said: Dwight should consider tendering his resignation, not as an act of failure, but as a professional gesture that allows the TTFA to evaluate the situation.
If they reject it, they reaffirm full confidence in his leadership. If they accept it, he leaves with his integrity intact and remains marketable on the international circuit.
Either way, the Association, regains control of the campaign’s direction, as it did in 2005, replacing Bertille St Clair with Leo Beenhakker: a decision that led to World Cup qualification in 2006.
(Copyright AP Photo/ Shirley Bahadur.)
You mentioned that “building a team is a process, not an event”. I understand and respect that but context matters. Dwight has had a year and 13 matches—ample time to establish systems. The qualifiers are not part of that process, they are the event.
We are now in a results-only phase. There’s no room for tactical missteps or further experimentation.
You also referenced the fans who attended the Curaçao match. That turnout was uplifting and it was heavily driven by the efforts of I95.5FM, where I proudly serve as one-third of our “Dream Team” of commentators.
(via TTFA Media.)
The stadium holds 23,000 persons but support should not mean silence. Raising red flags when we’re at the brink of elimination is not negativity, it’s responsible advocacy.
I’ve never questioned the ability of our players, the passion of our fans or the contributions of Dwight and Russell. My critique was not rooted in ego, but in data, precedent and urgency.
My only goal is to see T&T football succeed and I believe honest dialogue plays a vital role in that process.
(via TTFA Media.)
Wayne, I respect your work in football and I hope we can continue our conversations in the spirit of mutual respect, professionalism and shared purpose.
Editor’s Note: Click HERE to read Wayne Mandeville’s criticism of football analyst Ken Butcher.
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Two Dinosaurs in Exile – Ken Butcher’s recent columns, calling for Dwight Yorke to resign as assistant coach, was vintage Butcher: blunt, uncompromising, and delivered with the weight of an old-school intellectual roar. Enters Wayne Mandeville, who lumbered into the clearing with equal force, challenging Butcher point for point in his rebuttal with the same fierce certainty. Not to be outdone, Butcher stomped back into the fray with a counter of his own, tail swinging, paragraphs crashing, unwilling to cede ground.
What unfolded was less dialogue than duel — a spectacle of two towering creatures from another age colliding in print. The arguments thudded like giant footsteps, heavy and undeniable, but with an air of futility, too. Both men seemed convinced that whichever roared loudest would rule the landscape, but the landscape has changed.
While Butcher and Mandeville circle each other in exile, trading roars over Yorke’s coaching relevance, the modern sporting world has already moved on: players tweeting their own critiques, fans debating on WhatsApp, movements forming in real time on social media. The mammals are busy building new ecosystems while the dinosaurs fight to the death over who can claim symbolic territory.
The clash is not without grandeur. There’s something darkly entertaining about watching two intellectual T-Rexes trying to swat each other down with arms too short for victory. Yet, as with fossils locked in eternal combat, the end result is more curiosity than progress.
If Yorke’s fate as coach is to be decided, it won’t come from two dinosaurs thrashing in print. It will come from the living, agile voices shaping the sport and its culture in the present. Dinosaurs roar impressively, but survival today belongs to the adaptable.