This Week---North East Stars Striker Jerren Nixon
Villa—Jerren what does football really mean to you?
Nixon—It means everything-its my whole life-its what I live for.
Villa—Last season you were the league’s top goal scorer, have you set yourself any specific goals this season?
Nixon—Well obviously I would love to do better than last year and achieve more and I assure you once the opportunity arise, I will do my best to try and improve on last season’s performance.
Villa—What did it mean for you personally and for North East Stars to win the league last season?
Nixon—It certainly meant a lot for the people of Sangre Grande, it is the first time a football team coming from the area achieved such an honour.
Well for me personally it meant a whole lot to be able to come back home and help North East Stars achieve so much—it really was a great feeling.
Villa—North East Stars got off to a losing start this season going down to W Connection 4-0—What went wrong?
Nixon—Well although you go to win every game you play, you just can’t—football is a funny game, and since I have been at North East Stars that was the worst game we have played—everyone played badly, but even a champion team is entitled to one bad game and I hope that was ours and we move on from there.
Villa—Is North East Stars feeling any pressure this season, with everyone coming hard to beat you?
Nixon—Yes there is pressure on us—everyone wants to beat the champion, most of the guys on our team have never really achieved something of this magnitude—so yes there is pressure, but we just have to buckle down and deal with it.
Villa—What do you think are the club’s chances of successfully defending the league title?
Nixon—I see no reason why we can’t do it again, basically we have the same team, we have just lost one player. I believe we can do even better this year; we are also in the Concacaf Club Championships this year and we are eager to impress and prove what a small club from Sangre Grande can do at that level.
Villa—Jerren, looking at the defence of the league title—where do you thing the league title will come from?
Nixon—Well I don’t believe anyone is a real threat to us, I think our biggest threat is ourselves—If we go into our games thinking we have already won it, then we are in trouble. We have to approach each game with a certain amount of respect for everybody and then play hard to win—we are very much capable of matching and beating every team in the league.
Villa—How do you compare the standard of the T&T Pro League to some of the League’s you have played in Switzerland and Scotland?
Nixon—Since I have been here—every year the standard just seems to be getting better and better and the only thing the League’s in Europe have over us is proper organization—but they can’t beat us with skill. However, I hope and pray one day the T&T Pro League will be one of the top leagues in Concacaf—that’s my vision.
Villa—Which player do you admire the most in the Pro League?
Nixon—David Atiba Charles of W Connection
Villa—Which player do you admire most internationally?
Nixon—Chelsea’s Frank Lampard
Villa—Have you been thinking about life after football—Any plans?
Nixon—Of course, right now I have already set up a business selling phone accessories, which my wife is handling so I can concentrate on football and when I am finished playing, I have some other ventures in mind.
Villa—Jerren, you have played all over the world and achieved quite a bit—you have come back home and led North East Stars to the League and F.A. Cup titles—what is your motivation to continue playing?
Nixon—My motivation is my wife, she has always instilled in me since I have come back home, that I need to give something back to Trinidad and Tobago’s football—the people of Trinidad and Tobago have never really gotten an opportunity to see me play at the highest level. The North East Stars club is also a big factor, I want to continue to see them moving forward.
Villa—Are you still enjoying your football?
Nixon—Yes of course—I wouldn’t be playing if I weren’t enjoying it—the day I stop enjoying it I would hang up my boots.
Villa—Have you considered coaching in the future?
Nixon—Yes ever since I was growing up, coaching is something I have always wanted to do—but I am now 32 years old, and I still feel I have some more to offer on the field of play for now.
Villa—Do you still have the desire to represent Trinidad and Tobago?
Nixon—Once I am playing football professionally, I will always have that desire to represent my country—that’s every footballer dream.
Villa—Do you think you still have what it takes to play at the international level?
Nixon—Yes, definitely.
Villa—What do you think are the chances of this current Trinidad and Tobago team to qualify for the 2006 World Cup in Germany?
Nixon—Once everybody comes together and everyone has the same goal and desire—our chances are as good as any.
Villa—What are your thoughts on a foreign coach leading Trinidad and Tobago?
Nixon—For me it doesn’t matter if the coach is foreign or local, once he is equipped ton carry us to a World Cup—my job is to play.