FORMER national midfielder Anthony Streete has been relieved of the assistant-coach duties at CL Financial San Juan Jabloteh and has been replaced by Angus Eve, who now assumes the position of assistant coach/player after previously being the club's under-20 coach.
Streete had his last day at the club on Monday, after being told by Englishman Stephen Rutter that he does not fit into the future plans.
Rutter, who was contracted in June, has also brought in German Holmer Klammer to take over duties with the Under-20 squad.
Caribbean champions Jabloteh have also made some player changes and have acquired Starworld Strikers forward Peter Prosper and his team-mate defender Dexter Franklyn. Ijanar Mark, a former Jabloteh under-20 player, has returned from a stint with Tobago United. Jabloteh have also taken on prolific striker Wendell Issacs from their Super League affiliate club, East San Juan United.
At the same time, Jabloteh chairman Gerry Hospedales, announced that former national midfielder Kerwyn "Hardest" Jemmott had apparently abandoned his position with the club. Jabloteh signed Jemmott early this year, hoping that he would be a capable replacement for their top scorer Cornell Glen, who was contracted by MLS team the New York/New Jersey Metrostars. But Hospedales said his acquisition was a big disappointment.
"We though that when Kerwyn Jemmott came here, he would start a new life. He was being organised by Angus Eve, Trent Noel and some of the senior players, who were trying to show him that he had a chance to build a career with a solid organisation...But apparently he does not want that. I don't think he is a disciplined person. He wants to play football, but on his own terms. Apparently, he felt he could not fit into the rigidness of Mr. Rutter's operations...He just disappeared," Hospedales exclaimed.
The Jabloteh financier said that many of the changes taking place at the club are structured towards making Jabloteh a better club and that Rutter had their support.
"We are constantly evaluating our coaching support staff," Hospedales said. "He (Rutter) has the call about which coaches he wants to keep, and we would not tell him no. He is trying to put a structure in place as to the type of technical staff which in his view, will take the club to another level."
Streete, an outstanding club midfielder with ECM Motowm, has had two stints and a few years with Jabloteh. He was also in charge for several months earlier this year when Englishman Ricky Hill left the job.
"We felt this is the time that we part company," Hospedales declared. "He has been with three coaches in Terry Fenwick, Ricky Hill and Rutter and would have picked up a lot of experience, which will serve him well wherever he goes. He has a great opportunity to market himself."
Contacted, Streete confirmed that he had been sacked, but was diplomatic about his dismissal.
"It's just that we didn't see eye to eye on some things," he said.
"Right now I am not doing anything, just waiting to see what happens."
Rutter had also received the thumbs up from the club chairman, although a few weeks ago, the Englishman admitted that the San Juan team had not played extremely well since he came aboard. Hospedales said that when he joined, Rutter had to deal with the immediate departure of striker Glen and goalkeeper Kelvin Jack, who both earned overseas contracts.
Compounding Rutter's problems was the loss of up to 10 players through injury, and also the demand of national coach Bertille St Clair to have Jabloteh footballers regularly available for national team training.
"Out of 44 training days, he (Rutter) lost Eve for 36(national training) and Daurance Williams for thirty-six. So in that time he saw these players for just nine or 10 days."
Hospedales described Rutter as being quite different from fellow English coaches Terry Fenwick and Ricky Hill, who have both served with Jabloteh. Of them, Rutter is the only one to have focussed on restructuring the youth programme and was seeking to establish progression through the ranks.
"Fenwick ran a military programme, and while Hill allowed the players the freedom to play their football, he used just 13 players. Rutter is saying that he wants 20 players and because of the busy schedule of this club, he needs all of them to be able to play at a certain level."