Public conquerors.
Bmobile Joe Public football players sprayed each other with champagne, staged a spontaneous ice-pelting competition and soaked coach Derek King with cold water. If such raucous behaviour is Public’s idea of fun, spare a thought for the way the “Eastern Lions” might treat their opponents.
In Saturday’s night penultimate round of Digicel Pro League Big Six fixtures, King’s men earned a 1-1 draw against Caledonia AIA at the Marvin Lee Stadium in Macoya to ascend to the coveted throne. The point put them safely out of reach of defending champions and second placed outfit, San Juan Jabloteh.
Intriguingly, Trinidad and Tobago international midfielder Trent Noel, the man who embodied the spirit and quality of Jabloteh in their successive title wins of 2007 and 2008, was the player to take Public across the threshold with a stunning volley in the 52nd minute.
It was a remarkable end to a topsy-turvy season that saw Noel move from Jabloteh captain to United Petrotrin reserve to a Public champion.
“I expected to play with Petrotrin but there was a misunderstanding with the coaches and the board,” Noel told the TnT Times. “I am just very happy that it still ended up being such a great season for me.”
In the Public dressing-room, there are several variations to Noel’s story. It is worth noting that the role of the Pro League’s lovable misfit is being filled by a club owned by FIFA Vice-President and Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (TTFF) Special Adviser Jack Warner whose son, Daryll Warner, is Public’s managing director.
Caledonia AIA used to be Public’s patched up neighbour. Their clashes would invariably be billed as the “haves” against the “have nots”. Yet, on Saturday, Caledonia’s squad featured two 2006 World Cup players, Densill Theobald and “Soca Warriors” player/coach Russell Latapy, the most sought after free agent of the pre-season along with Keon Daniel, the Trinidad and Tobago’s top scorer of the 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign.
In contrast, Public jettisoned their ‘stars’ at the end of last season. Team captain Kerry Baptiste owes his employment up front to the departure of more illustrious names like Gregory Richardson, Arnold Dwarika, Roen Nelson and Gary Glasgow while the supporting cast comprises combustible Colombian goalkeeper Alejandro Figueroa, scrawny Japanese journeyman Yu Hoshide, Petrotrin discard Noel and 28-year-old coach King, who is in his first full season at the helm.
Fenwick: King's refreshing Public reform.
Written by Terry Fenwick (www.tnttimes.com).
Bmobile Joe Public’s 2009 season has been fragmented and littered with milestones. Following the early leaders, San Juan Jabloteh, Public always looked short of two or three players in strategic positions.
But credit young Public head coach Derek King for his boldness in discarding the old guard and formulating his own destiny and winning formula. Gone are the stalling tactics and ageing players of the Michael McComie era and in their place is an energetic new-look Joe Public team, which is quite refreshing.
King has been astute enough to recognise the importance of team structure and tactics. Although Public stuttered in the early stages of the League, the team retained a firm structure and produced resilient performances that dug out points from games that were going against them.
For Joe Public, the critical edge throughout the season has obviously been the return from injury and the tremendous form of goal machine, Kerry Baptiste.
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