Although not winning silverware in 2009, Jean had a relatively good first season as a head coach, leading Jabloteh to runner-up positions in the T&T Digicel Pro League, Toyota Classic and Big 6 competitions.
Jabloteh also reached the semi-final stage of the First Citizens Cup and Lucozade Goal Shield under Jean, until he was replaced by Englishman Terry Fenwick at the end of the season.
At a press briefing at Ato Boldon Stadium, Couva yesterday, W Connection officials announced that both Jean and another former W Connection player and T&T national midfielder Reynold Carrington have taken up duty as assistant coaches under their successful St Lucian head coach Stuart Charles-Fevrier.
And former United Petrotrin head coach Brian Williams takes charge of W Connection’s under-18 footballers, while sports therapist Aston Mills also joins the club’s technical staff.
The signing of three young St Lucian players and the departure of a few W Connection stalwarts was also announced yesterday.
W Connection will field a very young team in the 2010 Pro League. Sixteen year-old St Lucian Zane Pierre will vie for a spot in the midfield, while 22-year-old St Lucian national defender Vernus Abbot steps into defence.
Also signed is 18-year-old St Lucian left back Kurt Fredericks.
And W Connection youth players Shahdon Winchester and Ryan Fredericks have moved to the senior squad.
The club’s potent strike force of Trinidad and Tobago international Andre Toussaint and Dominican Republic’s Jonathan Fana Farias is no more.
Toussaint has joined reigning Pro League champs Joe Public, while the prolific Frias is off on a one-year loan to the Puerto Rico Islanders.
The Puerto Ricans also have an option to buy Frias at the end of the loan spell.
And after about ten seasons in Trinidad, veteran Jose Luis Seabra has returned permanently to Brazil, but will still scout for W Connection.
Brazilian wing back William de Oliveira and Colombian striker Igor Santos are also no longer with W Connection, while goalkeeper Marvin Phillip is on a loan spell at Joe Public.
Despite the many changes, W Connection announced their intention to still win as much silverware as possible during the 2010 Pro League season.
Jean, Carrington join W Connection FC staff.
By: Joel Bailey (T&T Newsday).
Former WConnection captains Earl Jean and Reynold Carrington have both returned to the Savonetta, Couva-based club, as assistants to coach Stuart Charles-Fevrier.
That announcement was made at a media briefing at the Ato Boldon Stadium, Couva yesterday.
The 38-year-old Jean, Charles-Fevrier’s countryman (from St Lucia), and the 40-year-old Carrington were at Connection since the club’s entry into the inaugural Pro League season in 1999.
Carrington, who played both as a defender and a midfielder for both club and country, retired after the 2002 season while Jean moved to San Juan Jabloteh as a player/coach in 2008.
When ex-England defender Terry Fenwick left the coaching role at Jabloteh last April due to financial reasons, Jean took over but, a trophy- less season resulted in Fenwick replacing the former ace striker in November.
Since his retirement, Carrington worked as a coach in South Trinidad and basically stayed out of the limelight until he was given his new role in the Connection technical staff.
Another ex-national player, Brian Williams, who was Charles-Fevrier’s deputy in 2009, will now be the club’s Under-18 coach while Ashton Mills, who worked with the national ‘senior’, Under-23 and Under-20 teams, as well as Jabloteh (from 2000-2006), made the switch to Connection as the team’s sports therapist.
Completing the technical staff are Trevor Nottingham (goalkeeping coach), Shaun Cooper (Under-16 team coach), Leonson Lewis (Under-14 team coach), Wayne Lawson (fitness trainer), John Jerry (equipment manager), Lennox St George (equipment manager — youth teams), Raymond McLean (‘senior’ team manager), Debieann London (youth team manager) and Denyse Wickham (Under-14 team manager).
At the media briefing, it was also revealed that star Dominican Republic striker Jonathan Frias will not be with the team for the 2010 Digicel- sponsored Pro League season.
The 22-year-old will be on a year-long loan spell with United Soccer League (USL) outfit Puerto Rico Islanders, and the club also has the option of signing Frias from Connection.
Two national players have also been loaned out for the year, national ‘senior’ and junior team goalkeepers Marvin Phillip and Andre Marchan, who will be with current League kings Joe Public.
There have been nine players who have not had their contracts renewed — Andre Toussaint (now with Joe Public), fellow strikers Jose Carlos Diaz (from the United States) and Kerron Smith; utility player William Da Silva Oliviera; midfielders Igor Santos, Jerome Williams and Kelvin Modeste; defenders Kemuel Rivers and Devon Drayton.
National youth team players, 18-year-old striker Shahdon Winchester and 17-year-old midfielder Ryan Fredericks have been promoted to the first eleven while a pair of St Lucians have been recruited to the squad - 16- year-old midfielder Zaine Pierre and 23-year-old defender Vernus Abbott. And Brazilian-born goalkeeper Murilo Da Costa returns after a loan stint with Jabloteh.
Completing the Connection squad are Jan-Michael Williams and Miguel Lloyd (goalies); captain Elijah Joseph, Renato Pereira, Nickcolson Thomas, Kern Cupid, Eder Gilmar Arias, Andre Ettienne, Keryn Navarro, Joevin Jones (defenders); Clyde Leon, Andrei Pacheco, Gerard Williams, Christian Viveros, Keron Cummings, Romauld Aguillera (midfielders); Matthew Bartholomew and Hughtun Hector (strikers).
Last season, Connection won both the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Club Championship and the Lucozade Goal Shield, but they were the runners-up to Joe Public in the FA Trophy final.