A thirteenth minute goal from Fredrikstad FK striker Henri Anier was enough to see Estonia seal a 1-0 victory over the Soca Warriors at A. Le Coq Arena in Tallinn, Estonia on Friday.
The Trinidad and Tobago coaches made a few changes to the T&T side that faced Romania last Tuesday. Kevon Carter, Devorn Jorsling and Marvin Phillip were all relegated to the bench with Ataullah Guerra, Jamal Gay and Jan-Michael Williams taking their spots on the team respectively.
Still not looking a polish unit, the Soca Warriors side showed a little more purpose in their game but just could not make the best of the few decent opportunities they had to get on the scoresheet and in the end had to settle for the narrow 1-0 defeat.
And despite not being one of Europe's top teams, Estonia looked technically better than the T&T side and had it not been for a few great saves from goalkeeper Williams T&T could have been defeated by a larger margin. However, still a way to go and some gaps to be filled it was definitely an improvement from T&T.
Captain Theobald were a class act, Justin Hoyte looked capable, Daneil Cyrus was at every call, Cornell Glen made a positive impact and Andre Boucaud was the neatest of them all, the Notts County midfielder battled from start to finish.
T&T meanwhile has now finished it's European tour with 2 defeats in two games, conceding 5-goals and scoring none in the process. The Caribbean side has not scored a single goal in 6 matches dating back to December 2012 when they scored against Martinique in a 1-1 tie at the Caribbean Cup.
Since the inclusion of co-head coach Jamaal Shabazz T&T has found it difficult to score goals recording 3 goals in 9 games and conceding 15.
T&T will now head back to Trinidad and look for a possible friendly against a Central American opponent before heading to New York for it's opening 2013 Gold Cup match against El Salvador in New Jersey on July 8th.
Teams
Trinidad & Tobago: - 21-Jan-Michael Williams, 5-Radanfah Abu Bakr, 2-Aubrey David, 6-Daneil Cyrus, 4-Justin Hoyte (17-Kareem Moses 78th), 3-Joevin Jones (11-Kevon Carter 75th), 18-Densill Theobald (capt), 14-Andre Boucaud, 12-Darryl Roberts (19-Shahdon Winchester 65th), 8-Ataullah Guerra (10-Kevin Molino 65th), 15-Jamal Gay (13-Cornell Glen 78th).
Subs: - 1-Marvin Phillip, 9-Devorn Jorsling.
Estonia: - 1-Sergei Pareiko, 17-Enar Jääger, 21-Igor Morozov, 4-Raio Piiroja, 5-Dmitri Kruglov, 9-Tarmo Kink (14-Andrei Sidorenkov 81st), 6-Aleksandr Dmitrijev (7-Sander Puri 57th), 13-Martin Vunk, 19-Siim Luts (16-Sergei Mošnikov 57th), 10-Sergei Zenjov (11-Vladimir Voskoboinikov 57th), 15-Henri Anier (12-Joel Lindpere 57th).
Subs: - 22-Artur Kotenko, 2-Tihhon Šišov, 18-Alo Bärengrub, 3-Taavi Rähn, 23-Taijo Teniste, 20-Rimo Hunt.
Video: - Post game comments vs Estonia
Soca Warriors fall 1-0 to Estonia.
T&T Express Reports.
Trinidad and Tobago’s winless streak was stretched to six matches yesterday as they suffered their third straight loss in a 1-0 defeat to Estonia at the A Le Cog Stadium in Tallinn.
The “Soca Warriors” put up a much better fight than in their 4-0 loss to Romania on Tuesday, but their efforts were cancelled out by a well struck goal by Henri Anier in the 13th minute.
Estonia are preparing for their 2014 World Cup qualifier against the Netherlands in September, and head coach Tarmo Ruttli actually gave credit to the T&T for their showing against his side in Tallinn.
“It was a good result, which is very important, but it was a very difficult game for us,” Ruttlin told TTFF media.
“I was happy to get the goal in the first half and win the game. Trinidad and Tobago have unbelievably strong guys. It’s not every time in Europe you can play against guys like this. They are tall, strong, technically sound and fast as well. It was a very different type of opposition for us, and it was a very beneficial.
“I think there was some luck for us in the game also, and we had to work very hard to end up with the victory.”
T&T’s Jamaal Shabazz said it was important that the games be looked at as preparation for the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup, and not solely for the results.
“I thought they team did very well today. They worked hard and they played like Warriors. It has started to smell a little bit of what we want. From these games we were able to see things that we need to work on,” Shabazz said.
“We pressed them well in their half of the field and we were solid. We’ve also got to be patient with results. We must recognise that is just the preparation phase. These are matches to show us what we’ve got to work on.” Shabazz added.
T&T managed to create a couple good scoring opportunities in the opening half and had Estonia pegged in their half in the closing ten minutes of the match as they pressed for the equalizing goal which would have been their first in six matches.
Playing before 3,500 fans, T&T had the first look at goal in the 3rd minute, when Notts County midfielder Andre Boucaud fired wide after a surge forward from the middle of the pitch by Ataullah Guerra. Two minutes later Boucaud would turn provider when his perfect tackle to win the ball from a defender on the edge of the box allowed him to play inside for Guerra, but the end shot on goal did not trouble Estonia goalkeeper Sergei Pareiko.
Estonia got the go-ahead goal when Ruttli fired from just inside the box past Jan Michael Williams’ into the left of the goal.
On the resumption after half time, T&T continued to press against an Estonian team that played very direct and were precise at it, but the T&T defensive duo Radanfah Abu Bakr and Daneil Cyrus were equal to the task and managed to keep the home side at bay.
English-born duo Justin Hoyte and Andre Boucaud also produced solid performances, the latter having another crack at goal that was narrowly off target in the second half. Densill Theobald and Joevin Jones also held their own in the midfield for T&T.
Shahdon Winchester and Kevin Molino were introduced in the second half, and when Cornell Glen entered the game in the 77th minute, he injected some life into the T&T attack with his surges into the Estonia box. He was fouled around the area on four occasions, one resulting in a free kick on the edge that Theobald struck just over bar.
The equalising goal did not come, though, for T&T as Estonia held on for the win which leaves T&T winless in six games dating back to last December. The squad returns home on Sunday via London.
‘Gutsy’ T&T falls 1-0 to Estonia.
T&T Guardian Reports.
T&T’s winless streak extended to six games as they suffered their third straight loss in a 1-0 defeat to Estonia at the A Le Cog Stadium in Tallinn last night.
The “Soca Warriors” put up a much better fight than their 4-0 loss to Romania on Tuesday but their efforts were cancelled out by a well struck goal by Henri Anier in the 13th minute. Estonia are preparing for their 2014 World Cup qualifier against the Netherlands in September and their head coach Tarmo Ruttli actually gave credit to the T&T for their showing against his side in Tallinn.
“It was a good result which is very important but it was a very difficult game for us,” Ruttlin said. “I was happy to get the goal in the first half and win the game. T&T have unbelievably strong guys. It’s not everytime in Europe you can play against guys like this.
They are tall, strong, technically sound and fast as well. It was a very different type of opposition for us. And it was a very beneficial. “I think there was some luck for us in the game also and we had to work very hard to end up with the victory.” T&T’s Jamaal Shabazz said it was important that the matches be looked at as preparation for the upcoming Concacaf Gold Cup and not just solely for the results.
“I thought the team did very well today. They worked hard and they played like Warriors. It has started to smell a little bit of what we want. From these games we were able to see things that we need to work on,” Shabazz said.
“We pressed them well in their half of the field and we were solid. We ‘ve also got to be patient with results. We must recognise that is just the preparation phase.
“These are matches to show us what we’ve got to work on. What is to come is near and we will see in the end what the outcome of this team will be.” T&T managed to create a couple good scoring opportunities in the opening half and had Estonia pegged in their half in the closing 10 minutes of the match as they pressed for the equalising goal which would have been their first in six matches.
Playing before 3,500 fans, T&T had the first look at goal in the third minute when Notts County midfielder Andre Boucaud fired wide after a surge forward from the middle of the pitch by Ataullah Guerra. Two minutes later Boucaud would turn provider when his perfect tackle to win the ball from a defender on the edge of the box allowed him to play inside for Guerra but the end shot on goal did not trouble Estonia goalkeeper Sergei Pareiko.
Estonia got the go ahead goal when Ruttli fired from just inside the box past Jan Michael Williams’ into the left of the goal. On the resumption after half time, T&T continued to press against an Estonian team that played very direct and were precise at it but T&T defensive duo Radanfah Abu Bakr and Daneil Cyrus were equal to the task and managed to keep the home side at bay.
English-born duo Justin Hoyte and Boucaud also produced solid performances, the latter having another crack at goal which was narrowly off in the second half. Densill Theobald and Joevin Jones also held their own in the midfield for T&T.
Shahdon Winchester and Kevin Molino were introduced in the second half and when Cornell Glen entered the match in the 77th minute, he injected some life into the T&T attack with his surges into the Estonia box.
He was fouled around the area on four occasions, one resulting in a free kick on the edge which Theobald struck just over bar. The equalising goal, however, did not come for T&T as Estonia held on for the win which leaves T&T winless in six games dating back to last December. The squad returns home tomorrow.
T&T Express Reports.
Trinidad and Tobago’s winless streak was stretched to six matches yesterday as they suffered their third straight loss in a 1-0 defeat to Estonia at the A Le Cog Stadium in Tallinn.
The “Soca Warriors” put up a much better fight than in their 4-0 loss to Romania on Tuesday, but their efforts were cancelled out by a well struck goal by Henri Anier in the 13th minute.
Estonia are preparing for their 2014 World Cup qualifier against the Netherlands in September, and head coach Tarmo Ruttli actually gave credit to the T&T for their showing against his side in Tallinn.
“It was a good result, which is very important, but it was a very difficult game for us,” Ruttlin told TTFF media.
“I was happy to get the goal in the first half and win the game. Trinidad and Tobago have unbelievably strong guys. It’s not every time in Europe you can play against guys like this. They are tall, strong, technically sound and fast as well. It was a very different type of opposition for us, and it was a very beneficial.
“I think there was some luck for us in the game also, and we had to work very hard to end up with the victory.”
T&T’s Jamaal Shabazz said it was important that the games be looked at as preparation for the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup, and not solely for the results.
“I thought they team did very well today. They worked hard and they played like Warriors. It has started to smell a little bit of what we want. From these games we were able to see things that we need to work on,” Shabazz said.
“We pressed them well in their half of the field and we were solid. We’ve also got to be patient with results. We must recognise that is just the preparation phase. These are matches to show us what we’ve got to work on.” Shabazz added.
T&T managed to create a couple good scoring opportunities in the opening half and had Estonia pegged in their half in the closing ten minutes of the match as they pressed for the equalizing goal which would have been their first in six matches.
Playing before 3,500 fans, T&T had the first look at goal in the 3rd minute, when Notts County midfielder Andre Boucaud fired wide after a surge forward from the middle of the pitch by Ataullah Guerra. Two minutes later Boucaud would turn provider when his perfect tackle to win the ball from a defender on the edge of the box allowed him to play inside for Guerra, but the end shot on goal did not trouble Estonia goalkeeper Sergei Pareiko.
Estonia got the go-ahead goal when Ruttli fired from just inside the box past Jan Michael Williams’ into the left of the goal.
On the resumption after half time, T&T continued to press against an Estonian team that played very direct and were precise at it, but the T&T defensive duo Radanfah Abu Bakr and Daneil Cyrus were equal to the task and managed to keep the home side at bay.
English-born duo Justin Hoyte and Andre Boucaud also produced solid performances, the latter having another crack at goal that was narrowly off target in the second half. Densill Theobald and Joevin Jones also held their own in the midfield for T&T.
Shahdon Winchester and Kevin Molino were introduced in the second half, and when Cornell Glen entered the game in the 77th minute, he injected some life into the T&T attack with his surges into the Estonia box. He was fouled around the area on four occasions, one resulting in a free kick on the edge that Theobald struck just over bar.
The equalising goal did not come, though, for T&T as Estonia held on for the win which leaves T&T winless in six games dating back to last December. The squad returns home on Sunday via London.
‘Gutsy’ T&T falls 1-0 to Estonia.
T&T Guardian Reports.
T&T’s winless streak extended to six games as they suffered their third straight loss in a 1-0 defeat to Estonia at the A Le Cog Stadium in Tallinn last night.
The “Soca Warriors” put up a much better fight than their 4-0 loss to Romania on Tuesday but their efforts were cancelled out by a well struck goal by Henri Anier in the 13th minute. Estonia are preparing for their 2014 World Cup qualifier against the Netherlands in September and their head coach Tarmo Ruttli actually gave credit to the T&T for their showing against his side in Tallinn.
“It was a good result which is very important but it was a very difficult game for us,” Ruttlin said. “I was happy to get the goal in the first half and win the game. T&T have unbelievably strong guys. It’s not everytime in Europe you can play against guys like this.
They are tall, strong, technically sound and fast as well. It was a very different type of opposition for us. And it was a very beneficial. “I think there was some luck for us in the game also and we had to work very hard to end up with the victory.” T&T’s Jamaal Shabazz said it was important that the matches be looked at as preparation for the upcoming Concacaf Gold Cup and not just solely for the results.
“I thought the team did very well today. They worked hard and they played like Warriors. It has started to smell a little bit of what we want. From these games we were able to see things that we need to work on,” Shabazz said.
“We pressed them well in their half of the field and we were solid. We ‘ve also got to be patient with results. We must recognise that is just the preparation phase.
“These are matches to show us what we’ve got to work on. What is to come is near and we will see in the end what the outcome of this team will be.” T&T managed to create a couple good scoring opportunities in the opening half and had Estonia pegged in their half in the closing 10 minutes of the match as they pressed for the equalising goal which would have been their first in six matches.
Playing before 3,500 fans, T&T had the first look at goal in the third minute when Notts County midfielder Andre Boucaud fired wide after a surge forward from the middle of the pitch by Ataullah Guerra. Two minutes later Boucaud would turn provider when his perfect tackle to win the ball from a defender on the edge of the box allowed him to play inside for Guerra but the end shot on goal did not trouble Estonia goalkeeper Sergei Pareiko.
Estonia got the go ahead goal when Ruttli fired from just inside the box past Jan Michael Williams’ into the left of the goal. On the resumption after half time, T&T continued to press against an Estonian team that played very direct and were precise at it but T&T defensive duo Radanfah Abu Bakr and Daneil Cyrus were equal to the task and managed to keep the home side at bay.
English-born duo Justin Hoyte and Boucaud also produced solid performances, the latter having another crack at goal which was narrowly off in the second half. Densill Theobald and Joevin Jones also held their own in the midfield for T&T.
Shahdon Winchester and Kevin Molino were introduced in the second half and when Cornell Glen entered the match in the 77th minute, he injected some life into the T&T attack with his surges into the Estonia box.
He was fouled around the area on four occasions, one resulting in a free kick on the edge which Theobald struck just over bar. The equalising goal, however, did not come for T&T as Estonia held on for the win which leaves T&T winless in six games dating back to last December. The squad returns home tomorrow.
Warriors lose 1-0 by Estonia; Await Beenhakker decision
By Lasana Liburd (Wired868)
The Trinidad and Tobago national football team closed its mini-European tour today with a 1-0 friendly loss away to Estonia.
Twenty two year old striker Henri Anier grabbed Estonia’s winner in the 13th minute for his fourth goal from eight internationals while neither striker Jamal Gay nor substitutes Shahdon Winchester and Cornell Glen could break Trinidad and Tobago’s scoring drought.
Unlike Tuesday’s 4-0 loss to Romania, there was no readily available live feed of today’s contest and no judgment can be made on the performance of the “Soca Warriors.”
Estonia coach Tarmo Ruttlin was complimentary about his guests.
“It was a good result which is very important but it was a very difficult game for us,” Ruttlin told TTFF Media. “… Trinidad and Tobago have unbelievably strong guys. It’s not every time in Europe you can play against guys like this. They are tall, strong, technically sound and fast as well.
“It was a very different type of opposition for us and it was a very beneficial. I think there was some luck for us in the game also and we had to work very hard to end up with the victory.”
Trinidad and Tobago joint head coach Jamaal Shabazz urged supporters to view the team’s recent outings as preparation for the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup and not focus solely on the results.
“I thought they team did very well today,” said Shabazz. “They worked hard and they played like Warriors. It has started to smell a little bit of what we want…
“We’ve also got to be patient with results. We must recognize that is just the preparation phase. These are matches to show us what we’ve got to work on.
“What is to come is near and we will see in the end what the outcome of this team will be.”
The results, admittedly, paint a less than flattering picture. The Warriors have now gone six games without scoring and five of those games were losses. Along the way, the Trinidad and Tobago team has conceded 11 goals.
Joint head coaches Hutson “Barber” Charles and Shabazz might feel a tad more insecure too by news that Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (TTFF) President Raymond Tim Kee has begun talks with ex-World Cup 2006 coach Leo Beenhakker towards reintegrating him into the local game.
Beenhakker was supposedly approached to assist on a technical developmental level but neither party has ruled out the possibility of the former Real Madrid and Netherlands international coach appearing on the bench for next month’s CONCACAF Gold Cup.
So is this the time for panic or patience?
Last year, Charles and Shabazz overcame near financial paralysis and a rift between the TTFF and the Ministry of Sport to steer Trinidad and Tobago to its first Gold Cup competition in six years. They want to chance to finish the job at the confederation’s showpiece tournament.
The new TTFF executive, understandably, is wary about the possibility of undoing its recent good work in settling the 2006 World Cup bonus dispute and returning the football body back to its former moorings as the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA). The name change should be finalised next week while a new kit sponsorship and constitution are expected shortly.
So are Charles and Shabazz heading for boom or bust?
Recent statistics might not be conclusive as one might think.
Trinidad and Tobago has played in seven Gold Cups with six different coaches: Edgar Vidale, Zoran Vranes (Montenegro), Bertille St Clair (twice), Rene Simoes (Brazil), Beenhakker (Netherlands) and Wim Rijsbergen (Netherlands). Remarkably, the only coaches to ever win a match in the CONCACAF showpiece tournament were the two locals.
Vidale pulled off a victory over Costa Rica in 1991—after a Leonson Lewis equaliser and a stunning Alvin Thomas winner—while St Clair managed wins on both trips as his team whipped Honduras 3-1 in 1998 and then beat Guatemala (4-2) and Costa Rica (2-1) en route to a semi-final finish in 2000. Incidentally, St Clair was sacked immediately after taking Trinidad and Tobago to its best ever Gold Cup finish.
So, foreign expertise was traditionally of little value to the two-island republic in this competition. Beenhakker oversaw draws to Honduras and Panama and a loss to Colombia in 2005 while Simoes’ team was eliminated after a draw with Costa Rica and a 1-0 loss to Martinique in 2002.
In both of St Clair’s trips to the Gold Cup finals, his outfit looked to be in horrendous pre-tournament form only to click at the right time.
Before the 1998 Gold Cup, St Clair’s men won one from five games with four goals scored and 11 conceded against opposition that was much less intimidating than Romania.
The results were: Martinique (0-3 and 2-3), Barbados (1-0), El Salvador (0-2), Guatemala (1-3) and Costa Rica (0-4). After conceding seven goals within a fortnight of its Gold Cup opener, Trinidad and Tobago promptly thumped a talented Honduran team 3-1 thanks to a Jerren Nixon opener and a Stern John double.
Two years later, St Clair savoured a 4-3 friendly international win over Colombia but failed to win any of five subsequent friendlies with returns of: Panama (2-2), Honduras (2-3), Canada (0-0), Morocco (0-1) and Costa Rica (1-2). Trinidad and Tobago was then hammered 4-0 in its Gold Cup group opener against Mexico before rebounding to finish as the second-best team in CONCACAF since the other semi-final featured guest teams Peru and Colombia.
Even in 2006, the Warriors followed up a friendly 2-0 win over Iceland with a 1-1 home draw against Peru and international defeats against Wales (1-2), Slovenia (1-3) and the Czech Republic (0-3) before a creditable showing in Germany.
The real question for Charles and Shabazz then is whether the Warriors are learning from the present humbling results.
Arguably, the biggest problems have been off the field. The trickle of withdrawals for March’s trip to Belize became a stream in June and it gives the impression that the staff has not yet come to grips with the country’s overseas talent.
The repeated pull-outs by the Belgium-based duo of Khaleem Hyland and Sheldon Bateau and Kazakhastan-based defender Robert Primus are particularly worrying. The 22-year-old Bateau, for instance, seems to want an awful lot of rest for a young man while Argentina and Barcelona sensation Lionel Messi will ignore a niggling injury to represent his country tonight, despite playing in twice as many games as the Trinidadian defender this year.
The Warriors recent penchant for travelling to international assignments with less than 18 players is embarrassing too. However, it is worth noting that team manager William Wallace has the unenviable role of having to negotiate directly with the Ministry of Sport over the team’s travel budget, which was a result of Anil Roberts’ feud with former TTFF General Secretary Richard Groden last year.
Tim Kee promised to solve the impasse when he became president last November but the awkward situation has persisted.
Shabazz’s own problems with the United States’ immigration, due to his Jamaat-al-Muslimeen ties and role with the 1990 attempted coup, might be relevant too. The Neal & Massy Caledonia AIA coach communicated with his club team via Skype for a CONCACAF Champions League fixture in Seattle last year. However, he insisted that he can still travel to the US, albeit through a special arrangement with that nation’s lawmen.
The case for Tim Kee to support his present staff or return to Trinidad and Tobago’s most successful previous coach is not clear cut and technical director Anton Corneal’s evaluation could be crucial. Corneal worked as an assistant to Beenhakker in Germany and, once his own job is not at risk, is in a good position to offer advice for Tim Kee’s next step.
Perhaps, as with the injection of Shabazz into the previous technical group of Charles and assistant coach Derek King, the TTFF President might again look for a middle ground.
In eight friendlies under the present technical staff, Trinidad and Tobago managed just one win over Antigua and Barbuda, one draw with Belize and six losses to Finland, Canada, Peru (twice), Romania and Estonia.
In competitive action, though, the Warriors have seven wins (Martinique, Dominican Republic, Cuba, Suriname, Anguilla, St Kitts and Nevis and French Guiana), two draws (Haiti and St Vincent and the Grenadines) and two losses (Cuba and Antigua and Barbuda). So, Charles, Shabazz and King are certainly not hopeless when it comes to slugging it out at wartime.
One way or the other, next week’s decision will say a lot about the new man at the helm of the local game.
(Team against Estonia)
Trinidad and Tobago (4-1-4-1): Jan-Michael Williams; Justin Hoyte (Kareem Moses 72), Radanfah Abu Bakr, Daneil Cyrus, Aubrey David; Densill Theobald; Darryl Roberts (Shahdon Winchester 60), Andre Boucaud, Ataullah Guerra (Kevin Molino 60), Joevin Jones (Kevon Carter 70); Jamal Gay (Cornell Glen 70).
Unused substitutes: Marvin Phillip, Devorn Jorsling.
Co-head coaches: Hutson Charles and Jamaal Shabazz.
By Lasana Liburd (Wired868)
The Trinidad and Tobago national football team closed its mini-European tour today with a 1-0 friendly loss away to Estonia.
Twenty two year old striker Henri Anier grabbed Estonia’s winner in the 13th minute for his fourth goal from eight internationals while neither striker Jamal Gay nor substitutes Shahdon Winchester and Cornell Glen could break Trinidad and Tobago’s scoring drought.
Unlike Tuesday’s 4-0 loss to Romania, there was no readily available live feed of today’s contest and no judgment can be made on the performance of the “Soca Warriors.”
Estonia coach Tarmo Ruttlin was complimentary about his guests.
“It was a good result which is very important but it was a very difficult game for us,” Ruttlin told TTFF Media. “… Trinidad and Tobago have unbelievably strong guys. It’s not every time in Europe you can play against guys like this. They are tall, strong, technically sound and fast as well.
“It was a very different type of opposition for us and it was a very beneficial. I think there was some luck for us in the game also and we had to work very hard to end up with the victory.”
Trinidad and Tobago joint head coach Jamaal Shabazz urged supporters to view the team’s recent outings as preparation for the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup and not focus solely on the results.
“I thought they team did very well today,” said Shabazz. “They worked hard and they played like Warriors. It has started to smell a little bit of what we want…
“We’ve also got to be patient with results. We must recognize that is just the preparation phase. These are matches to show us what we’ve got to work on.
“What is to come is near and we will see in the end what the outcome of this team will be.”
The results, admittedly, paint a less than flattering picture. The Warriors have now gone six games without scoring and five of those games were losses. Along the way, the Trinidad and Tobago team has conceded 11 goals.
Joint head coaches Hutson “Barber” Charles and Shabazz might feel a tad more insecure too by news that Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (TTFF) President Raymond Tim Kee has begun talks with ex-World Cup 2006 coach Leo Beenhakker towards reintegrating him into the local game.
Beenhakker was supposedly approached to assist on a technical developmental level but neither party has ruled out the possibility of the former Real Madrid and Netherlands international coach appearing on the bench for next month’s CONCACAF Gold Cup.
So is this the time for panic or patience?
Last year, Charles and Shabazz overcame near financial paralysis and a rift between the TTFF and the Ministry of Sport to steer Trinidad and Tobago to its first Gold Cup competition in six years. They want to chance to finish the job at the confederation’s showpiece tournament.
The new TTFF executive, understandably, is wary about the possibility of undoing its recent good work in settling the 2006 World Cup bonus dispute and returning the football body back to its former moorings as the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA). The name change should be finalised next week while a new kit sponsorship and constitution are expected shortly.
So are Charles and Shabazz heading for boom or bust?
Recent statistics might not be conclusive as one might think.
Trinidad and Tobago has played in seven Gold Cups with six different coaches: Edgar Vidale, Zoran Vranes (Montenegro), Bertille St Clair (twice), Rene Simoes (Brazil), Beenhakker (Netherlands) and Wim Rijsbergen (Netherlands). Remarkably, the only coaches to ever win a match in the CONCACAF showpiece tournament were the two locals.
Vidale pulled off a victory over Costa Rica in 1991—after a Leonson Lewis equaliser and a stunning Alvin Thomas winner—while St Clair managed wins on both trips as his team whipped Honduras 3-1 in 1998 and then beat Guatemala (4-2) and Costa Rica (2-1) en route to a semi-final finish in 2000. Incidentally, St Clair was sacked immediately after taking Trinidad and Tobago to its best ever Gold Cup finish.
So, foreign expertise was traditionally of little value to the two-island republic in this competition. Beenhakker oversaw draws to Honduras and Panama and a loss to Colombia in 2005 while Simoes’ team was eliminated after a draw with Costa Rica and a 1-0 loss to Martinique in 2002.
In both of St Clair’s trips to the Gold Cup finals, his outfit looked to be in horrendous pre-tournament form only to click at the right time.
Before the 1998 Gold Cup, St Clair’s men won one from five games with four goals scored and 11 conceded against opposition that was much less intimidating than Romania.
The results were: Martinique (0-3 and 2-3), Barbados (1-0), El Salvador (0-2), Guatemala (1-3) and Costa Rica (0-4). After conceding seven goals within a fortnight of its Gold Cup opener, Trinidad and Tobago promptly thumped a talented Honduran team 3-1 thanks to a Jerren Nixon opener and a Stern John double.
Two years later, St Clair savoured a 4-3 friendly international win over Colombia but failed to win any of five subsequent friendlies with returns of: Panama (2-2), Honduras (2-3), Canada (0-0), Morocco (0-1) and Costa Rica (1-2). Trinidad and Tobago was then hammered 4-0 in its Gold Cup group opener against Mexico before rebounding to finish as the second-best team in CONCACAF since the other semi-final featured guest teams Peru and Colombia.
Even in 2006, the Warriors followed up a friendly 2-0 win over Iceland with a 1-1 home draw against Peru and international defeats against Wales (1-2), Slovenia (1-3) and the Czech Republic (0-3) before a creditable showing in Germany.
The real question for Charles and Shabazz then is whether the Warriors are learning from the present humbling results.
Arguably, the biggest problems have been off the field. The trickle of withdrawals for March’s trip to Belize became a stream in June and it gives the impression that the staff has not yet come to grips with the country’s overseas talent.
The repeated pull-outs by the Belgium-based duo of Khaleem Hyland and Sheldon Bateau and Kazakhastan-based defender Robert Primus are particularly worrying. The 22-year-old Bateau, for instance, seems to want an awful lot of rest for a young man while Argentina and Barcelona sensation Lionel Messi will ignore a niggling injury to represent his country tonight, despite playing in twice as many games as the Trinidadian defender this year.
The Warriors recent penchant for travelling to international assignments with less than 18 players is embarrassing too. However, it is worth noting that team manager William Wallace has the unenviable role of having to negotiate directly with the Ministry of Sport over the team’s travel budget, which was a result of Anil Roberts’ feud with former TTFF General Secretary Richard Groden last year.
Tim Kee promised to solve the impasse when he became president last November but the awkward situation has persisted.
Shabazz’s own problems with the United States’ immigration, due to his Jamaat-al-Muslimeen ties and role with the 1990 attempted coup, might be relevant too. The Neal & Massy Caledonia AIA coach communicated with his club team via Skype for a CONCACAF Champions League fixture in Seattle last year. However, he insisted that he can still travel to the US, albeit through a special arrangement with that nation’s lawmen.
The case for Tim Kee to support his present staff or return to Trinidad and Tobago’s most successful previous coach is not clear cut and technical director Anton Corneal’s evaluation could be crucial. Corneal worked as an assistant to Beenhakker in Germany and, once his own job is not at risk, is in a good position to offer advice for Tim Kee’s next step.
Perhaps, as with the injection of Shabazz into the previous technical group of Charles and assistant coach Derek King, the TTFF President might again look for a middle ground.
In eight friendlies under the present technical staff, Trinidad and Tobago managed just one win over Antigua and Barbuda, one draw with Belize and six losses to Finland, Canada, Peru (twice), Romania and Estonia.
In competitive action, though, the Warriors have seven wins (Martinique, Dominican Republic, Cuba, Suriname, Anguilla, St Kitts and Nevis and French Guiana), two draws (Haiti and St Vincent and the Grenadines) and two losses (Cuba and Antigua and Barbuda). So, Charles, Shabazz and King are certainly not hopeless when it comes to slugging it out at wartime.
One way or the other, next week’s decision will say a lot about the new man at the helm of the local game.
(Team against Estonia)
Trinidad and Tobago (4-1-4-1): Jan-Michael Williams; Justin Hoyte (Kareem Moses 72), Radanfah Abu Bakr, Daneil Cyrus, Aubrey David; Densill Theobald; Darryl Roberts (Shahdon Winchester 60), Andre Boucaud, Ataullah Guerra (Kevin Molino 60), Joevin Jones (Kevon Carter 70); Jamal Gay (Cornell Glen 70).
Unused substitutes: Marvin Phillip, Devorn Jorsling.
Co-head coaches: Hutson Charles and Jamaal Shabazz.