…hails Morris as a coach’s leader
Former national football coach Everald “Gally” Cummings has hailed retired T&T striker Stern John as one of the best goal scorers in local football, while Angus Eve got props for being one of the best right-wing players.
Cummings said while listening to their respective biographies, viewing their video commentary and admiring them as they took the stage in their sartorial elegance to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, he felt proud.
“I felt elated. I always set the example for those players. I was the first one to play professionally. I was the only footballer to have won the Sports Personality of The Year Award since 1974. No other footballer has won it, which is a great achievement to my career and I’m happy now to see that we have three footballers inducted into the Hall of Fame. I was inducted 26 years ago, with the Strike Squad and to see the captain at that time now inducted makes me feel very proud,” he said.
He remembered Eve representing T&T at the Youth World Cup under former coach Bertille St Clair and was pleased that he has maintained his skill and now used them in his duties as a coach.
Apart from working with the youth in the Carenage community, Eve was president of the district’s football, cricket and netball clubs. He also served as head coach for Naparima College, which retained victory in the Premiership Division of the Secondary School Football League 2015 season.
Cummings said: “He is coming into his own as a young man. He likes coaching and whoever he has been around, whether it was me or other coaches, he seemed to have enjoyed himself and see it (coaching) as a way to charter a course for his future. I think he is also working with Sky Sports as a commentator. So he is a footballer, coach and reporter.”
Commenting on the state of local football, Cummings said, “I think we need to play like Trinbagonians, number one. Trinbagonians play attractive football. Any part of the world a Trinidadian could take on a foreigner and go past him. Our strength is our individuality. Once that is combined with the element of team play, I think no team could stop us.
“I think what we need to do is focus on attack and not depend on defending, but at times take chances with the attacking part of the game. I think we need a philosophy for our team, like the Strike Squad had.”