SO the Jumpers and Wavers have done it -- miraculously, I might add.
Leo, with his back to the precipice, once again came up with an ace when all seemed over for the Soca Jammers, that is, bar the shouting; the players on the Bahrain team might have already selected the colour of their Mercedes Benz’ before the second match, so you can appreciate how difficult it was for TnT to overcome the 1-1 draw in TnT.
But the Jumpers and Wavers came up trumps, despite that awful tactical game in Trinidad during the first leg tie, and Dennis Lawrence’s header was enough to turn the tables on the almighty petrodollar and the camel drivers.
It’s hard to compare the behaviour of the fans in Bahrain with local fans; I mean, nobody can be compared to a Trini, our attitude being, in the main, so cosmetic, so superficial, even a calamity is an excuse for a party.
Don’t you sports fans remember the attempted coup of July, 1990?
I swear, the then prime minister lay wounded in the Red House, Port of Spain was burning, looters had ravaged the city, a state of emergency had been called, and Trinis were hosting “Coup Parties” like it was nobody’s business.
So from the Trini’s mindset, the belligerent reactions of the fans in Manama may appear savage, but it was actually mild-mannered, especially if one were to compare the hostilities in parts of Europe and South America and moreover, what was at stake for the Bahrain team … I mean, qualification for our opponents meant a life of eternal bliss. So it’s over and TnT has earned the right to be in Germany.
To put it into a clearer perspective, though, one must appreciate that TnT did not emerge as champions of CONCACAF, far from it; we were actually fourth of the six teams, so we still have some catching up to do here before we start thinking about taking on world powers .
We did not achieve excellence but fared better than ever, excluding the 1973 team, which lost out because of a corrupt official. For sports fans too young or not born during that period, the ’70s team defeated Mexico 4-0. But at least, we have achieved a growth threshold and appear to have the foundation to build.
Of primary concern must be youth football, particularly Under-15.
Jamaica hammered us in the CFU Under-15 tournament recently and the difference between the teams should be of some concern to our technical planners.
Jamaica can’t be three or four goals better than TnT. That disparity flies in the face of our qualification.
First things first, Austin Jack Warner should use this opportunity to correct an injustice; it’s no secret that I believe the 1973 team was the first national team to make it to the World Cup finals had it not been for some cruel refereeing.
Today, FIFA can annul matches or results, but back in the 70s, the referee’s decision stood, even though the whistle-blower was banned for life after the game.
So the smooth-talker FIFA jefe should make a proposal to FIFA buddies that the 1973 Jumpers and Wavers be given an all-expenses-paid trip to Germany, as some form of repatriation for the hurt and pain when four goals were disallowed (that must be a world record of goals disallowed by one team in a World Cup qualifying match, I bet) to let the host nation, qualify.
This has to be about right, and I don’t think the smooth talker can argue with the Crusader on this issue. Next up, the Jumpers and Wavers.
I know everybody is making such a big deal of Dennis Lawrence’s goal, and yes, it is a big deal, but I think Marvin Andrews’ header to clear the ball after Kelvin Jack’s atrocious miss is just as important in the overall context of the tie, as was Chris Birchall’s subliminal equaliser in the first leg match at the Hasely Crawford Stadium.
Each piece of the puzzle was important, and each player contributed magnificently to the success of the Jumpers and Wavers.
Dennis did not do TnT a favour; he was there to do exactly that.
The next thing TnT has to deal with is the issue of the coach.
The country is talking as if Trinis own Leo and I think we should find out what is in the coach’s mind, because if he isn’t committed to the Jumpers and Wavers and his appointment to the national senior team is purely on a professional basis (in that, he would be prepared to entertain any other offers coming his way, now that he has achieved his goal, forgive the pun, which is all fair), perhaps we should be looking for an alternative.
World Cup qualification or not, the prospect of coaching in Trinidad and Tobago for the next four years simply does not hold the sort of glitter for a top-level European coach, who would prefer to think about the Premiership and the Champions League.
If one looks at Leo’s CV, you may notice that he has not stuck around too long with any particular team.
This guy is a bit of a gypsy and I reckon he won’t cotton to a long-term contract.
Let’s wait and see.
Finally: the money.
The almighty dollar.
I foresee a feeding binge at the cash trough with these corporate types, in true Carnival-style, so eager to get in on the jump-up with the Jumpers and Wavers and ride this little miniature wave of success, as if we had won something already, and not just merely the right to be there in Germany.
Loo, sports fans, somebody has to put a handle on all this, especially the way some people are being lauded like manna from heaven, and all the transgressions of the past seems to be evaporated, with this success.
The bottom line is TnT has to have credible people looking at the finances to make sure everything is above board.
In this day and age, we can be suckers for another con.