Former T&T international footballer now turn coach Dwight Yorke and Derek King, the current interim coach of the senior men’s Soca Warriors team, have been confirmed in a shortlist of five coaches for the head coach job of the country’s senior national men’s team.
The coach will be chosen at the end of the month, said Kieron Edwards, president of the T&T Football Association.
However, the selection of the two T&T coaches has signalled the end of a process that included more than 400 coaches from T&T, North, Central, and South America, and Europe the TTFA president said.
The focus on the selection of the top coaching job comes following the sacking of Angus Eve in July. Still, it has since become a point of dire need after the Soca Warriors defeated Cuba 3-1 at the Dwight Yorke Stadium in Bacolet, Tobago, to stay in League-A of the CONCACAF Nations League.
Edwards told Guardian Media Sports that he was impressed with the energy shown in that game, but with the football association set to implement a new strategy in 2025 ahead of the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers, the new coach will be critical, he noted.
“I want to assure you that both Dwight Yorke and Derek King are two of the five that we’re looking at. I think with the work that Derek has done for the last two FIFA windows, especially this last window. We know that the first window was tough for him to instil his idea in the guys, but we saw a glimpse of it in the Honduras game, during the first 30 minutes or even the first half.”
Edwards said, “But the goals took the win out of their sail a bit, which was unfortunate because we had a player down. We were playing with 10 men, and they capitalised on that, and it was difficult in the second half. I think Derek has proven himself worthy for the position, and of course, Dwight is there and thereabout, and there are a few others who I would not name at this time.”
He noted further, “I think those two are names that the country is expecting to be there, so I am allowing that to happen, plus we’re working with agents and managers of other coaches right now to have some discussions, and hopefully by the end of the weekend we can conclude those discussions.”
Yorke represented Aston Villa, Manchester United, Blackburn Rovers, Birmingham City, and Sunderland in the top-flight English Premier Division, and as a coach, he shook off a series of snubs in Europe to claim success at Macarthur FC in the Australian A-League in 2022.
He is now being considered the overwhelming choice among the local football fraternity.
Yorke completed his Level B coaching badge and in 2010 was quoted as being interested in pursuing a career in coaching, ideally with Aston Villa. Due to Yorke’s glamorous playing career, it is rumoured that arrangements are already being made for his salary.
Edwards said salaries would be crucial to the selection of the coach as well as his staff. The new coach will also have the option to decide on international friendly teams that the Soca Warriors can play against during the coming FIFA window.
According to Edwards, “We have about five people we’re looking at in terms of options who fit the bill of the campaign that we’re looking at for the style of football that we want to play.
“And not just the campaign, but also it would lend to the association in terms of our development. So it’s important because we have a new strategic plan that we’re rolling out early in 2025, and the coach would have to be part of that in terms of keeping our national teams engaged and so on.”
SOURCE: T&T Guardian