Trinidad and Tobago national football team manager Richard Braithwaite does not look the type to reach for a rabbit foot or holy beads during trying times. And the disciple of sang froid was as unruffled as ever as the national football team looks to shake off their uncertain form at the recently-concluded Digicel Caribbean Cup finals in Barbados.
The "Soca Warriors", who won eight of the last 11 Caribbean football competitions, mustered a third place finish at Bridgetown after edging their hosts 3-2 in the final group match. They lost 2-1 to eventual winners, Jamaica, and runners-up, Cuba, respectively.
No matter, it is the 2006 World Cup competition that most preoccupies the technical staff and demanding local fans and Braithwaite has lost none of his self-belief.
"I think we can qualify despite the fact that we started a bit late," Braithwaite told the Express Sports. "We have the players and the technical personnel who can do the job."
His opinion is not unanimous.
The Jamaican national coach Wendell Downswell said he expected T&T to perform much better in the World Cup qualifying series but did have his reservations about their defensive strength.
There were signs of discontent within the local media as well and even technical director Lincoln "Tiger" Phillips has regularly voiced concerns about the tactical awareness of coach Bertille St Clair's squad.
Their qualifying form thus far, from all reports, is patchy at best.
The raw talent of past qualifying campaigns has dwindled significantly while several key players like Birmingham City's Dwight Yorke and Portsmouth's Shaka Hislop-T&T's only representatives in the England Premier League at the time of writing-are now fringe players at their respective teams.
Yet, and here lies the supreme irony, the national team is more successful than ever, or at least more likely to win than they have been in the past four years.
The Warriors won 18 from 33 internationals under St Clair, which gives him a win ratio of near 55 per cent.
In contrast, St Lucian Stuart Charles-Fevrier managed 25 per cent (two wins from eight), Yugoslav Zoran Vranes-albeit as an emergency call-cup for the last Gold Cup qualifiers-got zero (none from three) as did another stopgap, Clayton Morris, (none from three) while Hannibal Najjar broke even (three from six).
Popular Brazilian boss Rene Simoes got 20 per cent (two from ten) and only Scotsman Ian Porterfield bettered St Clair with 57 per cent (20 wins from 35 outings).
It is also worth mentioning that St Clair has improved on his past tenure when he won 48 per cent of his fixtures (19 from 40) and yet was then considered
a controversial dismissal.
Lies, half-truths and damned statistics.
Simoes, for instance, inherited his squad in the midst of the final round of the World Cup qualifying series when elimination was nigh a certainty and morale was shot. Charles-Fevrier also played six of his eight matches away from home away to teams like South Africa and Morocco.
In contrast, although St Clair delivered against T&T's usual cannon fodder (like St Kitts and St Vincent), lost to the usual suspects (Mexico and United States) and struggled against their rivals (Jamaica and Cuba).
So are they really better off?
Braithwaite thinks they are. The secret is an unusual weapon that has allegedly been more evident in the dressing room and training pitch than on match day, thus far.
The national manager, who declined comment on tactical matters, thinks that team discipline and commitment will take the present squad beyond its predecessors.
"I have been around many national and club teams in the past and ours is the best in terms of commitment and discipline that I have ever been around," said Braithwaite, a former Trintopec and Petrotrin manager and assistant national manager. "I think these are very important factors and where we have fallen short in recent times. The team now may not be as talented in terms of raw natural ability as recent teams but it more than compensates with discipline and commitment."
He offered their performance at home to the United States in a 2-1 World Cup qualifying defeat on Ash Wednesday as an example of the team's personality.
"The game against the United States exemplifies the type of fighting qualities and 'never-say-die' attitude that the team has," he said. "That is critical and without that type of attitude, we are not going to make it. I think the fans can expect total commitment and 100 per cent effort (from this squad)."
Funny then that the manager of the most successful T&T team in the past four years should use a defeat to show their true character.
Trinidad and Tobago, of course, were not awarded any points for their spirit against the US.
So was the technical staff satisfied with their performance and the result in their opening defeat?
Braithwaite again shied away from discussing the tactical strengths or weaknesses, which fall outside his purview as manager, and opted for a more philosophical response.
"It was a bit disappointing not to come away with at least a point," said Braithwaite, "but there are nine more games and 27 points still available. We have been making slow progress."
He suggested that St Clair's job was trickier than most because of the short time frame with which he had to mould the squad into a cohesive unit and likened it to trying to repair your car while still driving. St Clair was appointed head coach on January 16, 2004. Braithwaite hinted that it was insufficient time to blood new talent as evidenced in their sub-par Caribbean Cup returns when they travelled without their more seasoned European-based players.
But can they qualify?
Braithwaite thinks they can; which is not necessarily saying much.
Any of the six teams can still qualify for the Germany World Cup but only three are certain to do so. Trinidad and Tobago are not favourites, but then they never have been.
Braithwaite aims to take them into unknown territory. St Clair remains the only coach to get T&T past a CONCACAF qualifying series when he took the under-20 team to the 1991 FIFA World Youth Championship.
Are T&T closer or further away from a debut on the senior stage?
Braithwaite is offering no guarantees.
Whichever way, he is not worried-at least not yet.