TRINIDAD and Tobago national women’s senior football captain Karyn Forbes is elated Kenwyne Jones is now the full-time coach of the team as the squad could now develop one philosophy after chopping and changing coaches over the past two months.
Forbes said all the players are thankful to have Jones on board as the head coach.
“All the players are excited. We were actually applauding him when he entered the room that day,” Forbes told journalists on Zoom, on Sunday.
“I think Kenwyne being our coach is really exciting because he can impart his knowledge to us and we will be able to grow as a team. The kind of experience he has as a player and now as a coach, holding the licence that he has, without a doubt I am confident that we are going to do well under him.”
Jones, a member of the Soca Warriors 2006 World Cup squad, was hired as interim head coach of the women’s team for the period October 18-November 30.
T&T have had multiple coaches in 2021.
Welshman James Thomas resigned on October 6 after five months on the job. A week later, T&T men’s Futsal coach Constantine Konstin was hired. Five days after Konstin was hired, Jones was announced as interim coach.
On Friday, a TT Football Association media release said, “Jones…will now assume full-time responsibility for the team, commencing December 1, 2021, with a nine-month contract that provides him the option to extend his term for a further year, based on the achievement of KPI’s and a successful performance appraisal.”
The release also said, “The TTFA’s decision to appoint Jones follows solid 0-0 and 1-1 performances against Panama at the Ato Boldon Stadium in October, the positive atmosphere that he has created within the team, and the improved dynamic between the players and technical staff.”
Jones, a UEFA A licence holder, will get his charges ready for the 2022 Concacaf W Qualifiers. T&T will play Nicaragua on February 17, Dominica on February 20, the Turks and Caicos on April 9, and Guyana on April 12, 2022. The top placed team in the group will qualify to compete in the 2022 Concacaf W Championships in July 2022.
Forbes said the team will become a more settled bunch with the confirmation that Jones will be the full-time coach.
“Now we will be able to learn one philosophy and not have multiple coaches…I think it is really imperative that we have Kenwyne going forward.”
Forbes said the team is showing promise ahead of the qualifiers.
“I think our team is progressing great. Of course, a lot of players have not been playing a lot of games, but that is not something that we are totally focused on. We are focusing on now. We have a coach and he is very committed and we are excited to work under him and without a doubt, I believe this is our time and we going to take it very serious in moving forward…we are very thankful for the opportunity to have this staff and we are very positive that things are going to work out for us.”
T&T are now in the Dominican Republic for two friendlies against that country in preparation for the qualifiers. T&T lost the first match 2-1 in San Cristobal, Dominican Republic, on Friday.
The second match will be contested on Tuesday.
Asha James converted a penalty for T&T in the second half on Friday.
James was satisfied she found her name on the score sheet.
“I feel good (about my performance). It’s not a shock to anyone that I should be scoring in these games. I came off a high from West Texas (in the college season) scoring 14 goals and had three assists. It is always a good feeling to have your name on the score sheet despite the loss.”
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Jones looks for reaction from his team on Tuesday.
By Walter Alibey (T&T Guardian).
National women's football coach Kenwyne Jones will be hoping for a reaction from his charges on Tuesday when his team takes on the Dominican Republic in the second of two international friendly matches in Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic.
In the first game on Friday, the home team delivered a lethal blow in the last minute of the game to pull off a 2-1 triumph, but Jones who was confirmed as the full-time coach of the women's team on the same day, expected to contest the World Cup qualifiers in February next year, told the media via a virtual press briefing that he wants to see a reaction from the players from the training pitch, and not based on what happened in the game.
Jones has been attempting to stamp his philosophy and structure on the squad, which is still stashed with a blend of young and experienced players.
"At the pre-match press conference, I said the Dominican Republic was the perfect matchup to give us a test at this present time. The current indication by the squad is that they did not give us any problem that we did not foresee, I just thought it was a basic lack of discipline within our structure that facilitated the defeat.
"But I am glad it happened now because this is the point where you have to iron out a lot of stuff and gain the consistency needed for the upcoming qualifiers and we do have a lot of time to work on that and get it right.
"First of all, I would like to see a reaction from the team but not as far as the game but as far as today's (Sunday's) training session. We had a lot of analysis done, a lot of team meetings were held to discuss the things we didn't do correctly that we were supposed to.
"I am looking forward to the game, I definitely want to see a reaction from the team, in terms of being tactically disciplined in the way we set out our business. That is the most important thing.
"The good thing is that we have another game against the same opponent to put things right," Jones explained.
The T&T women's team is in Group F of the qualifiers, comprising Guyana, Nicaragua, Dominica and the Turks and Caicos Islands, a group that Jones considers to be manageable. However, his biggest task to date will be to lay down a structure of play that all players will be aware of in time for the qualifiers.
According to the former national striker, turn coach, "At this point in time, we are about 65 to 70 per cent there, but it is important that the core group of them understand the philosophy and structure of our tactical plan going forward. The others are going to come along and possibly in the near future, we will work with them as well because this is not a sprint it's a marathon."
Team captain Karyn Forbes said both she and her team were disappointed with the result last Friday, but they have to stay positive moving forward, saying: "We have to learn from this experience as this is how the game is, sometimes you win and sometimes you lose.
"We have a lot of new players and because of that some things might be repetitive, but as we move forward we will have the right squad and with the right squad we will be able to get things down pact, but right now everything is a learning experience."
Forbes was also high in praise for the confirmation of Jones as their full-time coach, saying they can learn a lot from his wealth of knowledge and the team will now, not have to learn different philosophies.