We Neva learn our lesson, keep banging the wall!

[Jawge]

Finally some one got it. Yes part of it is that Ja lacks depth. Austin absence (i believe was the main reason Hue was called in) was glaring. The fact that Ja played without their striker (Mattocks) did not help. Why is our team lacking depth in quality players for this level? Keep relying on High school soccer the answer will jump out one day.

[Stonigut]

I wasn't even going to touch that one.

[Mosiah]

Were we able to do more with Hue's passes, incl. the picture perfect corner that Luton could not handle, we would not be having this conversation. Not to mention if our defenders, the guys in whom we have entrusted defensive responsibilities, had done their part.

But it's easy to blame Hue.

Carry on!

[Mosiah]

To bring in a man that can't even star in the rspl league as the top playmaker, I just don't understand what is happening and what they are thinking...

I wonder myself why Andre Lewis was included. And I don't believe Lewis plays for an RSPL side. He plays for StGC.

[Stonigut]

We are not Argentina, we are not brazil or Italy, they can afford that kind if player they have skil from head to toe of the team. Plus hue does not come close to comparing to those guys, he had his chance in mls in Sweden etc and he couldn't convince a non Jamaican franchise that they must play him, why would we make him the centerpiece of our most critical game to get to the hex, we knew where we were, us had seven points playing Antigua, guat had seven points playing us, we had to beat guat and you know what they scored two goals on us, Montessori said the Guys did not realize the importance of the game and the environment they were in, whose fault is that. They failed Jamaica again and pulling in a non defensive mid who has not played in a while just says that we don't know what we doing, even though he may have played ok on attack side, his combination play was not good enough to make the difference which was the hope that somehow magic would flow from this one guy, totally unrealistic, our defensive system should have tightened the noose on guat that should have been the focus.

[Tilla]

You just have to get over your Hue bias Stoni. Hue was not the problem the other night. Do not try to place the blame on the player as that is unfair.

[Tilla]

Take out Watson and put in hue you think you gain something in passing but in reality what you lose is a fighter and busy bee, shutting down space keeping guat mids off balance, defense starts outside the fort not inside the fort.

I thought Watson and Hue started the game. I do not see the link in your discussion about taking out Watson and putting in Hue. Am I missing something here? Watson was taken out and the speedier Dane Richards brought in to replace him. Richards won the penalty when they brought him down on the edge of the box.

Watson might be younger and quicker than Hue, but he is an unfinished article. He is not consistent with his passes, has the tendency to make rash tackles and getting yellows (see last two games against the USA). Moreover, he and Hue did not have the same roles in the team.

I pit it to you Stoni, Hue may be slow, but that is all you can say about him. There is no one in that Jamaican lineup who could take free kicks or corners like him. Although his lack of speed, there is no one on the field who can make the ball do the work as Hue does. no one in the Jamaican side can make defense splitting passes to create opportunities like Hue.

Not every player have to have that "speed over ground" as Karl is known to speak about. There have been very effective creative midfielders who were not known for their prowess in a foot race. They have the ability to receive a pass, turn on a dime and make that defensive splitting pass to allow forwards to score when you least expect it.

I think Hue was not the liability on the team Friday night. Lovel Palmer, Taylor, Miller come to mind. Palmer passed about 80 percent of the balls he got to Guatemalan players. He may have taken 6 corners, and none of them were good enough to worry the opposition defense. Yet Tappa continued having his run to that corner to take corners at every opportunity. I find it surprising that those were the quality corners he was taking in practice that convinced the coach that Palmer should take the corners on that side of the field. Only Hue I saw delivered a perfect corner right on the head of a player in the box, only for it to be headed over the crossbar.

Taylor as replacement for Austin did not pan out. That is where his speed and combative nature of play was needed, but it did not com through.

[Stonigut]

Listen, it is not pacific ally about hue, but we cannot bring a man who hasn't played in the heat of the battle of qualifying and expect magic especially when we know he has a defensive liability that the other mids have to make up. A hole in the fort is a hole in the fort, he was a hole in the fort and the first goal is symbolic of that, guat should never be able to score and move the ball like than through mids and into defense.

[Stonigut]

Montesso's words
He lamented that some players didn't recognise the tone of the game and didn't make the necessary adjustments in such a hostile environment.

It is unbelievable that this was actually said by Montesso, if it was me there is no way I would have admitted that. This is just reinforcing the arrogance of our view on guat, our arrogance on what it would take to win or draw this game.

How could they not realize the critical importance of this game, we we t through the same thing last qualifying, how quickly we forget.

You in the man dem backyard, defensive effort should have been primary, hustling bustling, shaking them up keeping them uncomfortable, but no, we are so good, we had so much possession and guess what we lose. I swear if the management cannot understand the brevity of where they are and the stakes it is no wonder we lost in the way we did. To bring in a man that can't even star in the rspl league as the top playmaker, I just don't understand what is happening and what they are thinking, it makes me sick to think we are not making the hex when we had the whole thing in our hands, we could have decided our own destiny and now we are at the mercy of two teams that probably will play safe ball to finish the round. I hope the us coach has a big ego and wants to show that his team is better than the barely scrape by Antigua team, but somehow I feel that he is not that guy.

[Mosiah]

Our defence was poor! Had nothing to do with whether Hue was on the field or not! That was the problem!

[Mosiah]

And you know what, I agree with you. But until we have someone who can supply quality attacking balls like Jermaine Hue, what is the option - putting in 10 Watsons whose fast, furious and many times foolish play gets us nowhere?!!?

Some feel defence wins matches. Well, despite what Chelsea accomplished last season, I don't think any team can defend successfully for 90 minutes. We are going to need some offence somewhere along the line.

So, that is probably where we disagree, Stoni. I want someone who can create goals on my team. You want a team that can defend all day. For me, I will always use a Jermaine Hue until someone better comes along. The other 10 players better tun up dem defensive skills to compensate. Indeed, many of those players we relied upon for bringing sound defensive skills failed us miserably last Friday! Don't blame it on Maestro!

[Stonigut]

He played ok on offense but the hole left by Austin was not filled, better to stop the two goals if we can score one, that is the bottom line, typically guat has not been able to solve Ja speed, size and defensive shape, well we give them a gift and them take it. For each and every action there is an equal an opposite reaction, take out maps and put in shavar, lose some there, take out Austin and put in Taylor lose Nuff there, Taylor good but he is more of a hold down space than a marauder type which Austin is. Take out Watson and put in hue you think you gain something in passing but in reality what you lose is a fighter and busy bee, shutting down space keeping guat mids off balance, defense starts outside the fort not inside the fort.

[Mosiah]

I take back what I said about Hue just based on the poor technical ability of his teammates and the level of the opposition (******** poor) as when we move to the Hex...and to the higher level of the World Cup finals his pace cannot be compensated for as at this extremely lower level. The point is our all players can improve technical skills and use of commonsense...and so can Hue...but...Hue cannot raise speed of movement across ground to be on par with or prevent closing down by the much faster thinkers, movers and tremendously higher technical skilled players he shall meet in the Hex...forget at the World Cup finals. Hue, I watch carefully and he operated at FULL Speed of thought and movement across ground. He has nothing more to give. The most of the others of our players are fast enough...just lacking in necessary technical skills. Each can...and the technical staff can work on improving in that area.

You have been a consistent and strident detractor of Maestro, so respect for taking back some of your criticism.

However, to say that Hue "has nothing more to give" is just not true, but can be excused because you do not have the pleasure of seeing him do his thing for HV each week. Friday's performance by Hue was certainly one of the slowest I have seen from him in recent times, and that has to do with both decision-making and "over ground". It was clear to me that this was a result of his unfamiliarity with his teammates.

So, don't put yourself again into a position where I can say, I told you so! Hue can do much better than what you saw on Friday. Let's hope he brings it on Tuesday.

[Stonigut]

At the end of the day if you score one goal and shut down the other team you win, in the past we have been able to befuddle guat, they cannot move the ball into the final 30 to 35 with any kind of coherence, Watson much as he has not produced on the offense has been a busy bee, we need all mids to be busy bees for Jamaica to win through the hex, our football culture has not evolved into a true and consistent style and system of play and the guys have not blended into such a unit, thus we must derive an advantage from somewhere else it is speed, it s fitness it is the interception mindset, the all hawk mindset, we have seen Ja play some ball recently where they seem to win every 50/50 ball, the aggression the mindset is sharp and tight, if we play a skilled team like Spain it is the speed and the physical hard play that will let us keep competitive nothing else. We cannot afford players who lay bak just fr the occasional great pass and still at the end of the day it is unfair to him to expect some magic as he has never showed that he can do it consistently enough to make even a second div team in a pro league country sign him up. At the end of the day if no one thinks you are good enough to pay you to play ball everyday why do we think that guy should be our number one attacking mid, it makes no sense at all.

Mike McCallum and shrimphy Clarke dominated the local scene first then went outside and competed against the best, people paid them to fight all ore the world because they showed they can do that, they produced on the battleground, how can we take someone who struggles to compete outside Ja and then try to make them the centerpiece of out international World Cup effort, it is illogical.

On one point, everybody loses the ball sometime, sometimes stupidly, but it is not the losing that is the real issue, it is the response after, you will see Austin go to the gates of hades chasing down a play, Watson also is very active and you see the fighter in him all the time, it is the lack of response is what the issue is, the defensive non response, we cannot affford that kind of player.

[Tilla]

Good post X!

According to Stoni, there is no place in the game for the Ininestas, Verons, Kakas, Requememes etc.

I thought Hue played well and did what he was called to do.