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Whitmore hits head - Premier League Irrelevant?
By Donald Smith
Whitmore and Capt. Burrell (Photo Courtesy of The Reggae Boyz Forum)
It is clear to the blind that Theodore Whitmore and by extension the JFF have no clue as to what they are about.
It is clear to the blind that Theodore Whitmore and by extension the JFF have no clue as to what they are about.
I will be very brief in this piece as I highlight the “injustices” perpetrated by the above mentioned bodies.
In 2013 we see where yet again another top player has been left on the sidelines by a National Team Selection Group and you have to now wonder what is the rationale behind such exclusion.
Several commentators have raised questions as to the sense or lack thereof in leaving out one Jermaine “Tuffy” Anderson from the most recent squad of 26 players.
Anderson, who was recently not only named the leading goal scorer for the season, but also the most valuable player, could not even make the reserves for the national team.
Really now….is the Premier League that poor?
But, ah, the above can already be dismissed as the likes of Jermaine Hue and Joel Senior, both of Harbour View have donned the National Colours in recent time, lending support to the argument that the league has some talent.
However, lets stick a pin!!!
If Anderson can stand out in the nation’s top flight football league, why not invite him to prove himself on the National Stage?
Time and time again, we see where players are invited, and seldom used and if used at all are pretty much given a basket to carry water as was the case with Tuffy at the most recent failed campaign for the Caribbean Cup.
This is also not the first time such an issue is at the forefront of sporting debate, as there were previous cases involving the likes of Roen Nelson (Portmore United), Kevin Lamey (Waterhouse FC) and Devon Hodges (Rivoli FC) all top strikers in their prime who were never given a consistent nod by the National Selectors.
Whitmore has yielded several times to the public since becoming head coach. Remember the calls for Hue and then Mattocks who he has re-invited to the squad and also the once talked about Kemar “Dada” Daley?
Can or will Whitmore finally settle on a side, instead of this every match change haphazard situation which currently exists?
Your guess is as good as mine.
I close by going back to the point at hand.
My questions to the JFF and indeed to Whitmore are simple.
If we cannot include our Nation’s best player in a 26 man squad for the Senior Reggae Boyz team, does it then make sense to have a local Premier League? Is it worth the sponsors’ time and money? What message are we sending to our youth who are looking at football as a means out of poverty? Are we saying if you play locally, you may as well go learn a trade?
As the Dub Poet group “Nomaddz” puts it in its song “Sort Out Yuh Life Jamaica” I put it to the powers that be that they need to “Sort Out Demself, before things head South.”
Again, these are my few….now what say you?
By Donald Smith
Whitmore and Capt. Burrell (Photo Courtesy of The Reggae Boyz Forum)
It is clear to the blind that Theodore Whitmore and by extension the JFF have no clue as to what they are about.
It is clear to the blind that Theodore Whitmore and by extension the JFF have no clue as to what they are about.
I will be very brief in this piece as I highlight the “injustices” perpetrated by the above mentioned bodies.
In 2013 we see where yet again another top player has been left on the sidelines by a National Team Selection Group and you have to now wonder what is the rationale behind such exclusion.
Several commentators have raised questions as to the sense or lack thereof in leaving out one Jermaine “Tuffy” Anderson from the most recent squad of 26 players.
Anderson, who was recently not only named the leading goal scorer for the season, but also the most valuable player, could not even make the reserves for the national team.
Really now….is the Premier League that poor?
But, ah, the above can already be dismissed as the likes of Jermaine Hue and Joel Senior, both of Harbour View have donned the National Colours in recent time, lending support to the argument that the league has some talent.
However, lets stick a pin!!!
If Anderson can stand out in the nation’s top flight football league, why not invite him to prove himself on the National Stage?
Time and time again, we see where players are invited, and seldom used and if used at all are pretty much given a basket to carry water as was the case with Tuffy at the most recent failed campaign for the Caribbean Cup.
This is also not the first time such an issue is at the forefront of sporting debate, as there were previous cases involving the likes of Roen Nelson (Portmore United), Kevin Lamey (Waterhouse FC) and Devon Hodges (Rivoli FC) all top strikers in their prime who were never given a consistent nod by the National Selectors.
Whitmore has yielded several times to the public since becoming head coach. Remember the calls for Hue and then Mattocks who he has re-invited to the squad and also the once talked about Kemar “Dada” Daley?
Can or will Whitmore finally settle on a side, instead of this every match change haphazard situation which currently exists?
Your guess is as good as mine.
I close by going back to the point at hand.
My questions to the JFF and indeed to Whitmore are simple.
If we cannot include our Nation’s best player in a 26 man squad for the Senior Reggae Boyz team, does it then make sense to have a local Premier League? Is it worth the sponsors’ time and money? What message are we sending to our youth who are looking at football as a means out of poverty? Are we saying if you play locally, you may as well go learn a trade?
As the Dub Poet group “Nomaddz” puts it in its song “Sort Out Yuh Life Jamaica” I put it to the powers that be that they need to “Sort Out Demself, before things head South.”
Again, these are my few….now what say you?
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