Jack urges coaches to ignore critics

FIFA vice-president and head of CONCACAF Jack Warner has urged regional coaches to avoid the distraction of criticisms as they conduct their duties on the football field. Warner was speaking to the 28 coaches who participated in the week-long inaugural CONCACAF/FA Elite Player Development Seminar at the Dr Joao Havelange Centre of Excellence, Tunapuna on Friday. The week-long course featured participants from Anguilla, Antigua/Barbuda, Bahamas, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, Netherlands Antilles, St Kitts/Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent, Suriname, Turks and Caicos Islands and hosts Trinidad and Tobago.

“It wouldn’t be easy because you wouldn’t get the money from sponsors. And, in fact, in many places you’ll only get criticisms,” Warner told the coaches, The long-standing football administrator noted: “If your skin is too thin, and your shoulders are not too broad, you would fail (as well as) succumb to the criticisms and the obstacles along the way. “Again, if you do succumb (after) having come to this course, you would have failed us,” he added. “We live at a time when you only get what you want when you’re successful. And I’m happy for this because you have to find the ways and means to become successful,” he continued. “You have to be innovative, you have to be creative.” The course comprised of a lot of lectures and audio-visual presentations as well as group workshop sessions for participants.

Robin Russell, a consultant with the English FA and an experienced coach-educator, was among three lecturers who conducted the week-long proceedings. Former Southampton manager Laurie Mc Menemy, and Craig Simmons, a player development advisor at the FA, completed the trio. Among the topics which were dealt with at the seminar were: the key principles in the development of young players; structures, systems and processes required for player development; preparation of an elite player development plan and implementation of a player development plan.

The participants of the course were: Benjamin Davies (Anguilla); Rowan Benjamin (Antigua/Barbuda); Gary White (Bahamas); Lenroy Henry (British Virgin Islands); Roy Ebanks, Jocelyn Morgan (Cayman Islands); Erickson Christopher (Dominica); Lester Smith, Roderick Griffith (Grenada); Wendell Downswell (Jamaica); Etienne Siliee (Netherlands Antilles); Leonard Taylor, Lenny Lake (St Kitts/Nevis); Evastus Augustin (St Lucia); Zoran Vranes, Earl Paynter (St Vincent); Anches Johan Ricardo (Suriname); Paul Crosbie (Turks and Caicos Islands); Anton Corneal, Muhammad Isa, Kenwrick Elie, Trevor Bridgelalsingh, Anthony Rougier, Michael Grayson, Titus Elva, Brian Williams, Jerren Nixon, Dexter Skeene (Trinidad and Tobago).