Full house expected on Ash Wednesday

PRESIDENT of Trinidad and Tobago, George Maxwell Richards and Prime Minister Patrick Manning have accepted invitations from the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation to attend Wednesday’s 2006 World Cup qualifier against United States. This was revealed by Special Advisor to the TTFF, Jack Warner who said he expected, based on the ongoing ticket sales, that the Warriors would be playing in front of a full house. But while much of the emphasis was on the Carnival celebrations in Trinidad, the Warriors were left focusing at the Grafton Beach Resort which was far from filled to capacity.

This was something that coach Bertille St Clair felt was most suitable for the team. Much of the sister-isle has attracted visitors for the weekend but the current base for the team was among the spots lacking any festive activities. And while the team was getting ready for yesterday’s training encounter against Haiti, most of the players, if not all, echoed similar sentiments on their feelings about calls for “Less Soca, More Warrior” from the team. The team’s main sponsor TSTT have embarked on a campaign to get the fans behind the team which they have labelled Warriors, which is supposed to project the team as one which is ready for battle and focused away from the festivities.

“We are very aware that the fans have expressed concerns over whether the team can concentrate enough for such a big game at this time of year when all the Carnival madness is taking place,” team captain Angus Eve said.  “One thing for sure is that as a team, we have been through this before and the guys are all psyched up for Wednesday and being away from the mas is not such a bad thing. As Maximus Dan has been singing, now it’s time for order and come Wednesday then we shall cross the border when it comes to doing it on the pitch against the Americans,” he said. Coach St Clair is known for his strict disciplinary measures and with Shaka Hislop, Stern John, Marvin Andrews and Dwight Yorke in the team, he is expecting a blend of experience and drive for success from the team.

“All along we have been saying that we in this country have a sort of a lackadaisical approach to serious business, but I believe that this team will prove a lot of the critics wrong. Some have been saying that we are struggling as a team but the players themselves know how much they have to do to succeed and I remain with the feeling that we will pull through this time,” he said.  “We have a team of foreign and local pros who can put together the right ingredients for the kind of success we are aiming to achieve,” St Clair added. The Americans are scheduled to arrive on Monday night and will stay at the Trinidad Hilton with one training scheduled for the Queen’s Park Oval, Port-of-Spain at 3.30 pm on Tuesday.