“We are going to reclaim our pride and to let the ‘Golden Jaguars’ roar proud again,” exclaimed national coach Wayne ‘Wiggy’ Dover as the Guyana team departed for Suriname to compete against the host, French Guiana and the Netherlands, in a four-nation football tournament.
Dover, speaking with Stabroek Sport prior to the team’s departure yesterday, said that the team had been together for five days and he was disappointed with the fitness level of the squad.
“Well we have had like five days in training and I think this is how football is now around the world, gone are the days when you’re together for a month before the tournament and so on. But I think with the amount of football being played, I’m very disappointed with the fitness of this squad,” Dover said.
The 2008 National Sports Commission Coach-of-the-Year Awardee added: “As coach now when you have a squad, you don’t want to waste time getting players fit, these guys are playing football almost every other day. So we took some time to bring them to somewhat of a better state than they were, then we work on the technical aspect of the game.”
However, he observed that the various clubs now are tasked to make sure that their players, especially their primary ones, stay in good condition since Guyana is expected to be busy in the future.
Meanwhile, regarding the tournament, Dover said that his charges should give a good account of themselves although the squad is made of several newcomers and some who are making only their second outing in the Golden Arrowhead colours.
“Well, apart from Dwayne Jacobs, Dirk Archer, Devon Millington and Kelvin Smith, some of these guys are pretty much inexperienced but I think this is the right tournament for them to be, you know, to be given the exposure because we have the Digicel Cup coming up next year and you have to start early to see how you stand,” the national coach pointed out.
“As it relates to how well we’ll do, football is a game of organisation and once we organize ourselves, and play as a team, I believe we will do pretty well. As a matter of fact, I have great confidence in this team,” Dover added. He also noted that the team was selected by a selection committee and when he was brought in as coach, he only included Smith and Quacy Johnson.
Kelvin Smith was named the captain after Howard Lowe pulled out of the team due to issues with the Guyana Football Federation (GFF).
His loss, Dover pointed out, will be a huge blow to the team’s defensive line but… “football like I said, is an organized game,” the dreadlocked coach said. “This is where the technical aspect of the game comes in and it is my job as coach to make the necessary adjustments and to have my players understand their role on the team. But we will do well I believe, I have played against Suriname and the other teams so I know how to make my rotations and what I need to do.”
“This is a time when we need to restore some pride to our football, so I see Suriname as our jungle, and we are going there to let the Jaguars loose in his righted environment. Because recently, we have lost our public support and I want this squad to revive that following we had,” Dover declared.
He would have Bilaal Nantambu, Marlon Washington and Andrew Hazel as his assistants in the Dutch-speaking country as they play the host tomorrow in the opening game of the competition.
