Alpha United Coach Wayne “Wiggy” Dover says although it causes some amount of hardship, players are transferred in every team for various reasons when the opportunity arises but he is still puzzled and pained at the recent exits.
In an interview with Stabroek Sport, the reserved coach said that the recent January transfer period, “Was a painful situation at the beginning with players being transferred. Sometimes you use to make a special effort to try and hold on to them. Realizing that is a situation will occur from time to time, we began to brace ourselves during these episodes.”
“If there is a situation where a player is not comfortable for whatever reason and requests a transfer, we try our best to facilitate that process and to the best of our abilities try to see how we can replace that player with players who might have an intention to come to Alpha. However if that is not applicable, we will work with what we have to fill that void,” he explained.
Regarding the departure of seasoned stalwarts including Quincy Madramootoo, Ronson Williams, Anthony Harding and Shavane Seaforth from the Alpha banner, Dover says he remains puzzled about their reasons. “It was really a surprise in regards to the aforementioned players leaving. Madramootoo especially since he has grown at Alpha and if for some reason he was not comfortable with the current situation, that was not relayed to us,” he noted and suggested that the fact that a new club is opening and more choices become available may have influenced their decision. “Each individual has the right to make their own decisions,” he added.
Finances, choices create
movement
Pressed about his thoughts regarding the newly established Slingerz FC, Dover stated that he doesn’t know much about the club and its configuration but welcomes the initiative it has taken to pay the players.
“I am not aware much about the organization or its formation but I welcome the proposal from the standpoint where the players are financially remunerated. Having always been an advocate for player financial compensation, Alpha has implemented this schematic for more than 6 years now,” the coach said. He further noted that having choices always creates movement “and with the Slingerz club coming into the fold, this is an example of a step in the right direction for the sport as it can create a competitive balance, while allowing players to see it as a job and work in a new industry that would be formed.”
According to Dover, the acquisition of a few household names by the Vergenoegen outfit will certainly make them a competitive force going forward once the discipline, hard work and preparation is at the forefront.
“They will be very competitive owing to the fact they have many good players currently on their roster. With preparation, hard work and discipline, they will create a competitive situation for any team they contest,” he said. Dover also noted that “Discipline is an important trait for any organization and if that is not an imperative attribute, then they wouldn’t exist for a long period. This is not about Slingerz but a general trait that is needed among the football populace. Their introduction would have created an equilibrium to some extent and we need more entities in this manner to help create a total equipoise within the sport.”
Regarding Alpha’s acquisitions of high profile Gregory “Jackie Chan” Richardson and Travis “Zorro” Grant, the ‘Hammer’ coach said that their decision to play under the Alpha banner was a financial decision.
“In those guys making the decision to play with Alpha this season, I would think that it originated from more of an economic choice given the fact that Alpha gives their players a stipend and the club they were in was not that financially strong,” he posited.
In Chan’s case, playing professionally overseas for a number of years he probably chose to return to be close to his family. So if he is going to be in Guyana he has to be financially rewarded for what he is doing and that may have influenced his decision to transfer to Alpha, the coach said.
“I can say the same about Zorro. These are guys are aging and they are close to the twilight in terms of their football career. The fact that Alpha is one of the teams in Guyana that have been playing at the CFU level for the last four years, presents them the opportunity to showcase their talents on the international level, possibly earning themselves lucrative deal abroad,” he explained.
Dover further said that he believes that both Zorro and Chan can fit into his team’s system because of the high football acumen possessed by both individuals.
“Chan is a very good player and in his generation he is the best player I have seen, demonstrating that quite some time now. It’s so unfortunate that Chan has to stay and play in Guyana when a player of his calibre should not be playing in a amateur league. The fact that he has knowledge of the game, means that he can fit into any team in Guyana,” the coach said.
“Zorro had been playing with Alpha from time to time as loan player (particular player being allowed to temporarily play for a club other than the one he is currently contracted to) so I think he has learnt a lot from us and have that chemistry and camaraderie with a lot of the players, so it should not be a burden,” he added.
Asked about the number of players Alpha acquired during the transfer, Dover declined to give an exact figure but hinted that it could be close to 20. “I know we acquired a lot of players and most of them are in the U20 level which is an area we are trying to develop for a while. The boss is going with the move and we will be working with some of the children from the Mae’s School and the other players that came in from the various clubs, which will form probably an under 17 team. We can now concentrate more on developing them and avoid buying players in the future as money will be spent on their advancement and progress,” he said.
Regarding the Club’s plan for the new competitive season, the versed coach said he plans to retain the GFF Super League title and to win other local tournaments during the year.
