Despite failing to qualify for the second round of the CFU Caribbean Cup, Golden Jaguars Head Coach Denzil Thompson said he has no intention of resigning from his post unless the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) terminates his services.
In an exclusive interview following Guyana’s return from their campaign in St. Kitts and Nevis (SKN), Thompson said:“I am here to develop the nation’s football. In this country there is no one that teaches football so I have not thought about resigning. I don’t think so, it has never crossed my mind.
“If the federation thinks it is best then I don’t have problem because they are the people in charge. If they think its best then its fine but I don’t see the need for me to resign.”
Questioned about his thoughts on the team’s performance, Thompson said “The team is a young team in preparation. It’s a team that for the first time people were playing for. The performance in my view is good because it was the first international tournament they went to.
“It was amazing that the coaching staffs from the other teams asked how can a team has that never played before, training for 10 days play like that,” he added.
According to Thompson “Game one we played to a draw. They (players) went out nervous and we threw away five certain chances. The second game we threw away four chances because that composure and goal scoring was not happening. The third game we came out with a different strategy and it was until the 55th minute they (SKN) scored.
“The guys played very well, I am very satisfied and happy with the team performance. The team is a good young team coming up that consists mostly of under 23 players who will be preparing for the Olympic Qualifiers next month,” he added.
Asked what is required to continue the development of the squad, he said “What is needed is for the team to prepare early and move around the country and look for local talent to develop them. Go to Bartica, Essequibo, Berbice, Linden, and as far as Lethem and talent scout your local players.
“If they are foreign players that want to come, they have to pass certain tests to make the team. We must have a pool of players in the country that we can select from,” he said.
Quizzed if the lack of preparation or international exposure was more of a factor for the team’s early exit, Thompson said “Preparation was very much too short. Secondly it was the international exposure as they were not experienced at playing against foreign teams.”
