Fruta Conquerors’ Secretary Daniel Thomas said Jamaal Shabazz’s impending appointment for his third Golden Jaguars stint is a clear indication that the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) does not believe Wayne `Wiggy’ Dover and Denzil `Hunky Brains’ Thompson are competent enough to spearhead the national programme.
Speaking exclusively to Stabroek Sports, he said:” I think it’s a slap on wrist for both Dover and Thompson. What they are saying is that they are not competent enough in leading Guyana’s football. Based on Dover’s local track record, he has proven himself to be a good coach and with his international exposure in CFU (Caribbean Football Union) and CONCACAF (Confederation of North, Central America and the Caribbean Football Association) competitions, he is now ready to perform the duties of head coach.
“Dover is the most successful local coach in what he has been able to accomplish with his club for a number of years. To have him play second fiddle to the national coach again is counter-productive and if that is the case, they should give another coach a chance to work with Shabazz so that person could learn,” he added.
“Thompson was recently appointed the head coach and provisions should be put in place so he can be a part of the national setup. There is a dire need for competent coaches and we have a shortage of qualified coaches around. We need to make full use of the few that we have so that they can have international exposure,” he added.
Thomas said he views were not a personal attack on Shabazz.
“I don’t have anything against Shabazz, I think he has earned his stripes and is well respected in the Caribbean but we have to look at what is good for Guyana in having more coaches with international exposure. We need to expand our pool of coaches who would acquire international exposure and this could only happen if they go on tours.
“The guy (Shabazz) is of great influence in where we came from as a national team but why would you want to overlook Dover and not appoint him as the head coach?,” he asked.
“His wealth of experience has increased 10 fold from when he was first appointed years ago to work with Shabazz.
“What I would have suggested to the GFF was to allow Dover, since it’s a one-off tour to work with the national team now. In doing what they are doing, it’s keeping the door locked from other coaches acquiring international exposure or even learning from Shabazz,” he said.
Asked about his thoughts on the makeup of the technical staff, he said “Why do you need eight persons going to Barbados? Why do you need a technical staff for a one game tour when you know there is a monetary problem with the GFF?
“Where is the fiscal responsibility? Where is the fiscal prudency? What is the aim of the game? If it is a revenue generating affair, could it not been used to look at more U-19 and U-23 players for the Olympic Qualifiers? ” he asked.
Questioned about the makeup of the squad, he said: “It’s a mixture of old and new. It is not as young as the previous squad and it’s more balanced in terms of the squad we took to the Caribbean Cup. What I would have done is have more U-23 players in the squad.
“The nucleus of the side should have been U-23 players. In doing that it would have given Shabazz a chance to see what we have as well as given them international exposure,” he declared.
