Former Golden Jaguar captain Christopher Nurse has criticised the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) Senior Men’s coaching staff for their omission of experienced midfielder Neil Danns from 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers against Trinidad and Tobago and Bahamas.
This was opined during an exclusive interview with Stabroek Sport. According to Nurse, “I think the Neil Danns exclusion is extremely distasteful and the people deserve an explanation because we all know this is not about age. To show such disregard to a Guyanese football legend, someone who I think is such an inspiration to our youngsters and seniors both on and off the field as a person and as a player is really sad. It highlights the consistent disrespect and disregard Guyana national players have been treated with historically. If there is any positive from it, it highlights the changes we need to make in how we respect and treat our national players home and abroad.”
He further stated, “Neil is a complete class act, and I am sad that his national team journey was ended in this way. Part of the reason he is still playing clubs is because he felt he still had more to give Guyana. You don’t retire the greats, the greats decide when they retire. Danns is a Guyana legend on the football field, we must ensure his legacy will not be destroyed.”
Born in Liverpool, England, Danns was axed from the Golden Jaguars 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers squad for the two opening games, as the federation named 11 foreign-based players in their 23-member squad on Wednesday.
Danns, 38, who currently plies his trade for Welsh unit, Connah’s Quay Nomads in the Cymru Premier club, is the Golden Jaguars most high profile alumni following stints in the English Premier League with Blackburn Rovers and Birmingham City. He has scored nine goals in 17 appearances for national program, with three goals recorded in the team’s maiden 2019 Concacaf Gold Cup campaign, in the process securing the label of Guyana’s lone scorer in the event.
According to Nurse, “You don’t transition a successful squad and you don’t retire senior players when they can still contribute more than any other players. 2019 Gold Cup gave Guyana a platform to build upon, I am not sure where all this rebuilding transition conversation is stemming from but I think it’s not relevant to Guyana at this point in time in relation to the senior national team.”
He further declared, “Transition, Development, Re-building, is a term often used when people are lobbying for time and it is always around the period when contract negotiations are being touted. But I think we all are aware of the talent pool we possess as a nation home and overseas and it is simply a case of man management and selecting the best players available based upon current form.”
Nurse noted that matchup against Trinidad and Tobago adds another page in the storied history of the teams, adding that Guyana has been able to close the gap on the ‘Soca Warriors’ which is evident by the recent competitive results.
He elaborated, “I wish the team all the success to give their best. The fixture with Trinidad is a massive rivalry and there is a lot at stake. Whilst it may just be another game, there is always something more to the occasion when Trinidad faces Guyana in meaningful fixtures. The gap has been closed and the close proximity of score-lines in this fixture over the past decade highlights this: 4 Ties, 2 Losses and 1 Win. This is a game we need to be going with a mindset to win. The statistical history over the past decade shows we are no longer underdogs in this fixture anymore, it is two Caribbean titans going head to head.”
Guyana is slated to open their Group-F campaign against the Soca Warriors on March 25 before locking horns with the Bahamians five days later. In their third match, Guyana will travel to St Kitts and Nevis for Friday June 4 before ending their group round at home on Tuesday June 8 against Puerto Rico. Only the group winner will progress to the second stage of the qualifiers.
The team reads: Kyle McKenzie-Lyle, Miguel Scarlett, Matthew Briggs, Kadell Daniels, Bailey Spencer-Adams, Terrence Vancooten, Nathan Moriah-Welsh, Sam Cox, Callum Harriet, Keanu Marsh-Brown, Emery Welshman, Akel Clarke, Shawn Adonis, Nikkoloi Andrews, Nicholas MacArthur, Kelsey Benjamin, Jeremy Garrett, Ryan Hackett, Daniel Wilson, Pernell Schultz, Trayon Bobb, Job Caesar, and Omari Glasgow.
