Sports Scope...
Have football selectors fallen asleep? Trial squad excludes three of the best
Stabroek News
December 20, 2003
Our national football selectors must be either terribly sleepy, at an advanced stage of intoxication, or still not down from the clouds following the recent showing of the national Under-23 team.
That is the only way we could explain the absence of some players from a party selected to commence trials for possible selection to the senior national squad. A question mark still hangs over the modus operandi used by the Guyana Football Federation to arrive at the present squad of players.
Are we hearing or seeing right? Is selection based on performance or on who likes you? There are many who should be called but we will focus on three who we feel, by any means, should be on any senior national squad.
We have selected a trial squad and the names of Richard Reynolds, Charles Pollard and Randolph Jerome are not included. A trial squad? Someone has to be joking. All three of these gentlemen are among the best in their department.
Reynolds, who is on professional contract in Suriname, is the best goal keeper in Guyana apart from Marlon Hendricks. His performance for Topp XX against Santos in the Kashif and Shanghai competition bears testament to that fact.
Pollard, popularly referred to as the `Godfather' for the way he stamps his authority in the defence is hands down `Mr Defence.' His exploits with Doc's Khelwalaas, San Juan Jabloteh, and North East Stars in the Trinidad professional league speak for him and he was indorsed by Trinidad assistant national coach Jamal Shabazz, who was on a recent visit here.
And Jerome's credentials are also impeccable. At present, Jerome is one of the most, if not the most, feared striker in the Trinidad and Tobago professional league. He is the top goal scorer way ahead of seasoned pros Jerren Nixon and Arnold Dwarka.
In addition, Jerome is just 25 years old. That is not old in football terms; not at all. Reynolds is no more that 23. Mr Pollard's experience would be an asset to any Caribbean national team. So even if the focus is on youth, as GFF General Secretary, George Rutherford, pointed out, there is a need for the back up of experience.
Mind you, we are not calling for these three gentlemen to be automatically placed on the national team, but it would be a mockery if three of our best are not called to make a trial squad.