John Barnes is looking forward to his new role as head coach of the Jamaican football team.
Barnes has a lot of respect for Carl Brown. |
The former Liverpool and England winner only took the job over the weekend but he is keen to make a good impression and justify his surprise appointment.
Predecessor Rene Simoes was sacked in September after two disastrous World Cup results and Theodore ‘Tappa’ Whitmore was made interim coach.
The Reggae Boyz play a Cayman Select tonight at the Truman Bodden Complex and the Cayman national side on Sunday night. Both games kick off at 7pm.
On arriving at the Owen Roberts Airport on Monday, Barnes said: ‘This training camp in Cayman is going to be psychologically intense, because concentration in training and what I am saying to them is much more important than simply running around.
‘They’re strong and skilful so it’s not going to be physically intensive but putting a stamp on how I want them to play will be mentally intensive.
‘This trip is intensely important because as an international manager you don’t have as long as a club manager to put your philosophy on a team.
‘We’ve arrived today and we’re playing Wednesday yet I haven’t even had a training session with them.
‘For us to play as a cohesive unit, which is what I want us to do, it’s important that we get up to speed quickly.’
Barnes wants to kick off his coaching stint with Jamaica with a win tonight but that is not as vital to him as getting a good performance.
‘Of course, you cannot legislate for a win. You could hit the post 20 times and still lose 1-0 but I’d be happy if they were doing what I wanted them to do.’
He readily admits that he will have to rely on assistant coach Whitmore to fill him in on the players who he is not familiar with.
‘I’ve only just arrived in Jamaica so in terms of this squad I know very little about them,’ admitted Barnes. ‘So Theodore will have to fill me in on strengths and who plays where and to what quality.
‘Obviously, I know the players who play in Europe and won against Mexico and Honduras, but I’ll have to rely on Theodore heavily for this squad.’
Barnes is not underestimating Cayman at all even thought they are all amateurs – except for keeper Tuda Murphy – and his side are all full-time pros with one, Rudolf Austin, playing in Norway and another, Omar Cummings, in Major League Soccer in the US.
Barnes has a lot of respect for Cayman’s technical director Carl Brown, who coached Jamaica five times over a 23 year period.
‘I know that Cayman football is very vibrant and I know Carl very well and how he has taken football here forward and how he’s taken them up 22 places in the FIFA rankings,’ Barnes said. ‘I also know Winston Chung (Cayman coach) from when I was a young boy so I know it’s a football mad place and they’ve got good people.
‘Obviously, it’s a small island so they haven’t got a big pool to choose from but I know that it’ll be a difficult proposition for us in the two matches.’
Barnes expects his relationship with Whitmore to flourish.
‘I’ll be coming and going because obviously you have to be monitoring the players in England so I’ll be working closely with Theodore.
‘It’s a very important working relationship in any club or international scene. Look at Sven Goran Eriksson with Tord Grip and Fabio Capello with his right-hand man. This is an inclusive relationship. Rene Simoes may have had an assistant who was very close to him and that’s how me and Theodore are going to work.’
Brown is looking forward to the two matches with Jamaica tonight and Sunday.
‘I’m hoping that we’ll be able to learn some things against Jamaica,’ he said.
‘Just looking at the names, it’s a very strong Jamaican team. We expect the game to be tough but that is what’s it’s all about.
‘It’s a learning experience for the Cayman Islands and I’m hoping that we can finish up learning something from these games.’
Cayman will have to stay sharp and focused to avoid heavy defeat. Murphy can expect a busy night and midfielders like Garth Anderson need to keep their shape.
Carl Brown wishes Barnes success in a tough job.
‘John is a home-grown Jamaica. He knows the scene inside out. He has a great number of years as a professional and this is one of the things he will be able to impart and help the players understand better what it’s like to be a professional footballer.
‘He is a living legend and I just want to wish him all the best. These are trying times for Jamaican football and I’m sure that Johnnie will help with the young players’ total development.’
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