Latest update November 26th, 2024 1:00 AM
Players need support to achieve
Chris Nurse
– So says ‘Golden Jaguar’ Chris Nurse
By Franklin Wilson
The imminent friendly international clash between Guyana’s flagship male team the ‘Golden Jaguars’ against their Trinidad and Tobago rivals the ‘Soca Warriors’ will feature a number of prominent overseas footballers representing the Golden Arrowhead in one of the biggest international games of recent times.
This game, the main attraction of a double header which will also see the Under-20 teams of the two countries going head to head on Sunday September 26 at the Providence National stadium is being used as warm up by both countries ahead of the 2010 Digicel Caribbean Championships which will see 23 of the best national teams across the Caribbean battling for top honours.
The battle lines will be drawn though between two sides eager to prove that they are better than the other. The last time Guyana and Trinidad faced each other, the game ended in a 1-1 tie on November 9, 2008 at the Marvin Lee Stadium, Tunapuna in the Digicel Cup.
The Golden Jaguars were leading for almost the entire game before letting in the equaliser in the final moments of the encounter.
One of the players who played in that game was Centre/Midfielder Chris Nurse who now plays with the Puerto Rico Islanders as of March this year. Nurse is of the strong view that Guyana is blessed with many good players and as long they are given the opportunity they will achieve.
“Guyana has great players and I know the potential to do great is right there (Guyana) but the players needs the right support to achieve and they would do wonders for the country.”
Nurse spoke with this reporter recently while in London for the Guyana Football Federation All Star game against Cray Wanderers which ended 1-1.
Nurse who played in that game despite a niggling injury sustained whilst his team played against LA Galaxy of the USA (Puerto Rico Islanders won the home and away tie 5-3 on aggregate) in the CONCACAF Champions League also believes that Guyana’s chances of making it to the 2014 FIFA World Cup which will be hosted in Brazil are very good providing this team is given solid support from all.
“We will need to get the right attitude and support from the Federation, Government, Private Sector and Guyana as a whole if we are to attain this goal of qualifying for the FIFA World Cup. I’ve been impressed with the talent that we have but we have to have a professional approach towards this goal with all hands on deck.”
The tall midfielder who also played against Antigua and Barbuda in the DCC in 2008 stated that if available, he would like to see former Technical Director Trinidadian Jamaal Shabazz back as the TD.
“I think he is as good as any other and he did a splendid job with the team in the past, the records speak for itself.”
Under the direction of Shabazz, who is now the Head Coach of Trinidad and Tobago’s Senior Female side, Guyana achieved its best ever rankings of well under 100 on the FIFA Coca Cola World rankings. The performance of the ‘Golden Jaguars’ was also phenomenal against Regional opposition from 2006 up to when Guyana failed to advance to the final round of the 2008 DCC.
After missing out on CONCACAF Gold Cup qualification by the slimmest of margins in 2007, and buoyed by the qualification of the ‘Lady Jags’ the Golden Jaguars will be seeking to all the way this time around. The ‘Soca Warriors’ recently lost friendly games to Jamaica and Panama and are scheduled to play Belize (September 10) and Antigua & Barbuda (September 19) before coming to Guyana.
And with the likes of Chris Nurse and fellow overseas based players John P. Rodrigues, Shawn Beveney, Walter Moore, Christopher Bourne, Fabian Brown, Jason Lloyd and Howard Newton expected to be here to link with the local selectees, Guyana looks to be in solid hands.
Head Coach Wayne ‘Wiggy’ Dover and his Technical staff will sure have his work cut out with the variety of players he will have to choose from. The overseas players will begin arriving on the 22nd.
The GFF and the Kashif & Shanghai Organisation has teamed up to bring off these games being branded as ‘President Cup Football’. The Under-20 game will kick off at 18:00hrs and admission is $1000 with children Under-12 free.
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