Shabazz re-appointment heralds new era

Jan 18, 2015 Sports

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By Santokie Nagulendran
It has been a momentous few days for Guyanese football, with key appointments made and the road to the 2018 World Cup becoming slightly clearer.

Last Saturday, the GFF unveiled Claude Bolton as Technical Director for the Senior National Team, then followed it up two days later by revealing Jamaal Shabazz as new Head Coach. With staff now instilled, this past Thursday saw the CONCACAF preliminary draw for the 2018 World Cup held in Miami, and Guyana found out they would be playing St Vincent and the Grenadines in the second round, which takes place in June of this year.
Sticking to a proven successful formula has appeared to be the motto with which FIFA’s Normalisation Committee have based their appointments on, with Jamaal Shabazz returning to lead the National team once again, two years after taking Guyana to their furthest ever point in World Cup qualifiers for the 2014 edition of the tournament. Shabazz is thus the most successful National Team coach in the history of Guyana, and his appointment signals the rebirth of the Golden Jaguars.
Denzil Thompson, the previous National team coach, is well-respected in Guyana’s football fraternity, but his lack of experience of leading teams for big, international games, meant he had to be replaced if Guyana wanted to achieve the ambition of being one of the best teams in the region.
Alpha United coach Wayne Dover will take charge as assistant coach, thus re-forming the partnership with Shabazz that took Guyana to the semi-finals of CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying in 2011, eliminating Trinidad and Tobago in the process.  Dover has previously been Head Coach of the Men’s National Team, overseeing the team as they reached 86th in the FIFA World Rankings, the highest in the history of Guyana. Dover had a 59% win ratio for the International games he was in charge of, and his credentials have been increased this year, as he led his club Alpha United to the group stages of the CONCACAF Champions League, the first team from Guyana to achieve such a feat. Dover has cemented his status as one of the top coaches in the Caribbean.
Shabazz, despite being Trinidadian, has helped Guyana in numerous ways throughout the years; aside from being coach and technical director of the National Team, he has helped numerous Guyanese players earn contracts abroad at Trinidadian Club Caledonia AIA, where he has served as coach on a few occasions. In fact it was only a few months ago he appeared on NCN to passionately describe his love for Guyana and its football scene in the wake of stagnation under the previous administration.
Since taking charge of the National team in 2004, Shabazz had lifted the fortunes of the Golden Jaguars: between 2005-2008 they achieved 11 wins, a substantial increase from the previous four years under coaches Joseph Wilson and Neider dos Santos, in which the team only won three games. The following year they had a 100% record in 2007 Caribbean Cup qualifiers, a tournament in which they only missed out on the semi-finals (and a spot in the CONCACAF Gold Cup) by virtue of goal difference.
Shabazz’s first stint was thus very successful, and established Guyana as a force in the CFU region. Wayne Dover must also be credited for consequently building on that success as head coach from 2009-August 2011 by achieving thirteen wins during that period and helping Guyana reach 86th in FIFA rankings.  When Shabazz returned to coach the team in 2011, he oversaw Guyana’s greatest ever period of football: defeating T&T to reach CONCACAF World Cup qualifying semi-finals, and going on to face footballing giants Mexico and Cost Rica. Shabazz’s reign as coach during this period ended in disappointing circumstances as disputes between administration and players meant Guyana quietly exited 2012 Caribbean Cup qualifiers towards the end of 2012 and Shabazz immediately left his position, albeit with tears in his eyes.
However, during this period, the National Team was aided by the fact that many players, thanks to Shabazz, had professional contracts in T&T and the standard of their game was raised. Shabazz was also a supporter of bringing in overseas-born Guyanese players into the team, and this substantially increased the quality of the side, helping to defeat T&T in 2011.
Although initially only contracted to coach for the friendly match against Barbados on 1st February, the support for Shabazz from both players and those in the footballing fraternity are a testament to his qualities as a coach, and many are hoping his contract is extended for a longer term. With Wayne Dover as his assistant, and Claude Bolton serving as Technical Director, the Guyana National Team is in capable hands, and looks set to be rejuvenated.

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