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With a focus on fitness, Golden Jaguars commence training Nurse joins session; Smith & Welshman expected today
By Franklin Wilson
Even with the level of fitness not up to the acceptable standard for this level of competition, the Golden Jaguars commenced what will be an intense
Back together again! Golden Jaguars Head Coach Jamaal Shabazz makes a point to some players before a game at the Stadium yesterday afternoon. Former Captain Chris Nurse is 4th right.
period of training ahead of their friendly international game set for February 1st against Barbados.
They flagship Guyana team were on familiar territory, the Guyana National Stadium, Providence where they created history when they defeated a star studded Trinidad and Tobago Soca Warriors Captained by Kenwyne Jones on November 11, 2011 to qualify for the CONCACAF semi finals of the FIFA World Cup Brazil 2014.
Joining the team during the session and immediately taking the field was former Captain Christopher Nurse who is tipped to wear the Captain’s armband again and Head Coach Jamaal Shabazz.
Speaking with media during the halftime of a game to assess the players, Head Coach Shabazz noted that the fitness levels of the players is no way near what it is supposed to be for international football pointing out that just a few tournaments would have been playing in Guyana.
”So these few days we would try to use the ball to get them up to the level as close as possible. Of course it is like making bread out of stone but we look forward to the challenge and we are happy just to be looking organised in the national team uniform again and getting out there and working.”
While there are some overseas players the caliber of Nurse and Jamaal smith who will join the team today and who bring a higher level to the team, Shabazz reminded that these sessions, for now are designed to see what is available in Guyana.
The Golden Jaguars getting warmed up for the task at hand during their first session yesterday at the Stadium.
”The overseas players are always like promised bricks, a man promise you some bricks you can’t build the house until the bricks come. So what we have is the material, we use what we have here now then when we look we see, ok, maybe we need a roof, maybe we need a window or front door you know. So we look now and focus now on the guys who are here.”
Shabazz stated that the game would serve the purpose of knowing where Guyana’s football is after not playing any friendly matches for two years. Commenting on the return of Nurse, Shabazz said that he is a fantastic guy and a player with a lot of desire that can serve Guyana well.
”He won the humanitarian award in the NASL in the USA and like Coach Dover, I think his presence is really, really critical for Guyana in going forward.”
While Guyana will kick off its quest for World Cup 2014 Russia qualification in the second round of CONCACAF Qualifying in June this year, Jamaal said that his mandate with the team is just for the Barbados encounter but he would love to be considered for the job going forward.
”Until such time I have to focus solely on the Barbados game in terms of what is on front of us. I think our job in this game is really to lay a foundation again, to get the vehicle up and running, to see where the little kinks are and just get Guyana football up and running again.”
”I will be happy to be considered for after the Barbados game but again, I am so focused, I don’t even know an island that goes beyond Barbados, I am just so focused on Barbados.”
Assistant Coach Wayne Dover informed that his session focused on the technical side of things that included passing and receiving and playing in the correct angles.
”We added a tactical element into it as well as physical. We also played a game to assess their readiness.”
Dover stated that that the squad is a mixture of youth and experience with many of the players being given this opportunity which is strange territory for them but he is confident that the young players will get attuned to what is required at this level.
Training will continue today at the same venue overseas based defender Jamaal Smith and newcomer, Canadian forward Emery Welshman whose parents are Guyanese. Welshman, who currently plays with Sigma FC in the Ontario League 1, played for Major League Soccer side Toronto FC and the Portland Timbers FC.
He is coming on a try out and once he is up to the level required would be called to the national team.
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