We’ve gone in at the deep end and we’ve hit the ground running

We’ve gone in at the deep end and we’ve hit the ground running – Captain, Sam Cox

Mar 23, 2021 Sports

FIFA World Cup Qatar 202…

By Franklin Wilson in the Dominican Republic, compliments of Secure Innovations & Concepts, Industrial Safety Supplies Inc., Fazia’s Motor Spares and GFF

Márcio Máximo and Sam Cox in discussion. (Franklin Wilson photo)

Captain Sam Cox getting prepared for the task at hand. (Franklin Wilson photo)

Kaieteur News – ‘Golden Jaguars’ Captain Sam Cox who plays with Hampton and Richmond FC in the National League South, the sixth tier of English football will earn his 28thcap when this nation face old rivals Trinidad and Tobago on Thursday evening from 19:00hrs at the Panamericano Stadium here in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
It’ll be the start of the Concacaf first round of qualifying for these two nations in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 competition and it’s a must win game for Guyana. Cox, who will be in charge of the team from the engine room (midfield) for the 24th time, having earned his first Captain armband against Curacao in 2016, is quietly confident that the team would be ready for the challenges at hand that’ll be presented by T&T and Bahamas whom the Guyanese will face on March 30th from 15:00hrs at the Felix Sanchez Stadium.
“It’s brilliant to be back in and amongst the boys again and just integrating with the new young fresh faces. It’s always a pleasure, honour and privilege to represent my country. Just seeing the development of the programme since I first came in 2015 is fantastic. We’re all optimistic and are preparing well and all looking forward to the challenge.
We’re training hard every day, training’s been intense, we’ve gone in at the deep end and we have hit the ground running. Everybody is working and showing the professionalism and commitment to the programme.”
The T&T game Cox noted comes with a lot of rivalry between the two nations that has gone back for many years. On the previous two occasions the nations met, the matches ended 1-1, the last being at the 2019 Concacaf Gold Cup in the USA when the Soca Warriors had to come from behind to earn an equal share of the points against the Golden Jaguars.
The Land of Many Waters ended the group stage ahead of the Twin Island Republic in their debut year at this championship; the USA and Panama also competed in the same group.
“We know the rivalry that comes between us and T&T, no one’s hiding that and it’s going to be no different going into the game on the 25th. It’s going to be a game of huge importance in terms of qualification into the next round of world cup qualifying. Of course the Bahamas match is massive as well, but I think this one’s going to set the tone for the rest of the group.”
Cox reminisced that when he joined the programme almost seven years ago he was young and would have been guided by the players in the programme then, but now, he’s playing a different role.
“I’m on the flip side now where I am passing down my knowledge and experiences to this young crop of local based players.”
He noted that there has been a lot chatter about the composition of the squad in terms of the young players being given an opportunity, questioning if they should or shouldn’t be given a chance.
“Listen, they’ve got the quality, they are fantastic kids willing to learn and gain as much knowledge as they can. They’re confident young men still learning their trade, they ask questions, they’ve got a great head coach in Máximo whose tactical knowledge and experience is something we can all learn from.
But the discussion regarding if they are ready, I think the proof would be in the pudding; they have a fantastic opportunity now to express themselves and take their opportunity in training and if they get their chance on the field then you know, the proof would be in the pudding.”
Cox also noted that it’s not the fault of the young players that they have been brought into the programme, stating that they must have been doing something right in order to get the call-up and that must be respected.
“There’s going to be disappointments which there has been and there’s a lot of people who have expressed their displeasures but at the end of the day, the coach has the final decision.The Coach sees them working on a day to day basis so he has an opinion and a philosophy on what he wants for the programme in terms of development and giving the local based opportunities. If he feels that they are good enough or better placed for an opportunity then, that’s his decision. In England we have a philosophy, the coach is king, and if that’s what he wants to go by then you have to respect that.”