'Haynes is Tough Act to Follow'

Perhaps if Robert Haynes had been the coach of another team, he would not have felt the need to throw in the towel. His resignation came fast on the heels of Jamaica's bottom-of-the-table finish in the 2005/06 Carib Beer first class competition.

Like the teacher who puts more pressure on the student who he feels has tremendous talent but is underperforming, the critics have lashed out against Haynes.

As the Jamaica team went off to the various regional tournaments, the prediction was always that, with one of the strongest line up of cricketers in the region, the Jamaica team should at least reach the final round. When they failed to do that in the last two limited overs competitions, and then fell from double crown champions last year to not winning a single match this year, many called for his head.

But those around the team polled by CaribbeanCricket.com believe the criticisms were unjustified.

Maurice Clarke has worked with Haynes for three years as manager of the team. "In my mind, Robert is very professional and methodical, and I believe the players enjoyed a very good relationship with him. His record can stand up anywhere throughout the Caribbean," Clarke said.

Since being seconded to the Jamaica Cricket Association in 1998 from the Institute of Sports - where he is still employed ? Haynes has lifted five titles and went to the finals of two other series. Four of these titles were for the First Class competition.

Gareth Breese, captain of the 2004 team which reached the finals, feels that Haynes came under undue pressure from the media for the team's lack of success in the 2004 and 2005 one day competitions. "Their memory is short when you lose," said Breese, alluding to the fact that in between those two tournaments, Jamaica finished top of the tables in the four day competition.

Junior Bennett, who has worked closely with the former national coach, feels Haynes has done an excellent job. "If you look at it from this perspective, for the last seven to eight years, the average age of the players has been 23 to 24. Before that, many players over 30 were still playing. He has had to mould and groom youngsters. It is not an easy task," stated Bennett. As the national U-19 coach for many years, Bennett can relate to the kind of pressure a coach comes under when a talented team does not perform. He said "in sports, when you do well, few congratulate you. When the team does poorly, they criticize the coach. In Robert's case, it was unfairly done."

Haynes' decision caught many off guard, including the players. According to Gareth Breese, the team had a meeting after the loss to Guyana. "When he told them what he was planning, there was a genuine reaction from the players that he will be missed," said Breese. Several players, including current captain Wavell Hinds, Chris Gayle, David Bernard Jr, Marlon Samuels and Breese gave "glowing tributes," explained Maurice Clarke, who indicated that it was an emotional moment for Haynes, especially when Samuels spoke.

The WICB Territorial Development Officer (TDO) for Jamaica, Phillip Service, was surprised that the resignation came so suddenly. "It seems like he had made the decision before. I am not too close to the team unit to know if it was a lack of cooperation or otherwise which caused him to resign," said Service.

Service further said that when you have a disappointing season as coach, you feel the pressure. Clarke acknowledges that the recent losses weighed heavily on Haynes' psyche. "Seeing the team we had on paper, the poor performances affected him," explained the Jamaica team manager.

There is speculation over what was the trigger for his resignation. Junior Bennett is unclear about the reasons for the sudden departure. "Definitely it must be something that caused him to call it quits," he said. Breese was asked if the players' poor showing despite their immense ability, could have been a significant factor in Haynes' decision. "I don't think it was a great contributor. It must be a bit frustrating for him, but no, I don't think that was a big part of the decision," Breese said.

Clarke said that Haynes spoke about wanting to spend more time with his young family, something which he had also alluded to in a wide-ranging interview with Caribbean.Cricket.com in 2004. Said Clarke, "Robert had the best intent for Jamaica's cricket. His loyalty to Jamaica's cricket is unquestionable." Looking at the positives, he believes that with Haynes' capability as a coach, this could be a good move in his career. "He can now make himself more attractive to other places in the Caribbean."

Whatever the reasons, it is evident that Haynes will be missed. "It is the end of a fairly successful run. He has been the most successful in terms of trophies won. It will be a hard act to follow," stated Gareth Breese.