debut: 2/15/09
4,905 runs
JAMAICA - GUATEMALA
1) Hubert - I hope this arrived quickly.
2) Formation = 4-2-3-1
3) Coach McLaren (like sammy) is an outright idiot.
4) McLaren is not interested in putting the best product on the field, he is interested in ALWAYS playing Bailey-Gray and Lowe irrespective of their form and or value in the formation and the drop off in creativity it leads to.
5) How can you come to a tourney with just one recognized CDM. Is this to ensure that Lowe plays? It is a tourney not a one-off game.
6) How can you come to a tourney with no midfielder who can unlock defenses. Can some journalist ask the idiotic coach what exactly is his problem with Ravel Morrison? For the first 10 minutes of the game. Guatemala ran roughshod over us and it was not until Pinnock steadied things that we finally looked somewhat decent. McLAREN YOU BETTER SING A SANKEY AND GO GET RAVEL MORRISON FOR THE SEPTEMBER WINDOW, YOU CLOWN!
7) I did warn that against better teams our midfield would let us down. Gray is not a midfielder, sit his posterior down or have him start over your other favorite son Bailey if he must play.
8 ) The Guatemala team tonight was a higher quality outfit than the one we beat 3-0 last week in Kingston.
GK : BLAKE (8.5) - two brilliant saves and blameless on the goal.
LB : BELL (6.0) - started shakily but gave yeoman service across the backline. As usual, doesn't offer much going forward.
CB : LOWE (4.0) - there are four things to look forward to when Lowe plays (1) "outta-mi-life" kicks (2) cane cutter tackles resulting in cards (3) feet airborne to make tackles (4) wayward passes. He has no business on the field during an international game save emergency situation; McLaren, however, is afraid to sit him.
CB : PINNOCK (7.0) - was steady and made some defense opening passes. He was the one responsible for the slowing down of the game ten minutes in with Guatemala running roughshod over us. He also did a lot of aerials clearances but missed a header on goal in the dying minutes.
RB : LATIBEAUDIERE (5.0) - Perhaps I am being generous here. I would take a Lembikisa over him any day. The word is that right back reinforcement is, thankfully, coming in September.
CDM : KING (5.5) - a victim of the Gray, Bailey and Lowe must start regimen of the coach. He is not a CDM, especially at this level. For me, King starts in central defence with Pinnock, Lowe can go suck on a lollipop if he doesn't like it.
M : RUSSELL (5.0) - I have always said he is too ungainly to be starting on a serious international team. He proved it tonight, being relatively invisible or making clumsy tackles throughout the game.
LW : CEPHAS (5.5) - he is being found out. Just field a speedy wing back, and pull a midfielder to assist, and Cephas is blunted. He will have to develop more tricks to be effective.
CAM : GRAY (4.5) - a waste of time and space in the CAM position. McLaren, you are a doofus. This is top-level CONCACAF stuff, not St Vincent or BVI. Gray plays out wide or not at all. Of course, you deliberately kept Morrison out of your squad to run this trick of Gray at the #10 in CONCACAF, it naw go wuk. There were no creative passes, no coming back to impose himself on the game.
RW : BAILEY (4.5) - at one point during the second half, I totally forgot he was on the field, that is the kind of comment you reserve for a goalkeeper or referee. Yet, it is the best I can say about Bailey's "performance" tonight. Thankfully, help is on the way, however, given McLaren's penchant for starting Lowe, Bailey, and Gray, I say....interesting days ahead.
F : BROWN (5.0) - what can you expect when your providers are Gray, Russell, and Bailey. This was not BVI or the Guatemala B team that we beat last week.
COACH = -100 -
SUBSTITUTIONS
RB : LEMBIKISA (6.0) - brought industry to the right side of the field, and his excellent cross to Pinnock should have brought about the equalizer. Until better comes, stay with Lembikisa. In fact, McLaren was admitting error by aborting the King as CDM nonsense at half-time.
CAM: PALMER (5.0) - a very poor man's Ravel Morrison, he was not accurate in his passes, and defensively, he was a total liability. I hope McLaren doesn't roll this out on us in September. Teams will be waiting to capitalize on Palmer's jogging back in defense not to tackle (if he does the occasional tackle, it results in a foul) but to watch the proceedings. McLaren should be arrested for having Palmer, "Busy" Anderson, Daniel Green in a squad. and Ravel Morrison sitting at home. Palmer's 50th minute sub for Gray confirms what I have been preaching, and McLaren's substitution admitted to - - Gray is a failure as a CAM.
ANTONIO - The national team is not for locals to clamour to "buss a yute," and likewise, the national team is not a place for players to come regain playing shape. McLaren are you this stupid or hell bent on keeping out certain players so Antonio and Reid who are both medically unsound, can get in the squad ahead of able-bodied players? Of course, Antonio proceeded to show he was as rusty as a weather beaten nail on a rooftop.
BURRELL - didn't do anything of note.
Looking beyond the Gold Cup:
1. McLaren sing that Sankey.
2. Grow some cojones and tell the local coaches only Ming, King,Brown and Davis are good enough. Stop wasting roster spots to "buss" youths.
3. Build your team around - Blake, RB (Aarons?) - King, Pinnock, LB (Henry?)-- Hayden, Morrison, Baker - - Mothersille, Brown, Greenwood(?)