Sacking coaches not unusual

AS THE nation awaits a decision on Theodore ‘Tappa’s Whitmore’s future as senior national men’s football team head coach, history has shown that is nothing new for the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) to sack coaches during the height of a World Cup qualifying campaign, when results are not going favourably.

Of the previous five campaigns since Jamaica’s only qualification, in France 1998, four of the fives coaches who were in charge met their demise before the end of the semi-final or final rounds whenever they have failed to deliver, even when there was still hope.

Whitmore’s job has been under pressure due the Reggae Boyz below par performance in the Concacaf World Cup qualifying final round for Qatar 2022, especially after the JFF technical committee voted to remove the head coach.

The recommendation is currently up for review by the JFF’s board of directors.

Jamaica sit sixth in the final round standings with seven points from eight matches, with six games to go and still in with a chance.

Although it would be nothing new for the JFF to remove the head coach at this stage of qualifying, some local football observers who agree coaches should be judged on results, do not think it is prudent to fire Whitmore now, as they believe he is the best man to see things through.

THANKLESS JOB

Caribbean Premier League (CPL) director of operations Michael Hall said being a coach is a thankless job and that Whitmore should prepare for the worse.

“Being a coach in any team sport, when you are not winning, it is a thankless job. I am certain Tappa knows this,” said Hall. “He knew it coming in, and is, I believe, willing to accept whatever lies ahead for him after the various JFF meetings.

“I believe his coaching skill set is below the standard required and renders him ineffective against bigger teams,” Hall assessed.

“That said, I think it would be pointless to fire him in the middle of these qualifying games. If they do that, any incoming coach would have a real challenge over the remaining six games,” he commented.

Former national assistant coach Bradley Stewart believes it will be more unsettling to the team if the coach is removed now.

“When you remove a coach in the middle of a campaign he and the players have a good relationship. It can be devastating,” said Stewart, a one-time assistant to Whitmore.

“Removing a coach in the middle of the qualifiers and give a new coach responsibilities, when he is unfamiliar with the qualities of the players, is not a good idea,” Stewart added.

In the 2002 qualifying campaign, Brazilian technical director Clovis de Oliviera was unceremoniously relieved following a 2-0 loss in Honduras.

The Boyz only managed eight points in seven games, effectively ending their campaign.

Although they had a slim chance, they lost their two remaining must-win matches and finished nine points behind third-place USA.

For the 2006 campaign, veteran local coach Carl Brown, who remains the only coach to actually see out a qualifying campaign, stood at the helm as technical director.

However, after guiding the team through the early stages, the JFF added Brazilian coach Sebastiao Lazaroni to his coaching staff for the semi-final round.

The team failed to advance after finishing with one win and four draws from their six matches, to finish third in the four-team group.

For the 2010 campaign, the JFF renewed its relationship with 1998 World Cup qualifying mastermind, Rene Simoes. However, the Brazilian’s second coming was not as inspiring as had been hoped.

He was dismissed midway the semi-final round, after the team had earned just one point from three games.

Whitmore completed the remaining games with three straight wins and finished on the same number of points (10) as second-place Mexico, who advanced ahead of the Boyz with a better goal difference.

2014 RUN

In 2014 after two interim stints, Whitmore got his first chance at qualification, but was asked to step down from the post following a string of poor results.

Whitmore’s tenure ended following their fourth straight defeat in six games. Jamaica finished bottom of the final round with five defeats and five draws from 10 matches.

In 2018, German tactician Winfried Schafer failed to lead the Reggae Boyz past the semi-final round.

Jamaica struggled and finished last in their group with one win and a draw. Schafer was suspended for the final game after an altercation at the airport with a media worker.

Nevertheless, the writing was on the wall and the only reason he survived until after the qualifiers was that the federation had to work out a severance agreement with the German.

However, based on the history of the last five qualification campaigns, the situation facing the under-fire Whitmore is not unusual, as unsatisfactory results usually tend to lead to a direct sacking in the midst of the elimination series.

Harbour View Football Club chairman Carvel Stewart said performance is what counts, but pointed out that the federation does not have the resources to hire a more capable replacement at this time.

“So what is new? Coaches usually get fired for poor results. But where will we get the money from for a competent replacement?” Stewart reasoned.

“I think it would be stupid to replace Tappa at this time in the proceedings. He is on the cusp of winning matches. Tappa is going nowhere, it makes no sense,” he said.

livingston.scott@gleanerjm.com