‘I really want to be here’

Interim head coach of Jamaica Reggae Boyz Paul Hall said he believes that he has done enough to improve the national side to convince the hierarchy of the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) that he should be given the job on a long-term basis.

Hall, who was appointed to the post last December following the sacking of Theodore ‘Tappa’ Whitmore, recorded one win, five defeats, and a draw during his stint as the interim coach.

He ended the Reggae Boyz’s failed World Cup qualifying campaign with a 2-1 victory over Honduras on Wednesday night at the National Stadium.

“Of course, like I have said, this is a job that I want to protect, and every person who coaches would love to coach their country,” said Hall.

“Yes, I would love to be part of it. The contract is finished, and it is up to the people above to make that happen,” he said.

“I really want to be here, and there is no mistake in that. We will go forward, and we will speak and we will see what happens,” Hall said.

Hall, who was a member of the Reggae Boyz’s team that qualified for the 1998 World Cup in France, underscored that he has done a lot of work not only to improve the Jamaican players but also the local coaches.

“We will talk about it as something that I definitely want to do, and there is clarity that I would love to do it, but it is about those guys (JFF) making it happen,” he said.

BIGGER JOB

“The longer I am here, then the more we can implement style and the more we can improve the coaches. I have not only improved the players here, I have improved coaches, and there is a bigger job than just the football team,” Hall said.

He also stated that if he is given the job full time, then he will be working assiduously to improve and develop Jamaica football players from the grass-roots level.

“We want to get football in Jamaica consistently operating at a good level,” the England-born Hall said.

“We want to get the grass roots and the children playing some good football and be able to catch my eye as the national team manager,” he said.

Reggae Boyz winger Leon Bailey said Hall and the rest of the coaching staff have done a marvellous job in instilling a lot of confidence in the team.

“He has been doing a great job, and we are pleased with what he has been giving,” Bailey, an English Premier League player at Aston Villa, said.

“I think overall, the coaching staff has been doing a great job. I can’t complain because they are pushing the players, and they are also letting the players feel comfortable and confident in being able to go out there and giving them the opportunities,” he said. Earlier this week, former national assistant senior coach, Bradley Stewart, came out strongly against the appointment of Hall as the national head coach. Speaking after the 4-0 drubbing by Canada and before Wednesday night’s win over Honduras, Stewart said: “This coach has not got any result that we can be proud of. I am not impressed, and it would be a great folly to hire a coach who cannot win a game even though he says winning is not his primary goal.” Humble Lion’s Jamaica Premier League coach, Andrew Price, said an assessment has to be done now of Hall’s time in the job. “The Jamaica Football Federation and the technical committee must do the assessment and decide if he is the right man for the job,” Price said.