Hall audition for full-time job secondary to the plot

WHETHER OR not Paul Hall is given the national senior men head coaching job full time, he says he is focused on laying the foundations for the next World Cup qualifying cycle.

Hall was speaking at a pre-game press conference for Jamaica’s World Cup qualifier against El Salvador this evening at the National Stadium at 6:05.

The first three qualifying games of Hall’s tenure as interim head coach have not produced positive results, with the Reggae Boyz losing all three, resulting in their elimination from qualifying in February.

While indicating that he would love to have the job full time, Hall said that his recent call-ups, which consist of young local players, are about building a competitive core to challenge consistently, not just him making a final impression to win the job.

“The job has to be much bigger than that, and that is why we have to look at these players and we have to build a team and the structure that can go through a couple of World Cup cycles, Gold Cups, Nations League, and we have to build that,” Hall said.

“The job is much more than just three games and I have to lay the foundations for whoever it is who takes that job.”

YOUNG PLAYERS

Among the young players that have been named to the 24-man squad announced on Monday are Cavalier’s Christopher Pearson and Harbour View’s Tarick Ximines. The squad is also mixed with local players, including Dunbeholden’s Atapharoy Bygrave, the current scoring leader this season in the Jamaica Premier League.

Hall said he wanted the call-ups of Pearson and Ximines, who played in the Manning Cup final this year, to be an inspiration to all schoolboy footballers.

“I called on them because they were outstanding in the camp. And the reason why I called them is to show other schoolboys that if they do well, I am watching them,” Hall said.

Hall said he has been in discussions with the Jamaica Football Federation with any possible decision on his future to be decided after the March window. However, he says that a change is needed by whoever is appointed to get better results.

“What we have to do is get these three games out of the way and then we can sit down and talk. Regardless of how the results are, I think there is a bigger job that needs to be done,” Hall said.

“The person has to sit down and realise that we have to draw a line in the sand. We cannot do the same thing we have been doing over the years.”

Jamaica are currently in seventh place with seven points in the eight-team standings.

daniel.wheeler@gleanerjm.com