Unpleasant end

Mount Pleasant Football Academy (MPFA) General Manager David Galloway denies he had a confrontation with Paul ‘Tegat’ Davis, who was relieved of duties as head coach last week.

Responding to questions from The Gleaner, Galloway said, “People are saying there was an argument, but who had an argument with him?”

However, a well-placed source in the club said there was a disagreement.

“Some people are saying that persons got punched down, but I don’t know about that,” the source said. “I don’t know about any physical altercation, but they had an argument.

“When you see the argument that happened recently between him (Davis) and the manager, you know that he is fed up because nothing troubles Tegat.”

The source said that there was a long-running disagreement between Davis and the club’s technical director, Walter ‘Wally’ Downes, who has since been handed the role of head coach. The disagreement appears to have stemmed from a difference in coaching philosophy. Consequently, the source said this contributed to Davis and his coaching staff being marginalised. The situation, the source said, went downhill and Davis, who did two stints with MPFA that amounted to approximately four years, parted company with the club on Wednesday last week.

This the club publicised in a press release.

Mount Pleasant registered a draw, a win, and a loss in their first three matches. The loss, against Harbour View, is said to have worsened relations among the club’s technical staff.

The situation is said to have been brewing since Downes’ appointment last summer, as Davis had virtually been pushed aside, according to the source. Davis, The Gleaner understands, was not pleased about publicly taking the blame for the team’s poor start to the season.

“Since the start of the season, the boss (owner Peter Gould) has been pressuring Wally as to why he is not getting the results he’s supposed to,” the source said. “He (Downes) said his technical team and Tegat’s technical team were clashing. They want to play a certain system and Tegat does not believe in that system. So Wally basically said Tegat was the problem and they got rid of Tegat.”

The source says that since the arrival of the Englishman, Davis has not been privy to full information.

“Tegat never did ah do anything since Wally Downes come,” the source said. “Tegat never even know what time training was. Dem just tell him training is today and he will show up.”

When quizzed on these reasons for Davis’ departure alleged by the source, Galloway said that the club’s press release said all the club was prepared to say and he would not go into further details.

“I don’t wish to say anything more regarding that. We want to put this behind us and move forward,” he said.

Davis, in the meantime, said he would not address the situation at this time.

“You would have to give me the rest of the week to clear my head,” said Davis.

livingston.scott@gleanerjm.com