‘It’s not the kind of performance we expected!’
Whitmore welcomes three points but admits Boyz a work in progress
ORLANDO, Florida — Theodore “Tappa” Whitmore is clearly a man not easily impressed when it comes to football.
As head coach of the Reggae Boyz, he demands a lot from his charges. And rightly so, he has high standards and a vision of how he wants his team to play.
But in the same breath, he is not an unreasonable man and does not enforce his will with an iron fist.
As he has shown, he is willing to put in the work on his end to whip his title-chasing Boyz into an efficient machinery capable of playing at a very high disciplinary and tactical level every time they take the field.
So, Monday night’s performance against Suriname in the opening Group C match of the Concacaf Gold Cup at Exploria Stadium did not mirror those expectations.
Still, Whitmore was grateful for the three points, the two goals and the clean sheet. For him, it’s a decent start, but his team is clearly still a work in progress.
On Monday, the Boyz were clearly superior to the Surinamese in the 2-0 win, but they did not demonstrate that in a consistent manner, only offering a solid first 45 minutes.
In the second half, the Boyz turned in a lukewarm rendition, which allowed their opponents to impose themselves in an affair they had lost from the first stanza.
On target for Jamaica were Shamar Nicholson (sixth minute) and Bobby Reid (26th), whose super volley was the signature moment of the match.
Whitmore was largely concerned with the way the game unfolded, and never the one to mince word, he made it known.
“In the first half we managed the game, we played, we scored, but I think in the second half, the team was a bit relaxed; we did not press our opponents, we allowed them to play, and that’s how I sum it up,” he said.
Where credit was due, Whitmore obliged.
“We have technically gifted players and we moved around the ball…in the first half we created a lot of spaces, and we utilised the spaces in getting two goals. The good thing about it is that we didn’t concede tonight and that’s a positive I could take from the game,” he noted.
“I am very elated with the three points and getting the tournament kick-started with a victory, although it was not the kind of performance we expected, but at the end of the day, we have three points,” Whitmore stated.
The tactician, who has boldly declared that he wants to the Gold Cup trophy, said he will sit with his technical staff and players to breakdown the performance.
“We have to review the tape [of the match] and we have to sit with them as a team, because I don’t think they came out of the dressing room for the second half.
“I think we played in pieces in the second half, and we didn’t manage the game how we wanted to,” Whitmore said.
He said it was good to get the first match out of the way, and now he can focus on getting the team up to a higher level of performance.
“Getting this game out of the way is a plus, but now we need to build on our performance tonight going forward, and we look forward to welcoming the Guadeloupe team for the next encounter, and we can only grow from this game on,” said the former Jamaica midfielder.
Whitmore did venture to say where in what department he thought the team is strongest now, and where he has a concern.
“There is no question about the [strength] in the back, but the area of concern is in the central part of the field,” he shared.
In midfield, it was obvious that Fulham’s Michael Hector and Preston North End’s Daniel Johnson were unable to stamp their class on their positions, and occasionally appeared unsure with link-up play.
“It was the first time both players were playing together, so familiarity [wasn’t there]. The good thing, however, is that they trained well together during the camp here in
Orlando, but the game situation is totally different and I think they need game practice. I think getting this game under [their] belts is a plus for them,” Whitmore said.
He turned to the one-week camp leading up to the first game, deeming it beneficial in the overall scheme of things, except that it would have been better had the team managed to get a warm-up match.
“Yes, it was good, but the only thing I would say is if we could get in a game in terms of [achieving] match fitness. But I think the players responded well to the training, so all in all, we knew that playing this game [against Suriname] would be difficult,” he concluded.
Meanwhile, Suriname Head Coach Dean Gorre was graceful in defeat.
“We learnt what it is to play against one of the best teams in the Gold Cup, and I think when we look back and watch the game again, we will see some things that we have to look at.
“In the second half, it showed that we are growing and getting better... and in the final five minutes the team kept working in trying to get that goal...if we had scored, it would have lifted the morale,” he said.
The Boyz will next face Guadeloupe on Friday at Exploria Stadium, while Costa Rica take on Suriname.
Costa Rica lead the group on goal difference over Jamaica after their 3-1 victory over Guadeloupe, also on Monday.