‘Jaguars still have a lot of work to before Bahamas’ says TD

Feb 14, 2017 Sports, http://www.kaieteurnewsonline....ore-bahamas-says-td/

By Sean Devers in Barbados
In a tournament which was used as a yard stick to measure their preparedness for next week’s COCACAF Beach Soccer World Cup qualifiers in the Bahamas, Guyana’s Golden Jaguars finished with two wins and two losses from four games in the Barbados International Beach Soccer Showcase which concluded on Sunday at Brandon’s Beach just off Spring Garden Highway.
According to Technical Director of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF), Englishman Ian Greenwood, who arrived in Barbados on Saturday, the Jaguars will remain here until Friday for a five-day Training camp before travelling directly to the Bahamas.
The Jaguars will play the last game on the opening night on February 20 against Trinidad & Tobago and the 32-year-old Greenwood said that while he is confident that Guyana will be competitive in the qualifiers, he is of the view that the team still has a lot of work to do before Bahamas.
“It’s a great learning curve for them but the team still has a lot of work to do before Bahamas. They have shown a lot of improvement since the training camp began in Guyana and we need to take this momentum to Bahamas,” Greenwood told Kaieteur Sports.
“We will keep the training camp here in Barbados and I am sure that the Coach (Abdulla Hamid) who has done a great job in such a short space of time, will continue to work on their flaws as they get ready for their biggest challenge in the Bahamas,” said Greenwood, who was given a four-year contract as GFF’s Technical Director last year.
Greenwood who is in charge of all aspects of Guyana’s Football development, explained that most of the focus here will be directed on improving the player’s individual creativity and tactical understanding.
“This team has plenty of natural talent but it is important to understand that the team is still in a developmental stage,” stressed Greenwood, who has a strong background working on youth development and coaching at the grassroots level.
Looking at the overall tournament, Greenwood said that the standard was good and the competition showcased lots of individual skill.
“From what I have seen Trinidad and Tobago looked the best team but all the games have been very competitive,” Greenwood, a UEFA-Qualified Professional Football Coach, concluded.
Manager Mark Young said that the two back-to-back wins have given the Jaguars confidence and disclosed that team spirit is high and everyone is fit and rearing to go.
“I will talk to the BFA (Barbados Football Association) to see if we can use this facility (Brandon’s beach) for our practice sessions. I believe that Trinidad is also staying on here before going to the Bahamas so we could even have a practice game between the two teams if plans work out,” Young disclosed.