THE following is a presentation by Lincoln Phillips, the country’s technical director on football, at a talk-shop hosted by Paragon Sports Club.
WHAT I’d like to do is go back in times because I feel as a youngster I have been very fortunate to have met a lot of great people along the journey who have helped to mould me into a decent human being, as a strong, sincere athlete throughout my life and these people have shaped the way that I coach, that I give back to our young people.
So I’d like to take you through the young days and share what happened in my life and what I think is missing now.
I remember living in St. James, Bengal Street; we lived in a shack, a shanty town, five to a bed. And my mother was very strong; sometimes when the rain fell she would stay up with a basin catching the water from falling on our heads.
I thought that was great. We played all the time. In our days, when cricket season came around if you didn’t play cricket you were an outcast. We all played, cricket, football, basketball and so on.
One of the problems that I had was that in that little area in St James I was an all rounder: I was the worst little player in football, bastketball, everything. I couldn’t understand it. It used to hurt. It used to hurt so bad, I would come home crying. Even my sister, one time I was batting and got clean bowled and cried and she said “come on, take another bat”. She bowled and clean bowled me (laughter). That didn’t help.
So Manny Dookie had a little track and field club, Skinners, and all those guys. So I started to run and was doing well! Thought I was quick, one of the quickest guys there. And they brought a girl off the street named Babsie and wanted to try her out, so they said Lincoln, take her out for a run. Mannie Dookie said let her run out in front and just nip her at the tape. I felt I could handle that. Babsie took off about 15 yards, I started striding. We reached the top turn, back stretch, Mannie said: “Linc, close the gap” (laughter). I dig down and … the gap can’t close (laughter). Then when you see a track man arch the back and the head goes up you’re in trouble. Everybody started laughing. The gap did not close and I did not run another track event. It was just humiliating.
We got to play a lot in Federation Park. There was a big drill square there and we played a lot of cricket. But in the corner, there were two basketball courts. I was 12 or 13. I remember vividly George, my brother, my mentor. I went to the basketball court and threw the ball against the back board. He said: “Young man, if you’re going to do it, do it well; here’s how you do it.” And the first shot I made went in and that was it; I was a basketball player. Now, basketball took precedence over everything. On mornings I would take that basketball and go down to the youth centre and I would train and started to get good. Then I had a little choice now, basketball or football.
We started playing in St. James, Spatax, softshoe team. We had so many softshoe leagues and minor leagues around the place. We had some good football players. I Remember playing for three teams in the Savannah: one my age, centre forward, couldn’t kick with the left foot; a little older, I played half-back, then three o’clock in the afternoon we played with the big men, I played goalkeeper. We started playing and ended up with Spatax, which had a very outstanding team. Joe Hinds played on that team. We had many First Division players playing in minor teams in the savannah and Diego Martin and so on.
One afternoon, the goalkeeper for Providence Ashley, decided he’s not going to play anymore. Arthur Belgrave, who was the captain of the team, said you’re going to play in this team. I did not have a pair of shoes and had to go down to St James to borrow a pair. Prior to that, Maple had a goalkeeper named Hugh Sealy. We used to call him the Black Panther.
I didn’t like Maple; I didn’t like Maple at all. I lived St. James and that’s where Malvern players came from and that’s what is missing today: We don’t have the community teams. We have lost our community; our teams are not part of the community.
Maple had this guy named Hugh Sealy and there was something that just blew my mind about him. He was like a tiger or panther in a case, one you just captured. And he would just want to shake this and flip and I like that. I liked that.
The first time I got a chance to play in primary school I had a white shirt, dyed it all black. My mother got a flour bag, boiled it so that all the letters would come out, dyed it in black, black socks, black pair of socks on my hand. I was the Black Panther.
We played at Woodbrook Youth Centre, top goal. Rain started to fall pools of water, all the black ran out on me (laughter). I remember these things, but where did I get that from as a little fellow? Age 10, 12 sitting behind the goal and I’m watching this guy turn me on.
We play international games and our Under-17 team doesn’t have tickets to see the game. Our young players can’t see Russell Latapy do this and that. Sometimes, the TTFF cannot give tickets all the times. We have to form organisations, associations.
We have a problem in this country; we always want other people to do. We have to start getting up and doing ourselves. As Kennedy once said, it’s not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country.
We need to do something to get those little fellows ... form some sort of organisation where we could buy a bunch of tickets and let these little fellows and young ladies go behind the goal because I could tell you what it did for me: It turned me on as a goalkeeper and as it turned out I ended up playing for Maple and you know what they called me, the Black Panther. So that is very important.
I remember as a goalkeeper before Maple, I ended up playing for Providence. I remember coming out the dressing room dressed in black, of course, and I was okay. I remember “Rugged” asking me, “you all right?” I said “yeah,” and he said: “You go be all right, I go take care of you.” I was 16 years of age and thought, right, nobody en coming close to you. I remember Arthur Belgrave saying: “Son, anything comes in the air is mine.” We went out there …To make a long story short, it was the first time we ever won the BVD. I was very fortunate to be in that team.
Prior to that, I played upstarts for Providence and downstairs as centre-forward. One day we had Providence against Malvern and my brother Georgie was playing central full-back and I was playing centre forward and I drove up in his car. As the game started I dribbled past him and scored. There were no First Division games, Second Division games only playing, so the whole crowd was there; they said: ‘O God, Georgie, tha’ lil feller go round you.’ I got another one round Georgie, I say this guy really slow. The third one I got kicked, the whole of my foot was facing … and that was the end. I was so hurt. I wouldn’t drive down with him; I walked down (laughter).
Two days later, Georgie said: “Young man, let me tell you something we may be brothers; anytime the shirt is different … war!” I always remembered.
George played a very big part in my life. So, eventually, I ended up in QRC. We played First Division and everybody thought I was a fairly good goalkeeper. Regga Hinkson was the goalkeeper. I saw the centre-back position open, I say I play there too. We had a good season.
Next year, I became the goalkeeper but a strange thing happened. A strange guy came into my life, a guy named Pa Aleong (applaud). Pa Aleong saw me and said: “Young man you’re dropping balls on the left. “You’re a good goalkeeper, but if you catch the balls cleanly enough on the left side you’d be a better ’keeper.”
At that time I didn’t use to think about being a good goalkeeper, I used to play. And Pa would work with me six o’clock in the morning at Pompeii Savannah, King George V Park, kicking balls to my left, just working, working.
We don’t have the Pa Aleongs. We have … a lot of old folks get so fed-up they’re saying we aint going back, we aint doing this. I like what George said: “I want that money back (for the Strike Squad). “We want to go back.”
That’s the kind of energy we need to have with the older people, those who have been successful, now you have to move from success to significance. And significance is helping other people to be successful. And there are so many of our successful players who don’t think about being significant. And many of the Latapys or the Yorkes and so on, if they get the opportunity to be significant they would be. And so what we have to do, especially me as the technical director, what we have to sort of create is that environment to help develop the Pa Aleongs and the Russell Latapys and Dwight Yorkes to come back and share their fame with us.
Another guy that influenced me a lot was Joey Gonsalves. I was in goal many times and would know something is not right. And so I had an older guy to go to. I would go to St. Mary’s Ground and he would say what’s happening. I say a couple goals are scoring on the post and so on. He said don’t ever let a goal score on the first post. I said I have to look for the cross too. He said: “That’s the defenders’ problem. Your first post is yours; don’t ever let them score on the first post!” I ended up coaching in the United States -- Tony Meola who used to give us a lot of goals on the first post – I told him that.
So these are the people who created a lot for me. Cax Baptiste. I remember we were in Costa Rica when the administration told us we could talk up if we don’t agree with the team and so on. I talked up and I got dropped (laughter).
When we came back we had trials for another tour and I was taking it badly. Afterward, Cax said: “Tiger, what happen to you; your hands don’t drop bolts.” I told him what happened. He said: “Don’t worry about them, man; you’re the first, second and third best ’keeper in this country.” And the way he said it, I said yes … I believe you. The point I’m making here is as a young goalkeeper look how many mentors I had to help me along the way.
Another Chinese guy would meet me on Frederick Street used to tell me you’re going to be a good goalkeeper. He said: “Anytime anybody kicks a shot at you tell yourself wherever you put it I’m going to get it.” I remembered that. And I remember he used to say, “and when you make the save -- make the save you know -- and give them a little roll, give the crowd a little roll” (laughter). So I used to do a little extra thing, and make a little flip.
So all these folks … sometimes you have to develop a positive attitude to gratitude, you have to be thankful. You’re got to be very, very thankful for all the people that shaped your life.
I eventually went to the United States, played and aspired very much to come back to play for the national team and coach for the national team.
I eventually got the opportunity to come on as technical director.