Shabazz: Guyana a tournament threat
By: Randy Bando (ttproleague.com) Guyanese national senior Coach and Trinidadian Jamaal Shabazz is expressing confidence in his Digicel Caribbean Cup team and expects them to get the better of the Bobby Sookram Group and move on to the semifinals.
Jamaal Shabazz also the Technical Director of Pro League outfit Neal and Massy Caledonia AIA sees Guyana not necessarily as a tournament favourite, but as a tournament threat.
Shabazz told ‘ttproleague.com’, “Statistically we may not be a tournament favourite, but I see us as a threat. Here is a team coming out of Guyana that has been unheard of and we have won six matches in our qualifying group stage of the tournament,” boasted the Guyanese coach.
Since his takeover of the Guyana national team in 2006, the Guyanese team has not lost a match and Shabazz believes his team is well prepared, “We will be as ready as any team for this tournament, very enthusiastic and we are very excited about what is to come.”
“I think we have used every possible method to find the best players in Guyana at this stage. Even the two new guys who have just came into the squad, Dwight Peters and Anthony Harding are players who we saw very late and decided to add them to the group. I believe we have selected the best possible team that can represent Guyana and also a team that not only can make Guyana proud but the Caribbean people proud as well,” said Shabazz.
He also believes his group is a tough one, but is still full of confidence, “In our group St Vincent is a formidable opponent, Cuba is always a force in Caribbean football and we just came out narrowly beating Guadeloupe 3-2 in the Caribbean Cup qualifiers. So it’s going to be a tough group for us, but one that we’re confident of coming out of,” assured the Coach.
Guyana would be fielding ten (10) players who ply their trade in the TT Pro League, the likes of Captain Charles Pollard and Walter Moore of North East Stars, Nigel Codrington and Shawn Bishop of Caledonia AIA and Randolph Jerome to name a few.
“We have a lot of players who play in the professional league in Trinidad and Tobago and I think that they want to take the Guyana’s football a step further. Of course we do not have the stats to back us up from past tournaments but we are a team that people should feel fearful of, and I know
these players are hungry for it,” ended Shabazz.”
Grouped in the Bobby Sookram Group, Guyana comes up against Guadeloupe, Cuba and St Vincent, with all matches being played at the Mannie Ramjohn Stadium.
Guyana Squad
Goalkeepers—Richard Reynolds, Andrew Durant, Jason Lloyd; Defenders—(Charles Pollard, Howard Lowe, Leslie Holligan, Walter Moore)North East Stars, John Rodrigues, , (Abbssi Mc Pherson)Joe Public, Kelvin Mc Kenzie, Anthony Harding; Midfielders—(Kayode Mc Kinnon)North East Stars, Gregory Richardson, (Shawn Bishop)Caledonia AIA, Konatta Manning, (Carey Harris)Joe Public, Shawn Beveney, Dwight Peters; Forwards—(Nigel Codrington)Caledonia AIA, Anthony Abrams, (Randolph Jerome)unattached, Colin Hercules.
Video:
http://www.ttproleague.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=233&Itemid=109
