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FORMER Trinidad and Tobago football captain David Nakhid has been praised for the work he has done with the national team since he joined the technical staff as an assistant coach last week.
Nakhid, who is the current coach of Lebanese First Division club Al Mabarra, left for his homeland yesterday after spending a week with the players during various training stints at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo. The 40-year-old will return to the fold in January in time for the CONCACAF Final Round World Cup qualifying series. The team had another session at the Mucurapo venue yesterday morning. “It is wonderful having David here for the couple (of) days. I think he brings a lot to the table —  the motivational part, the football part and he’s very hardworking,” said La Forest.

“I think he has a great part to play with this national team.” La Forest and Nakhid have conducted the training sessions for the past week in the absence of head coach Bertille St Clair, who held meetings in London, England, with technical consultant Graham Taylor and a number of Trinidad and Tobago overseas-based professionals. The Soca Warriors are preparing for the second round home-and-away series against British Virgin Islands, with the first leg in the BVI on Sunday while the return leg will be held here on December 19. “Right now, we’re doing on-the-job training,” commented La Forest. “We’re trying to put the pieces together until Bertille (St Clair) comes back (on Wednesday).” Regarding the state of the team, La Forest noted: “I think they’re in very high spirits.” “Everyone loves to win and, by winning, it motivates you,” he continued. “Winning is a motivation by itself and, for the couple (of) days that I’ve been with them, they’ve been in very good spirits.”