National Football team captain Angus Eve and his teammates had their first session with technical consultant Graham Taylor at the Police Grounds in Antigua after the former England manager was invited by head coach Bertille St Clair to take charge of proceedings in the afternoon session.
Taylor met with the members of the team for the first time on Wednesday night, shortly after their sluggish 2-1 defeat to Antigua and Barbuda. On Thursday morning he then had a round the table discussion with all members of the team including members of the technical staff. Taylor will spend the next few days working with the "Warriors" before heading back to England and is expected to link back up with the team prior to the February 9 clash with the United States.
From the onset, Taylor made it clear that he is passionate about T&T getting to the World Cup and he intends to assist St Clair and the team in whatever way he can. He also interacted with the players, getting their input in outlining a performance charter which will be given to the players for them to go over from time to time.
"Ive been with England and not gotten to the World Cup so I know the hurt that comes with that sort of thing. So then it would be easy for me to just turn away from this effort and say I dont need to be part of it. Its going to be easy for the Press back in England to say oh well once again hes with a team that has failed to get to the World Cup," Taylor told the players. But the most important thing is for each of you to have that belief that we can do it and I say we because I now consider myself part of the team and I believe that getting to the World Cup is within our reach."
Following his talk session with the team, the former Aston Villa manager said the current players in the team must see what is there for them at the end of the "Journey to Germany".
"They must understand that this is not just another set of games they are playing and there isnt an end product. I wanted them to understand that I am not here for a nice few days but Im coming over to see them play and to play a part in the effort to get to the World Cup. Its a chance for me to get with them on the training pitch and become a little more involved and to then see what it leads to ultimately," Taylor told TTFF Media. And he added that Eve and company appeared to be in a working mood which is always a pleasing sign for any coach..
"Ive stood in front of a football squad before and I must say that this mornings session with the players was a good one. The thing about this particular squad is that in the main, theyre a very young bunch and what I thought was important for them to understand that while there are many other players in Europe and elsewhere that can come into the eventual squad, the fact that these guys are here now means that its an opportunity for them to be part of it . If they perform to the best of their ability then they can convince Bertille St Clair that they are good enough to get into the team for the more important matches."
Meantime, St Clair welcomed Taylors coming into the setup.
"A lot of the things he spoke about is something weve been trying to instill in the players before and now coming from him was good for us to hear. I have a lot of respect for him and I think his involvement augers well for the future of the team," St Clair said.