Patrick Beech - undecided - WINSTON SILL/FREELANCE PHOTOGRAPHER
IF PATRICK Roberts has his way Arnett Gardens will be a changed place.
As a community, Arnett Gardens is seen as a place torn apart by violence with anarchy and indiscipline the norm.
As a football club many view it as paradise for veterans and one of frustration for talented youngsters.
Those who believe that about the football club will point to a talented youngster, Marcelino Blackburn, who was forced to join Harbour View in order to get regular playing time.
Others will point to Craig Gordon, a speedy young forward who was part of Jamaica's Under-17 and Under-20 teams which created history by qualifying for the World Youth Cup and championship in 1999 and 2001 respectively, who has featured only sparingly for the club in the Wray and Nephew National Premier League (NPL).
Happenings such as those will be a thing of the past.
BLENDING PROCESS
"We are revamping the whole (club) system. It will be a blending process in that some of the players will move between the Under-21 and the NPL team. This should be beneficial to them.
"Our focus this year will be on youth and discipline. We are building a team to be reckoned with in the future. Discipline will be very important. We want to wipe away the stigma attached to Arnett Gardens of being this place of violence and friction," Roberts told The Gleaner.
Football and by extension the club Roberts said, will be used as the vehicle "to show unity and discipline that the community is lacking and to point the way forward for a new Jamaica".
To get the players who fit the bill for the new order, the Arnett scouts have scoured the island.
"We did a good job scouting I can tell you," said Roberts under whose stewardship Arnett Gardens have already won back NPL titles.
"We have been going into the field looking for younger players. For our squad in the upcoming season 50 per cent will be below 20 years old, another 25 per cent will be 20 or over but under 25 years of age while the final 25 per cent will be over 25.
"We have a lot of young new players who may not have a name but they have the hunger and the other requisite skills to make them successes in the league," Roberts added.
Among the new players with 'name' brought in are midfielder Antholow Dawkins formerly of Reno FC and Los Perfectos, utility player Lacon Brissett who has moved between Wadadah and Village United; and forward Greg Taylor who has turned out for both Invaders and Arlington.
Despite his pleasure with the recruiting process, Roberts was disappointed to lose two of the brightest young talents to Harbour View. The duo Keith Kelly and Alex Thomas, like Craig Gordon, were key members of Jamaica's history-making youth teams.
KEY PLAYERS
"No doubt their departure will affect us as we had plans for them. Both would have been key players this season. They did not play a lot last season due to injuries, we were really looking to them this year," said Roberts.
Not one to put all his eggs in one basket, Roberts said he and his team prepared for all eventualities with their recruiting drive.
Outside of the newcomers and the focus on the young, there will still be a degree of continuity. A number of experienced players have been retained.
"We will keep people like Kevin Wilson, Everton Bunsie, Kwame Richardson, Jonathan Williams, Shane Ellis, Gerald Neil, Julian McLeish, Cornel Chin-Sue, Jermaine Benjamin and Patrick Graham. These players have the kind of spirit, commitment and leadership that will serve us well in what we are trying to build," Roberts stated.
That number could grow by three. They are not sure of the intentions of Patrick Beech, Garth Bootha and Winston Griffiths, "the door has not been closed on them".
- Nodley Wright
