Nodley Wright, Freelance Writer
KING
NATIONAL STRIKER Marlon King has blasted suggestions that he was more interested in 'money owed to him' than representing Jamaica against Australia in a recent friendly as "foolishness" and "rubbish".
Following Jamaica's humiliating 0-5 loss to the Australians, King was among those who came in for criticisms either for failing to play or playing without commitment. But in an interview with The Gleaner on Thursday, the striker hit back, saying: "The situation is that my girlfriend was ill, she came down with a bug and was quite weak and I had my little daughter to take care of. I had to take care of my daughter and tend to my girlfriend," said King who left the team hotel the night before the game to head home.
INSULTING VIEW
"I find the view that I was more interested in money than playing for the country an insult. That is foolishness, rubbish," added the player, who was Jamaica's leading scorer in the failed 2006 World Cup campaign and who had not been invited to the team for close to a year prior to the Australia friendly.
During his time of international inactivity King said he was quite anxious and even called the Jamaica Football Federation to find out why he was not being invited.
"I had not played for Jamaica since the last World Cup qualifier against the United States in November (2004) because I was not called up. I had even called to find out what was happening when I was not invited to the Gold Cup earlier this year and no one got back to me," explained the 25-year-old who came to prominence at English First Division team Gillingham.
"I figured that the new person who took over needed time to figure what he was doing and probably had his own ideas," he opined. "At that time I was anxious because I always want to be playing. It is a disappointing feeling when you are fit and ready and not playing for your country. Even the game against Australia I wanted to play but it was because of circumstances beyond my control I could not."
So determined was he to play King said that even though he was just coming back from injury he answered the national call.
"Even though I was just coming back from a hamstring injury I wanted to play. I missed Watford's last four games through injury but I was back to fitness and wanted to prove myself so money has nothing to do with it.
"It is an honour to play for Jamaica. In fact I only found out after playing for Jamaica that you get paid to do so. It was never about the money," he continued, almost in a plea for understanding.
King also spoke about the hurt he felt when Jamaica did not qualify for the 2006 World Cup in Germany. His wound was re-opened by the recent qualification of
Costa Rica and Trinidad and Tobago's advancement to a playoff with Bahrain for one of the final places.
DIFFERING TACTICS
"None of those teams were better than us," said King, who hinted that tactics could have affected the team's chances.
Said King, who found himself played out of position by Brazilian Sebastiao Lazaroni when he took over the reigns from Carl Brown, "Under Carl Brown, it was very different than under the Brazilian. The Brazilian had different ideas.
"Of course my preferred position is playing down the middle but I will play anywhere I am put," said the man who was puzzlingly played out on the flanks under Lazaroni and saw his goal production decline.
After being similarly played out of position at Nottingham Forrest, King was loaned out to Leeds in the second half of last season. Now at League One club Watford, he is enjoying his football once more.
"I am enjoying myself at Watford. I have six goals in 10 games and I think the top person in the league has about eight so I am up there," concluded the man who opened his goalscoring account for Jamaica on debut two days after his 24th birthday on April 28, 2004 against Venezuela at the National Stadium.
