Carlton 'Spanner' Dennis.
CARLTON 'SPANNER' Dennis is synonymous with two things, two things that are really just one: Santos and football.
The 58-year-old is sort of the 'head cook and bottle washer' and driving force behind one of the country's most successful football clubs. They have won five National League titles - albeit in the competition's initial years back in the '70s - and other trophies in the Super, Major Minor leagues and other age group championships.
Dennis, who was born on the west side of Maxfield Avenue and attended Rousseau Primary, Tarrant and Kingston College before moving east to Woodford Park, Franklyn Town and Vineyard Town where he now resides. These schools have played a part in all those successes.
He is present at every major local football match, generally maintaining strict order in his trademark no-nonsense fashion at the main gate entrance.
The father of three daughters, has been in the football business for more than 38 years and apart from playing division three and two at Santos, and at Real Mona for one season, Dennis has coached at every level at his club and still serves football in executive capacities of the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) and Kingston and St. Andrew Football Association (KSAFA) to this day.
Less than two weeks ago, he was also honoured with an award by KSAFA for his outstanding contribution to the sport.
Yesterday, The Gleaner caught up with Dennis, one of the most recognisable personalities in local football circles, at Santos where he and his young charges were relaxing ahead of a KSAFA Under-13 match.
Q: How long have you been at Santos?
CD: I actually was around when the club was formed. I went to Real Mona for one year, then returned to Santos and played division three and division two, and when 'Chungie' (Winston Chung-Fah) decided he was going to give up and 'Jackie' (Winthorpe) Bell started, I was in charge of the youth programme and it has continued for abut 16 to 17 years until today.
Q: How many titles have you won as a coach at Santos?
CD: We won the Under-12, three Minor Leagues which is the Under-17, two Under-20 titles, one Major League and two Super League titles. I was part of the coaching staff when we won the National League in 1974-75, that's when the National League started.
Q: Who are some of the players who have come through your hands to have made it at national level?
CD: Jermaine Johnson, he came through the youth programme here, he played at every level here; Oneil Smith captained all the teams at Santos including the Major League; and, of late, Richard West and Kevon Harris.
Q: Who is the best local player you've seen?
CD: Undoubtedly Allan (Skill) Cole is the best player we've ever produced. I don't even think Allan knows he was that great. Outside of Allan Cole, if there's a player who I'd tell the youngsters to take a page out of his book, it's Ricardo Gardner. He's an example for the youngsters of this country. I've known 'Bibby' from when he was playing Under-13, from when I coached the KSAFA team and he has not changed. He's the same humble young man, respectable and when you go to England and see how he is well respected, the type of respect he is shown by his peers, then you'll know what type of person Ricardo Gardner is.
Q: What do you think of the current state of football locally?
CD: Football needs something. Right now, we're just going through the motions. For a team that was ranked so high and went to the World Cup, we're slipping, actually we've slipped. The Government needs to take a more active role in the club development.
Q: Facilities apart, do you think the administrators are doing a good job?
CD: That sounds political. I think the president (Crenston Boxhill) of the JFF though has all good intentions. When we look at the performance of the team though, that is what you judge your administration on and the performance has been very bad. We've played three international games and a lot of goals have been scored against us.
Q: Captain Horace Burrell has made clear his intentions to regain the presidency. Do you think he'd do a better job of running the federation?
CD: On the international scene he can get around more than Crenston. He has that know-how; he's with the FIFA group. He's just been appointed ambassador for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, he has more clout on the international scene, you have to give him that due. Everybody has their own style of leadership, Burrell has his style, Boxhill has his style. We'll see who the people will go for and what will happen on that day in 2007.
Q: Jamaica's football needs something right now, what is it?
CD: It's unfortunate to say this but if we don't have a foreign coach, we don't get the help, we don't get nothing. So I think we should go for a coach and a coach who can sell Jamaica's football and has the respect of the players.
Question: Who would be a good choice?
CD: Bora (Milutinovic), a man who has taken a lot of teams (five) to the World Cup and I think he'd like to come to Jamaica.
- Audley Boyd
