Bucknor

Adrian Frater, News Editor

WESTERN BUREAU:

RENOWNED INTERNATIONAL cricket umpire Steve Bucknor believes that a new approach to coaching is absolutely essential if there is to be a turnaround in the declining fortunes of St. James' football.

Speaking at Monday's launch of the St. James/Guardian Life Division Two competition in Montego Bay, Bucknor, who enjoyed much success in the 1980s as coach of the Cornwall College daCosta Cup and St. James parish team, said local coaches need to be retrained and recertified.

"We need thinkers as coaches so that they can impart the right information to the players and outsmart other coaches," said Bucknor. "It can't be good enough to attend a two-day seminar and then come away saying you are a certified coach."

Critical of teams

Bucknor was also quite critical of the parish's top teams Wadadah and Seba United, which he said have contributed to the decline in the parish's football by not seeking to groom and develop new players for their respective programmes.

"A lack of planning is now taking its toll on both clubs," said Bucknor. "They are not able to sustain themselves because they have no young players coming through to strengthen the teams."

Bucknor said that instead of depending on the transfer market for players, the clubs should develop their own players, which would ensure greater loyalty and commitment.

Insofar as the national programme was concerned, Bucknor said Jamaica was now paying the price of the legacy left behind by Brazilian coach George Penna, who was here in the 1960s; and Rene Simoes, who took Jamaica to the 1998 World Cup.

"As a nation of fast runners we need to develop a style based on running instead of the slow style taught to us by the Brazilians," said Bucknor. "As Jamaicans, we have excelled in so many ways doing it the Jamaica style so why can't we do the same for our football?"

Despite his criticism of St. James' football, Bucknor thinks the future could be very bright if the right things are done to correct the current weaknesses.

"We are doing very well at the junior level as Cornwall College are rural Under-16 champions and St. James High are Under-14 champions so it is not a question of not having the talent," said Bucknor. "It is more about managing the talent we have properly."

The Guardian Life tournament, which is sponsored to the tune of $500,000, is being contested by 28 teams, divided into four zones. The competition's winner will pocket more than $70,000.