WITH NINE days to go before Jamaica play Mexico in a game that could decide whether or not the country will continue making a bid for a berth at the 2010 World Cup, I have to apologise to interim coach Theodore 'Tappa' Whitmore.

Whitmore, as a local coach, just like Carl Brown, Wendell Downswell and Jeffrey Maxwell, has the opportunity to show Jamaica that there is the talent at the managerial level to compete on football's world stage.

However, 'Tappa' also has the unfortunate task of coaching a team for two games that will be difficult to motivate and, on top of that, has extremely difficult opponents to deal with. While he was understudy to Velibor 'Bora' Milutinovic and Rene Simoes, which put him close enough to the team to have learnt what its strengths and weaknesses are and who are the players to choose for the match-ups, he still has too-little time to prepare.

Pessimistic

The young man has been given the proverbial basket to carry water. But, I am being pessimistic.

I hope 'Tappa' does well enough to get people to ask questions. While I don't think the campaign will go any further, I hope Jamaica make it interesting, at least.

What is also interesting is the fact that Whitmore has brought in those players the entire country has been wondering about. Dane Richards, Omar Daley, Omar Cummings, Claude Davis, Damion Stewart, Oniel Thompson, Marlon King and Jermaine Johnson have all been recalled.

This is both an advantage and a disadvantage for Whitmore. On the plus side, it means the interim coach will have the best squad at his disposal. On the minus side, Whitmore is going to be using nine players who haven't played together in a long time. They will be rusty. They are professionals but che-mistry is something that, even for the best in the world, has to be honed over a period of time. As a matter of fact, in some instances, it cannot be done. Seeing some of those names on a list of invitees is refreshing though.

Coaching woes

Jamaica's coaching woes don't stop there, however. John Barnes is coming. Some people are of the opinion that this man should have been the driver of Jamaica's fortunes for a long time and maybe they are right. His experience as a coach doesn't suggest this though. In any case, he might be sorry he took the job if things go in a particular way.

Let's say what I think will happen does. Let's say Jamaica fail to qualify for the 2010 World Cup. If this happens, then Barnes will face certain inevitable problems. Getting practice games is going to prove difficult. Jamaica, though accepted as a tough team to play against, do not have the best reputation right now and this won't be made any better by failure to qualify.

Then, of course, is the problem of funding. 'Bora' found it difficult to get practice games because the Jamaica Football Federation had no money.

Championships

There is nothing to suggest that the organisation's coffers have grown significantly and there would not have been a competition for the national team until the final round of the Digicel Caribbean Championships here in Jamaica.

What will that mean for Barnes? It will mean months of inactivity, months of doing nothing with the flagship senior squad. Can the public wait on him for results? Will they wait on him for results? Frankly, I would not have taken the job. Not at this stage; not when there is so much to suggest failure is not only possible, but likely.

Feedback: Paul-Andre.Walker@gleanerjm.com.