JP Rodrigues out with injury
WITH two days left before Guyana’s Golden Jaguars opening match against Barbados’ Bajan Pride in the 2012 World Cup Qualifiers at the Guyana National Stadium, the home side is raring and ready to perform. Yesterday, Chronicle Sport was able to speak to recently re-elected head coach of the Golden Jaguars, Jamaal Shabbaz following a training session at the stadium where he had the assistance of Wayne ‘Wiggy’ Dover and Gordon ‘Ultimate Warrior’ Braithwaite on his technical staff. Shabbaz told this newspaper: “the guys are really enthusiastic, we had some pull outs; JP Rodrigues pulled out because of injury but we have been working with  the other  guys including the foreign based players who recently arrived. They  include Gregory ‘Jackie Chan’ Richardson, Shawn Beveney, Chris Nurse and Chris Bourne and the guys are  preparing well so we can get  going.”

“There are a lot of things to cover, we would have liked to have had a lot more time but this is the metre of international football; we’re not going to cry or moan about it; we’re going get ourselves together and come out fighting Friday” Shabbaz added.

A week ago, a weakened Jaguars side romped to a 2 – 1 victory of the Indian National Football Team at the Guyana National Stadium, a match which according to Shabbaz would have been a fact finder to see which players can function with others.

He said “coming out of the game we saw a couple players that we feel should have been in a pool together; we have a pool of about 25 players with some young ones between it like Sheldon Holder, Ryan Crandon, Colin Nelson and Treon Bobb who gave a decent showing that can be a part of the overall pool.”

Shabbaz continued by saying that they have done well meshing with the senior players so now the task at hand is getting them fitter and giving them an opportunity to play.

The view of the head coach is that he thinks the team has improved a bit tactically but not the ideally where he would have liked but some improvement has been seen.
He welcomed the inclusion of the foreign based players because he believes they have raised the level somewhat and currently is a good working process.