Dover says Golden Jaguars management should be retained

Golden Jaguars assistant-coach Wayne Dover said the services of the entire senior national management staff should be retained following their 2-2 draw the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) rival Barbados on February 1st.

The international friendly, which was contested at the Barbados National Stadium, was Jamaal Shabazz’s first match in his third stint at the helm of the senior national program.

Shabazz who was at the helm of the national setup on two previous occasions, created history when he oversaw the local unit’s record setting International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) World Cup 2014 campaign in his previous stint.

Guyana under the leadership of the Trinidadian, qualified for the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) semi-finals of World Cup qualifying for the first time in its history.

Jamaal Shabazz
Jamaal Shabazz
Wayne “Wiggy” Dover
Wayne “Wiggy” Dover

Speaking exclusively with Stabroek Sports, Dover said:“Yes I think the staff should be retained. We have a history of working collectively and out of that collective effort, the nation’s football I presume is in good hands.

“Hence the results to show my claim from previous times and in this new stint, having put this group of players together for 10 days, with them not being fit and travelling to Barbados, coming away with a draw is a good start,” he added.

Asked if the Barbados fixture is an indication of the management staff’s ability to move Guyana’s football forward, he said:“No doubt.

It clearly shows we are capable of moving Guyana forward again and it argues for itself that the staff should be retained.

 

“The Normalization Committee has the final say and we don’t know how they will judge the result but that is my strong belief that we should be retained given what we have coached over the last 10 days with these group of players.