TRINIDAD and Tobago’s newly appointed senior men’s football coach Dwight Yorke, made it clear that his focus is singular, and that is guiding the Soca Warriors to the FIFA World Cup.
Speaking on Isports on i95.5 FM with radio host Andre Errol Baptiste on Saturday, Yorke sidestepped questions about his future with the team if they fail to qualify.
“I understand I have to win to stay in my job. Right now, it’s all about the process and the World Cup. It is going to be a collective effort to achieve our goal, and it starts not just with us players to do our job professionally, but the executive board and the federation also have to play their part.”
Yorke, a former Manchester United striker, has brought a fresh, no-nonsense approach to the national team setup. He emphasized the importance of meritocracy.
“Every player, whether foreign or local, has to give their all. There will be no easy passage into the national team.” To support this vision, he has requested the creation of a comprehensive player database, something he noted the federation currently lacks.
“Database is crucial as we won’t get to everybody, but we will certainly monitor the players we are interested in for the National team.”
The former Aston Villa star also touched on his desire to revolutionize T&T’s playing style.
“I want to play attractive football,” Yorke declared, adding that changes to laws within the team and federation are part of his long-term strategy. The former Sunderland striker wants foreign-based players whose grandparents were born in T&T, to get a chance to play for national teams.
“It’s been talked about. I don’t want to go into too much detail. But we have seen it over the years where other teams, predominantly big teams in world football, all have some type of inheritance.
“You look at the parents of the French team, the English team, the Germans, so there is a pattern that has been there for several years and we are looking at the situation, one that we will implement at some point, but it has to be the right players to come into the equation.”
Fitness, attitude and discipline, he said, will also be cornerstones of his philosophy as he seeks to bring professionalism and consistency to a squad often criticized for lacking both.
“Most people who know me know my background that I place a lot of emphasis on fitness. When you are fit, you can do the work. Football is a tough sport and when you are fit, you can get around the pitch a lot easier. You don’t have to be super fit, but you have to be at some level as a professional and international player.” (CMC)
