Boyz head coach downplays ‘win now’ narrative

SENIOR Reggae Boyz head coach Heimir Hallgrimsson does not think he needs to be in any great rush to register his first victory in two upcoming friendly matches on home soil.

Since taking over the reins of the national men’s programme, Hallgrimsson has overseen two games, losing the first one 3-0 to Argentina. And he followed that up with a 1-1 draw with Cameroon. He will use the two upcoming international friendlies on home soil, on March 4 and 11 against world number 104th ranked Trinidad and Tobago, to continue to look at the talent that he has at his disposal.

“As a coach, you always want to win your matches but, at this stage, we want to give as many players as possible a chance to play so we can judge them from their performances on the pitch. So that is the main objective,” said Hallgrimsson.

The Icelander showcased his football talents on Wednesday evening at the Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex for the Masters and Celebrities team in the annual Masters and Celebrities One Love football showpiece. Despite scoring a cracking free-kick from just outside the 18-yard box, Hallgrimsson’s team suffered an 8-1 defeat to the Entertainers Invitational.

Coach Hallgrimsson also said that getting cohesiveness and a sense of camaraderie within the group is of paramount importance at this point.

“It’s not only to see them, but to know them on a personal level, get to know how they behave, how they react to the environment that we have within the national team. That, for me, is more important than winning or losing. But I’m not going to be naïve, of course I’d like to win all the matches,” he added.

With just over a week to go before first fixture against Trinidad and Tobago, Hallgrimsson said he is eager to see his unit execute what has already been taught, while adding that he is keeping a keen eye on the integration of some new players within the group.

“We’ve been working with the players who are playing locally. We (coaches) would have learnt what we like tactically as a team, how we work both defensively and offensively. So there are a few things I’d like to see in those matches. Also, we will probably have some players who haven’t been with us before, so now it’s just to see how they will react to what we want them to do, both on and off the pitch,” Hallgrimsson said.

Excited about the prospects ahead for the national team, Hallgrimsson hailed the approach from the players and is eyeing a better performance from their last game against Cameroon.

“It’s a privilege to be working with these players, and we should at least be better than what we did against Cameroon. The players listen, they like to learn and, for sure, they are skilful players here in Jamaica,” he added.

orane.buchanan@gleanerjm.com