BRIAN WILLIAMS, a member of the 1989 Strike Squad, has endorsed Angus Eve’s official appointment as Trinidad and Tobago men's and Under-20 coach.
Eve was retained as TT men's team coach on Thursday with the TT Football Association (TTFA) in a statement issued on Thursday, indicating that the former national midfielder and captain will serve in this position until March 31, 2023.
“Given the present situation, I have no problem and am very supportive of a decision of such nature. Retaining Angus as head coach, I’m good with that.
“For the last stint where Angus had the team, he did a fairly good job because he brought the players back together to understand the representation of TT,” said the ex-national right-back.
Eve, who has the most international caps for TT (117), was appointed interim coach on June 13 after Englishman Terry Fenwick was sacked two days prior, following the nation’s shock exit from 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying.
Thus far, Eve has been in charge for five senior games and has a record of two wins, two draws and one loss.
During the Gold Cup qualifiers, Eve led TT to a 6-1 triumph over Montserrat (July 2) and then sealed a nail-biting 8-7 penalty kick win over French Guiana (July 4) to secure a spot in the Gold Cup.
In Group A, TT had a goalless draw against Mexico (July 10), lost 2-0 to El Salvador (July 14) and were held to a 1-1 draw against Guatemala (July 18).
These results saw TT finish third in the group with two points, behind Mexico (seven points) and El Salvador (six points). Both Mexico and El Salvador advanced to the knockout stage, while TT and Guatemala (one point) were eliminated.
After his interim appointment, the 49-year-old Eve selected assistant coaches Reynold Carrington and Hutson Charles, along with goalkeeper coach Clayton Ince to serve as his team staff. He also included Adarryl John as the squad’s strength and conditioning coach.
Williams believes this crop of home-grown coaching talent can provide the spark needed to begin TT’s rebuilding phase.
“I’m very supportive of Angus and his present staff because they’re knowledgeable about what is taking place locally with the players and TT football. I feel they can move the football and start to rebuild our foundation.
“They are capable of doing such. That present staff is made up of local people, let us build from here. But the administration is what guides our football, not only the coach,” he added.
Williams said that appointing a full-time coach with Eve’s experience is a good move to chart a way forward but thinks the local football administration, currently run by the FIFA-appointed normalisation committee and chaired by businessman Robert Hadad, must step up their game towards the sport’s development on a national scale.
According to the 59-year-old Williams, the only way TT can get the best out of Eve, his staff and the players is to have a supportive and transparent administration who share the same objectives, b
