Barnes shakes off 'boo birds'

Gordon Williams, Gleaner Writer

The last time Jamaicans saw national football coach John Barnes at "The Office", he was celebrating with the Reggae Boyz after they won the Digicel Caribbean Championships (DCC) in December.

The prize was the Boyz' Christmas present to a nation - a nice, shiny apology - still bitter over Jamaica's elimination from the 2010 World Cup.

But that didn't stop some at the National Stadium from loudly voicing their disapproval. The "boo birds" wanted more than just a trophy and the crown as the Caribbean's top team.

Like some Brazilians after their team won the World Cup in 1994 with an uncharacteristic robotic approach, local fans demanded a persistent attacking style that would annihilate Jamaica's opponents. For them, Barnes hadn't delivered.

"I know what they want in Jamaican football," the coach admitted prior to Jamaica's first of two recent friendlies in the United States.

It didn't matter that Brazilian Ren? Simoes - not Barnes - had dug the hole which eventually buried Jamaica's World Cup hopes. Furthermore, Barnes had replaced the fans' favourite son, Theodore Whitmore, for the DCC, right after 'Tappa' guided Jamaica to World Cup qualifying victories - over Mexico, Honduras and Canada - in a stunning, but failed, last ditch bid to snatch a place in South Africa.

The Boyz's methodical approach throughout the DCC, orchestrated by the Jamaican-born former England World Cup star, was not good enough for some. But Barnes, with a job contract expiring in mid-2009, needed to win the tournament. He would not be sucked in by fan fantasy.

No guarantee

"I wanted us to play in a different way, because I wanted to play a very controlled way," said Barnes explaining the DCC run.

"Now, the crowd weren't happy with that because the crowd wanted us to go forward and I know the Jamaican crowd wants us to play a very fast, attacking game for 90 minutes."

It didn't happen then. It hasn't happened so far this year. And when FIFA's 70th ranked Jamaica face Panama on June 7 there's no guarantee Barnes will satisfy the craving of the boo birds at 'The Office'. In three away internationals since the DCC - all draws, Nigeria (0-0), Haiti (2-2) and El Salvador (0-0) - the coach has drilled his preference for ball possession and patience into the Boyz.

"What I talk about is controlling the match," Barnes said.

But while the result against Nigeria (30th) in February was easily explainable because of the Africans' higher ranking, the other two, especially Haiti, were harder to swallow.

The Boyz did not play well against their 122nd ranked French Caribbean neighbours, despite showing determination from playing a manshort and coming from behind. A much better performance marked last Saturday's tie with World Cup hopeful El Salvador, now ranked 102nd, but still in the hunt for a World Cup spot.

At home, even against higher-ranked Panama (60th), the boo birds will surely demand more. But with the CONCACAF Gold Cup looming in July, Barnes is unlikely to switch. The boos in December? They didn't bother him.

"Not at all," said Barnes, who had a long-playing career in England and a brief stint as a club coach in Scotland. "I understand because that is the culture of the Jamaican people. Anytime we get (the ball), anywhere on the field, we have to attack. But I'm saying let's manage the game, to play a much more patient game."

Some fans may be unwilling to wait, but the time for changing course is not quite here.

"If we're not winning and we're not doing well, then maybe we have to change the way we play," explained the coach. "But if we're playing well and we're winning, there really isn't a problem."

As for the boo birds, well, Barnes is more concerned about match results.

"It's like anything else," he said. "You have fans who have their opinions as to how they want football to be played. I want to play winning football."