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REGGAE BOYZ coach Paul Hall says he is encouraged by the attitude of Aston Villa winger Leon Bailey, who returns to the Reggae Boyz squad after missing the last round of matches in the Concacaf World Cup qualifiers through injury.
Hall, himself a former Reggae Boy, noted also that Alex Marshall, who has not played for the team in more than two years, impressed him recently, and he is looking at ways to help the former Cavalier and St George’s College attacker improve his game.
According to Hall, Bailey, who recently recovered from injury but has not featured regularly for his club since coming back, has been very positive in their discussions, and this has lifted his spirits.
“His response is good. He is feeling good, and he wants to come and play. I have had many conversations with Leon [about] him and our way forward, and it is quite refreshing to hear the kind of (motivated) mode that he is in. So I am actually looking forward to him coming,” Hall told The Gleaner after a training session at the UWI-JFF Captain Horace Burrell Centre of Excellence yesterday.
Building confidence
Bailey has performed below his best in the eyes of many local football fans, but Hall insists that it is important to continue giving him confidence.
“It is important to give someone like Leon the confidence and help him to build confidence. When you can get someone of that quality on the ball, there is a chance and a probability of having a positive outcome,” said the coach.
Bailey is one of 16 senior players who confirmed their availability for the remainder of Jamaica’s World Cup qualification campaign, nine of whom are English-based.
The 16 are Andre Blake, Dillon Barnes, Amal Knight, Damion Lowe, Richard King, Adrian Mariappa, Ethan Pinnock, Javain Brown, Gregory Leigh, Kevin Stewart, Devon Williams, Andre Gray, Kemar Roofe, Ravel Morrison, Jamal Lowe, and Bailey.
Meanwhile, Marshall, who last played for the Reggae Boyz against Guyana in November 2019, impressed Hall in one of the Reggae Boyz recent training camps and he believes that the HFX Wanderers winger has the potential to get even better.
“He is a very good young player, and when people come to camp, it is important they catch your eye, and he caught my eye. He was around when we went to Peru, and I am looking at the young ones like Marshall. He is a very good player, and we have to get him on a programme to improve even more, like all the boys.”
Marshall headlines a list of 18 local players called to camp ahead of the Boyz next World Cup qualifying game against El Salvador on March 24 at the National Stadium and away to Canada on the 27th.
The rest of the local training squad reads Knight, Oshane Staple, Trayvon Reid, Jeadine White, Kenroy Campbell, Richard King, Jamoi Topey, Dwayne Atkinson, Renaldo Webster, Denardo Thomas, Ramone Howell, Ricardo Thomas, Odean Pennycooke, Demar Rose, Ronaldo Cephas, Daniel Green, and Nicholas Nelson.
Jamaica are second from bottom of the Concacaf World Cup qualifying table with seven points from 11 matches. With only three matches to go, they are out of contention. As a result, Hall, says rebuilding begins now.
“It is about rebuilding. Seeing what is out there in the diaspora and try to marry that with what is here (Jamaica) and try to persuade people that Jamaica is a good team to play for as opposed to wanting to play for other choices they have in Europe.
“It is a massive job but one that is enjoyable because I am really trying to champion Jamaica in the wider world and to get our boys to a level where (club) teams have to come for them or we can pick our (national) team from here,” he commented.
livingston.scott@gleanerjm.com
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