WESTERN BUREAU:

Everton Tomlinson, the Westmoreland FA president, took over as interim head coach of struggling Red Stripe Premier League (RSPL) first-timers Savannah Sports Club with one aim in mind - to bring consistency and a winning mentality to the club.

But after just three short months at the helm, he has decided to call it quits, citing the unprofessional state of the club as the straw that broke the camel's back.

"The club has been having serious trouble in its ranks. When only seven players [are] turning out for training and no [is] coach present, you know that something is not right," said Tomlinson, who enjoyed a decent stint in charge.

Tomlinson told The Gleaner that at the start of the season, he was approached by the club's management about the coaching job, but was unwilling to take up the challenge because of his workload as the FA president.

He said, however, that after their outstanding start to the season - three wins from three games - he felt he had made the right decision, but had a change of heart when the club's fortunes changed dramatically, with them losing six consecutive games to plunge down the standings.

DECISION TO HELP

"After seeing that they were going downhill, I decided that as a Westmoreland football lover, I could not stand aside and watch them fail. But trouble was everywhere in the camp. The struggle is more off than on the field," said Tomlinson.

"We had too much at stake to watch Savannah crash and burn without offering assistance, so I took over as interim coach," reasoned Tomlinson.

Savannah sprung to prominence with a string of successes that saw them winning the Division One title, Major League crown, and topping Wadadah in the final of the Western Confed Super League in consecutive seasons to qualify for the Premier League.

But a dreadful run of form resulted in a massive fall from their fan support and left the club last in the 12-team table on 18 points.

DISAPPOINTING START

Tomlinson was disappointed in his first match in charge with the side losing 2-0 to Tivoli Gardens, but subsequent results showed that with proper organisation, it was possible they could stage what may have been a remarkable turnaround of their ill-fated season.

His only win in charge came at home in a 1-0 victory over Montego Bay United. Marvin Quarrie has since taken over as the man in charge.

"It's not about talent, we have that in abundance. But what we don't have at the club is an organised structure that caters to the well-being of the players and that would make it easy for players to give it their all every day in training and in match situations," said Tomlinson.

"I am not bashing the club, but if nothing is done to rectify the problem, another coach will come in and will be subjected to the same unprofessional situation that exists here."

- P.C.