’I’m more experienced’

As the FIFA Intercontinental Play-offs near, Reggae Boyz assistant coach Miguel Coley is confident his international coaching experience will translate well in boosting Jamaica’s chances of qualifying for the FIFA World Cup.

Jamaica will have another chance to qualify for the World Cup after failing to secure an automatic place from the Concacaf World Cup Qualifiers.

Jamaica will compete in the Intercontinental play-offs, where they will face New Caledonia on March 26. Should they win, they will take on the Democratic Republic of Congo on March 31 for a spot in the World Cup.

Rudolph Speid was appointed interim head coach for the duration of the play-offs, with Coley named as his assistant.

Speaking at a recent Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) press conference, Coley said he is now a far more experienced coach, compared to when he left the island.

Coley rose to local notoriety with his exploits at Jamaica College (JC), where he spearheaded one of the most successful schoolboy football programmes.

International experience

In his five seasons at the school, he won five Manning Cup titles, five Olivier Shields, one Walker Cup, and a Super Cup.

He left his role at JC in 2017 to pursue international coaching experience in the Middle East, where he has coached in Iran, the UAE, Qatar, and Iraq.

This is not the first time Coley has been the assistant coach for the Reggae Boyz. He served as assistant to former head coach Winfried Schafer from 2014 to 2016.

Coley said he is in a better position now to help the team as he is a far more experienced coach.

“Well, straight off the bat, I’m more experienced. I know what is at stake in these two games,” he said.

“It’s very important that I come here and integrate as much as possible in the team, in the technical staff team, and give as much support to the head coach, and drive the mentality of the players,” Coley continued.

“They have to be professional from the kick-off. So that is important. With my experience, I hope I can really play an integral role in these upcoming two games.”

Coley said under Speid’s instructions, he has been tasked with analysing New Caledonia and has been integral in the team’s preparations.

He explained that this task has allowed him to make suggestions about the team’s tactics in approaching the game.

Coley has also been tasked with analysing the Reggae Boyz squad and checking areas that need improvement.

“The head coach would have assigned us, the technical staff, different roles. We would have meetings, sometimes two meetings per week, and we have been analysing the team, New Caledonia,” Coley explained.

“We have been analysing ourselves, and we have been having talks in terms of developing a good rapport within the technical staff. It has been going very good,” he continued.

“Overall, my role as an assistant coach, despite not being on the island, has been one in which I have been analysing the New Caledonia team and giving my opinion on the team selection, on how we want to play, and how we can capitalise on winning the game against New Caledonia.”

Coley said with a World Cup spot on the line, it is important for the team to be mentally strong and ready for whatever their opponents throw at them.

gregory.bryce@gleanerjm.com