Ah show mih pardnah ah video tellin him tuh stop watchin when it reach 1:12, no later dan 1:17. Ah tell him tuh call mih when it reach dey an we go tork about what he see. He call mih back an tell mih what he see. Ah ask him eef he sure, he say he know what he see. Ah tell him go ahead an watch de rest ah de video an call mih back when it done. De man call mih back hours later laughin no arse.

Of course I did done watch de whole video. Me eh laugh, ah cuss no tail when ah watch de second part. I done know ah does be real dotish when ah ready, I eh need no damn video tuh make mih feel more dotish.

Leh mih try an be profound an use de concept ah dat video tuh make ah point about Trini football, de big picture nah.

Like udder football-mad Trinis, I watch dat match de women Soca Warriors just play against Ecuador. Ah watch eleven Trinis who was better individual footballers dan de eleven dey was playin against. De Trinis was bigger, faster an had more skills. Ah also watch dem squander chance after chance after chance tuh score.

In de second half ah listen tuh Trini commentators torkin about what go happen in overtime an dat de Warriors have more experience in overtime games, tra-la-la, tra-la-la, tra-la-la.

Ah watchin an listenin an gettin more annoyed. Ah seein de same tings dat plaguin we football an ah eh hearin no acknowledgment of dem tings. Ah mean all what wrong need fixin. Is only me seein dem or what? Den wid ten, twenty minutes left in de game ah hearin dotish tork about overtime.

Ah see we team pin de Ecuadorians in dey penalty box winnin corner after corner after corner. Nuttin tuh show fuh one corner except ah next one. De commentators torkin not about eef we go score buh when we score. Ah tryin tuh follow dem. We winnin in regular time or overtime?

Den disaster. Exactly what ah was afraid of went an happen. De udder team, me eh care tuh remember dey name no more, score. It was ah shitty goal or as it get call, ah ‘sorf goal’. De Warriors deflate one time like ah football somebody stick wid ah icepick. Ah steups an tun de game orf. It was too painful tuh watch dem suffer even fuh ah minute. Pick any measure yuh could tink of tuh gauge which eleven players was better an de Warriors win it, just doh pick de one dat count.

How much ah what dem commentators was sayin was ah reflection ah what was in de minds ah de players? Any one was tinkin any ah dis?

Yeah ah probably should ah parse dat one instead ah tryin ah shot wid two defenders an de goalie in de way. Next time I eh go get carried away so easy.

Look how easy we run parse dat defender. We bong tuh score just now oui.

Ah gorm, ah miss dat shot? What number is dat? Ah scorin next time.

Shit, time runnin out. Leh we doh panic. We winnin dis in over time. Eef it reach penalties we cuttin dey tail fuh sure.

Ah wonder eef I go have tuh take one ah de penalties?

De next day de Express had dis picture of ah weeping Soca Warrior.

Warrior Weeps

Ah watch it long enough tuh get vex all over again. Ah was ready tuh challenge all who ah blame fuh creatin de atmosphere dat put de whole team in dat sad position de Express capture Mollon in.

Yes, it had some ah she teammates ah wouldn’t ah mind tappin up fuh dubious choices on de field, she too actually. But mih blood was boilin more for de people ruinin runnin T&T football. Is dem ah blamin fuh allowin mediocrity tuh reign. Ah blame every single coach at every level fuh lettin players fail tuh master what I call football fundamentals.

Jack Warner only make tings wuss when he jump een wid he analysis. Why dis man still gettin airplay on anyting? Must be how he leave football at ah high point. Dat remind mih tuh also blame all who tink being part ah de football hierarchy is freedom tuh tief. Dat is not ah harsh statement eef nobody cyar explain de magical disappearance ah dat $400,000 TT from de male Soca Warriors’ trip tuh South America. Ah noticin dis latest bacchanal inside de TTFA eh creatin no big set ah press.

‘Latest bacchanal’? Dat is pessimism or optimism?

Why in dis day an age where even cheques is passé is de TTFA transactin any business wid wads ah cash in brong paper bags? How come LifeSport jump in mih mind just so as de answer tuh dat question?

Is like de video ah show mih pardnah. De tings right dey buh we eh seein dem cause we lookin at udder tings.

As long as we not seein de right tings den it eh have nuttin tuh fix an not fixin anythin mean we eh goin orn tuh de next level, not so?

Dis is from somebody name Garth Brathwaite on de C TV chat page: Again, mental toughness fail the team. When will we learn? Always waiting for the last minute to get things done. It’s a cultural flaw.

Ah want tuh promise ah done wid football. Dat I eh lookin at no picture, big or little until next year. Dat sound far enough away tuh make dat pledge. Buh de Men’s Under 20 team gettin ready fuh ah tournament in Jamaica. De message is de same fuh dem as well as all who aspirin tuh football careers, women included.

Ah mention it recently so ah eh go repeat mihself an say it is all about controllin, dribblin, an parsin de damn ball.

Oops ah slip.

Ah guess yuh could never preach dat enough tuh anybody who lookin tuh be ah serious footballer an wear de national colors.

Not everybody who watch de video me an mih pardnah see go miss what we miss or put ah next way, go see what we see. Dat eh have nuttin tuh do wid nationality. When it come tuh national football mih eye real good. While ah seein what Garth see, I eh ready tuh agree is ah cultural flaw. Tuh admit dat have ah finality dat does frighten mih.

Eef ah accept he position den ah sayin we dorgs dead. No dawgs eh dead. Dey cyar dead. Proof? Well fuh starters it have what on de whole tape. Yes, we not in charge buh eef enough ah we seein not just de same tings buh de right same tings, we could say no more tuh de blind who tryin tuh lead or dem who want we tuh tink is about some card trick. Dat kind ah vision bigger dan football, not so?