Following Thursday's sacking of Stephen Hart as coach of the national football team, the onus is now on the directors of the T&T Football Association (TTFA) led by president David John-Williams to swiftly appoint a new coach and put new team management in place.
Mr John-Williams and his TTFA executive do not have the luxury of time at this critical juncture in the team's bid to qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
Actions must be taken to steady a team rocked by two consecutive defeats–the 2-0 loss to Costa Rica at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, followed by a 1-3 drubbing from Honduras.
These losses, followed by the recent resignations of team medic Dr Terrence Babwah and his assistant Dave Isaac, allegedly due to a controversy over the use of injured goalkeeper Jan Michael Williams in the Honduras match, are already a dark cloud over the team.
The removal of Hart only adds to the uncertainty and discomfort. It is essential that stability is brought back to the campaign.
T&T currently sits in the penultimate spot, slightly ahead of the United States on goal difference, among the six nations that have advanced to the final round of 2018 Concacaf World Cup qualifying, known as The Hexagonal.
Under Hart's management, the team managed to make it this far in the qualifying process for the Concacaf region in a campaign which started back in January 2015 and has seen 29 nations eliminated so far. While there is still a glimmer of hope of World Cup qualification for the T&T team, another loss, even a draw, isn't an option going forward. The players need to be at their best, physically and psychologically, for every game ahead. Hart's dismissal, announced at the end a lengthy closed-door meeting at Grand Bazaar, Valsayn, on Thursday evening, was followed by a brief statement from the TTFA indicating that both parties had agreed to part ways with immediate effect. That is not sufficient–much more needs to be said and done.
T&T is the second Concacaf team to dismiss its coach, coming just days after the US fired Juergen Klinsmann, also in the wake of a humiliating defeat. However, that team's new coach, Bruce Arena, was appointed in quick time.
With eight matches left in the Hex, including two home games in March against Panama and Honduras, there is everything to play for in the coming months, but the right leadership is crucial.
Hart was one of this country's most successful national team coaches, second only to Leo Beenhakker, the Dutch national who steered the team to its first and only World Cup in 2006 in Germany. After that, the position of national team coach had been a revolving door, with most lasting no more than a year in that position before Hart's appointment.
Hopefully, football history will repeat for this team which, on the road to Germany, sat at the bottom of the table in the final round of qualifying with one point from three before Beenhakker was installed as coach. After that, the team enjoyed a dramatic reversal of fortunes and qualified via a play off against Bahrain with a 1�0 win in Manama. This country still holds the record as the smallest country to qualify for the FIFA World Cup and any chance of gaining a berth in Russia 2018 requires that the TTFA makes all the right decisions and do so quickly.