There is an old saying which we used to repeat as children. It goes something like this: “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me.”
In my estimation, there is very little truth in that saying. The fact is that the wounds caused by sticks and stones heal, but the wounds caused by cruel or thoughtless words may run deep and last a lifetime. On the other hand, words which are wisely spoken can be a source of life, comfort, and healing.
I am using this in the context of a conversation I had with one of this country’s very small cadre of professional sportsmen to have played football at the highest form both at the club and country level. A small-town boy from Patna, Diego Martin went on to play in the English Premiership and appeared in Trinidad and Tobago’s three World Cup matches at the 2006 Finals in Germany. His name is Carlos Edwards.
Carlos is part of an elite bunch, not only in T&T but also in the region. I’ve always strongly believed that men such as him are invaluable and perhaps scarce and as such must never be left untapped, not for long anyway. We’ve produced a lot of top performers in this country in different fields, some great, some admirable and those who have made it to levels that we don’t often see.
So when Carlos speaks, I would suggest we should listen or at least try to take something from it. He suggested some things during the interview which indicated that he felt there was a need for stronger leadership in our national team among the playing personnel. The following are excerpts of what he said.
“I remember when I just came into the set-up with Bertille and I had the likes of Dwarika, Nakhid, the deceased Mickey Trotman and other players that had me thinking wow. I don’t think the players now look up to the senior boys as good role models. I was in awe of these senior guys when I came into the national team. Angus can only do so much but it’s up to the senior players when their young ones come in to say ‘Aye this is how we do things now.’ That is what I think is lacking, a bit of leadership. Everybody is a bit too comfortable when they come into the national team as compared to when I came into the national team because I had it hard back then.
“I had to wait my time and I think some of the boys now come into the national team thinking yea I’ve made it. Okay yes, you’ve been selected now what are you going to do about it?
“It doesn’t have to be a big change but just little tweaks and eventually things will get right. We need to be mindful and responsible for every little thing. It’s easy to blame that and blame this one but everyone needs to take responsibility for what they are doing and try to make things better for the next time.”
He mentioned that the recent string of performances was encouraging, especially the matches away to Jamaica which included a 1-0 win.
“It is a step in the right direction and you can only get better. Every decision you make you have to live by it. Every game you play, after the game you have to say okay what could I have done better for the next game? You always want to try to do things a bit better every time you step onto the training pitch or you step into the game situation.
“No one deliberately goes out and plays horribly. There are days when things just don’t go right but at the same time, these guys have an opportunity where they can write themselves into history. A lot of guys play the occasion and not the game and I think that’s where they lose it,” Carlos said.
Depending on how you chose to view his opinion, some may take it in good stride and others may say he’s being overly critical. I received some feedback with varying views but one would hope there is a level of maturity by those concerned to take it from a perspective where it brings some form of benefit to the overall effort and cause.
“There is one who speaks rashly like the thrusts of a sword, But the tongue of the wise brings healing.” (Proverbs 12:18)
These Proverbs remind us of the power of the spoken word to do good or evil to others. Other Proverbs teach us that the words we speak have a great effect on the speaker as well as the hearer. Words wisely spoken bring blessing to the speaker while words that are foolishly spoken bring difficulty and disaster. This is the sort of diction former national defender Marvin Andrews and midfielder Densill Theobald would bring to the table during their days in the national team. Timing is everything. It all fell into place at the right time in 2006.
Who’s to say it can’t happen again for our country?
Editor’s Note
Shaun Fuentes is the head of TTFA Media. He was a FIFA Media Officer at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa and 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Turkey. The views expressed are solely his and not a representation of any organisation. shaunfuentes@yahoo.com