6 months ago
21
STANDING AS one of the more storied clubs in the Kingston and St Andrew Football Association (KSAFA), Santos’ relegation to the Major League came as a shock to many. Yet, administrators at the club believe their poor fortunes could be a blessing in disguise.
Santos dominated football in Jamaican during the 1970s, with five national titles across six seasons.
A year off from the club’s 60th anniversary celebrations, expectations were high as they sought to regain their place in the top-flight of Jamaican football.
However, their hopes proved far removed from reality as they were relegated from the KSAFA Championship, producing a dismal record on the way down, picking up just one win throughout the season along with three draws and 12 defeats.
Trevin Nairne, vice-president (VP) of Santos, has sought to put a positive spin on the face of their misfortune.
Nairne said with recent administrative changes, their relegation might have come at the most opportune time and allows the club to start over.
“It must be understood first that how we operate at Santos, we are one team so there is no one person that is given any blame, so we will all accept the faults that exist,” he explained.
“That being said, the mood is still very buoyant at the club. In fact, we believe that the relegation gives us the opportunity to rebuild in a more comprehensive way. It is better to rebuild from scratch and it gives us the opportunity as a new administrative to put things in place to get Santos where we want it to be.”
He added, “It might sound strange to say but we’re actually considering this relegation a positive for the club.”
Nairne said several projects, set to get underway at the club, will allow for them to set a strong foundation for their ambitions to climb up the Jamaican football pyramid.
“We can now set the club up in the way we really want it to be set up by getting those type of characters, the type of players and the type of football that Santos wants to play,” he explained.
“This coincides with a lot of the other administrative things which are on the horizon right now for Santos. Fixing our field, rebuilding our clubhouse and so many other things that it would be perfect to rebuild our new team with a stronger coaching team and a stronger technical team around it.”
Carlton ‘Spanna’ Dennis, a long-term servant and administrator at the club, said their relegation is no reason to sound alarm bells.
He explained, while disappointed with the results, Santos have been in the Major League before and he is confident they will claw their way back to the top.
“In terms of the performance, I’m disappointed but that is just a part of life,” he told The Gleaner. “We’re very disappointed but life goes on.
“When I took over at Santos, we were in the Major League and we won the Major League and won two Super Leagues. Everybody gets demoted, even Jackie Bell got demoted.”
He added, “I don’t understand why everybody is panicking. Of course you don’t want to go to Major League but you have to face the reality. We will go down but we will build and come back up.”
English (US) ·