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Arnett Gardens general manager Peter Thelwell said although they failed in their bid to secure the services of former assistant coach Garnet Lawrence to replace recently departed head coach Xavier Gilbert, he believes they have acquired the ideal man in Philip Williams.
Williams, a former Portmore United and Tivoli Gardens coach, was announced as Arnett Gardens new coach yesterday but Thelwell admitted that with their title defence of Caribbean Shield coming up in month’s time, they tried to persuade Lawrence to stay and take Gilbert’s place, after the former coach was announced as Montego Bay United coach on Sunday.
However, when that did not materialise, they looked at who was available and Williams with his track record for youth development and his experience coaching at a club with a similar background and demand made him a perfect match for the club.
“A lot of things shifted when we started talking (to Lawrence) but he said he was going to Montego Bay for personal reasons. Just for continuity we wanted to keep him, because he knows the players and the team and he is qualified. But now we have a very good coach, one of the better coaches,” he said.
“The change in coach does not affect the plans. We have another tactician who will fall into the spot of coach Gilbert. He has a proven track record with youth and youth development and that’s the direction Arnett has been trying to go in.
“We rebuilt our team since COVID and we have been trying to get younger and younger youths into the Premier League, as they are more marketable. This coach is also familiar with the passion of our fans because he is coming from a similar background, because the Tivoli fans have the same amount of passion as we do. So he is no stranger to this type of environment.”
Thelwell pointed also that they have maintained some level of continuity, as assistant coaches Fabian Taylor and Decoy Williams remain members of the coaching staff, while Lamar Brown will return as the club’s goalkeeper coach.
“We still maintain key people in our coaching staff. Taylor is familiar with the players. Decoy Williams is also familiar with the set-up.
“In the goalkeeping area we are making a change. Lamar Brown will come back from Harbour View and we hope he will strengthen this area,” he said.
RETAIN TITLE
Even though they are late in their start to preparations for the Caribbean Club Shield , which will be played from July 26 – August 3, Thelwell does not think it will affect them much, and he hoping Williams can help them retain the title and once again claim a spot in the Caribbean Cup.
“What this (coaching situation) has done is more or less force us to do a more concise and intense preparation. We had hoped to start over a week ago. But everything got push back with the movement of the coaches.
“All in all I don’t think it will affect us. We need to gel the team, get them back in physical shape and get them back out there.
“But they are ready. They know the task at hand and they are ready (mentally). So we just need to see where there are when they come back in and get them back in shape,” he said.
“In a month’s time we have the Caribbean Shield and if successful, we will be looking at the Caribbean Cup and that is another area we are hoping he (Williams) can be successful in and go as far as we can go.
“Then after that the (JPL) season begins, and that’s the big one that everybody craves. And I believe he will do well. We have been there knocking on the door and I think the time is now and we should step up and take it.”
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