The quick and decisive action of Captain Horace Burrell to fire technical director Rene Simoes in the face of the Reggae Boyz's dimming hopes of progressing in their World Cup football qualifying campaign, must be seen for what it's worth.

We should view it in the context that it demonstrates a leadership of will, devoid of the emotions which often cloud our better judgement in times when critical issues need a firm hand, not only in the realms of football, but in national life.

It must have been difficult for the JFF boss to have given Simoes his marching orders after the Reggae Boyz's 0-2 loss to Honduras in the semi-finals of the CONCACAF World Cup qualifiers last Wednesday, when it is well-known the two have been close friends since their first meeting back in the early 1990s.

The move, I am certain, must have come as a shock to the Brazilian. Burrell, for his part, took no pleasure in doing it. He said it stung his heart.

But we know this is the cruel nature of the game. And Simoes knows it. This is part of the life of a professional international coach.

As I understand it, Burrell's decision - which is ultimately his - was made following careful thought on his part and consultation with JFF board members. Assuming this is true, I have to conclude that the action was not taken in haste and out of rash emotions brought on by the heart-wrenching defeat to Honduras that closely followed the 3-0 whipping by Mexico only days earlier.

Apart from the loss to Honduras that threw the campaign in a spin, Simoes' dismissal, according to one JFF executive, was influenced in part by his team selection policy. He is deemed to have ignored a number of experienced overseas pros for local-based hatchlings in these high stakes play-offs.

With his selection policy exposed after the Honduras game where we needed at least a draw to place our destiny in our hands so to speak, the Captain had seen enough.

Burrell makes no secret that he "wants to see the best 11" on the pitch at all times, referring, I suspect, to the experienced pros who ply their trade abroad. But Burrell was never one to meddle in the selection process.

For whatever the core reasons are that influenced Burrell's ultimate decision to sack a man that he has shown nothing but respect over the years, we as stakeholders must take note that our football has the kind of leadership that will act when it needs to.

It is a pity that Simoes, who I believe means Jamaica and its football well, had to be one of those who had to fall to the sword of this brand of leadership.

Of course Simoes was the very man who partnered with Burrell and Horace Reid for that unprecedented and amazing success in 1998, when Jamaica defied all odds to stun the world and take their place in France on the World Cup stage.

I agree that Simoes did the best he could have done for Jamaica then. On this second stint, it was always going to be nearly impossible for him to equal that feat, much more to better it.

The largely virginal and uncultivated football landscape the Brazilian found in Jamaica when he first arrived, has changed significantly, though not fundamentally.

While we are still a far way from anything close to a structured professional league, the nation - in what appears to be a direct and enduring spin-off from our World Cup qualification - has got some 50 local-bred players plying their trade in leagues all over the world, including the lucrative European market.

Those dynamics presented new and unfamiliar challenges for Simoes as he sought the elusive repeat. He no longer had a band of unprofessional football buffoons who he could indoctrinate with philosophical utterances and nurture into a playing style of his own.

Back then he found diamonds in the rough that he polished over time until they revealed their "brilliance". This time, he discovered there was already shine on the new crop and far less time to polish them to the next level of gleam.

He was up against it from day one.

But there are those who question the timing of Simoes' dismissal. They argue that with three back-to-back home matches against CONCACAF kings Mexico, Canada and Honduras up on us, the timing could be ill-conceived.

After gaining only a point from three away games against the same opponents, Jamaica are in a testing position where they have to win all their home games if they are to stand a feint chance of advancing to the final Group of Six.

But that hinges precariously on high-flying Honduras floundering to Mexico and Canada at home.

Immediately after the sacking of Simoes, Burrell announced that a replacement will be commissioned in a week, but the JFF did not say whether it will look overseas or at home.

We have found ourselves at a critical stage of the 'Back to Africa' campaign and the very speed and decisiveness that were displayed in doing away with Simoes, must now be employed in finding his replacement against a rapidly ticking clock.

I would suggest that looking overseas at this time could be disastrous. A new coach will never have sufficient time to put it together.

I am prepared to venture and recommend Jamaica's World Cup hero Theodore 'Tappa' Whitmore for the job until a more feasible alternative can be found as we look to the long-term future.

Whitmore, who has been Simoes' chief Jamaican assistant since the Brazilian's return, successfully guided the Reggae Boyz to home wins against Guatemala and El Salvador late last year as he acted as head coach between the departure of Velibor 'Bora' Milutinovic and the arrival of Simoes.

He, based on my observation, commands the respect of the players. He also has his own ideas on philosophy and approach. Whitmore knows the players well and is capable of inspiring them to rise to the occasion and resurrect what some have already interred as a dead dream.

I think he will do a good job. The last time Captain Burrell and the people of Jamaica needed his help to fill a gap, he answered the call with aplomb. Now we have another gap to fill. What about it, 'Cap'?
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