Another coach for Village

BY PAUL A REID Observer West Writer

Thursday, February 16, 2012

FALMOUTH, Trelawny - THE much-travelled Peruvian coach Danilo Barriga is the latest coach who has been hired to try and keep Village United in the Premier League for yet another season.

Barriga, who started the season with Western Confederation Super League Club Tomorrow's People, is the fifth coach this season to take the reigns at the Trelawny club that has been playing in the Premier League since the 2001/02 season, the longest current stint by any western club.

Cassman Williams, who has helped Village stave off relegation in at least two seasons, started the season as head coach but was replaced by Kendale Mercury, who made way for Preston Bernard before Williams returned late in the second round.

Rohan Robinson has also been listed as head coach on several match cards and has been designated to give post-match interviews.

Village, who are in last place in the Red Stripe Premier League, have earned four of their 20 points in Barriga's two games in charge, a 1-0 win at Sporting Central Academy and a 0-0 draw at home against Humble Lion last Sunday.

Barriga, who has coached at Seba United, Reno FC and Waterhouse in the Premier League, is confident that Village can deny the odds and retain their place in the league come next season.

"Yes, I think we can do it," he told Observer West on Sunday.

He was under no illusion the task would be easy however, noting the first thing he had to work on was changing the mentality of the players.

"The players must learn to think like professionals, they have to change the mental approach to the game," said Barriga, who guided Seba United to the Western Confederation Super league title last season before they qualified for the Premier League through the play-offs, then changed their name to Montego Bay United.

Making it to the top six would be good but unrealistic he said, "our goal must be to get past the two teams ahead of us, Reno and Highgate."

Village United, who lost at least six starters in the transfer period last month, is a point behind Reno and four behind Highgate with nine games to be played in the third round.

Barriga thinks there is very little difference between the 12 teams in the league in terms of talent. "Look how well we did against Humble Lion" who are seventh placed and 16 points ahead of Village in the tables. "We matched them everywhere, especially in midfield and took Wollery Wolfe out of the game", he said, identifying the player who he thought was the Clarendon team's best midfielder.

Goal scoring is Village's biggest problem, he conceded, as Dino Williams' 10 goals comprise more than half of their 18 goals scored so far in 25 games.