TWO football agents, acting on behalf of Jamaican players, believe it will always be difficult for home-bred talent to fit into the physical regime of British game.

Jamaica-based Mosiah Marshall and the principal of Pro-Goals Sport, Romel Wallen, basically agree that the inclination of Jamaican players to hold onto the ball, flair, technical soundness and physical deficiency make it difficult to make a seamless transition into the rugged English leagues.

“I think it’s the style of play… I think the game over there is played at a fast pace and involves a lot of hard running; a lot of physical qualities… especially at the lower level,” said Marshall, who has helped many of his clients into Asia, and mainly in Vietnam’s top league.

The Jamaican agent pointed to Reggae Boy Keammar Daley as an example of an outstanding talent failing to break into the first team of League One Preston North End, irrespective of being a fan favourite.

“I think somebody like Keammar Daley would do better at one of the top clubs like a Chelsea or an Arsenal as I think his style would be more suited to the styles of those clubs, than at a Championship level club,” said Marshall.

While English Premier League top clubs have diversied their playing styles with the introduction of skilful overseas players and colourful foreign coaches, the lower divisions continue to embrace primitive approaches to the game.

“Maybe anywhere else in Europe somebody like a Keammar Daley would be readily received,” Marshall added.

Wallen said players coming into the English game will have their set of challenges, but in the case of Daley “a little more time” could have brought him success.

“It is very difficult for most foreign players to adapt immediately to the pace of the UK game. He is a talented boy, so I’m sure with a little more time, he will get more first team opportunities,” he told the Sunday Observer in response to emailed queries.

Wallen, who is based in London, said while some players struggle to adapt to the demands of the British game, many have have been successful.

“Of all overseas professional leagues featuring Jamaican players, the UK still boasts the most home-grown Jamaican players. So we have proven that home-grown Jamaican footballers can make the leap successfully,” he noted.

The Jamaican-born agent said the success rates of Jamaican and other nationalities could be higher if there weren’t so many factors working against them.

“I’m not sure that the number of successes far outweigh the failures. Given immigration and world rankings hurdles, England simply has not always been a plausible option for Jamaican players. And of the few who do get UK trials, the said issues have often proven the deal breaker,” Wallen explained.

“I think other than the eligibility issues we discussed, from a footballing standpoint, we are tactically behind in our development, so players struggle with the increased pace of the professional leagues abroad,” he went on.

Wallen notes that while many players come to the professional ring with raw, unbridled talent, that alone won’t seal the deal.

“Football talent in Jamaica is abundant. However, there is a mental make-up that separates say a Ricardo Gardner from the scores of talented footballers that have emerged from schoolboy football. If you can find that mix of natural ability, personal drive and humility, that is the kind of player we get excited about,” he stated.

Marshall suggested that while Britain remains largely unappreciative of talent and technical ability, there are many countries on continental Europe who would lap what Jamaica has to offer.

“The Dutch, Belgians and Germans have a greater appreciation for technical players, meaning someone like Keammar. But yes the competition is tough, but as agents or the clubs that represent these players, perhaps we need to do a better job in getting these players into these leagues,” he said.

Jamaican-raised players who have recorded relative successes in the UK markets have been deemed to be mainly those with physical build, tough demeanor and runners, but there have been a few excpetions.

“Someone like Ricardo Fuller could be considered an exception as he’s not really a physical player, but he has size. Some English teams do appreciate that kind of skill and he has had some measure of success. Even (Ricardo) ‘Bibi’ Gardner is very physical though he is a bit small,” Marshall outlined.

Local-born players who have been able to nail down work in the UK leagues for spells are the towering Damion Stewart, Claude Davis, Ian Goodison, and the runners being Omar Daley and Jermaine Johnson.

Marshall, who has been in the business for four years, says it’s a critical part of an agent’s role to find the ideal situation that a player’s assets can be best utilised.

“You must fit the player to the league, to the country, to the style of play and I have a very good feel for what they like in Vietnam for example… you can see the players that I sent there, most of them have a certain style,” he noted.

Among those who have experienced football in Vietnam are Kavin Bryan, Devon Hodges, Andre Fagan and Errol Stevens.

Marshall said as agent it can be very difficult to sell the Jamaican product sometimes — reasons ranging from Jamaica’s ranking in world football, stringent eligibility rules and the unprofessional behaviour of some players.

“We have to realise that Jamaica’s football is not there yet, therefore it’s a difficult sell… some players believe that as soon as they sign things are going to happen right away and it’s not as easy as that.

“As a result, some start to get impatient and start to do things that are ill-advised, like employing other agents illegally and becoming a nuisance to the process and messing things up for themselves,” Marshall concluded.