WITH Mount Pleasant Football Academy (MPFA) placing more of an emphasis on youth, Sporting Director Paul Christie believes the promotion of Harold Thomas from director of football (DOF) to head coach of the Jamaica Premier League team will pay dividends in the seasons to come.

It was revealed on Sunday by the Jamaica Observer that former Reggae Boyz midfielder and Head Coach Theodore “Tappa” Whitmore would be replaced as head coach, after the club opted not to extend his contract which runs out next month.

Thomas, who has Premier League experience including leading Dunbeholden to their first-ever Premier League final in 2022, has spent the last year at the St Ann-based club dealing with their academy, and Christie says he’s the ideal candidate for Mount Pleasant’s new journey.

“The direction where the club is going, we think he can assist at this time. It has nothing to do with his track record at Dunbeholden but it has to do with his success at the academy and the direction the club wants to go, so it’s on that background he would have been selected,” Christie told the Jamaica
Observer.

“It’s always work in progress at Mount Pleasant so nothing is guaranteed. We’ll give him the support that is required to help him work successfully, effectively, and efficiently and take care of his functions. He understands the vision of the club so we’re looking forward to the next few months and few years with anticipation.”

With Whitmore and his technical staff on their way out it is believed that there could also be an overhaul with the squad. It’s understood the likes of national representatives Shaqueil Bradford, Ramone Howell, Atapharoy Bygrave and Ladale Richie could all be shown the door before the preseason begins.

However, Christie says no decision has been made as yet.

“We’re still in the reviewing of players and their contracts as well as their participation in the way forward. Nothing has been definitively done as yet so, as it relates to that, no official communication has been made to the players. But the work is still continuing, and if a player needs to be notified, he’ll be notified in short order. It’s a process, and we want to respect the process and the players,” he said.

Meanwhile, Whitmore and his coaching staff says they’ve left the club in a better place in light of their departure.

Whitmore led Mount Pleasant to back-to-back Premier League finals, including their historic title in 2023.

“We created history at MPFA — we inherited a failing club and turned it around immediately. We won the club’s first-ever championship in our first season and took the team back to the final in the second season, losing on penalties,” Whitmore said in a statement.

“We also qualified the club for its first-ever foray into the Concacaf Club Championship. Through our collaboration we brought a structure and a professional way of operating the club. We have also presided over the club’s first major sale of Trivante Stewart to a top European league. We are grateful for the opportunity and we wish the club all the best going forward,” he added.

Whitmore revealed that a contract extension was “agreed in principle” but “took a different direction for a few reasons”.

Mount Pleasant are set to begin their preseason in July as they prepare to compete in the Concacaf Caribbean Cup, starting in August.