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Topic: WHITMORE WC RETURN ABORTED>>>>DK

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***DK***

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Date: 22:50 07/30 2008

WHITMORE WC RETURN ABORTED>>>>DK

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Tappa not ready for comeback - 'We tried, but it was tough for him' - Simoes

GORDON WILLIAMS, Contributor

Theodore Whitmore

A "serious" plan to revive the international playing career of Jamaica's 1998 World Cup football hero Theodore Whitmore has been shelved.

According to Jamaica's technical director René Simoes, as recently as a couple weeks ago the skilful midfielder, who scored twice in Jamaica's 2-1 historic win over Japan in France, was being considered for a recall to the national team as the search for talent to compete in upcoming World Cup qualifiers continues.

Whitmore, who turns 36 next month, has made the transition from player to coach at both club and national levels. Simoes wanted that process reversed.

"I would like to have the transition back, in the opposite (direction), to make him play again," said the Brazilian. "We tried, but it is so tough for him."

Aborted

Simoes said Whitmore trained with the Reggae Boyz during a recent camp prior to their departure for last weekend's friendly international against El Salvador in the United States. The plan was to assess his fitness with the intention of possibly bringing him out of retirement against Canada on August 20. It had to be aborted.

"Oh yes, seriously," Simoes said on Saturday when asked how much thought was given to Whitmore's return as a player. "Ten days ago we tried hard (to get him in shape) ... But it will not be possible. He stopped long enough (from playing)."

It was not clear what precise role Simoes had in mind for Whitmore if he had returned in a Reggae Boyz shirt. Still, the technical director believes the man called "Tappa", who represented Seba United as player/coach last season, should not have left the highest level of the game so soon.

"I think he could have played (professionally) one, two years more," Simoes said. "He could have ... Yeah, yeah. I think he stopped at the wrong time," he added.

Imaginative playmaker

Whitmore played his last game for Jamaica in a World Cup qualifier in 2004 against the United States. He played more than 100 times for his country, scoring more than 20 goals.

The smooth, imaginative playmaker was a key component in Jamaica's successful campaign to World Cup and capped that run with two goals against Japan in the Reggae Boyz' final game of the tournament. He was named "Caribbean Footballer of the Year" in 1998 and later played several years professionally in Scotland and England for clubs like Hull City, Livingston and Tranmere Rovers. Hull was recently promoted to the English Premier League.

Simoes is convinced that Whitmore, who looked near playing weight last weekend, would still have excelled at the highest club levels and also his country if he had continued playing professionally.

" He would do well," said Simoes,

"because he plays more with his brain than his legs. That is important in some moments."

However, the technical director said he is pleased with Whitmore, who was in charge of Jamaica's senior team for friendly internationals last year, in his current role as an assistant coach.

"He is doing very well," Simoes said. "I'm very surprised with Theodore."

Current form

Rene Simoes - file

Meanwhile, Simoes has again insisted that no player has been ruled out of contention for a place in the World Cup squad. Some who have excelled in the past, but have not been invited recently, will just have to wait for their opportunities, he explained. Their inclusion will be based on current form and willingness to adopt his philosophy for the team's development.

"I'm a long time in this business. I know the performance of players," Simoes said in discussing form. "They drop and they come up. And sometimes they are good here. Sometimes bad. Sometimes they are excellent there...But the door is not closed for anyone."

Even with their best form, players making up a national squad do not guarantee a cohesive unit.

"With a National team, you're never 100 percent sure (if you have the right mix of players)," Simoes said, "because players (form) make down or up ... And every time you hope you have the best squad, and the best squad is sometimes not the best players ... (Brazil's) Ronaldinho is the best, but now he is not the right player to be in the national team. He is not in shape."

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