By Howard Walker Observer staff reporter
Tuesday, October 07, 2008
Jerome Waite became the first coaching casualty of the Digicel Premier League season when he was replaced by Fabian Davis as head coach at Arnett Gardens yesterday.
Waite, who was the saviour last season when he helped Arnett avoid relegation, was parting company with the club for a second time.
Waite coached the team to its most successful stint in recent years with back-to-back titles in the 2000-01, 2001-02 seasons and also coached the team when it lost the 2002-03 final, its third championship game in a row to Portmore United in extra-time.
Patrick Roberts, president of the club, told the Observer sounded diplomatic, when he said Waite wanted to "step back".
"As you know in every football club when a team is not doing good the first thing you look at is the coach... at the end of the day, four (games) straight without a point is unacceptable. We met and amicably, he (Waite) realised that the team is not doing good and (he) asked to step back," said Roberts.
"What we want is results and we are not getting results and we looked at everything and if he feels that he has to step back, then we respect that from Jerome Waite," he added.
Arnett Gardens have lost all their four games so far this season, including 0-1 losses to Boys' Town, Portmore United and Waterhouse.
On Sunday, they went down to 1-2 to Sporting Central Academy to be rooted at the bottom of the league without a point.
Efforts to contact Waite last night proved futile as calls went straight to his cellular phone's voicemail.
"In the meantime we appointed Fabian Davis as the interim coach. He has the respect and will have full control of the team," said Roberts.
Davis, 34, who represented Jamaica 72 times and scored six goals, will be the player/coach and said he is ready for the mammoth challenge.
"As you know the team has been doing badly so we are trying our best to do what is best for the club. It is for me to instil my experience of years of playing and have these players motivated to be on the same page on game day.
"I have a better understanding of how the players think, I hope I can get into their heads and have them think at a higher level," Davis told the Observer after meeting with his senior players before training started yesterday.
Davis, who is no stranger to success, was voted MVP after leading Arnett Gardens to the premier league title and again with Tivoli Gardens in their championship year.
Davis' first game in charge will be a fiery one against archrivals Tivoli Gardens on October 12.
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