Originally Posted by
TheJamaicanP.M.
With just days to go to the biggest tournament in the history of Team Vito, anticipation is reaching fever pitch. For the players and supporters, it represents five years of hard work. The big question many pundits are asking is whether this tournament has come too late for what is now an aging team. The team’s manager and former captain, Don Vito is adamant that this will not be the case. Vito, who has been compared to the legendary Leeds manager Don Revie (probably because of his name), was quoted in this week’s edition of the Wexford People as saying: “I think in previous years we suffered due to a high number of games earlier in the season. Our players were often left feeling jaded when the big games came along. This season has been different. We’ve had less games, our players are fresher and they’re all chomping at the bit…at the end of the day.” Nonetheless, the fact remains that Team Vito has a number of veterans in its ranks. The youngest player, The Green Hen turned 22 a fortnight ago, which means he’s no spring chicken. Despite a lot of criticism from the media, Don Vito has resisted the temptation to sign younger players.
The World Cup squad was finalised some weeks ago. In addition to the usual suspects, the relatively unknown “Johann” was handed a dream call-up to the squad. When questioned on this surprise inclusion, Don Vito spoke enthusiastically about the new recruit: “This is a player that I’m excited about. He came to our attention in recent months. Dolby126 was very impressed with his performances and came to me to say that Johann was available on a free transfer. We put in a bid immediately and he jumped at the chance to sign for us.” The unassuming Laois man has been compared by some to the Swiss midfielder Johann Vogel. Like Vogel, he sits deep in midfield and distributes the play in an efficient if less than spectacular manner. When questioned on recent suggestions that he has never seen Johann play, Vito replied: “That is true but I think the fact that Johann will be such an unknown quantity, even to ourselves, will actually work in our favour.”
Arising out of Vito’s absence due to professional reasons, I TheJamaicanP.M. will take over as caretaker manager for the World Cup. There’s no doubt I have huge boots to fill but I’ll be following Don’s instructions to the letter. However, it was the selection of the squad’s captain which proved to be the most difficult decision for Don. Taking into account the experience of the players in the squad, he chose to hand the captaincy to JoeSemi. The undoubtedly talented but sometimes fickle JoeSemi, will be taking part in his third World Cup, as well as offering a wealth of European experience. The usual captain and golden boot winner in recent seasons, Dillo has been given the responsibility of being vice-captain. When questioned on his new role Dillo stated, “I think I can have a huge influence on the squad as vice-captain. If I’m as successful as Robbie Fowler was as vice-captain to Jamie, I’ll be happy…If I’m as successful as Robbie Keane was to Ledley, I’ll be even happier.”
The onus will certainly be on Dillo to produce the goods after what has been a poor season by his standards. Dillo has complained about injuries and bad health in recent weeks, but in a similar way to the Rangers and T&T defender Marvin Andrews, Dillo has the requisite mental strength to play through the pain barrier. With more appearances than any other member of the Team Vito squad, it is imperative that he stamps his authority on the competition. A number of his team-mates have already pointed to his excellent linguistic skills and there is no doubt that Dillo will be put forward as a representative for this team in Germany.
Dillo’s strike partner is likely to be the prolific Dolby126. After a year that was blighted by injury, the charismatic Dolby has returned to action in style. Despite recent transgressions and his propensity for acts of indiscipline, the team have placed huge responsibility on Dolby’s shoulders by asking him to lead the line. Similar to the Ivory Coast’s Didier Drogba, Dolby takes a direct, no-nonsense approach and this should prove dividends. Writing in his column last week, Dolby stated: “I’m going in search of the holy grail.”
It is intended that Dillo and Dolby will be provided with ammunition from the wings by The Green Hen and JoeSemi. The Green Hen, who was recently compared to Benfica’s Simao Sabrosa for his dynamic wing play, was philosophical about his aspirations for the World Cup: “Some people think we’re going there on a wing and a prayer. However, I think once we take flight on Sunday, we’ll be fine. As for the action itself, I refuse to be a mere hurler on the ditch. I believe in jumping the ditch and after last Saturday night, I know Dolby and JoeSemi feel the same way.” After a week of rest and recuperation in Saipan (or was it Spain?), there is no doubt that JoeSemi is raring to go. The player who is affectionately known as “Jo” has been likened by many to Frankie Hejduk of the United States. A bit like Hejduk, Jo found the going tough on the European scene but prospered when he moved Stateside. When asked about his potential role in this World Cup, Jo simply replied: “Looking forward to it I am.”
It’s clear that things are progressing nicely for Team Vito. The last warm-up game might have ended in a scoreless draw last weekend, but there is no doubt that players were holding themselves in reserve for the big one. Nonetheless, it proved a worthwhile exercise with the players being very well looked after by their hosts. It is evident that this is an exciting time for myself and the other members of Team Vito. I have no doubt that everyone on foot.ie will wish us well as we go in search of glory.
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