“Tallest” fired as head coach

Dennis Lawrence during a recent media conference.
Dennis Lawrence during a recent media conference.

DENNIS “TALLEST” Lawrence has been fired as head coach of TT's senior men’s national football team with immediate effect.

According to a media release from the TT Football Association (TTFA) on Sunday, “The services of Lawrence as national team coach were terminated with immediate effect following a majority decision by the board.”

The TTFA had a nine-hour board meeting on Saturday at the Ato Boldon Stadium, Couva with its elected officers (president William Wallace, vice-presidents Clynt Taylor, Susan Warrick and Joseph Sam Phillip) and eight of 12 member delegates from Central FA, Eastern FA, Northern FA, Southern FA, TT Pro League, TT Referees Association, TT Super League and Women’s League Football (WoLF).

The media release noted, “Immediately following the decision of the board, Wallace contacted Lawrence via telephone to inform him of the decision and wished him well in his personal and professional life, while also thanking him for his services to the men’s team.

“The TTFA president and Lawrence’s representative(s) will meet to discuss the terms of separation,” the release continued.

“Lawrence’s replacement will be announced shortly.”

The 45-year-old Lawrence has endured a heavily-criticised stint as coach, since he was appointed in January 2017.

He only guided the team to six victories since replacing Belgian Tom Saintfiet.

And former TTFA president David John-Williams, in a Newsday interview last month, said, “Unfortunately, we live in a society of instant gratification and (are) results-oriented. And we live in a society where we see in the English Premiership, where a man loses five games and they buss he throat.

“Because in the morning, you know what? I could go and pick up a coach in the morning. And that same coach who get he throat buss could go to a next team and get nine wins on a trot. But we don’t live in a country where we could pick up a men’s national team coach like that.

“We don’t have the money to fire Dennis Lawrence in the morning.”

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"“Tallest” fired as head coach"

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