Vere United coach resigns

by

September 25, 2019

Photo

Vere United players celebrate the opening goal against Portmore United in a recent Red Stripe Premier League match.

Kavarly Arnold Photo St Elizabeth Technical's (STETHS) Mushtaq Christopher (left) and Maggotty High's Rohan Palmer battle for the ball during an ISSA/WATA daCosta Cup Group E match at Appleton Sports Complex earlier this month. STETHS won 1-0.

Vere United head coach, Michael Bennett, became the second casualty of the current Red Stripe Premier League (RSPL) season, after he and the club parted ways yesterday, just four games into the season.

Bennett, who guided the Clarendon club back for their second stint in the top flight, has overseen one win and three defeats so far this campaign and he revealed that he was being openly disrespected and undermined by members of the club’s executive and thought it was unwise to continue in the current situation. He quit his job following the 2-0 defeat to Dunbeholden on Sunday.

“I was not removed (as coach). After the Dunbeholden game, I said to the manager that it is better he gets somebody else. But I wasn’t given any letter. I was the person who made the decision,” Bennett told STAR Sports.

“It (resignation) was mainly because of the results. Secondly, there were people in the management team that were not pleased with me being there. Not the owner Mr (Lothian) Cousins, but there were people that were disgruntled when we started losing games. So I thought it was time to move on. I had done my job, I had carried Vere back to the Premier League,” he explained.

“When you are in an organisation and there are people who are disgruntled and making verbal talks and are openly disrespectful, you know it’s time to go,” he added.

Bennett said his assistants have also followed him through the exit door. The veteran coach said he will look to return to his home parish St Thomas and try to qualify a team from that parish for the RSPL. “I have targeted a St Thomas club to get them back into the Premier League. I will be at York, who has the best organisation of the clubs in the parish.

“A lot of patience was not exercised but I did my best in Clarendon in my first stint. So now they must carry it to the next level because my main objective now is to get my parish (St Thomas) back to the Premier League,” Bennett said.

Club owner Lothian Cousins indicated that Bennett’s stint with the club ended because of the poor run of results.

“The thing speaks for itself you know. We lost three games and won one,” he stated.