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BERMUDA | RSS PODCAST

Boyles looking for the Bermudian way

Bermuda head coach Devarr Boyles isn’t too worried about his side not gelling before their opening World Cup qualifier against Trinidad and Tobago on Friday.With more players than ever before based away from Bermuda there had been some concern that the likes of Nahki Wells, Freddy Hall and Reggie Lambe might take a while to develop a rapport with their team-mates.However, Boyles believes that the work that has been done with the Bermuda Hogges and in the national academy set-up over the past two years means the players will be familiar enough with each other’s games.In fact, the biggest thing on Boyles’ mind is developing a unique style and establishing a Bermudian way of playing the game.“There was no issue for me as to how the players would play together,” said Boyles.“In Bermuda we are trying to develop a game style, and it’s becoming evident in what we are doing at the national academy, that this is what we’re doing.“Over the last two years this is what we have been doing, it’s still evolving and when we get to the training camp we will continue to see it evolve.”The Bermuda-based players fly to Florida this morning when they will meet up with the likes of Hall and Wells at their Fort Lauderdale training camp.While in the past Bermuda have had a long preparation time for international matches, the Island is now operating like most other nations and will only have a five-day build-up. Boyles though believes that should be ample time to gel the team into a unit, especially as the players concerned all know what roles they are expected to perform.“Our problem really is establishing what is Bermudian,” said Boyles, “so for the next few years it will be a lot of movement in that direction, both from clubs as well as what we are doing at the national level to come up with something that we can identify as Bermudian.“I don’t see the small amount of preparation time as being any problem in actual fact. We have profiles for position, players are matching those profiles, so when it comes to individuals it’s just a matter of performing individually well, and collectively it results in a good performance.”The last time Bermuda faced Trinidad in a World Cup qualifier they came agonisingly close to beating their Caribbean rivals, winning away, but losing at home. This time it’s different, a six-game group stage means a longer campaign, but one which Boyles believes his team are more than equipped to deal with.“Yes, it’s going to be tough,” he said, “but if you look at the calendar of the Bermuda Hogges, we had a road trip where we played eight games in four days, a lot of that (preparation) has been captured with the Hogges schedule.“Players have become travel wise, not travel weary and as a result I think we will more than cope.”