Keith Tabatznik has been left in limbo over his future with Bermuda's national football team following the resignation of his long-time coaching comrade Keith Tucker.

Tucker's turbulent tenure - blighted with in-fighting and player dissent - came to an inevitable end earlier this month with Kenny Thompson taking the reins as coach ahead of the World Cup qualifiers against Trinidad and Tobago.

The changing of the guard has left Tucker's trusted lieutenant out in the cold with Tabatznik admitting his status still remains unclear despite holding recent talks with technical director Derek Broadley.

Tabatznik was initially hired on an "honorarium" basis in March on the recommendation of lifelong friend Tucker to help prepare the Gombey Warriors for their second leg qualifier against Cayman Islands.

Prior to Tucker quitting his post, Tabatznik said he had fully expected to resume his role as assistant coach for Bermuda's mouthwatering mission against the Soca Warriors.

"Obviously Keith (Tucker) brought me onboard and although I've spoken to technical director Derek Broadley since, the coaching change my status remains unclear," said Tabatznik.

"I'd love to be involved for the Trinidad and Tobago games but if I'm not I wish Bermuda a tremendous amount of luck and really believe they can pull it off. There has been some talk of me doing some overseas scouting but at this late stage it looks unlikely."

Tabatznik maintains he did not envisage Tucker stepping down mid-campaign, but believes the constant "territorial manoeuverings" within the coaching set-up had taken its toll on his friend.

"It's no secret there was a lot of backroom issues going on throughout Keith's time as coach," he said. "There were certain territorial manoeuverings and I think that created some stress for Keith, especially early on when he didn't feel he received the support he should.

"But, he brought in Kenny Thompson and myself and things settled down and our performances improved. I've spoken to Keith since he left and he feels satisfied with what he achieved."

The arrival of football theologian Thompson and US Olympic Development Programme (ODP) coach Tabatznik saw Tucker often cut a forlorn, withdrawn, figure in training while his assistants shared the bulk of the coaching.

During the final few months of his stewardship a number of senior players also spoke candidly off the record about losing faith in Tucker's abilities as a leader, with Thompson becoming the unofficial head coach in their eyes.

It therefore seemed only a question of time before Thompson, who immediately struck up a strong working relationship with Broadley, replaced former Somerset Trojan stopper Tucker.

But Tabatznik yesterday defended the consensus style of coaching adopted by Tucker and believes he should look back on his short-lived reign as a successful one.

"It's true that when Kenny and myself arrived we did the majority of the coaching with Keith overseeing things," he said. "I think that just shows how much confidence he had in Kenny and myself.

"Keith still picked the team and made the tough decisions and we got the job done in Cayman. I was surprised he stepped down and thought things would stay the same at least until after the Trinidad matches."

Tabaznik, who works as an expert analyst for Fox Soccer Channel covering college games, is now mulling over an offer to become technical director of USL-D2 franchise Crystal Palace Baltimore.

Palace, a feeder organisation for English Championship outfit Crystal Palace, beat Bermuda Hogges 1-0 at the weekend.