Shaun Goater?s decision to declare himself unavailable for Bermuda?s World Cup qualifying campaign has drawn sharp criticism from another of the Island?s soccer legends and a former national coach.

Both Clyde Best, who as well as playing for West Ham also managed the Island?s national team, and Mark Trott, national coach until the appointment of former boss Gary Darrell, believe the striker should have agreed to put club commitments with English Division One team, Reading, to one side in favour of turning out for his country.

Goater was condemned by TV sports personality, Nick Jones, on Sunday night?s episode of SportsVoice on ZBM Television for not making the trek for the home and away games with Montserrat in February and, while Best and Trott were less vociferous, they too felt his decision was ill-judged at best.understands national coach Kenny Thompson wanted Goater in his squad but the player, who declined to comment yesterday, said last month that he wanted to concentrate on playing for Reading, for whom he has been in and out of the line-up and is currently sidelined through injury, and believed his place should go to a promising youngster.

Approached for his view, Best, now coach at Ireland Rangers, said he did not buy the 33-year-old?s argument.

? My view is that anyone selected to represent your country, the country should always come first, whether it?s Shaun Goater or not,? he said. ?That?s just the way I feel. If it?s Bobby Charlton he would represent his country, if it was Geoff Hurst he would represent his country, so why should it be any different for Shaun Goater??

Best said the size of the country or its chance of progressing through to the finals of a competition was irrelevant.

?That shouldn?t have anything to do with it,? he said. ?What people have to realise is that we are talking about the young kids standing up and showing pride. How are they going to show pride if other individuals above them don?t do it, especially grown ups?

?My thing is that your country should always come first. People in the past have always done that and I don?t see why it should be any different (now). I?m not having a go directly at Shaun, it?s just that that?s the way it should be. Hey, let?s face it, how many players have you heard of that have turned their national association down??

In one of his most stinging comments, Best said he believed Goater should remember how it was he came to be playing in England?s top flight in the first place.

?What Shaun has to realise is that, hey, you got discovered playing for your country,? he said, a reference to the player being invited to join now Premiership champions Manchester United on the strength of a performance for a select team during the Red Devils? Bermudian tour of 1988. ?You didn?t get discovered playing for North Village or anyone else, you were discovered playing for Bermuda.?

The same request that was made of Goater was of course made of Best when he was playing in the then First Division for the Hammers. Best insists there was never any doubt in his mind what his answer was when the call came.

?To me it was an honour and a privilege to be a professional player and to come back here and represent the country,? he said. ?You wanted to show the players what you had learned ? I did anyway. It was always an honour to come back and give something back.

?I used to do it every time I got the chance. There was no hesitation, I never wanted to be paid, just come and play.?

For Best there was no excuse.

For Best there was no excuse.

?Everything was paid for and today it would be too,? he said. ?You get some players that want to be paid (on top) but that?s ridiculous. How can a country pay one person when they can?t pay the other 17 guys. It?s not fair.?

Trott, meanwhile, also felt Goater should have made himself available to coach Thompson.

?My opinion, and strictly mine, is that I think the World Cup is the biggest tournament that any player can participate in,? he said. ?It is the biggest tournament in a footballer?s career and if it was me I would gladly suit up for Bermuda.

?Looking at it from his (Goater?s) career, it might be one of the few times that Bermudians, and particularly young Bermudians who idolise him, would probably get to see him play for Bermuda in a tournament of this magnitude.

?What he might consider, and obviously I can?t tell him because he is looking at his career . . . is to come and play in the first leg. If he is completely over his injury, first and foremost, and if Mr. Thompson wants him in the team and all things being equal I would really like to see him play.?

Trott said he believed Goater?s presence would elevate the performances of others around him.

?I think with the talent we have, with exciting players like Khano Smith, Kwame Steede and ?Gumbo? Bean Jnr, coming into their own now, his presence would not only galvanise them but also excite the Bermuda public,? he said. ?People would come out to see new and exciting Bermuda youngsters playing in the presence of arguably our best player of the moment.

?Shaun is not the be-all-and-end-all of the team but the benefits for Bermudian football are endless. It would also be a way of him to say ?thank you? to Bermuda.?

Trott said he did not believe Goater?s place in the Reading line-up would be jeopardised by playing for his country.

?I respect the fact he is looking at his career at Reading, but I feel he is one of Reading?s top players, they have paid a good sum of money for him and there is no way, after playing at Manchester City with players of that level, that he cannot command a return to the team. The class player that he is? It?s like David Beckham going to play for England. When he goes back, look at the class players that Real Madrid have. It does not jeopardise his place in the team, other than that the coach may decide he is tired and decide to rest him.?

Speaking last month, Goater denied he was announcing his international retirement with the decision.

?This is a really busy time for me, what with moving to a new club, and these things have stopped me thinking about international football,? he said.

?But I am not announcing my retirement. I am not saying I will not play for Bermuda again. When the time is right, for both myself, the club and the national coach then we will see.?

Both coach Thompson and Bermuda Football Association general secretary, David Sabir, declined to comment on the subject at this time.