IT WASN'T too many years ago that those following local football would have chuckled at any suggestion that our national team were so disorganised they couldn't even beat the likes of Cayman Islands.

But suddenly it's no laughing matter.

In the '70s, '80s and even in the '90s, a six-goal walloping of our Caribbean rivals, at the very least, might have been the general consensus.

This weekend Bermuda's squad, along with a multitude of coaches, travel to Grand Cayman, acutely aware that only an outright victory will guarantee their passage into the next round of the World Cup qualifying tournament.

Anything less, even a goalless draw, would mean we're booted out at the first hurdle of a tournament for which Bermuda Football Association have supposedly been preparing for the last four years.

Of course, it isn't all doom and gloom.

A victory over Major Soccer League team Colorado Rapids in their last outing will have lifted spirits and boosted confidence - albeit against a Rapids team nowhere near as efficient as their MSL counterparts New England Revolution who had twice beaten Bermuda just a few weeks earlier.

But that recent win alone can't hide the fact that virtually the same team could only eke out a 1-1 draw in their first leg match against Caymans on home turf, putting the side in the precarious position which they now find themselves.

And with professionals Khano Smith and Reggie Lambe back to help strengthen the squad, there can be no excuses if the team come back empty handed . . . excuses such as those frequently used to explain the disappointing performances of our national cricket team, that we're just a tiny country with a small population who shouldn't be expected to beat larger nations.

Cayman Islands has a population of just over 50,000. They boast just 14 senior teams, playing in two national divisions.

And that league, oddly enough, is sponsored by the Bank of Butterfield. Wonder who they'll be supporting this weekend?

Their team will have just one player - their goalkeeper - who plays professionally.

But it's crystal clear that countries such as the Caymans, as have so many others, with limited resources in terms of players, facilities and finance, have come on leaps and bounds in the last few years while Bermuda's programme, some might say, has almost stagnated.

Promises have been unfullfilled although we continue to produce players blessed with enormous talent who, for one reason or another, haven't reached their potential.

Thus, in many ways, the match against Caymans this Sunday could be regarded as a watershed for our national sport.

If we win, we just might be able to get back on track, and newly-appointed coach Keith Tucker and those around him might be thrown a lifeline.

If we lose, we're back to square one.

And it might be time for heads to roll at every level, from the top of administration through to those who plan team tactics.

Every World Cup game is a big game. For Bermuda, this weekend's is bigger than most.

* * * *

SHAUN GOATER has never been the most outspoken of athletes. Indeed, during his long and distinguished career in England he was respected for his diplomacy, even when on occasions he had every reason to feel aggrieved.

Manchester City fans felt he was the player more than any other who spearheaded their promotion from the League Championship to the Premier League. And he'll forever be remembered for the two goals he banged in against arch rivals Manchester United in a victory that meant so much to the City faithful.

Yet when Kevin Keegan arrived at the club to take over as manager and decided Goater wasn't a part of his plans, the Bermudian star still never complained.

So it might have come as a shock to some when the former striker this week aired his frustration over the fact that he's been ignored by the BFA for almost a year, following his application for the post of youth director.

The governing body's response to his complaint was that they never intended to make that appointment until a technical director was put in place. And that occurred only recently.

But that's a poor excuse and without merit.

While we've said before that good players don't always make good coaches, given the fluctuating fortunes of local football, Goater's wealth of experience should never have been ignored for such a long time.

Even if he had been appointed on an interim basis on the condition that adjustments could be made once the TD came on board, Bermuda football would have benefited immensely.

Another valuable year has been lost in a youth programme which needs all the help it can get.

Goater could have chosen to stay in the UK where he would have been snapped up by a number of clubs who would have immediately had him join their back room staff. And there's plenty in the broadcast media who would have welcomed him into their studio as an analyst.

Instead, he chose to come home where, inexplicably, he's been snubbed.

* * * *

SPORTS Minister El James' announcement last week that Bermuda could host an Interncontinental Cup match this summer providing the National Sports Centre pitch is deemed fit by the International Cricket Council (ICC), must have come as music to the ears for national coach Gus Logie.

It's almost four years since the national team have played on home turf and Logie has long contended that the lack of such a facility has severely hampered his programme.

But James' optimism raises a few important questions.

If he believes groundstaff at the NSC are capable of preparing a pitch capable of withstanding the rigours of a four-day game, then why weren't his predecessors in the Sports Ministry, Randy Horton and Dale Butler, of the same opinion.

What's suddenly changed?

An ICC inspector a few years' ago said the NSC pitch wasn't 'fit to grow carrots'.

That sparked a furious debate on whether soil should be brought in from overseas, with local farmers claiming such a move could lead to serious contamination.

Last year Government announced that plans were being made to run such a risk.

But James made no mention about importation of soil.

Is Logie and the rest of Bermuda Cricket Board as confused as the rest of us?

****

HAD this week's annual Sports Awards been presented on 'personality' rather than 'performance' there would have been no argument about those who received the top honours.

But Sportsman of the Year Dwayne (Sluggo) Leverock and Sportswoman of the Year Flora Duffy would probably admit that 2007 wasn't their best.

Both have continued to be terrific ambassadors for Bermuda, but Sluggo, despite earning worldwide recognition after claiming two key scalps in a warm-up match against England prior to the World Cup and then taking a brilliant catch in the slips against India two weeks' later, has enjoyed better seasons with the ball.

And Flora, after taking the world of triathlon by storm in 2006, couldn't produce the same kind of performances last year, for a variety of reasons.

That's not to say they weren't worthy winners this week.

But a case could be made that Khano Smith, who played a huge part in taking the New England Revolution to the Major Soccer League final for the second year running, and equestrians Patrick Nesbitt and Jill Terceira, who so far are the only Bermudians to qualify for this year's Beijing Olympics, might have been better choices.

- ADRIAN ROBSON