Assistant national football coach Richard Todd yesterday attributed Bermuda's humbling defeat to Antigua and Barbuda in their opening Digicel Cup match in the Cayman Islands earlier this week to a gross lack of preparation.

Todd, who has excused himself from the squad's current assignment in the Caribbean because of "personal commitments", said he wasn't surprised to learn of Bermuda's 4-0 drubbing against the Antiguans given that preparations in the lead-up to the regional tournament were far from "ideal".

"Two weeks out we began training for the Digicel Cup and we invited a pool of 27 players but only six players showed up for practice nightly, and not the same group on consecutive nights. From that standpoint, obviously, you are going to be concerned that we are not prepared as a team," he told The Royal Gazette.

"The importance I thought we had placed on the Digicel as a priority was to look at it as a great opportunity for us to advance (to the Gold Cup). But when you look at the make-up of the team and lack of preparation, you had to be concerned and see that this was coming. It was no surprise to me that we went down there and defensively looked the worst that we've ever been because we have an inexperienced and untried defence.

"I think our preparation towards the Digicel could have been better. Maybe identifying the squad a little earlier may have helped. We would've known ahead of time that some players were not available and could've looked at some younger players a lot earlier and better prepared the team together instead of having a disjointed two weeks of preparation with only six players show up for training."

The former North Village defender also attributed fatigue to Bermuda's recent demise with a number of sqaud players said to be reeling from the long-term effects of playing domestic football in the winter and fulfilling summer obligations with semi-pro outfit Bermuda Hogges in the USL Second Division.

"I had a concern weeks prior to us even getting together to begin preparations about the mental and physical fatigue of the players. Players excused themselves because they were mentally and physically fatigued," Todd revealed. "I thought more attention needed to be paid towards the psychological state of the players who I think we have taken for granted or forgotten that we have players now entering into their second year of playing year-round soccer.

"They have been burdened with going through a long domestic season and then moving onto the Bermuda Hogges and a World Cup (qualifying) campaign which I thought was very taxing on them. Nobody has taken into consideration the length of the domestic season these guys have been through and then there into the Hogges environment where every other word that comes out of the coach's mouth is that this is a 'professional environment'.

"I think a lot is being demanded of the players and then when there are bad results they are being hammered publicly. Our players are not professional players yet we are placing demands on them as if they were. But even professional players have rest periods and so I think there really needs to be a rethink on what benefits are we really getting with the Bermuda Hogges programme working in conjuction with our domestic programme.

"I'm not saying the Hogges is not a good thing . . . we just have to do a better job of looking at the calendar year and planning better to allow for our players to get proper rest. To bring our players in to begin preparations for the Digicel Cup two weeks before the start of the tournament and asking them to train nightly was a mistake because mentally and physically they were tired. We would've been better off asking the players to train two to three times per week on focus aspects.

"For two years in a row some of these guys have been playing year-round soccer and it's no surprise to me that a player like Kevin Richards says, 'Hey, physically I'm tired . . . I can't do it'. And this was a common theme among all of the players and so I think consideration has to be given in that area.

"This was an area I was really trying to highlight with some concern prior to us regrouping and engaging for the Digicel tournament, but there was reluctance to hear those concerns or even address them. These players have jobs, they have to work all day and then go and train. But I think we are fogetting these players are amateurs first and foremost and that playing soccer is not their bread and butter."

Having gone down heavily to the Antiguans in their opening cup clash, Bermuda must now win their remaining two matches against the hosts and St. Martin and hope other results go their way in order to advance in the competition.

However, Todd, who will work alongside head coach Andrew Bascome at Boulevard this season, is concerned about the mental effects last Wednesday's discouraging result will have on the Bermudians.

"You have to wonder about the psychlogical state of the players heading into matches two and three. It's not a given that we can advance if we have given up four goals in our first match," he said. "It is a huge hole that we have dug ourselves into, but I'm not saying that we can't advance."