I am the man, declares Tappa - Whitmore wants to stay in charge of Boyz

Theodore 'Tappa' Whitmore believes he is the man to lead Jamaica's Reggae Boyz into the 2022 World Cup qualifiers, sending a veiled message to Jamaica Football Federation president, Captain Horace Burrell.

Undergoing his third stint in charge of the national team, the previous two ending with him having to take a back seat to overseas coaches, Whitmore told STAR Sports he deserves the job of taking the Boyz to Qatar 2022.

"Why not, I have learnt a lot since then and now, so I don't see why I shouldn't be given the job to lead the team," said Whitmore, who scored two goals against Japan at the 1998 World Cup, operating as a skilful midfielder, who went on to play for Hull City, Scottish team Livingston and Tranmere Rovers in the United Kingdom.

INTERIM MANAGER

Whitmore was first brought into the Reggae Boyz coaching set-up as an interim manager, after the firing of former head coach Bora Milutinovic in November 2007.

However, he was relegated to assistant coach on Rene Simoes' second coming, which lasted only nine months, cutting short Jamaica's love affair with the Brazilian, who had carried the team to France 1998.

The former Seba player was again appointed interim manager, until former Jamaica-born England winger John Barnes became available in November 2009.

The game of musical chairs continued for Whitmore in 2010, reappointed head coach after Barnes left the job to take up a coaching position overseas.

After spending more than three years in the post, Whitmore was fired in 2013 after the Reggae Boyz failed to qualify for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

Out on the sideline while the JFF tinkered with new head coach Winfried Schaefer, Whitmore was, yet again, reappointed last year after the firing of the German coach.

Speaking to STAR Sports about the prospects of Jamaica reaching another World Cup final, Whitmore expressed confidence in JFF's rebuilding process, which has seen the Reggae Boyz qualify for the Gold Cup.

"We have started the rebuilding process. What we keep missing is the long term," said Whitmore.

"Yes, we want to do well in the CFU (Caribbean Football Union) tournaments but, in the end, we have to think about long term, and that is where we are at the moment," he added.