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It’s not nice to lose – Austin
September 27, 2024
After two defeats to start their Jamaica Premier League (JPL) season, Portmore United's head coach Rodolph Austin has declared that it is not a nice feeling to lose, and that he is working to fix their problems in short order.
Austin, a former Reggae Boyz captain, had a distinct career before hanging up his boots last season. He won two JPL titles with the club before moving to Europe, where he played with several clubs including Leeds United, where he was also captain.
However, his first stint as head coach has not gone well, and the former midfielder said he does not like the taste of defeat and that it is time his team starts playing like the winners.
"I am not going to stand here and tell you that it is nice to lose game," he said after their defeat to Cavalier on Sunday. "It is not nice and we have to get back to winning ways as soon as possible.
"We have to start getting some clean sheets, defend better than what we are showing and start putting away our chances. We have to make better decisions, both defensively and in the final third."
Although Portmore's two losses came at the hands of the defending champions Cavalier and last season's beaten finalists Mount Pleasant Football Academy, Austin insists that is no excuse.
"When you have won seven championships, no game is going to be easy. Portmore United, everybody is going to come and play us hard," he emphasised.
"We can't sit and say that we played against the two best teams. Nothing is given in football. We have to go out and win games and play some good football and play like we want to win," he continued.
He added that goalscoring remains a major concern, but that he is confident he will turn the season around.
"That (goalscoring) has been our problem. It has been for the whole country. You don't have a lot of players who can open a defence and that is why over the years you haven't seen much players reach 20 goals for the season," Austin observed.
"That shows that throughout the competition and throughout the league that is where most teams are lacking. So if we can fix that we can fix our season," he analysed.
"Definitely. I feel I can turn it around. I do not mind suffering. I have failed a lot of times in my life and football is like that. It is ups and downs. We just have to get back, get a rhythm, find your best 11 and create a good environment. And sometimes you will have to make some tough decisions, and it is coming up to that," he added.
