Football-I want to win the championship with St Louis Suns United - Dorasamy |26 March 2008
A fusion between St Louis and Sunshine in early 2007, St Louis Suns United don’t want to
The last time St Louis won a championship title was in 1993 during the Classification League while Sunshine won the first League title during the first full season of the new club era in 1995.
After spending three years with St Michel as assistant to coach Ralph Jean-Louis, Dorasamy decided to decamp for St Louis Suns United, again in the role as assistant to coach Marc Mathiot and he said that “it was not difficult to leave St Michel with whom I’ve won everything. It was time for a new challenge. It was time to try something different. A new challenge keeps you motivated and sharp and my heart has always been with St Louis.”
“We have a lot of talent”
Asked if he can win the championship with St Louis Suns United this year despite having a poor record with the old St Louis in two spells as coach, former Seychelles and St Louis striker Dorasamy replied:
“This year, we have a lot of talent. In some ways, this team are more talented than last year and I hope to recruit two more players – Northern Dynamo’s Steve Henriette and Red Star’s striker Wilnes Brutus. But the challenge is to get them to play together and for everyone on the team – members of management, coaches, players and even ball boys – to stay united and play their roles to the best of their abilities. Everybody needs to respect the other’s job and opinion. It’s now or never and I firmly believe that we can do it.
I know that the management badly wants the team to win the championship. This is good but it should not interfere with the work of the coaching staff. The supporters should also respect the team fielded for a specific match and give them their support rather than question the players’ and coaches’ abilities. Discipline is the key to success.
“This is why St Michel have been able to dominate Seychelles’ football in the post-regionalisation era. From top to bottom, everything is well planned. It is the best I’ve seen in local football. It was an honour working with the team and I take this opportunity to thank the team’s former chairman Basil Soundy, the present chairman Bernard Toulon, team manager Brian Uranie, coach Ralph Jean-Louis and the players for their help and understanding. I’ve learned a lot during the three years spent with St Michel and I want to share my experience with St Louis Suns United.”
Coach Dorasamy added that St Louis Suns United should put one over St Michel this coming Saturday in their Airtel Cup group A match otherwise the Anse Aux Pins-based team will still have the psychological advantage over his new team.
“Winning against an experienced St Michel on Saturday will give us the edge. My players can make up for their lack of experience with their skills on the ball and their will to win. They are a very good crop of players and promise a lot. The team’s success lies in their hands as they have to show on the field that they badly want to win the championship,” said Dorasamy.
“The level of club football has dropped”
Asked to comment on the actual level of Seychelles’ football, coach Dorasamy said:
“In my opinion, the level of club football has dropped over the last four years and this has a direct consequence on the level of play of the country’s national team. As long as we don’t have players who can keep possession of the ball and pass it around to destabilise the opposing defence, our football will not progress.
We will still see our players chasing the ball around and we will keep on losing matches.
“I’m happy to see that Seychellois coaches have been chosen on the panel of coaches for the different national teams, but my question is who is the head coach? I know that some people might not agree with me, but I believe that Ralph Jean-Louis can do a good job. He is young, energetic and deserves to be given an opportunity to prove his worth. As it is right now, I am of the impression that football director Ulric Mathiot will have the final say. I’m not happy with that because he has had his chance in the past. Let’s give somebody else a chance. The only way we can improve is by learning from our mistakes.”
After hanging up his boots in 1993 when his career as a player was cut short by an injury sustained in Germany while on training camp in preparation for the Fourth Indian Ocean Islands Games in Seychelles, Dorasamy took up coaching and he has had quite a long and interesting career as a coach.
Following two unsuccessful spells with the old St Louis, coach Dorasamy led Red Star to winning their first First Division League title in 1998. He then worked with Plaisance, winning the Second Division League title in 2002 before finishing sixth in the top flight in 2003.
He joined St Michel in 2005 – a year the Anse Aux Pins-based team finished the season empty-handed. In 2006, St Michel won the Land Marine Cup which they defended in 2007 and that same year they clinched the President’s Cup and the League championship title.
G. G.