TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras — There was an eerie sense of expectancy as Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz returned to their team base at the Real Intercontinental Hotel on Tuesday night following their 0-2 loss to Honduras, and with it almost certain elimination from the Brazil World Cup Finals next summer.

And when Jamaica Football Federation president Captain Horace Burrell told members of the media that he was “contemplating a meeting” for later that night, it all appeared to be dé jávu.

As it was in this same country, on October 11, 2008, that Captain Burrell fired then technical director, Brazilian Rene Simoes after a string of poor performances from the team. Coincidentally, it was current head coach Theodore Whitmore, who was tasked with guiding the team for the three remaining matches in the campaign, which he duly won.

Now, after four losses on the trot, when asked if he feared being fired by Captain Burrell, Whitmore laughed as he told the media on Tuesday night what he has always said.

“Listen, man, once you’re hired you can be fired, but as long as I’m here I’ll keep on doing what I have to do and I’ll fight to the end,” he said.

The coach, who became the first to inflict defeat on the USA and the first to score a point away at the much vaunted Azteca in Mexico City, admitted that he was disappointed with the result and all that has happened in recent times.

“I’m very disappointed, but in the circumstances we just have to work and fight to the end. We just have to pick up the pieces and, hopefully, in September we’ll have back some of our more influential players, so we just have to keep fighting.”

The defeat was Jamaica’s fourth in a row and it left the Caribbean island on two points in last place, eight off leaders the United States of America, who slammed Panama 2-0 at the CenturyLink Field in Seattle, Washington. Costa Rica, who held hosts Mexico 0-0 at the Azteca for their fourth goalless result in the round, share second place on eight points, with Honduras next with seven points and Panama in fifth place on six points.

Whitmore added that his technical staff has a lot of concerns about the team, but time didn’t allow them to do what they wanted to do or the players they wanted to do it with.

Regarding Tuesday’s game, he noted that the team started poorly and after conceding the early goal the players started believing in themselves and the team looked better, but for the consistent giving away of possession.

“The Hondurans gave us a lot of space to play and we didn’t utilise it, and we didn’t create any clear-cut opportunities as well, so I think that basically summed up the performance.”

In an effort to try and get back into the game, the head coach sought to explain the thinking behind the substitutions.

“We tried to play three at the back with Alvas (Powell), (Adrian) Mariappa and (Daniel) Gordon, and we brought four into midfield with (Jermaine) Beckford, Theo Robinson and (Darren) Mattocks up front and tried a bit of pace to run at the Hondurans, but I didn’t think that happened and late in the game we were pushing and we had the Hondurans on the back foot, but unfortunately we lost Mariappa and we had to make the adjustment and that opened us a bit and the Hondurans came at us and got clear-cut opportunities,” he explained.

In a game which the Reggae Boyz had to win to keep any realistic hopes of a second appearance at the FIFA World Cup Finals, they went behind through a 10th-minute opener from Oscar Garcia, and two minutes from the end, sloppy defending gifted striker Roger Rojas the simple task of rounding goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts to make the game safe, after the visitors had battled resolutely after the dismissal of central defender Mariappa in the 76th minute.

“When we went down to 10 players I thought we needed a more holding player to release Rodolph Austin and that was the decision behind that. If we weren’t down to 10 men, then we could inject a Jermaine Hue, who would go on the field and keep the possession we were lacking.”

Meanwhile, the coach said that Jermaine Johnson, who was visibly upset at his substitution, had a free role to play because of the three other midfielders on the pitch. But he thought that the home side was attacking down Johnson’s side and so they thought about putting Austin on that side and give a more central position with Marvin Elliott to Damion Williams.

But overall, Whitmore said the technical staff just had to work with the quality at its disposal.

“What we have we just have to work with it,” he said. “It is not like we have a team where we can work around the clock; we always get a team a couple of days to work,” he explained.

Whitmore at the same time is convinced that the loss of some key players condemned his team to the cellar position.

“We lost some key players, some influential players and this has brought us to the position we are in now, but it is football and a situation we can’t do anything about.

“We failed to keep possession of the ball and we lacked patience in our game, especially when we conceded that goal we wanted to rush forward, but was giving away the football. The Hondurans gave us a lot of room to play and we didn’t,” he reiterated.

Teams:

Jamaica — (1) Donovan Ricketts (captain), (2) Daniel Gordon, (19) Adrian Mariappa, (3) O’Brian Woodbine, (5) Alvas Powell, (4) Marvin Elliott, (17) Rodolph Austin, (8) Jermaine Johnson (21 Damion Williams 73rd), (15) Je-Vaighn Watson (14 Theo Robinson 60th), (7) Jermaine Beckford), (9) Ryan Johnson (11 Darren Mattocks 60th).

Subs not used: (13) Dwayne Miller (GK), (23) Andre Blake (GK), (21)Adrian Reid, (6) Montrose Phinn, (12) Evan Taylor, (22) Garath McCleary, (10) Keammar Daley, (20) Jermie Lynch, (16) Omar Daley, (18) Jermaine Hue

Booked: Woodbine (51st), Jermaine Johnson (53rd), Mariappa (67th, ejected (red) 76th), Ricketts (77th)

Honduras — (18) Noel Valladores (captain), (4) Juan Montes, (5) victor Bernardez, (12) Arnold Peralta, (7) Emilio Izaguirre (6 Juan Garcia 87th), (19) Luis Garrido, (15) Roger Espinoza, (8) Wilson Palacios, (14) Oscar Garcia (9 Marvin Chavez, 29th), (21) Roger Rojas, (10) Mario Martinez (20 Jorge Claros 74th)

Subs not used: (1) Kevin Hernandez, (22) Donis Escober, (6) Juan Garcia, (3) Bryan Beckles, (2) Jose Velasquez, (23) Orlin Peralta, (11) Jerry Bengston, (16) Andy Najar, (20) Jorge Claros, (17) Rony Martinez, 913) Diego Reyes.

Booked: Garrido (31st), Bernardez (44th), Rony Martinez (53rd)

Referee: Marco Rodriquez (Mexico)

Assistant Referee 1: Marvin Torrentera (Mexico)

Assistant Referee 2: Marcus Quintero (Mexico)

Fourth Official: Ricardo Arellano (Mexico)