difficulty as he prepares his squad for the Shell/Umbro Cup in Jamaica next month.

Rarely, so far, has the new coach been able to gather a full squad for training sessions, and time is fast running out.

"I think the main reason is that we have had a very short time to prepare the team combined with the fact that with many of the teams challenging for the league title, the players' allegiance right now is with their clubs,'' said Aldwyn Savery, chairman of the BFA's coaching committee.

Admitting that poor attendance was a concern, Savery said that Best and his assistant, Gary Darrell, still needed to see close to the 36 members of the squad present during training in order to compile their final selection.

"Personally I feel that if a player is picked at a national level it means that he is a little bit more advanced than others and it should be easier for that player to fit into the programme of the club when he is needed to play,'' said Savery.

"The player actually will gain from the national programme and from what I have heard many of them are saying that Clyde and Gary are doing things that are a little different and are more interesting and enjoyable.'' The chairman stressed that it was vital for all players to make a serious attempt to live up to their commitment and show up for training regularly, noting that the little time remaining was crucial.

"We have been training three times a week and it's disappointing that the coaches haven't had the whole set of players together at any one time. There have been occasions when we have had large turnouts, but we are getting to the point when we would certainly like to see everybody so that the coaches can better evaluate things,'' he added.

Two-sport performers Corey Hill and Janeiro Tucker are reported to have been chosen to represent Bermuda in the ICC Trophy cricket tournament in Malaysia.

And since neither have been out for soccer training, having been extended invitations, they are both likely to be overlooked.

Meanwhile, the official number of players invited to train with the Shell/Umbro squad has swelled to 41 with the addition of veteran Vasco forward Sammy Swan.