football in bigger countries such as England, Germany, Holland and the United States, the more he realises how far behind Bermuda lags in the world game.

And all he needed as a reminder was to look at this week's world rankings issued by FIFA which have Bermuda just a few places off the bottom among 190 countries.

From a reasonably successful World Cup campaign in 1992, Bermuda have been dormant at the international level for much of the past six years. As a result the country have subsequently slipped to their lowest ever position.

"Just how far behind we actually are is reflected in the latest FIFA rankings where we were 184th out of 190 countries,'' said Thompson, who was a part of the '92 World Cup team under Gary Darrell.

Bermuda have slipped so much because of a dormant international programme that countries like Chad, Western Samoa and Cayman Islands, who Bermuda will play next month in the Caribbean in their return to international competition, are all listed ahead of them. The Caymans, hardly a force in world soccer, are almost 20 places higher.

Countries such as Jamaica, El Salvador, Haiti, Canada and Antigua, Bermuda's opponents during the last World Cup qualifying campaign, have all put some distance between themselves and Bermuda.

And now the question of whether Bermuda should even enter the next World Cup qualifying competition is again being debated.

After not entering in 1986 because they couldn't afford to, Jamaica are now benefiting from a successful qualifying run and will carry the Caribbean's hopes all the way to France this June.

"People are talking about Jamaica's success but the country supported the Jamaican national team,'' Thompson pointed out.

"It wasn't just the Jamaican national team in isolation, but the country supported the team. We have to get serious in Bermuda. If not then don't point the finger at football when certain things happen.

"Let's find solutions to the problems and act. Too many people are only willing to sit around, point the finger and talk about the shortcomings.

"Money has to be put into football. There was no sense entering the World Cup in 1992 and then not entering the next World Cup.

"There's no sense entering the Pan-Am Games and then not putting a programme in place for the next Games.

"The problems were there even in 1992 but what we ended up doing in '92 was a one-off type of situation. What we need to do is build consistency and to do that we need to set up a programme from top to bottom.'' Thompson says he isn't prepared to sit back and complain but is trying to find solutions. Which is why he changed his mind about quitting as North Village coach after just one year at the First Division club.

He admits it was the abandoned FA Cup semi-final at White Hill against Vasco that almost caused him to throw in the towel.

Coach bemoans Bermuda slump From Page 23 "After that situation at White Hill, I came very close to calling it a day in Bermuda,'' said Thompson, whose team were trailing 2-0 when the game was stopped in the final minutes because of fighting.

"My first reaction was that I didn't want to be a part of this. "I was ready to call it a day but since then I've had some time to think and next year I will be back at North Village. I would rather be in a position to help.'' Thompson made North Village one of the youngest teams in the First Division, employing an ambitious youth policy, and he wants to remain to see the job through. At 33 he is also one of the youngest coaches in the First Division.

"I can look back on this past season with a sense of satisfaction that we have one of the youngest teams in the country,'' he said.

"We introduced as many as six players, who are still Bantams, to First Division football and I don't think they were out of place.'' Also close to Thompson's heart are the group of youngsters he took to the Holland Cup last summer. He will accompany another team to the same competition in July.

A keen follower of the Dutch game -- an Ajax fan -- he visits the country up to three times a year and adopts their attitude of trying to win and play attractive football at the same time.

"I don't just go and watch the professional game, I watch the amateur game as well,'' said Thompson of his visits to Holland.

"I watched a team two weeks ago and it was the 10th team at the club. In the game there was an intelligent strategy so that made it easier for me as a spectator to watch. "Here, many times, you have players who aren't even willing to play in the Alliance Division if they can't make the first team.

But in Holland these players have nine more teams to go before they reach the first team! "I travel to England, Germany, Holland, America to get a footballing education and then come back and have to be subjected to these primitive facilities.'' Thompson says much has to improve before the idea of making the local game semi-professional can ever be achieved.

"Just paying the players in itself will not improve the game,'' he stressed.

"You have to take into consideration the overall environment that you put these players in and if that doesn't change it's not going to make a difference.

"You also have to improve the overall facilities at the grounds.''