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Indiscipline hurting Clan Carthy
September 21, 2026
Clan Carthy High’s struggles in the ISSA Manning Cup extend beyond results, with coach Nallawe Blake pointing to indiscipline, inadequate preparation and a lack of support as major obstacles to the school’s development.
Clan Carthy have endured a difficult start to their Manning Cup campaign, suffering back-to-back defeats in their opening two matches. They lost 3-0 to Penwood High in their first game before being routed 6-0 by Innswood in their second outing. The team sits at the foot of Zone B without a point and with a goal difference of minus nine.
Blake, speaking after the loss to Innswood, insisted the result did not necessarily reflect the gap between the two teams. Instead, he pointed to indiscipline as the key factor, arguing that his players are not adequately prepared for the season. He said they have been unable to perform at their best because of a lack of commitment to preparation, particularly attendance at training sessions.
“I don’t think Innswood are six goals better than us. I think indiscipline is the problem; and not only on the match day, it’s from training,” Blake said.
“If you lose from training, you will lose the game. You must be in training in order to compete with persons who are in training five or six days per week,” he continued.
“They can play and the individual skill is there, but they are yet to know they are one team. So it’s really just indiscipline.”
LOW SUPPORT
Blake believes Clan Carthy’s challenges are partly tied to the school’s status outside the traditional Manning Cup powerhouses. He said the team entered the season with limited preparation. Although the players spent time in camp, they managed only one or two practice matches because of issues away from the football programme. He also said the school’s reputation as a minnow in the competition makes it difficult to attract support from both the school community and parents.
“Coming here, it’s really in-house issues that we are facing,” Blake said. “We were in camp but we only played maybe one or two practice matches because we had different issues from home.
“Because we are not a traditional school, it’s hard to get that support. If it was a KC or a JC, the parents would push out more effort.”
Blake also challenged the perception among some parents that football can negatively affect a child’s education. He argued that football should instead be viewed as part of a student’s overall development, noting that Clan Carthy have produced players who have gone on to represent successful schoolboy programmes elsewhere.
“We have a lot of players at the school; a lot of footballers. We have footballers that left and won with Excelsior last year. We’ve had players that were there with JC when they won, so it’s an every year thing where we have footballers on the winning teams.”
Blake continued, “The parents, I’d say they don’t understand. We often say football or sports take away education from person, not knowing that it actually contributes to their holistic development.”
He also pointed to player movement between schools as another challenge facing the programme. For him, the answer lies in changing the culture around football at the school, starting with younger players. Blake explained that a number of players from the school’s Under-16 and Under-14 teams are already involved in the Manning Cup programme. He said the goal is to gradually bring them into the fold and build a competitive programme capable of improving the school’s reputation.
Clan Carthy’s next match will see them travel to face Papine High as they continue their search for a first win of the season.
