About Foreign Coaches and The Performance of the Ghana Black Stars

Introduction:

The Ghanaian national football team, Ghana Black Stars came tumbling out of the Confederation of African Football tournament held in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea, with an abysmal performance. The expectations of most football fans in the country were not met and there is obvious uneasiness on the streets of Accra. These are what some football fans had to say after the tournament.

                                  Kwame Appiah (Ceiling Brush Seller)

Some of the things happening in Ghana give me a lot of reason to be worried. Why do we always have fear and worries trying to assign our own people to take on very important national duties?

What has happened to all the thousands if not millions of people we have trained over the period using state funds in the spheres of Agriculture, Medicine and Sports?

For how long are we going to place our destinies in the hands of the White man who bears no allegiance to the State of Ghana? Football has become a national heritage and a part of the people and it is only when the Black Stars play that Woyome is no longer discussed with partial lenses.

Why do we always have to bring in expatriates to handle our sports and especially football? The time has come for us to instill some confidence in our own people.

A Ghanaian coach who had managed a number of local teams in Ghana and who had managed a number of local teams in Ghana and who has read the history of Ghana football would have certainly handled the national team in a much different fashion and that would without a doubt had a dramatic effect on our style of play and performance.

I have never seen a black man coaching a local team of any European country not even to talk of the national team so why do we have the opposite taking place in this part of our world?

                                        Emmanuel Asante (Barber)

The predicament of the Ghana Black Stars is that we have still not cultivated the habit of maintaining a squad for a longer period of time and that has always had effect on the performance of the team.

All over the world, the teams that perform better, including Brazil national team, usually have some players who have been with the team for some time and they bring along with them some experience and expertise which helps a team.

A player like Stephen Appiah must be recalled to the Black Stars because I believe he still has something more to offer.

                                        Ruby Opoku (Bread Seller)

We could just not believe what happened to the Black Stars the other day when it was obvious that they had won the match. However, I am very disappointed over the condemnation of Asamoah Gyan by Ghanaian football fans after the penalty kick which he missed in the match against Zambia.

Certainly, the Black Stars could have won that match if Asamoah Gyan had scored that penalty but did not mean that others could also not be blamed for our inability to have qualified to the final of that tournament.

When Asamoah Gyan scores we jubilate and pour onto the streets dancing for him so he is not an entirely bad player.

Many hearts were broken when Ghana failed to progress to the of the competition but I also believe that all hope is not lost and that it is possible that we could bring the cup home one day.

Daniel Amuzu (Aryton Drugs)

The mid-fielders of the Black Stars are those who contributed to our defeat and total humiliation throughout the tournament.

A player like Nkum should not be playing in the 7^th position because his crosses are bad and often when he did, it brought no good.

That position is critical so any one who is made to play there must be solid and efficient in that role. A player like Paintsil has become a spent force and it is about time he is driven out of the national team in order to pave way for the younger ones to occupy that role permanently.

Hence forth, Asamoah Gyan should not be made to take penalty kicks because that guy is just a heart-breaker. He missed another critical penalty at the World Cup and that brought so much trouble to the Stars and the nation.

Emma Agbakpe (Trader)

Ghana is on the verge of building a solid and a unified team which would reign in Africa and in the rest of the world for a very long time.

Unlike before, we now have the players we can rely on at any given moment but what is left has to do with a bit of fine tuning so that the team is able to perform to our satisfaction.

The energetic and boisterous young players I see on the pitch clad in the jersey of Ghana is an indication of greater things to come and I believe that with a little more patience and hard work on their part, Ghana would rewrite the history of football.

Gabriel Addo (Chemist)

Some of the things that happen in the camp of the Black Stars are despicable and it does not show a serious a serious team that is ready to play football to the admiration of its numerous fans scattered across the world.

I am reliably informed that some of the players join the national team hoping to wear a particular jersey number and when they do not get it, they are not happy and that affects their performance on the pitch. Since when did the number of a jersey become the bona fide property of any player in the Black Stars?

Football is a game that demands a lot of energy and therefore it is expected that hours before a match the players should be having a good rest. What I have heard again is that, these boys playing in the national team rather engage in activities which exerts so much energy from them so when the time comes for the them to put up impressive performances, they are found wanting.

Again, formally, we used to include a number of local players who have excelled in the local leagues in the national team but that attitude has changed and someone must give explanation for this change of events. Why do we think that when a player plays for Chelsea or Manchester, then he is better than the one who is playing in the local league? I am very worried!

Yaw Amoako (Cosmetics Dealer)

There are two major problems confronting the Black Stars and the first one happens to be the coach. Some of the changes he made in our match against Zambia were not tactical and that spelt doom for the Stars in their quest to bring the trophy home.

A player like Prince Tagoe had been tried on several occasions and he was not pulling his weight up so what was the point introducing him in crucial times when we needed men who must put up extraordinary performances.

Another player who gets me so worried is Dede Ayew and I think his style of play is a problem for himself and the team in general. Because he dribble s a lot in the midst of defending players, he is easily brought down and I believe that if care is not taken, his persistent falls would have a damaging effect on his health.

Sule Muntari was also brought into the game too late so he did not have enough time to warm himself into the game and flow along the lines being played. I am of the firm opinion that the coach must go because he has not met our expectations. We pay so much money in Euro and in Dollars for his accommodation and salary and if this is what we are getting from him, then the time have come to let go of him.