They say not all managerial reunions have fairy tale
endings.Perhaps, there is some veracity in this assertion if you ask Jose Mourinho (@ Chelsea) or Kenny Dalglish (@ Liverpool). two classic examples of
managers who had achieved tremendously in their debut spells with their
respective clubs but had their 2nd stints ending acrimoniously.
Another failed attempt to win a 5th African Nations Cup,
certainly drew the curtains on a rather uninspiring 2 year stint of AVRAM GRANT
as Head Coach of the black stars.Neither available in the country to watch any
local games nor surfing the globe to find players fit to play for the Black
Stars,His appointment, tenure and subsequent departure had its fair bit of
controversy. The search for a new coach to manage the Black Stars was
officially on the horizon. According to the GFA about 95 applicants (household
names, relatively unknowns and novices) from all tactical walks of life were
keen on the top job. Every job recruitment is based on the qualities and
specifics the interviewer is seeking; thus this was no different with the
shortlist pruned to 3 candidates; Akwasi Appiah (The returnee), Willy Sagnol
(Former Bayern Munich and French Footballer) and Hugo Broos (Cameroun’s AFCON
2017 Winning coach).Per their respective CVs Hugo Broos,seemed the plausible
candidate for the job. However, in a classic case of Déjà vu, James Kwesi
Appiah was reappointed as coach of the senior national team, the Black Stars.
The usual rhetoric’s followed …… “The decision to re-appoint Him was taken by
the Executive Committee of the GFA on Tuesday, after approving the report of the
six-man coaching search committee”. Blah blah blah.
Akwasi Appiah’s Second Coming & Expectations
The fiasco of Brazil 2014 (World Cup) eventually triggered
Coach Akwasi Appiah to leave his post by mutual consent.This was preceded by a
stint with Al Khartoum fc in Sudan. His achievements? A fifth place
finish,Coach of the Year award and leading the team to the CAF Confederation
Cup qualifying stage albeit missing out on the group stage (money zone).
The arrival of a new coach begets much expectation and
simultaneously contrasting views. The re-appointment of a former gaffer isn't
any different. By assembling a magnificent back room staff of ex Black Star
players reminiscent of O.J Simpson's high-profile defense, often referred to as
the "Dream Team", Coach Akwasi Appiah’s inclusion of Stephen Appiah
and Richard Kingson as Team Coordinator and Goalkeepers Trainer respectively is
laudable.
Also, experiences gathered whiles managing a club side in
Sudan (Al Khartoum) on a weekly basis will hopefully improve and broaden his
man management and tactical mindset. In the interim, Expectations of the coach
Include;
Instilling
discipline and wielding total managerial control of the team both on and off
the pitch (with the help of his backroom staff), can be a springboard to
achieving unprecedented success for the country. The aftermath of the 2014
world cup fiasco, which caused the suspension of Kelvin Prince Boateng after it
was alleged he hurled verbal abuses and insults at the Coach, revealed palpable
cracks of indiscipline. Asamoah Gyan’s customized captains arm saga which was
needless, embarrassing and avoidable, raised question marks about who really is
in charge of the team.
Instituting an
effective scouting system to hunt for new players locally, internationally and
at the youth levels to enhance competition for places and improve the quality
players assembled to play for the Black Stars. For Instance, Samuel Sarfo’
s sudden rise from a police officer a
year ago to a professional player now called up to the Black Stars (vs
Ethiopia) shows there is an abundance of talent in Ghana.
Winning the AFCON
2019 tournament in Cameroon thus eventually ending our nation’s cup drought is
the ultimate target, anything short of lifting the trophy would be considered a
failure. Considering the fact that qualifying for the 2018 world cup in Russia,
barring an unexpected capitulation by group leaders Egypt is a foregone
conclusion.
Only “Father” time and “Mother” performances will justify
The GFA 's reappointment of Akwasi Appiah. Which would in turn stake a claim
for Ghanaian Coaches to always occupy the National Team Managerial/Coaching
role.
Till then let’s support our own, sit back and enjoy the
James Akwasi Appiah show.
terencewood14@gmail.com
Twitter: @Terence__Wood
Comments
Post a Comment