Following the publication of this piece on the Ghana page of WorldCupBlog, its subsequent pulling down and the issues arising as previously discussed, Ghanasoccernet published its own statement Monday morning.
The tone and language used is quite...well, you judge for yourself. But I expected nothing less. The original press release from Ghanasoccernet can be found on their site here.
However, this is the full piece, reproduced, with my post-script below it.
I have highlighted and underlined the section that refers to me.
Please take a dictionary before reading the write-up. You will need it. Promise.
Cheers,
Gary.
***
Press Release: Ghanasoccernet to take legal action against Opoku
Over the past few days, Ghanasoccernet.com has been subjected to virulent defamation, outright lies and hostility from Christopher Opoku on various media platforms without any provocation.
The management of Ghanasoccernet has decided to take legal action against Opoku and the conga-line of me-too careerists who helped to spread his lies, jealousy and hatred.
This action is meant to set the records straight and for him to pay the damages he wreaked on the Ghanasoccernet.com brand and image.
Our attention was drawn to an article in last Friday’s edition of the ‘Graphic Sports’ titled : “Milovan Rajevac: inside story of how Ghana coach quit Black Stars” which has also been published elsewhere on the worldwide web.
Our respected friends at Graphic Sports have offered to retract the story with our rejoinder on Tuesday.
We will take a similar action against a me-too careerist who repeated the article verbatim for a UK blog. The blog have since pulled it down and issued a groveling apology over the false and damaging article. [emphasis mine. Please note: no groveling apology was issued by anyone from WCB, the UK blog]
We are alarmed by the false and defamatory references made in the article about our website, its ownership, its leadership and even how we source our news!
It is absolutely shocking and disgraceful for Opoku to emphatically state that because we break all the big news on Ghana football because we are funded by Virtus International!
As if that was not bad enough, he went on to lie that we own Afrikansoccernet.com.
We want to state the following facts:
1. We were not set up by Virtus International, we have not received any funding or any support in any form from Virtus International.
2. Virtus International has NEVER been involved in the setting up of our website and or its running.
3. We also don’t own Afrikansoccernet.com.
4. We have been breaking all the big news on Ghana football since 2006 when we started when Virtus never even dreamt of coming to Ghana.
We started running this website late 2006 and Emmanuel Adebayor of Manchester City performed our official launch on 24th December 2007.
We work extremely hard both night and day to bring all the news on Ghana football and all of its players both at home and abroad to our cherished readers and friends.
That is why we are able to bring all the breaking news on Ghana football and God willing we will continue to be THE news source on Ghana football for the world’s media, the newspapers, websites, TV and radio stations in Ghana.
Opoku’s warped thinking doesn’t even bring him to the understanding that when we brought all the breaking news and exclusives on Michael Essien, John Mensah, Asamoah Gyan Sulley Muntari, Kwadwo Asamoah, Richard Kingson and many others we were not funded by their agent Fabian Pivateau.
In his world, bringing breaking all the news on Dede Ayew, Rahim Ayew, Jordan Ayew and Abedi Pele himself surely means we are funded by the ‘Maestro’.
For Christopher Opoku, bringing news on Milovan Rajevac and the likes of Prince Tagoe and Dominic Adiyiah means we are funded by their agents Virtus International.
What about when we broke the news on Stephen Appiah signing for Bologna and Cesena even before the clubs and his personal website reported? Does it mean we are funded by his agent Frank Trimbolli?
While we continued to nurture our news sources by bringing balanced breaking football news on Ghana, Opoku tore himself down with his lopsided ‘investigations’ which have on numerous occasions brought him ridicule and trouble. Now he struts the Ghana sports media stage like a peacock on heat, convincing himself he is a major player.
Unsurprisingly some strange failed coaches masquerading as journalists tucked to the wind of traducing our name.
They wanted to rock the Ghanasoccernet.com boat not to scuttle it. But on this occasion Opoku and cohorts have bitten more than they can chew. They will pay.
If Opoku has taken total leave of his senses and he will be brought back to reality by the truth at the law courts.
For those who have tucked to the wind, it is a mess of their own making. They have handcuffed themselves to Opoku’s coat-tails are now about to throw away the key.
The mills of Ghanaian justice grind slowly but they grind exceeding small.
This is not a threat, it is a promise.
Editor,
Ghanasoccernet.com
***
As democracy demands, facts are presented for you to pass your own judgement. I still maintain that as far as I am concerned, there was nothing malicious about the piece in question.
It's shocking how this issue has gained such prominence. The insistence on not being rational is to blame, really.
The 'Inside Story' article in question states facts as a journalist has dug up. Perhaps I'm being blinded by my own sense of judgement but if you feel strongly about the article's inappropriateness, please feel free to let me know in the comments section.
Showing posts with label Milovan Rajevac. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Milovan Rajevac. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Milovan Rajevac: inside story of how Ghana coach quit Black Stars.
This piece was first published online on Thursday, September 9, 2010 on the following page ( http://ghana.worldcupblog.org/world-cup-2010/milovan-rajevac-inside-story-of-how-ghana-coach-quit-black-stars.html ).
As you can see it has been pulled down from that page because a party mentioned in this piece felt hard done by and issued legal threats against me and the owners of the page where it was first published.
However, this is my personal page. And I doubt if I will pull it down, or receive any legalese...
As far as I am concerned there is nothing malicious about this piece. It states facts as a journalist has dug up. Perhaps I'm being blinded by my own sense of judgement but if you feel strongly about the article's inappropriateness, please feel free to let me know in the comments section.
The following is a re-publication of the article.
Cheers,
Gary Al-Smith
***
Christopher Opoku sews together a colourful tapestry of the story of Ghana’s relationship with Milovan Rajevac, who has now left the team after guiding it to the last eight in South Africa.
So another era is gone with the exit of Ghana’s head coach, Milovan Rajevac. Contractual disagreements, procrastination plus a break down in trust were factors that ultimately led to his exit and now, for the first time in over two years, another battle royale for the position has already begun.
This piece will attempt to give a clear picture into the events that resulted in the Serbian coach’s decision to leave Ghana for a lucrative job with one of Saudi Arabia’s biggest clubs, Al-Ahli Jeddah.
As you will no doubt be aware, Milovan Rajevac was one of the coaches managed by football management agency, Virtus International, who brokered the deal to get him the Ghana job in August 2008. I use the word ‘was’ because what you are about to read will probably explain why he might no longer be on their books.
The football agency is managed by football agent Goran Milovanovic, who clearly saw the potential in Ghanaian talents and had indeed signed a number of them on the books of Virtus before the Rajevac deal was sealed.
As you may well know, a football agent’s role is to manage either players or managers/coaches, see to their welfare as per employment and obviously take a cut out of the client’s earnings and that is why these days, it is the agents who broker deals on behalf of their clients. Milo’s deal with the Ghana Football Association [GFA] clearly was a boost to Virtus because, through the national team, the Black Stars, some of the players signed up could get opportunities at national level and by so doing, increase their sell-on value.
Also Milo would have been given a brief: to study some national players and recommend them for recruitment by the agency. That is why, after the likes of Samuel Inkoom and Emmanuel Agyeman-Badu signed on for the agency, the widely held perception was that Virtus was influencing Milo’s squad selections, a perception strongly denied by the agency on the grounds that famed French football agent, Fabien Piveteau [profile is in French] had more players in the Black Stars squad than Virtus, including the likes of Michael Essien and John Mensah.
It was clear however that the marriage between Virtus International and Milo Rajevac was a happy one over the two year period. His achievements with the Black Stars over this period served to, at certain points, make the arguments about the football agency’s influence on the team irrelevant because, getting the Black Stars to two continental finals and a World Cup quarterfinal clearly showed that he was doing a good job.
His preference for younger players ultimately proved inspired and if there is one thing Milo did for Ghana, he shattered the aura of untouchability surrounding certain Ghana players and in so doing, brought a lot of competition for places in the team. Gradually, in spite of the fact that Daniel Agyei, Lee Addy, Stephen Ahorlu, Prince Tagoe, Yaw Antwi and recently John Boye and Jonathan Mensah are all on the books of Virtus International, results showed that it did not matter too much.
Also, Virtus International invested in the creation of one of Ghana’s most popular and creible football sites, ghanasoccernet.com which delighted fans and pundits from far and wide with up-to-the minute details about national players, some of which were players on the books of Virtus. The Chief Executive of ghanasoccernet.com and afrikansoccernet.com, another website for African football news, is Benedict Papa Yaw Sarpong, who is the Ghana representative for Virtus International.
Soon, as I have already mentioned, the website became hugely popular and was almost always ahead of the rest, giving exclusive news about Ghana football, with specific reference to the Black Stars. So after the World Cup in South Africa, when there was news about the possibility of Milo Rajevac signing a contract renewal with the GFA, ghanasoccernet.com became the place to go to for any news on the deal. Eventually, on 30th August, 2010, the website published a story headlined, ‘Ghana coach Milovan Rajevac finally signs new deal’.
To tell you the truth, I was delighted because I think Milo has been good for the team and his staying on, would only have benefitted the team. The story went on to reveal that in spite of some other offers, including one from Al –Ahli Jeddah, the Serbian coach had decided to stay with Ghana and had indeed signed the contract. My joy was eventually smashed when the Ghana Football Association came out to deny the story. So, the first question you might be asking yourself, is, what actually happened?
Well, after some investigations were conducted, the findings are as follows:
■ A 4-year contract was discussed, negotiated and agreed by the GFA, Milo and crucially Goran Milovanovic
■ A memorandum of understanding was either signed, or close to being signed by Milovan Rajevac.
■ The contract was sent to the Ministry of Youth and Sports for ratification, but because certain government elements objected to Milo staying on, the ratification dragged.
■ In that time frame, Al –Ahli Jeddah doubled their offer for Milovan Rajevac and when his contract expired on 17th August, he decided to examine his options
■ Apparently, Milo began to feel that Goran, and by extension, Virtus International were going to get a a huge financial slice of the new contract since they were his managers.
■ Milo apparently told top GFA Officials that he felt that ‘he was being fleeced’ by Virtus International in the deal
Add all the above-mentioned issues up, and as ex-international Mohammed Polo put it, Ghana was sitting on a time bomb, which eventually began to detonate when news broke that Milo had been to Saudi Arabia to sign a deal. What we know now was that communication lines were open between Milo and Al Ahli Jeddah before the Ghana game against Swaziland and indeed, some form of agreement was arrived at.
That explains why the Serbian coach was able to describe the rumours of his trip to Saudi Arabia as nonsense, but he clearly stunned the GFA officials later that night, after Ghana’s 3-0 win over Swaziland, by telling them that due to problems with Goran, he needed a week to take a decision. So to some extent, the news that the GFA had given him a week’s ultimatum to decide was not a clear representation of events, because that was when Milo told them that ‘he was being fleeced’.
Milo thus went behind the back of Virtus and left for Saudi Arabia to finish negotiations over the deal. A clearly frustrated and angry Goran began to speak to the Ghana media, blasting Milo for taking a decision that did not have his say-so, and also accusing him of betraying Ghanaians. But in business terms, because Virtus are not entitled to anything substantial from the Al–Ahli Jeddah deal, financially, Goran had lost out because apart from the healthy financial slice he would have enjoyed had Milo signed the Ghana deal, it was a major blow to the master plan of recruiting more Ghanaian players on the books of Virtus because the influence on the national team, if any, is now totally out of the window.
As I said earlier, I am unhappy at the turn of events and I believe the GFA are in a tight corner now. They now have to meet to decide whether Kwasi Appiah [assistant under Rajevac] will handle the team in a caretaker capacity and when I enquired, I was reliably informed that that decision had not been taken. For now, Milo has signed a deal worth a minimum of $110,000 a month with other perks and we have to say well done to him, but it is now time to move on.
The future
Already, an Arab football agent called Mohammed Habashy is talking to one of my colleagues in a bid to get one of his clients, Heron Ricardo Ferreira, to coach the Black Stars and indeed I have had the privilege of sighting Perreira’s CV. Unfortunately, despite being offered a cut in the deal to bring Ferreira to Ghana, my colleague is not interested because he supports the principle of a local coach.
Milo’s departure will no doubt sadden the players but this could mean a return to the national team for Inter Milan midfielder Sulley Muntari, as well as Eric Bekoe [plays for Petrojet in Egypt] when he recovers fully from his injury.
One thing that I am wondering is that if you recall I was told by Virtus a few months back that when Bekoe broke his deal with them, he was liable to pay 1 million Euros for breach of contract, but they decided to let him off, so the question is whether the same courtesies will be extended to Milo, whose relationship with Goran at this stage looks irretrievably damaged.
Of course, others might speculate that perhaps Goran’s public show of frustration in the Ghana media could end up being a cover up for being fully aware of the Saudi deal but for now, I am dealing with the facts available.
Already, Ratomir Djukovic [who handled Ghana at Germany 2006] has thrown his hat into the ring to succeed Milo, but as to whether he is now prepared to deal with the media, which was one of the reasons he cited for not renewing his contract after the 2006 World Cup remains to be seen. Also others seem to think that this is the right time for former France captain, Marcel Desailly to take over the team.
Personally, I think we can do no worse than a coaching duo of David Duncan and Maxwell Konadu to take over the team and crucially given all the support given to Milo Rajevac, but my biggest fear is that it could turn out to be nothing but a pipe dream because of preconceived notions about local coaches.
About the author
Christopher Opoku – get him on Facebook – is the Head of Sports at Metro TV in Ghana. This piece was published in yesterday’s edition [September 10, 2010] of the 'Graphic Sports' newspaper - the country's biggest selling sports paper.
As you can see it has been pulled down from that page because a party mentioned in this piece felt hard done by and issued legal threats against me and the owners of the page where it was first published.
However, this is my personal page. And I doubt if I will pull it down, or receive any legalese...
As far as I am concerned there is nothing malicious about this piece. It states facts as a journalist has dug up. Perhaps I'm being blinded by my own sense of judgement but if you feel strongly about the article's inappropriateness, please feel free to let me know in the comments section.
The following is a re-publication of the article.
Cheers,
Gary Al-Smith
***
Christopher Opoku sews together a colourful tapestry of the story of Ghana’s relationship with Milovan Rajevac, who has now left the team after guiding it to the last eight in South Africa.
So another era is gone with the exit of Ghana’s head coach, Milovan Rajevac. Contractual disagreements, procrastination plus a break down in trust were factors that ultimately led to his exit and now, for the first time in over two years, another battle royale for the position has already begun.
This piece will attempt to give a clear picture into the events that resulted in the Serbian coach’s decision to leave Ghana for a lucrative job with one of Saudi Arabia’s biggest clubs, Al-Ahli Jeddah.
As you will no doubt be aware, Milovan Rajevac was one of the coaches managed by football management agency, Virtus International, who brokered the deal to get him the Ghana job in August 2008. I use the word ‘was’ because what you are about to read will probably explain why he might no longer be on their books.
The football agency is managed by football agent Goran Milovanovic, who clearly saw the potential in Ghanaian talents and had indeed signed a number of them on the books of Virtus before the Rajevac deal was sealed.
As you may well know, a football agent’s role is to manage either players or managers/coaches, see to their welfare as per employment and obviously take a cut out of the client’s earnings and that is why these days, it is the agents who broker deals on behalf of their clients. Milo’s deal with the Ghana Football Association [GFA] clearly was a boost to Virtus because, through the national team, the Black Stars, some of the players signed up could get opportunities at national level and by so doing, increase their sell-on value.
Also Milo would have been given a brief: to study some national players and recommend them for recruitment by the agency. That is why, after the likes of Samuel Inkoom and Emmanuel Agyeman-Badu signed on for the agency, the widely held perception was that Virtus was influencing Milo’s squad selections, a perception strongly denied by the agency on the grounds that famed French football agent, Fabien Piveteau [profile is in French] had more players in the Black Stars squad than Virtus, including the likes of Michael Essien and John Mensah.
It was clear however that the marriage between Virtus International and Milo Rajevac was a happy one over the two year period. His achievements with the Black Stars over this period served to, at certain points, make the arguments about the football agency’s influence on the team irrelevant because, getting the Black Stars to two continental finals and a World Cup quarterfinal clearly showed that he was doing a good job.
His preference for younger players ultimately proved inspired and if there is one thing Milo did for Ghana, he shattered the aura of untouchability surrounding certain Ghana players and in so doing, brought a lot of competition for places in the team. Gradually, in spite of the fact that Daniel Agyei, Lee Addy, Stephen Ahorlu, Prince Tagoe, Yaw Antwi and recently John Boye and Jonathan Mensah are all on the books of Virtus International, results showed that it did not matter too much.
Also, Virtus International invested in the creation of one of Ghana’s most popular and creible football sites, ghanasoccernet.com which delighted fans and pundits from far and wide with up-to-the minute details about national players, some of which were players on the books of Virtus. The Chief Executive of ghanasoccernet.com and afrikansoccernet.com, another website for African football news, is Benedict Papa Yaw Sarpong, who is the Ghana representative for Virtus International.
Soon, as I have already mentioned, the website became hugely popular and was almost always ahead of the rest, giving exclusive news about Ghana football, with specific reference to the Black Stars. So after the World Cup in South Africa, when there was news about the possibility of Milo Rajevac signing a contract renewal with the GFA, ghanasoccernet.com became the place to go to for any news on the deal. Eventually, on 30th August, 2010, the website published a story headlined, ‘Ghana coach Milovan Rajevac finally signs new deal’.
To tell you the truth, I was delighted because I think Milo has been good for the team and his staying on, would only have benefitted the team. The story went on to reveal that in spite of some other offers, including one from Al –Ahli Jeddah, the Serbian coach had decided to stay with Ghana and had indeed signed the contract. My joy was eventually smashed when the Ghana Football Association came out to deny the story. So, the first question you might be asking yourself, is, what actually happened?
Well, after some investigations were conducted, the findings are as follows:
■ A 4-year contract was discussed, negotiated and agreed by the GFA, Milo and crucially Goran Milovanovic
■ A memorandum of understanding was either signed, or close to being signed by Milovan Rajevac.
■ The contract was sent to the Ministry of Youth and Sports for ratification, but because certain government elements objected to Milo staying on, the ratification dragged.
■ In that time frame, Al –Ahli Jeddah doubled their offer for Milovan Rajevac and when his contract expired on 17th August, he decided to examine his options
■ Apparently, Milo began to feel that Goran, and by extension, Virtus International were going to get a a huge financial slice of the new contract since they were his managers.
■ Milo apparently told top GFA Officials that he felt that ‘he was being fleeced’ by Virtus International in the deal
Add all the above-mentioned issues up, and as ex-international Mohammed Polo put it, Ghana was sitting on a time bomb, which eventually began to detonate when news broke that Milo had been to Saudi Arabia to sign a deal. What we know now was that communication lines were open between Milo and Al Ahli Jeddah before the Ghana game against Swaziland and indeed, some form of agreement was arrived at.
That explains why the Serbian coach was able to describe the rumours of his trip to Saudi Arabia as nonsense, but he clearly stunned the GFA officials later that night, after Ghana’s 3-0 win over Swaziland, by telling them that due to problems with Goran, he needed a week to take a decision. So to some extent, the news that the GFA had given him a week’s ultimatum to decide was not a clear representation of events, because that was when Milo told them that ‘he was being fleeced’.
Milo thus went behind the back of Virtus and left for Saudi Arabia to finish negotiations over the deal. A clearly frustrated and angry Goran began to speak to the Ghana media, blasting Milo for taking a decision that did not have his say-so, and also accusing him of betraying Ghanaians. But in business terms, because Virtus are not entitled to anything substantial from the Al–Ahli Jeddah deal, financially, Goran had lost out because apart from the healthy financial slice he would have enjoyed had Milo signed the Ghana deal, it was a major blow to the master plan of recruiting more Ghanaian players on the books of Virtus because the influence on the national team, if any, is now totally out of the window.
As I said earlier, I am unhappy at the turn of events and I believe the GFA are in a tight corner now. They now have to meet to decide whether Kwasi Appiah [assistant under Rajevac] will handle the team in a caretaker capacity and when I enquired, I was reliably informed that that decision had not been taken. For now, Milo has signed a deal worth a minimum of $110,000 a month with other perks and we have to say well done to him, but it is now time to move on.
The future
Already, an Arab football agent called Mohammed Habashy is talking to one of my colleagues in a bid to get one of his clients, Heron Ricardo Ferreira, to coach the Black Stars and indeed I have had the privilege of sighting Perreira’s CV. Unfortunately, despite being offered a cut in the deal to bring Ferreira to Ghana, my colleague is not interested because he supports the principle of a local coach.
Milo’s departure will no doubt sadden the players but this could mean a return to the national team for Inter Milan midfielder Sulley Muntari, as well as Eric Bekoe [plays for Petrojet in Egypt] when he recovers fully from his injury.
One thing that I am wondering is that if you recall I was told by Virtus a few months back that when Bekoe broke his deal with them, he was liable to pay 1 million Euros for breach of contract, but they decided to let him off, so the question is whether the same courtesies will be extended to Milo, whose relationship with Goran at this stage looks irretrievably damaged.
Of course, others might speculate that perhaps Goran’s public show of frustration in the Ghana media could end up being a cover up for being fully aware of the Saudi deal but for now, I am dealing with the facts available.
Already, Ratomir Djukovic [who handled Ghana at Germany 2006] has thrown his hat into the ring to succeed Milo, but as to whether he is now prepared to deal with the media, which was one of the reasons he cited for not renewing his contract after the 2006 World Cup remains to be seen. Also others seem to think that this is the right time for former France captain, Marcel Desailly to take over the team.
Personally, I think we can do no worse than a coaching duo of David Duncan and Maxwell Konadu to take over the team and crucially given all the support given to Milo Rajevac, but my biggest fear is that it could turn out to be nothing but a pipe dream because of preconceived notions about local coaches.
About the author
Christopher Opoku – get him on Facebook – is the Head of Sports at Metro TV in Ghana. This piece was published in yesterday’s edition [September 10, 2010] of the 'Graphic Sports' newspaper - the country's biggest selling sports paper.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Ghana 1 –1 Australia: Player ratings + video match highlights + POLL
Ghana 1-1 Australia
Stadium: Royal Bafokeng Stadium, Rustenburg, South Africa
Attendance: 34,812
Match Time: 14:00 GMT, June 19, 2010
Panstil sustained a horrible injury at the end. Getty Images
Two points dropped, one point gained. That's what it was.
Ghana lost a chance to potentially get out of Group D. No matter what anyone says, we should have won. Ten men in the first half for your opponent means that you go for the kill, not sit and be composed. That said, a draw is better than a loss and we go into the Germany tie with another draw or win on our minds...
Now that you've seen Ghana's two games, let's ask again:
See full match report here. Ratings and video highlights below:
Ghana 1-1 Australia - Highlights
Simão | MySpace Video
Ratings
Richard Kingson – 6 - Started the game by making some errors and capping it with being ‘Jabulanied’. Made some crucial saves in the final parts of the second half, though. Admittedly, Ghana’d have gone down had Kingson not covered for poor defense.
John Pantsil – 6 – Like in the first game with Serbia, this is not the right-full back we know. Doesn’t surge forward with dangerous plays these days and allowed the Aussies to use his side in the second half. Maybe Inkoom will be used against Germany, with the unfortunate injury he sustained at the end.
Jonathan Mensah – 6 – Being thrown at the lions in the middle of the World Cup is no joke and for all his obvious inexpererience, handled himself well. Don’t forget this is his third cap for the senior side but Ghana clearly need Mensah and/or Vorsah back quickly. Did well to give Ghana the penalty, though.
Hans Adu-Sarpei – 6 – When Ghana had the man advantage, Sarpei was expected to use his side as an attacking option, but didn’t. Defensively made few, if any, mistakes but was tactically out of touch with the rest of the game.
Anthony Annan – 6.5 – Holding the midfield seems to come natuarllay, but he takes the blame for the foul and subsequent goal scored by the Aussies. Apart from that and the (harsh) yellow, he was solid.
Lee Addy – 5 – Disappointing, for someone who went the whole nine yards with Ghana at the Nations Cup, his touch at centre-back wasn’t assured. Needs to be calm and his yellow card was totally unnecessary.
Kevin-Prince Boateng – 6 – was not impressive on the whole. Yes, had some deft touches but couldn’t keep the pressure on the Aussies as he was expected to be the driving force once they went a man down. Substitution in second half was spot on.
Prince Tagoe – 5 – Woeful. His replacement did not come soon enough. Shooting instead of passing, unable to run at the ’Roos, could not play his role on the right well. Where is the old Prince Tagoe?
Kwadwo Asamoah – 7 – The creative hub of Ghana’s play, he was not allowed to do much damage. Also started trying long shots even when he had to pass. However, he set the pace of the game till he went off, although by his standards, did not sparkle. Wasted a fair few freekicks, too.
Andre Ayew – 7 – Hard to find a player better than him in the last two games. Tireless, was the main architect of Ghana’s penalty. Interplay with Asamoah was good but got tired in the middle of the second half. Definitely Ghana’s brightest spot so far.
Asamoah Gyan – 7 – converting only penalties may not be enough for strikers, but he’s getting Ghana precious points. Harassing the Aussies from start till finish but Gyan needs to improve his final touch and scoring. Ghana needs goals from open play, not just gifted penalties.
Subs
Quincy Owusu Abeyie – 5 – Stepovers were nice - and useful - this time! Did not have a lot of time to impose himself but definitely played better than Tagoe. Still, his output does not equal his efforts.
Sulley Muntari – n/a – Was on for just 12 minutes. Provided two good passes that could have caused damage. That aside, time was too short to make an impact.
Mathew Amoah – n/a – Even shorter time to do any damage, makes you wonder why he was brought on at the time.
Coach Milovan Rajevac – 7 – He’s got Ghana 4 points, but you feel he could have done better with tactics especially when Kewell was shown the red. Should have piled on the pressure, not sit back and hope. Changes were a bit too late, just like in the Serbia game. That said, he may yet get the Stars into the second round.
Your own ratings are, as always, welcome.
Or follow me personally @garyalsmith
Stadium: Royal Bafokeng Stadium, Rustenburg, South Africa
Attendance: 34,812
Match Time: 14:00 GMT, June 19, 2010
Panstil sustained a horrible injury at the end. Getty Images
Stats:
22 shots on goal
6 corners
50% possession
Two points dropped, one point gained. That's what it was.
Ghana lost a chance to potentially get out of Group D. No matter what anyone says, we should have won. Ten men in the first half for your opponent means that you go for the kill, not sit and be composed. That said, a draw is better than a loss and we go into the Germany tie with another draw or win on our minds...
Now that you've seen Ghana's two games, let's ask again:
See full match report here. Ratings and video highlights below:
Ghana 1-1 Australia - Highlights
Simão | MySpace Video
Ratings
Richard Kingson – 6 - Started the game by making some errors and capping it with being ‘Jabulanied’. Made some crucial saves in the final parts of the second half, though. Admittedly, Ghana’d have gone down had Kingson not covered for poor defense.
John Pantsil – 6 – Like in the first game with Serbia, this is not the right-full back we know. Doesn’t surge forward with dangerous plays these days and allowed the Aussies to use his side in the second half. Maybe Inkoom will be used against Germany, with the unfortunate injury he sustained at the end.
Jonathan Mensah – 6 – Being thrown at the lions in the middle of the World Cup is no joke and for all his obvious inexpererience, handled himself well. Don’t forget this is his third cap for the senior side but Ghana clearly need Mensah and/or Vorsah back quickly. Did well to give Ghana the penalty, though.
Hans Adu-Sarpei – 6 – When Ghana had the man advantage, Sarpei was expected to use his side as an attacking option, but didn’t. Defensively made few, if any, mistakes but was tactically out of touch with the rest of the game.
Anthony Annan – 6.5 – Holding the midfield seems to come natuarllay, but he takes the blame for the foul and subsequent goal scored by the Aussies. Apart from that and the (harsh) yellow, he was solid.
Lee Addy – 5 – Disappointing, for someone who went the whole nine yards with Ghana at the Nations Cup, his touch at centre-back wasn’t assured. Needs to be calm and his yellow card was totally unnecessary.
Kevin-Prince Boateng – 6 – was not impressive on the whole. Yes, had some deft touches but couldn’t keep the pressure on the Aussies as he was expected to be the driving force once they went a man down. Substitution in second half was spot on.
Prince Tagoe – 5 – Woeful. His replacement did not come soon enough. Shooting instead of passing, unable to run at the ’Roos, could not play his role on the right well. Where is the old Prince Tagoe?
Kwadwo Asamoah – 7 – The creative hub of Ghana’s play, he was not allowed to do much damage. Also started trying long shots even when he had to pass. However, he set the pace of the game till he went off, although by his standards, did not sparkle. Wasted a fair few freekicks, too.
Andre Ayew – 7 – Hard to find a player better than him in the last two games. Tireless, was the main architect of Ghana’s penalty. Interplay with Asamoah was good but got tired in the middle of the second half. Definitely Ghana’s brightest spot so far.
Asamoah Gyan – 7 – converting only penalties may not be enough for strikers, but he’s getting Ghana precious points. Harassing the Aussies from start till finish but Gyan needs to improve his final touch and scoring. Ghana needs goals from open play, not just gifted penalties.
Subs
Quincy Owusu Abeyie – 5 – Stepovers were nice - and useful - this time! Did not have a lot of time to impose himself but definitely played better than Tagoe. Still, his output does not equal his efforts.
Sulley Muntari – n/a – Was on for just 12 minutes. Provided two good passes that could have caused damage. That aside, time was too short to make an impact.
Mathew Amoah – n/a – Even shorter time to do any damage, makes you wonder why he was brought on at the time.
Coach Milovan Rajevac – 7 – He’s got Ghana 4 points, but you feel he could have done better with tactics especially when Kewell was shown the red. Should have piled on the pressure, not sit back and hope. Changes were a bit too late, just like in the Serbia game. That said, he may yet get the Stars into the second round.
Your own ratings are, as always, welcome.
Or follow me personally @garyalsmith
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Michael Essien's injury: is he irreplaceable?
That the news is a telling blow is a given. The question is this: how would it affect our play?
Saw it coming
Many comments in the info-sphere in the past few hours show that a great many people were mentally prepared of this, given Michael’s own recent comments. In April, he told the Chelsea website that:
“If I make it for the World Cup then great – if not I have my whole career ahead of me. The last thing I want is to rush back and cause more problems down the line.”
A sound argument, but when he said that, many started feeling that the guy knew he wasn’t in good shape. Essien, as we know him, is a combative guy who does not go down unless he really is hurt. This is such a case.
The debate has been mostly about how unfortunate the whole thing is and crucially, how this would affect Ghana. Would we look back and say Essien’s absence cost us dearly?
Before we go on, take this quick poll:
So who replaces him?
Who in the Ghanaian team can bring what Essien brings to the side? In my opinion, nobody. His box-to-box effectiveness and his careful, accurate, passing as well as his multi-positional play and penchant to move forward and be an auxiliary striker are…well….priceless. I’m sure you agree.
Now, let’s look at the options.
Kwadwo Asamoah
I think the 21-year old Udinese dynamo is Essien-lite, but that’s all he is, Essien-lite. Yes, his passing ability is arguably better than Michael’s but he remains a very attacking minded midfielder. I’m yet to see anyone play Kwadwo as a utility player. That said, I feel he is the nearest to an Essien replacement in the Ghana setup.
Derek Boateng
Talented? Yes. Versatile? Yes. Essien’s kind of versatile? Nope. Derek is a good player whose form this past season with Getafe has been blistering, but he is miles away from being Michael. Derek is a good distributor of the ball and like Essien, can hold on to play if need be. But when it comes to strength and bull-like play, you have the wrong guy.
Bernard Yao Kumordzi
Think Nwankwo Kanu of Nigeria of Patrick Vieira of France. Perfect clone. A midfielder based in Greece with Panionios. The 25-year-old has also represented Norrkoping in Sweden and Egaleo in Greece having started his career in Ghana.
His tall and languid (not tall and lazy as some say) nature endears him to some brand of coaches, but he cannot replace Essien. Simple as that. A littel more about him: Bernard made his international debut for the Black Stars against Brazil in March 2007 and scored his first goal against Iran soon afterwards.
So what do we do?
Essien’s exclusion is now known, but we do not know if he may be taken in a Beckham-esque capacity to motivate the team. That would be a waste of space, because Essien is a very shy man, in terms of telling colleagues what to do and dictating play. He is not the Appiah kinda leader, sorry.
If Essien is dropped altogether, then it means that an extra seat on the plane needs to be filled. The bottom line is this we have to move on. And the coach knows it.
“There are other young and hungry players who will be equally passionate to play.”
The next few days would be very interesting. Who would/should Milovan put in Essien’s stead and how would it affect the team? Or are we even overblowing the issue?
Let’s hear you, while you vote as well.
Sunday, May 09, 2010
Poll: Can Rajevac's squad take Ghana to the second round?
Ghana's World Cup team - the provisional 30 man list - has been named.
Here it is>
Goalkeepers: Richard Kingson, Daniel Agyei, Stephen Aholu, Stephen Adams
Defenders: John Paintsil, John Mensah, Samuel Inkoom, Hans Adu Sarpei, Rahim Ayew, Lee Addy, Isaac Vorsah, Jonathan Mensah, Eric Addo
Midfielders: Michael Essien, Kwadwo Asamoah, Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu, Anthony Annan, Sulley Muntari, Kevin-Prince Boateng, Quincy Owusu-Abeyie, Stephen Appiah, Andre Ayew, Laryea Kingston, Derek Boateng, Bernard Kumordzi, Haminu Draman
Attackers: Asamoah Gyan, Prince Tagoe, Dominic Adiyiah, Mathew Amoah
Now, let's know what you think!
Here it is>
Goalkeepers: Richard Kingson, Daniel Agyei, Stephen Aholu, Stephen Adams
Defenders: John Paintsil, John Mensah, Samuel Inkoom, Hans Adu Sarpei, Rahim Ayew, Lee Addy, Isaac Vorsah, Jonathan Mensah, Eric Addo
Midfielders: Michael Essien, Kwadwo Asamoah, Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu, Anthony Annan, Sulley Muntari, Kevin-Prince Boateng, Quincy Owusu-Abeyie, Stephen Appiah, Andre Ayew, Laryea Kingston, Derek Boateng, Bernard Kumordzi, Haminu Draman
Attackers: Asamoah Gyan, Prince Tagoe, Dominic Adiyiah, Mathew Amoah
Now, let's know what you think!
Wednesday, March 03, 2010
Bosnia - Ghana: crucial peek into coach Milo's mind
This is Edin Dzeko, the Wolfsburg man linked variously with Arsenal, Manchester (both City and United), Chelsea and ...yes, you get my drift. Ghana play his country, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The game would be played in Sarajevo, Bosnia. Strange, I can’t remember the last time we played in someplace like that and we haven’t had any history with them either. Meaning that we have nothing to compare, generally.
But we do know a few things.
They are affectionately called the Lilies or Dragons. They were 2nd in their WC qualifying group for SA 2010. That they have some very good lads: Vedad Ibisevic (has been named Bosnia and Herzegovina's Player of the Year), Edin Dzeko, Elvir Rahimić and a few others. I know we chose them because they may have a similar playing style to Serbia, who'll be our group opponents in South Africa.
The peek
It will be interesting to see how the Serbian coach approaches this one. Would he opt for the defensive tactics that characterized Ghana’s player during Angola 2010? Or would he fashion a fluid attack? Maybe even introduce some new players or he’ll assign new roles to others? That is why this game is so crucial, because it is potentially the only friendly we’ll play before the final World Cup squad for SA is named.
Team News
Richard Kingson is reported not to have taken part in training this morming in Sarajevo. Not sure why but I hope it’s not too serious.
Jonathan Mensah was called in to replace Isaac Vorsah who sustained an injury last weekend. Jonathan Mensah is a solid player as well so I don’t have fears in that area. The 19-year-old centre-back was an unused substitute at the just concluded Africa Cup of Nations in Angola. Mensah was a member of Ghana's 2009 Fifa Under-20 World Cup winning team and he is on-loan at Spanish Segunda division side Granada from Udinese.
Yaw Antwi was called in to replace Quincy Owusu Abeyie, who is injured. Yaw Antwi plays in Serbia so it was the most conveneinet short hop. He has not featured for Ghana since CHAN 2009 in Ivory Coast, if my memory serves me right. I know him personally and he’s a very decent chap.
Ghana squad
Goalkeepers: Richard Kingson-Daniel Agyei
Defenders: Samuel Inkoom, David Addy, Jonathan Mensah, Eric Addo, Lee Arday, Ibrahim Ayew
Midfielders: Emmanuel Agyeman-Badu, Anthony Annan, Kwadwo Asamoah, Dede Ayew, Sulley Muntari, Haminu Draman
Bosnia squad
1. Kenan Hasagic GK Istanbul BB SK,
2. Asmir Begovic GK Stoke City FC
3. Emir Spahic DF Monpellier Herault SC
4. Safet Nadarevic DF FC Eskisehispor
5. Sanel Jahic DF AEK Athens
6. Boris Pandža DF NK Hajduk Split
7. Džemal Berberovic DF FC Denizlispor
8. Zvjezdan Misimovic MF VfL Wolfsburg
9. Samir Muratovic MF SK Sturm Graz
10. Elvir Rahimic MF CSKA Moskva
11. Dario Damjanovic MF FC Kaiserslautern
12. Sejad Salihovic MF TsG Hoffenheim
13. Miralem Pjanic MF FC Olympique Lyon
14. Haris Medunjanin MF FC Valladolid
15. Edin Džeko FW VfL Wolfsburg
16. Zlatan Muslimovic FW PAOK FC
17. Vedad Ibiševic FW TsG Hoffenheim
18. Admir Vladavic FW FC Red Bull Salzburg
19. Ermin Zec FW NK Šibenik
20. Senijad Ibricic MF NK Hajduk Split
Looking forward to it. It's 4:30pm GMT on Metro TV here in Ghana. Sorry, I cant LiveBlog. Work issues.
Till later.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Should Quincy Abeyie be recalled to the Black Stars?
Not seeing him play at Spartak Moskow, I really did not know how to react to the shouts from some pals that Quincy Owusu-Abeyie should by all means be added to the team that played in Angola.
However, his performance yesterday for Pompey vs Southampton after he came on as a sub was enough to tweak my radar a bit. I am not joining the calls for his hasty inclusion just yet, but if he continues to play like this, ignoring him could be heretical.
This was a derby game and we know how those go around the world: loud, wild, passionate affairs. Pompey were on the back foot as they badly needed the win against Southampon. Sometime in the second half, Quincy was introduced by Avram Grant. Then, he does this:
So, it's 1-0 but it does not last as the goal is equalised. Suddenly, in the 75th minute, Quincy gets the ball in his part of the field, speeds (which is his trademark, mind you) into the opposition area, gives an unbelievable pass that beats two Southampton defenders, the ball falls to Aruna Dindane who finishes off nicely. 2-1. Here it is:
object width="425" height="344">
Ten minutes later, he delivers the icing on the cake by setting up the final goal by Jamie O'Hara 85th minute. Portsmouth have thus advanced to the quarter-finals after the thrilling clash on Saturday. Here's the last assist:
But where would he play?
If the current Black Stars squad is fully fit, I would automatically say Quincy should play in place of Haminu Draman, who has been given a lot of chances but has not grabbed with both hands. Quincy's speed alone may rival Draman's but more importantly his finishing has definitely improved while Draman's, as at the end of Angola 2010, was a freaking disaster that drove people up the walls.
Dropped for attitude issues, like Muntari?
So, should Quincy be considered or not? Some point to attitude problems. Unfortunately, it appears the talented guy may yet still have that fiery streak in him.
He was transferred to Russian club Spartak Moscow for an undisclosed fee in 2006 but he joined Spanish side Celta de Vigo on loan for the 2007–08 season and in the last window he joined Birmingham City on loan. However his attitude problems continued to persist.
In September 2008, he got on the wrong end of his Birmingham City boss Alex McLeish after his bad reaction to his substitution in a league game against Doncaster. The Black Stars man, who had won praise from McLeish in the past for his early performances went straight to the dressing room after he was substituted 39 minutes into the game.
McLeish said later: "I explained to him that you don't go to the dressing room, you support the team from the dug-out when you come off. I don't want to take a gifted player and say he has to defend for us but Wayne Rooney does it and the top players in the England team did it in the week. It is part of the modern game at the top level. We certainly give the players the fitness to do it, it is just the understanding he needs."
Although Quincy was apologetic to McLeish and his team mates his attitude problems emerged again when he was (later that year) called up to play for Ghana. The national coach, Milovan Rajevac, warned Quincy that he faced a long spell on the sidelines if he did not improve his attitude towards the national team.
Milo then excluded Quincy from the 22-man squad for the crucial World Cup qualifier against Lesotho in Sekondi. Why? Then 21-years at the time, Quincy was released by Birmingham well ahead of the previous month's qualifier against Libya, failed to join his colleagues in the national team until the last minute.
He claimed that he missed two scheduled flights to Tripoli for the game!
Rajevac said: "Quincy has not been dropped from the Black Stars forever but he must think about why he has been dropped as guidance for the future. Players must show that they are ready to die for the national team and his attitude before the Libya game was not good enough. He plays in United Kingdom along with Essien, Laryea Kingston and John Paintsil and they all managed to arrive in time but he opted to tell stories.”
So, I ask again, should he or shouldn't he be brought back into the fold, or is it past and we should forget it?
PS: He was released from Ajax (where he had been for nine years) at 16 years, because of...you guessed it..."attitude problems." Or maybe, just maybe, we're jumping the gun and overreacting.
Should Quincy Abeyie be recalled to the Black Stars?(online surveys)
However, his performance yesterday for Pompey vs Southampton after he came on as a sub was enough to tweak my radar a bit. I am not joining the calls for his hasty inclusion just yet, but if he continues to play like this, ignoring him could be heretical.
This was a derby game and we know how those go around the world: loud, wild, passionate affairs. Pompey were on the back foot as they badly needed the win against Southampon. Sometime in the second half, Quincy was introduced by Avram Grant. Then, he does this:
So, it's 1-0 but it does not last as the goal is equalised. Suddenly, in the 75th minute, Quincy gets the ball in his part of the field, speeds (which is his trademark, mind you) into the opposition area, gives an unbelievable pass that beats two Southampton defenders, the ball falls to Aruna Dindane who finishes off nicely. 2-1. Here it is:
object width="425" height="344">
Ten minutes later, he delivers the icing on the cake by setting up the final goal by Jamie O'Hara 85th minute. Portsmouth have thus advanced to the quarter-finals after the thrilling clash on Saturday. Here's the last assist:
But where would he play?
If the current Black Stars squad is fully fit, I would automatically say Quincy should play in place of Haminu Draman, who has been given a lot of chances but has not grabbed with both hands. Quincy's speed alone may rival Draman's but more importantly his finishing has definitely improved while Draman's, as at the end of Angola 2010, was a freaking disaster that drove people up the walls.
Dropped for attitude issues, like Muntari?
So, should Quincy be considered or not? Some point to attitude problems. Unfortunately, it appears the talented guy may yet still have that fiery streak in him.
He was transferred to Russian club Spartak Moscow for an undisclosed fee in 2006 but he joined Spanish side Celta de Vigo on loan for the 2007–08 season and in the last window he joined Birmingham City on loan. However his attitude problems continued to persist.
In September 2008, he got on the wrong end of his Birmingham City boss Alex McLeish after his bad reaction to his substitution in a league game against Doncaster. The Black Stars man, who had won praise from McLeish in the past for his early performances went straight to the dressing room after he was substituted 39 minutes into the game.
McLeish said later: "I explained to him that you don't go to the dressing room, you support the team from the dug-out when you come off. I don't want to take a gifted player and say he has to defend for us but Wayne Rooney does it and the top players in the England team did it in the week. It is part of the modern game at the top level. We certainly give the players the fitness to do it, it is just the understanding he needs."
Although Quincy was apologetic to McLeish and his team mates his attitude problems emerged again when he was (later that year) called up to play for Ghana. The national coach, Milovan Rajevac, warned Quincy that he faced a long spell on the sidelines if he did not improve his attitude towards the national team.
Milo then excluded Quincy from the 22-man squad for the crucial World Cup qualifier against Lesotho in Sekondi. Why? Then 21-years at the time, Quincy was released by Birmingham well ahead of the previous month's qualifier against Libya, failed to join his colleagues in the national team until the last minute.
He claimed that he missed two scheduled flights to Tripoli for the game!
Rajevac said: "Quincy has not been dropped from the Black Stars forever but he must think about why he has been dropped as guidance for the future. Players must show that they are ready to die for the national team and his attitude before the Libya game was not good enough. He plays in United Kingdom along with Essien, Laryea Kingston and John Paintsil and they all managed to arrive in time but he opted to tell stories.”
So, I ask again, should he or shouldn't he be brought back into the fold, or is it past and we should forget it?
PS: He was released from Ajax (where he had been for nine years) at 16 years, because of...you guessed it..."attitude problems." Or maybe, just maybe, we're jumping the gun and overreacting.
Should Quincy Abeyie be recalled to the Black Stars?(online surveys)
Monday, August 24, 2009
What the Ghanaman could not, the Serbians have done. Twice.
When history comes to be written, the football bards would sing a song.
The first stanza of the song will say that four years ago, Ratomir Dujkovic did a great job of taking Ghana to its first World Cup.
Never mind that he was the fifth in a series to coaches to steer the Black Stars into the World Cup after Sam Arday, Mariano Barreto, held the fort in the qualifying series.
Now, in 2009, the second stanza will likely say that another Serbian is doing same.
Milovan Rajevac Some great coaches in the nation’s history have failed to do that: Robert Mensah, Ibrahim Sunday, CK Gyamfi, Malik Jabir, Ben Kusi and Osei Kofi among others.
And then there are others like Jones Attuquayefio, EK Afranie – all these mentioned coaches had great players like Anthony Yeboah, Abedi Pele, Isaac Paha, Abdul Razak, Mohammed Polo, Peter Lamptey, Dan Owusu, Awuley Quaye and Kwasi Owusu and countless others.
But hey, we shouldn’t forget that the money, too, has counted.
Dujkovic did it four years ago on a modest salary of $15000 a month and Milo is doing it with a paycheck that is five times over. How much are we willing to pay Ghanaians to take us to the world cup?
That, I believe, is another bone to pick on another day.
ps: Never mind that Ghana is not fully at the World cup....they are already there as far as I am concerned!
The first stanza of the song will say that four years ago, Ratomir Dujkovic did a great job of taking Ghana to its first World Cup.
Never mind that he was the fifth in a series to coaches to steer the Black Stars into the World Cup after Sam Arday, Mariano Barreto, held the fort in the qualifying series.
Now, in 2009, the second stanza will likely say that another Serbian is doing same.
Milovan Rajevac Some great coaches in the nation’s history have failed to do that: Robert Mensah, Ibrahim Sunday, CK Gyamfi, Malik Jabir, Ben Kusi and Osei Kofi among others.
And then there are others like Jones Attuquayefio, EK Afranie – all these mentioned coaches had great players like Anthony Yeboah, Abedi Pele, Isaac Paha, Abdul Razak, Mohammed Polo, Peter Lamptey, Dan Owusu, Awuley Quaye and Kwasi Owusu and countless others.
But hey, we shouldn’t forget that the money, too, has counted.
Dujkovic did it four years ago on a modest salary of $15000 a month and Milo is doing it with a paycheck that is five times over. How much are we willing to pay Ghanaians to take us to the world cup?
That, I believe, is another bone to pick on another day.
ps: Never mind that Ghana is not fully at the World cup....they are already there as far as I am concerned!
Sunday, June 07, 2009
Ghana - Mali WCQ: Mind games begin (4)
Black Stars head coach Milovan Rajevac says the absence of the duo of captain Stephen Appiah and Sulley Muntari will not wreck their efforts as they play the Eagles of Mali in Sunday's 2010 World Cup qualifier.
The Serbian believes he has aback-up plan to make up for the losses of the duo as the three pointswill be crucial in playing at next year's World Cup in South Africa.
Appiah withdrew from the squad citing family crises in Italy and Muntari also pulled out of the squad claiming he was undergoing treatment at Inter Milan.
Rajevac can rely on Kwadwo Asamoah and Moussa Narry to hold the fort in their absence and he is confident of getting a favourable results.
"We have the players to match our opponents and we hope to make thedesired impact to improve our chances of qualifying," Rajevac is quoted by the Daily Graphic.
"We know how important it is to get the something out of the Mali and Sudan games and we will not disappoint our fans."
The Stars arrived in Bamako last night and will train later today before the game on Sunday.
The Serbian believes he has aback-up plan to make up for the losses of the duo as the three pointswill be crucial in playing at next year's World Cup in South Africa.
Appiah withdrew from the squad citing family crises in Italy and Muntari also pulled out of the squad claiming he was undergoing treatment at Inter Milan.
Rajevac can rely on Kwadwo Asamoah and Moussa Narry to hold the fort in their absence and he is confident of getting a favourable results.
"We have the players to match our opponents and we hope to make thedesired impact to improve our chances of qualifying," Rajevac is quoted by the Daily Graphic.
"We know how important it is to get the something out of the Mali and Sudan games and we will not disappoint our fans."
The Stars arrived in Bamako last night and will train later today before the game on Sunday.
Tuesday, June 02, 2009
What Milo REALLY thinks of Mali
June 7, 2009.
The day the Black Stars of Ghana play Mali in that long awaited qualifier for the World Cup and Nations' Cup in 2010.
But till now we have not known what the Ghanaian coach thinks of the opposition.
Thankfully, fifa.com spoke to him and I got these quotes from Milo.
"They (Mali) have excellent and exciting individuals playing in the best teams in Europe
"You cannot underestimate them. They want to win, but we also want good results from this match.
"We have the psychological edge and we have to use it."
And although Ghana may be smug about news that Real Madrid midfielder Mahamadou Diarra will be unavailable, the team has injury issues of its own, prompting the call up of Zamalek striker Junior Agogo.
But Rajevac feels Agogo's impressive strike rate of 11 goals in 25 games for his country is one that could fire Ghana to South Africa next June.
"I'm a bit concerned about his match fitness, but I know he has been training very hard.
Junior is a good player, he works hard and I trust him. At this time of the year, players are going to the off-season and it's not uncommon for most of them to carry injuries.
As a coach, I expect that, I can't do anything about it."
____
Monday, June 01, 2009
Why Appiah's decision to withdraw was/is so wrong
Ghana woke up a week ago to the news that Il Kapitano had withdrawn from the upcoming game with mali in June and even yesterday's Uganda clash.
My first reaction was: He has what?!
He may be smiling here, but I am sure the guy can't sleep.
His reason was that he had family issues. Almighty Jah...I mean come on, since when did football allow family issues to determine whether they play in a World Cup qualifier. Since he started playing for the Stars in 1996, has he ever stepped down from any game due to family issues?
And I'm sure he's had his fair share of them.
That brings us to the 2009 million dollar question: why is he not playing? I like to feel that the pressures of the fans and the snickering is getting to him. But, for balls sake, he should learn from Cristiano Ronaldo!
This is the time to show the fans who's boss - and it should be on the pitch, not off it. He should have come down and played the game of his life. As I like to say, 'fans are like sails, they bend with the winds. '
Appiah should simply stop whining, be a man and come out if something is really wrong.
Mohammed Gargo, long time friend of his chose to take the ire of fans by blaming them:
"Probably he is also tired hearing the comments of our own football lovers in this country.
"Football is such that when people don't like you, they try to paint you black no matter how good you are.
He added: "So probably he's tired and he just wants to take a break and see what is going to happen. I will personally not plead with him but ask him to rethink his decision
"I think they need him even his advice. If he's always on the bench I will like it. The public will have to sympathize with him."
So what's Milo saying?
"It's a big problem for us because he is a big player. We are talking with him, and we hope he returns to camp as soon as possible."
____
My first reaction was: He has what?!
He may be smiling here, but I am sure the guy can't sleep.
His reason was that he had family issues. Almighty Jah...I mean come on, since when did football allow family issues to determine whether they play in a World Cup qualifier. Since he started playing for the Stars in 1996, has he ever stepped down from any game due to family issues?
And I'm sure he's had his fair share of them.
That brings us to the 2009 million dollar question: why is he not playing? I like to feel that the pressures of the fans and the snickering is getting to him. But, for balls sake, he should learn from Cristiano Ronaldo!
This is the time to show the fans who's boss - and it should be on the pitch, not off it. He should have come down and played the game of his life. As I like to say, 'fans are like sails, they bend with the winds. '
Appiah should simply stop whining, be a man and come out if something is really wrong.
Mohammed Gargo, long time friend of his chose to take the ire of fans by blaming them:
"Probably he is also tired hearing the comments of our own football lovers in this country.
"Football is such that when people don't like you, they try to paint you black no matter how good you are.
He added: "So probably he's tired and he just wants to take a break and see what is going to happen. I will personally not plead with him but ask him to rethink his decision
"I think they need him even his advice. If he's always on the bench I will like it. The public will have to sympathize with him."
So what's Milo saying?
"It's a big problem for us because he is a big player. We are talking with him, and we hope he returns to camp as soon as possible."
Of course it is a big problem because Stevie is, without being clichéd, the heartbeat of Ghana.
Appiah should simply stop whining, be a man and come out if something is really wrong.
Meanwhile, Fulham defender John Paintsil agrees that the loss of Appiah is a major blow.
"It is going to be difficult without Appiah. If there is anything to bring him back that will be better," he told Joy Sports in Accra.
So then, that's the feeling in me mind.____
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Erasmus Kwao asks: Can Ghana get to South Africa?
My colleague Erasmus Kwao over at Citi FM in Accra hosts and produces various sports shows on the station. He also occasionally does punditry for Metro TV in Accra. Here are his views on Ghana's chances of getting to Rainbow Land in 2010, written after the Ghana - Benin game two months ago.Various interpretations have been given to the Black Stars’ performance in their 1-0 win over Benin in the World Cup qualifier at the Baba Yara Stadium on March, 29 2009. The Stars were put on the back foot for long periods in the match but were fortunate to run away with the victory courtesy the first minute strike by Prince Tagoe.
In the aftermath of the match, some have openly questioned the commitment of the players to the national cause and head coach Milovan Rajevac has not been spared either. The Stars showed promise when they were training for the game but their performance during the match kept most people guessing what might have happened.
A former Chairman of the Ghana Football Association Ben Koufie was alarmed about reports which suggested that the Minister of Youth and Sports had clashed with Sulley Muntari over the thorny issue of winning bonuses five clear days to the match.
There were early signs which suggested the players were going to demand an increase in winning bonuses, which stood at $8,000 but I think the issue could have been dealt with much better between the two sides, albeit diplomatically
Another ex-Stars striker Augustine Arhinful is however quick to point out that despite the fact that the Minister did not help matters with his heavy handedness, the players were not likely to be affected by the row since they earn more than what was being offered at their clubs.
It’s true that the players stand to benefit more than the nation in the overall analysis if they qualify for the second successive occasion.
Their market values could skyrocket just as it did in the immediate aftermath of the 2006 World Cup in Germany and that is enough personal motivation. There is no denying the fact that money was one of the factors which influenced the Stars’ qualification to the last World Cup and it clearly showed in the way the Stars went in for challenges for the ball, during the competition.
There were early signs which suggested the players were going to demand an increase in winning bonuses, which stood at $8,000 but I think the issue could have been dealt with much better between the two sides, albeit diplomatically. But that is not all.
Milovan Rajevac is also at fault for the poor display. To start with, the decision to play right full back Samuel Inkoom on the left full back position despite the availability of fit Harrison Afful and Belgium based Nana Kwasi Asare was unpardonable.
The Serbian rationalised his selection saying he needed a quick player to deal with the threat from Benin. He added that Inkoom played according to his instructions when clearly the Kotoko defender struggled with the pace of the Benin attackers and found it problematic kicking the ball with his left foot.
The Serbian also gave a half fit Stephen Appiah and a non committal Sulley Muntari too much time on the pitch while emerging players like Kwadwo Asamoah was given too little time to perform.
The Serbian trainer would need to make some bold decisions and introduce competition in the team in order to bring out the best in the players because he would have no excuse if he fails and Ghana fails to make it to South Africa 2010.Asamoah could be his bait for such a revival. The 20-year-old has proven with his 16 appearances for Udinese that he could fit into various roles in the midfield, both defensive and offensive.
On the way forward, it’s still baffling that the GFA did not send any scout to watch our next opponents Mali draw 1-1 with Sudan in Omdurman. Rajevac and his assistants are now on a scouting mission in Europe to spy on the individual players at their club sides - amazing.
The ball is in your court, GFA and Milovan Rajevac.
Agree with him? Lemme know your views. But here's his blog anyway.
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