Ghana?s image at international soccer arena has for years suffered a deadly blow until recently as a result of our unparallel performance at the world cup tournament . It was a record of unimaginable display of skill which could have yielded a much better result had we been able to establish purpose and drive at the offense. This impasse has left many soccer enthusiasts and administrators wandering in search of an antidote to our weakest link which is our inability to score goals.
Soccer is high level science which requires detail planning of action and execution. This in effect explains why we have to pay so much to hire a good coach who understands the psychology of the game and has the expertise to explore ways and means to overcome our opponents. In as much as strategy is important , it is equally necessary to have men equipped with the requisite arsenal i.e. skills, discipline, loyalty and dedication, in order to establish a great team. It is on this bases that I personally salute our players for their gallant display of skills, loyalty and dedication which gave recognition to our dear country while others started searching for the location of Ghana on the world map. My kudos!!!.
There has been a lot of speculation after the world cup about the need to overhaul our offense which I believe is currently going on. It makes sense because the game of soccer is not about one?s ability to display skills but win games which could be translated into one?s ability to score GOALS. If history is a guide, then our match with Brazil which we lost by three goals to nil should aptly explain the guiding philosophy about the game of soccer. We played much better than Brazil by all standards and yet we lost by a wide margin; whereas they were able to execute most of the few opportunities that came in their way , we on the contrarily could not despite many favors that came in our way. This brings to mind , the fact that goal scoring is an act that must be learned and I would personally entreat our professional players to take this advice in good faith and work hard for their own good and Ghana at large. If you observe many great players in the likes of George Best, Ian Rush, and Opoku Afriyie, you will understand my point and it is therefore very important for our renowned footballers to impact their knowledge to our new cream of players. It is important for our players also to know that skills are learned and you can only get better when you really stay focused and committed to your objectives.
Recent developments in the selections of players indicate that our current management team is on the offence trying hard to identify the best material to represent our dear nation, a quest which is hard, tricky and tiring, and yet very rewarding specially if they are able to achieve success by finding answers to our elusive problem. Although, I am not part of the management team nor the advisory, I feel obliged to make some suggestions which I strongly belief could help create answers the missing link to our elusive endeavor of creating an all round solid world class team.
There are instances where a scouting team can easily identify a player to fill a needed position and similarly, there are occasions where the coach have to tune-up a player to fit into a team taking into consideration of his qualities. These assumptions and scenarios brings to mind players in the like of Joe Tex Frimpong and Isaac Boakye. Presently, I can not speak for Isaac because of his disdain to play for Ghana ,a reaction for being left out of the World Cup squad. I believe that in a clear sign of indiscipline and a trait of unpatrotism and would have to apologize to the nation before he could be consideration trials into the national team. Contrarily, Joe Tex by his current form has proved that his skills require some attention of the management of our national team. He has proved at his club level that he has the requisite capabilities to represent our dear nation. His demeanor is a plus and his achievements are no news for the consumption of the reading public. He demonstrated goodwill and excellent conduct by wishing the Black Stars success when he was dropped from the final team squad after propelling the national team during the qualifying series.
If Joe Tex has been able to help two different clubs to CAF championship while playing as a marksman, then he definitely possess some qualities that are wealth looking . He has guts and his potentials must be tapped well to the advantage of our nation and himself. Joe has demonstrate zeal and perseverance at the club level and continues to impress many with his skill in addition to being humble and discipline. He has by his pronouncements, efforts and action shown interest to serve his country and must be given a chance . He has the size , the skills and the energy to produce results , and could well fit our number 8 jersey given the opportunity. In this trying moments in our search for glory, let us find reason to give this gentlemen a chance to prove his wealth. He might be the missing link to our dreams and aspirations.
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