The reaction of Ghanaians in the last few days after the Black Stars unimpressive performance against the Cranes of Uganda in their crucial Cup of Nations tie at the Kumasi Sports Stadium gives enough cause to worry.
Questions on what might have gone wrong, after having assembled almost all the top players the country could boast of, are still being asked and many are those who could not come to terms with what might have contributed to the low performance by the national team.
No matter what one feels, our coach and the so-called idols failed us with their attitude before and during the game. It seemed the authorities are not able to identify players whose services were needed for the match and those not need.
If with only four days to such an important game foreign-based professionals were still trooping to camp, then what were Ghanaians expecting? Indeed little was attached or even no relevance at all to when players should report to camp.
While some good players had complied with their invitation and reported to camp from the on-set, they were rather made to warm the benches only for the late comers to don the national jersey for whatever reasons known only to the handlers.
Some players who were not needed at all were featured, though they came late. The argument that all players were needed aboard is the best but not to all extent.
It was glaring that some of the players that were supposed to don the national colours refused to die for the loyal supporters who thronged the stadium to cheer the team to victory; but these were the choice of the authorities.
It is baffling to hear coach Buckhard Ziese claiming that the local boys could not live up to expectation when offered the opportunity. That assertion is ridiculous and an insult to the premier league.
If Ghana has as many as sixteen league clubs in the country and the German is insisting that he cannot at least get one good player from each club for a good team and proceed to invite foreign players, would one not be right in concluding that the man is not ready to work?
What is the duty of a coach if not simply terms to groom and build a team? It's been three months down the lane and Ghana's coach has not been able to raise a single team. Should Ghanaians not have every reason to worry?
No one is aware of how long coach Ziese's reliance on the professionals, who are less committed to play for the national team, would end. Apart from his inability to read the game, Ziese's one other area of weakness is player selection.
What did Mr. Zeise think he was doing when he played three typical defenders like Abuberkari Yakubu, Kofi Amponsah, and Osei-Kuffore in defence without any sweeper?
Having noticed that both Charles Amoah and Augustine Ahinful were passengers in the afternoon, it became evident that the Stars needed players of the calibre of William Tiero and Lawrence Aidoo who are capable tof forcing any defence to commit mistakes instead of the duo who played a relaxed game without any sense of urgency.
For the past three months the coach had insisted that the country had no good goalkeepers but has done nothing to help those available to improve their performance. Is it not an insult to Ghanaians that Eddy Ansah who was prone to mistakes in his hey days is, in the opinion of the coach better than Louis Quanoo, George Owu, Isaac Amoako and Sammy Adjei?
Had the coach not realised that in his build up against the Cranes, his game against Kenya and Kotoko it was only when he introduced some local boys like Bortey, Tiero and Michael Osei among others that the game tilted in the Stars favour. It is agreeable that the man is talking more that he is working. Where on earth can a coach order that players be given their bonuses according to how long they lasted in a game?
But need the coach be blamed alone? Whoever might have convinced Samuel Osei-Kuffour to join the team at the eleventh hour might have been disgraced by the player's actions toward Skipper Stephen Appiah when he was asked to get back to his position when he had abandoned his role and choose to strike.
He disregarded the skipper.
What prevented the coach from inviting specific number of players rather than the open door for every foreign-based player on arriving in the country?
If the coach is not prepared to work and raise a team, as he has portrayed so far and hence his reliance on the professionals, then would it not be more beneficial for him to stay in his German base and monitor Ghanaian players and come down when it becomes relevant rather than staying in the country while he does nothing about local team building?
So long us Ghana would continue to accept anything, then she must not expect good results.
