Tony, what are you saying? That Black Stars should adopt a strategy of shooting at sight? What kind of football is that? Are we in the 1950s?
The boys have to dribble, work the ball, outmaneuver their opponents through str ... read full comment
Tony, what are you saying? That Black Stars should adopt a strategy of shooting at sight? What kind of football is that? Are we in the 1950s?
The boys have to dribble, work the ball, outmaneuver their opponents through strategic positions and create chances to score (openings) before they SHOOT at goal. That's how football is played.
You think the boys want to play the game in their half? No, they don't want to because they are playing opponents who also don't want to play the game in their half. Where the game is actually played depends on the relative strengths of the two teams. When the Stars play in their half, it is because the opponents have FORCED them to do so, not because they want to.
Much of modern football is controlled from the midfield. You need good dribblers to work the ball from here before going on the attack. You can't shoot at the goal from the midfield.
As for me, I am afraid we may not even qualify from the group stages in Brazil unless we get a better team or are lucky to get a group with two relatively easy to beat teams. Then we must also be lucky.
In South Africa, we were very lucky to get to the quarter finals and our luck run out on the penalties. South Africa was really our chance to be the first African country to make it to the semis. We blew that chance. I am afraid we may not have it again.
No, Ghana will NOT win the WC next year!!! There are too many better teams than us. I very much want to be wrong in my prediction. But am afraid, Nigeria and Côte d'Ivoire may do better than us.
DD 10 years ago
KK, I very much cherish your comment, because it's true that modern soccer isn't played the way Pobee-Mensah has made us to think it's that easy. Unfortunately, you sound like a prophet of doom, extremely pessimistic to very ... read full comment
KK, I very much cherish your comment, because it's true that modern soccer isn't played the way Pobee-Mensah has made us to think it's that easy. Unfortunately, you sound like a prophet of doom, extremely pessimistic to very bad levels. Why you think even Nigeria and Cote d'voire may do better than us beats my imagination. The team, as it stands right now, is good; just a few rough edges here and there would have to be pruned and straightened. Yes, so your prediction is totally wrong, because our boys, between this time and the start of the WC next year, the technical bench will be able to map up the needed strategies required to take the world by storm, mark my words.
KK 10 years ago
DD, thanks for disagreeing with my prediction. In fact, this is a wager with you that I very much want to lose... How happy will I be if you win!
But I am very good at winning bad bets...
You're right that the team need ... read full comment
DD, thanks for disagreeing with my prediction. In fact, this is a wager with you that I very much want to lose... How happy will I be if you win!
But I am very good at winning bad bets...
You're right that the team needs the rough edges to be smoothened. The boys are good as individuals. It's up to the coach to do something with them. Let's hope he knows what to do.
Kponyo 10 years ago
KK, I really cannot understand why you choose to misunderstand some of the points that Tony raised.
What he was driving at is that our boys strangely hang on to the ball for painfully too long. In this age of productive f ... read full comment
KK, I really cannot understand why you choose to misunderstand some of the points that Tony raised.
What he was driving at is that our boys strangely hang on to the ball for painfully too long. In this age of productive football, this flaw can only be attributed to ineffective coaching supervision. And I perfectly well share his views.
Its even more worrisome when right in front of goal in the '18', you have experienced international players like Essien hanging on to the ball unnecessarily whilst dribbling and trying to make room and clearance for himself to shoot at goal even when he is being held in check by four defenders. Its incredible.
In the same way that in spite of all the health odds, we relapse to eat our fufu, abenkwan and tons of meat of all kinds at even 10pm, our footballers also cannot seem to let go of attention grabbing and circus antics on the field of play when they get the opportunity to play in Ghana.
We all need to understand that the entertainment quota of football globally, has dropped from about 80% to 5 or 10%. Evey aspect of the game today, from the construction of stadia, the kind of grass on the field of play, inner perimeter and video-board marketing, game attendance statistics, quality of competition, quality of players, standard of play and eventual scores is taken seriously for maximum competition visibility and ultimately, good profitable financial returns.
Obviously when our international players come home to play, they can afford to relapse within the lax supervisory conditions of our less stringent coaching methods. In Europe you do that at the risk of being benched permanently.
This unproductive attitude is not restricted only to our footballers. All our foreign-trained professionals including Medical doctors, Engineers, Economists, Lawyers, Accountants etc right down to 'cleaners with experience', behave the same way.
It is this specific factor of our general dislike or aversion for discipline that has kept us backward and it is this same factor that will prevent us from winning the World Cup.
KK 10 years ago
I think you've taken the argument to a general level of which I may agree with some of your observations.
But when we limit it to football, I will say that I don't think our boys hang on too much to the boys. When Essien ... read full comment
I think you've taken the argument to a general level of which I may agree with some of your observations.
But when we limit it to football, I will say that I don't think our boys hang on too much to the boys. When Essien gets the ball at the opponents half, he must hang on to it until he can get a good chance to shoot at goal, or better still release it to a mate who has found himself in a better position. When he succeeds (often he will not succeed because the opponents will not let him - that's the nature of the game) the team will be in a better position to score than when he gets the ball and releases it immediately when none of his mates are in a position to receive the ball. In that case the opponents will take the ball away from you. If Essien gets the ball at a time he judges and sees that he can shoot at goal, he will do so. Until then he should keep the ball by trying to dribble it around the opponents.
DK 10 years ago
Black Stars should remember that the more shots taken at goal, the more chances there is of scoring and eventually winning the game.
Black Stars should remember that the more shots taken at goal, the more chances there is of scoring and eventually winning the game.
TonyPM 10 years ago
DK, I disagree with KK. Your point is exactly the point I am making. I am surprised that KK doesn't seem to see that the more shots at goal, the better your chances, and you don't get the ball to the opponent's half, you wo ... read full comment
DK, I disagree with KK. Your point is exactly the point I am making. I am surprised that KK doesn't seem to see that the more shots at goal, the better your chances, and you don't get the ball to the opponent's half, you won't get a shot at goal.
To borrow from the business world, if you don't plan to get the ball to the opponent's half, you plan to lose.
By the way, it is as easy as 1,2,3 to get the ball to the opponent's side. There is such a thing called "clear the ball." That means boot the ball away from your goal area. We can plan to boot the ball hard and get it to the opponent's area as quickly as possible and do our dribbling there.
KK 10 years ago
You can tell the kids you train to just boot the ball into the opponent's half and struggle for it. Those are kids playing amateur football being coached by someone who has not played football to a high level or gone to a coa ... read full comment
You can tell the kids you train to just boot the ball into the opponent's half and struggle for it. Those are kids playing amateur football being coached by someone who has not played football to a high level or gone to a coaching school.
In modern football, you must work the ball to be in a position to shoot at the goal. You do that by purposefully building up your attack, dribbling the ball round your opponents to create chances for your mates, making defence splitting moves to get a good chance to shoot at the goal. At all these times, your opponents (who are as good as you are, probably even better) will be working hard to frustrate your moves and often you'll have to start again. This is not as easy as 1, 2, 3 as you claim. There's nothing like "clear the ball" in modern football. If you clear the ball, it will go to your opponents who will take it away from you. Even in defence, you must make sure you still have control of the ball. You may have to build your attack even from the rear. You don't do that by just "clearing the ball" in the hope that your opponents won't get it. You pass to your team mate, not just "clear the ball".
Those countries that win the WC don't do so by just "clearing the ball". All good teams hold the ball by dribbling to find a means to pass the ball. Even the Germans do it. The English no longer play "kick and run after it". If you watch Spain, Brazil, Germany, Italy which have all won the WC, they don't just "clear the ball". They dribble a lot!!!
Thank goodness Tony is not Black Stars' coach.
TonyPM 10 years ago
You may choose not to believe it, but I am an astute a football watcher as you may be, but I will take your lesson in stride. I will however advise you to watch women's soccer and maybe American women's team play sometimes.
You may choose not to believe it, but I am an astute a football watcher as you may be, but I will take your lesson in stride. I will however advise you to watch women's soccer and maybe American women's team play sometimes.
KK 10 years ago
I have also watched a lot of women football and one big difference between men and women is that women cannot dribble the ball at all. They also shoot much and from distance. That is because the women game has not reached the ... read full comment
I have also watched a lot of women football and one big difference between men and women is that women cannot dribble the ball at all. They also shoot much and from distance. That is because the women game has not reached the technical level of the men's game. In soccer, women lag far behind the men. Marta from Brazil has won FIFA best footballer award a number of times. She's the best female dribbler in the game but she still doesn't come to a man's standard.
No! Female soccer cannot be compared to male soccer koraaaa!
TonyPM 10 years ago
Know it all KK may not see this, but I hope he is watching "60 Minutes" right now. 60 Minutes is discussing strategies that underdogs use to win and showed a basketball team with no talent using devised strategies to win all ... read full comment
Know it all KK may not see this, but I hope he is watching "60 Minutes" right now. 60 Minutes is discussing strategies that underdogs use to win and showed a basketball team with no talent using devised strategies to win all the games in the season. If you listen to Mr. KK, Ghana's only hope is God's grace.
Chris K Awuyah 10 years ago
American soccer is more or less American football without the use of the hands. Kicking, running, and strength tactics are trademarks of American soccer. It is a wrong approach to soccer. Any wonder Ghana keeps beating the US ... read full comment
American soccer is more or less American football without the use of the hands. Kicking, running, and strength tactics are trademarks of American soccer. It is a wrong approach to soccer. Any wonder Ghana keeps beating the USA men's soccer team when it matters. I believe that the strategy of basket ball has application for soccer. Just like basket ball, in soccer, you must devise complex strategies of dribbling, positional play, speed when it matters, slow down when it matters, matching opponent's individual players, etc. The intelligent and creative players are the best on the field. Black stars need the positional plays as shown by players like M. Essien, Kwadwo Asamoah and Andre Ayew. To win, we must out flank, outplay, out strategize opponents.
CAPII 10 years ago
THE CAIRO GAME WAS FORMALITY,EGYPT IS A GOOD SIDE THOUGH A SHADOW OF THEIR FORMER FEARSOME SQUARD. THEY REDEEMED THEIR PRIDE WITH A WIN NOT AUTHORITATIVE ENOUGH TO UNDO THE 6-1 HUMILIATION IN KUMASI.GIVE THEM RESPECT AT LEAST ... read full comment
THE CAIRO GAME WAS FORMALITY,EGYPT IS A GOOD SIDE THOUGH A SHADOW OF THEIR FORMER FEARSOME SQUARD. THEY REDEEMED THEIR PRIDE WITH A WIN NOT AUTHORITATIVE ENOUGH TO UNDO THE 6-1 HUMILIATION IN KUMASI.GIVE THEM RESPECT AT LEAST,EVERYBODY WENT HOME IN PERFECT PEACE.
Tony, what are you saying? That Black Stars should adopt a strategy of shooting at sight? What kind of football is that? Are we in the 1950s?
The boys have to dribble, work the ball, outmaneuver their opponents through str ...
read full comment
KK, I very much cherish your comment, because it's true that modern soccer isn't played the way Pobee-Mensah has made us to think it's that easy. Unfortunately, you sound like a prophet of doom, extremely pessimistic to very ...
read full comment
DD, thanks for disagreeing with my prediction. In fact, this is a wager with you that I very much want to lose... How happy will I be if you win!
But I am very good at winning bad bets...
You're right that the team need ...
read full comment
KK, I really cannot understand why you choose to misunderstand some of the points that Tony raised.
What he was driving at is that our boys strangely hang on to the ball for painfully too long. In this age of productive f ...
read full comment
I think you've taken the argument to a general level of which I may agree with some of your observations.
But when we limit it to football, I will say that I don't think our boys hang on too much to the boys. When Essien ...
read full comment
Black Stars should remember that the more shots taken at goal, the more chances there is of scoring and eventually winning the game.
DK, I disagree with KK. Your point is exactly the point I am making. I am surprised that KK doesn't seem to see that the more shots at goal, the better your chances, and you don't get the ball to the opponent's half, you wo ...
read full comment
You can tell the kids you train to just boot the ball into the opponent's half and struggle for it. Those are kids playing amateur football being coached by someone who has not played football to a high level or gone to a coa ...
read full comment
You may choose not to believe it, but I am an astute a football watcher as you may be, but I will take your lesson in stride. I will however advise you to watch women's soccer and maybe American women's team play sometimes.
I have also watched a lot of women football and one big difference between men and women is that women cannot dribble the ball at all. They also shoot much and from distance. That is because the women game has not reached the ...
read full comment
Know it all KK may not see this, but I hope he is watching "60 Minutes" right now. 60 Minutes is discussing strategies that underdogs use to win and showed a basketball team with no talent using devised strategies to win all ...
read full comment
American soccer is more or less American football without the use of the hands. Kicking, running, and strength tactics are trademarks of American soccer. It is a wrong approach to soccer. Any wonder Ghana keeps beating the US ...
read full comment
THE CAIRO GAME WAS FORMALITY,EGYPT IS A GOOD SIDE THOUGH A SHADOW OF THEIR FORMER FEARSOME SQUARD. THEY REDEEMED THEIR PRIDE WITH A WIN NOT AUTHORITATIVE ENOUGH TO UNDO THE 6-1 HUMILIATION IN KUMASI.GIVE THEM RESPECT AT LEAST ...
read full comment