Comment: We owe Kwesi Appiah an apology

When Kwesi Appiah was appointed coach of the Black Stars, the news was met with a lot of skepticism and lack of conviction.

Many thought it was a huge risk and a gamble that could blow up in our face, and they had good reason to. Many felt the mammoth pressure, fan ridicule, media criticism, top official interference and the players' inflated egos were going to be too much for Kwesi Appiah to handle.

“I know there will be immense pressure and I expect that. I have been around the team for some time now and I am very much aware of the challenges and pressures that come with the job.” Appiah said after his appointment.

Losing to Burkina Faso in the semi-finals of the African Cup of Nations in South Africa further intensified the call for his sack for a "world-class coach", so Ghana's World Cup ambitions would not be jeopardized.

But the Ghana Football Association stood by Kwesi Appiah in an attempt to let him prove his doubters wrong and win over fans with an impressive winning-ratio.

And how he led his team to beat Egypt 6-1, which is a brilliant football managerial achievement, convinced his critics and naysayers that he had earned his plaudits.

In our “crazed with winning society”, most Ghanaians have a bit of a tendency to get too caught up with defining a coach's success and personal excellence in terms of winning and his ultimate outcome with the team.

You get to keep your job as long as you put up enough wins. If you don’t win enough what you can be sure of is that sooner rather than later you’ll be joining the out-of-work list on a quest for a new job.

But sometimes this seems to be a rather simplistic, narrow and generally inaccurate way of measuring coaching excellence. Losses come within a certain circumstance and context that, sometimes, allow for second chances.

The ever-evolving complexity in top-flight international football means that you can't kick a coach out using a bad game as yardstick.

And so when Kwesi Appiah didn't do exactly well at the AFCON in South Africa, the FA was certain he needed another go at the helm of affairs. The result against Egypt and Ghana's excellent run in the group stages against Zambia, Sudan and Lesotho vindicated the FA's decision.

Achieving all these coaching successes throughout the qualifiers is a testament to Kwesi Appiah's growing maturity at the helm, his brilliant decision-making abilities, his efficient work ethic and his ability to inspire this team.

You can have the most talented group of midfielders and forwards in front of the most solid defence in the world, but without someone to guide and contain all those egos and helping the players improve, it counts for nothing. Kwesi Appiah has passed all these tests with distinction.

He put in place a world-class strategy, training and motivational techniques that a coach employs to lay down the blueprint of success for his team, and it has paid huge dividends.

But Kwesi Appiah didn't get to this admirable height by sudden flight. His rise has not always been this rosy. Throughout the qualifiers, he was doubted, ridiculed, vilified and undermined, often based more on his personality rather than his modest achievements.

He was also accused of being too soft spoken, ‘safe’ and diplomatic, always shying away from confrontations with his charges as well as media polemics. But he held his own, remained focused, and sought to deliver.

His team was fast, free-flowing, precise, constantly menacing and reminded Ghanaians of how well we played at the last World Cup. But even with this fascinating run that his team was on, his efforts got little credit after the thrashing of Egypt.

Maybe his work ethic, like keeping a winning team in winning mode, or achieving with a star studded side which had ego issues which he expertly dealt with– have not been the sort of efforts that is on the surface, easily seen and praised.

Maybe his hard work has always been eclipsed by certain circumstances through no fault of his. He was only doing his job, and what a wonderful time he has had with it.

But how did Kwesi Appiah get to this point? How did he win the confidence of all Ghanaians?

After being named as head coach in April, 2012, Kwesi Appiah has managed 14 wins out of 21 games, which represents a 66% win rate. Is that not an impressive managerial achievement?

Let's put that close to what the winning percentages of the coaches before him.

Milovan Rajevac, who managed the Black Stars between 2008 and 2010, managed 10 wins after 21 games, which represents a 47% win rate. Frenchman Claude Le Roy, who coached the team during the African Cup of Nations in 2008, won 11 out of 18 games, which represents a 61% win rate. Serbian Goran Stevanovic managed 10 wins from 19 games which equals a 52% win rate.

I'm not one to compare coaches as they might have come in different eras and might have been faced with different dynamics, but it isn't far-fetched to see how Kwesi Appiah's achievements are impressive compared to these coaches.

Kwesi Appiah’s tenure as Ghana's coach also meant a new found proficiency in front of goal with a impressive 49 goals scored in 21 games. Goran Stevanovic, who coached the team at the 2012 Nations Cups, managed 28 goals in his 19 games in charge, with Claude Le Roy managing 31 goals in 18 games in charge of Ghana. Milovan Rajevac, by the end of 21 games, had only managed 28 goals.

With regards to goals conceded, Kwesi Appiah’s team let in 17 goals in 21 games. Claude Le Roy’s Ghana conceded 20 goals in 18 games, with Stevanovic conceding 14 goals in 19 games. Milovan Rajevac’s charges had let in 19 goals by the end of his 21st game.

(Many thanks to Fiifi Anaman for the above mentioned statistics)

When we played against Zambia and Egypt in Kumasi, his astute tactical acumen was clear for all to see. You knew he had thoroughly scouted his opponents, conducted well-planned practice sessions and had detail-oriented preparation for those contests.

He used a perfect combination of aggressive and defensive strategies while promoting a strong sense of brotherhood and pride in his team. And the success they've had in the qualifiers under his tutelage has impressed many.

Kwesi Appiah has played an instrumental part in driving this team to hall of fame-worthy glory. And he must be rewarded now with our unequivocal support.

We owe him an apology for doubting him.