The new Ghana coach Goran Stevanovic is being unveiled on Wednesday to the Ghana sports inky fraternity.
Goal.com can assured him of broad smiles beaming towards his direction at the podium but right after the press conference he is bond to naturally make foes and friends.
Judging from past experiences involving foreign coaches, Goal.com brings to his attention five things he needs to either clear the air of or be mindful of.
1. There are 23 million plus Ghanaian coaches
Ghanaians love football. The people are very fanatic. Everybody is a coach. Everybody would love you as a coach until you lose a single game.
The day you will lose a game do not switch on the radio or watch television and do not ever dare read the next day’s newspapers. The media can make or break you.
Forget about all the good things you have done and put off your phone. If you do not trust us here are the words of former Ghana coach Ratomir Dujkovic: “Even the Government wanted me out of the job. 90% of the media called for my sacking. They wanted a local coach to take the team to the WC.
I am still very disappointed about the call for my sacking. I cannot simply understand why the whole country is being ungrateful. This is the first time Ghana has qualified for the WC and it is to my credit.”
2. Continuity is key now
Milovan Rajevac has set a precedent and Stevanovic has to take over from there. Rajevac took the four-time African champions to the final of the 2010 Nations Cup and won silver.
He kept that toothpaste smile on soccer fans not only in the west African country but Africa in particular at the historic World Cup in South Africa where Ghana failed in a dramatic circumstance to berth at the semi-final for the first time for Africa.
The players are used to Rajevac’s system and the 44-year-old should not rush to introduce his style now but gradually phase in his own style to make it possible for the players to adapt.
He already has assurances from the seniors in the team. “We will be behind him as players and play our heart out… But we joke a lot so if he is quick tempered he should take it easy,” striker Asamoah Gyan warned.
3. Believe in the young ones and merit
The core of the current Black Stars are the young players that were grafted into the squad from the U-20 World Cup winning squad in Egypt. Days when certain players were declared ‘untouchables’ are over and at the moment selection is based on merit not past glories.
Today young players like Olympique Marseille’s midfielder Andre Ayew and FC Basel’s Samuel Inkoom have axed senior players from their positions. The policy of blending youth with experience paid off for Ghana at Angola and South Africa and the country can now boast of at least a formidable squad that can stand the test of time without the likes of world class midfielder Michael Essien of Chelsea.
4. Don’t forget the local players
There are a lot of untapped talents in the local league but over the years Black Stars’ coaches have ignored them in their squads. Ghana is in dire need of a budding striker but it is strange to notice that over and over again squads have been named without the leading goal scorer in the Premier League let alone mention Eric Bekoe who once led the goal scoring chart in Egypt. We must not waste the embarrassment of talents at our disposal especially in the local league and every player irrespective of club, region, league and background must be given a level playing field to justify himself in the national colours.
5. Relationship with “Infamous” Virtus International
The former Partizan Belgrade tactician must come clear of his relationship with the player management outfit Virtus International being run by fellow Serbian Goran Milovanovic. The firm spearheaded the appointments of two previous coaches of Ghana – Milan Zivadinovic and Milovan Rajevac.
It is widely alleged that players who are not on this agency’s list find it difficult to break into the Black Stars squad unless you are one of the top notch players. A classical example is Petrojet’s striker Eric Bekoe who never made the cut to the senior team under Rajevac because of contract disagreement with Virtus.
Are there any other things that escaped us that you think should be brought to the attention of the new coach in order to have a successful stay in football loving nation of Ghana. Leave your comments below.