[ 2017-05-17 ]

10 takeaways from Kwesi Appiah's unveiling
15 days after officially beginning his second
spell as Black Stars coach, Kwesi Appiah met the
press who had made loud calls for the former
captain to be introduced.

His plans were certainly top on the priority list
but the yardstick to judge him could also not
missed out.

Appiah will take charge of the Black Stars and
Black Stars "B" on a two-year contract with his
first game being the 2019 AFCON qualifier against
Ethiopia.

Here are 10 notes to take away from his
unveiling.

1. His opening comments was to show gratitude to
all and sundry who made his second coming
possible. Right after that, his vision for the
team had to be outlined and he rightly stated what
he envisages for the team.

2. It was during his tenure Ghana witnessed a very
poor World Cup both on and off the pitch. Part of
this had to do with two key players (Sulley
Muntari and KP Boateng) crossing the line. Both
players were sent home and have never featured for
Ghana again. It was inevitable he will be asked
about them. But what are his plans for the duo?

3. Appiah appointed Asamoah Gyan his captain in
his first term. Five years down the line and there
are reported rifts and divisions in camp over the
captaincy. He had a decision to make because
central to his success will be team unity. Is he
changing hands or will he maintain the status
quo?


4. Appiah took Maxwell Konadu as his assistant in
his first reign. The former Kotoko trainer has
retained his place in the national setup ever
since despite the former being sacked. Reports
have emerged Kwesi Appiah did not want Konadu in
his technical setup. What exactly will he be doing
as the second assistant now?


5. Only 18 players can make a matchday squad with
11 starting matches. In a tournament, 23 players
will be selected to represent the nation but there
should be a pool of competent players to always
choose from. Avram Grant was bashed several times
for naming template squads. How different will
Kwesi Appiah be handling this?


6. Ibrahim Tanko has been named the first
assistant with Richard Kingson as goalkeeper's
trainer. Both are former players but the
appointment that has come under the radar is
Stephen Appiah. The former captain assumes a new
role of technical coordinator. What exactly is
expected of him?


7. It was widely rumored and now a reality.
Whichever side you were on holds no water now.
Kwesi Appiah is the Ghana coach and what is
expected of us is to throw our weight behind him.
Does he know about people's perception concerning
his reappointment?

8. "I believe that the young guys who played did
well and my intention was to bring the old ones on
when the US team get tired but these things
happen." This were Appiah's comments after Ghana
lost 2-1 to USA in the 2014 World Cup. He is still
remembered for these comments till date. Huge
error which will never be pardoned if repeated.
But first, does he know about this and several
other mistakes he made in his first spell?

9. Part of woes in 2014 can be attributed to how
things were organized. Issues of finances are
solely out of the hands of the head coach. The
coach can only plan and propose where to camp and
train prior to a tournament. Execution is left to
those above. How does he view our preparatory
phase for tournaments and competitions?

10. Appiah invited a couple of local players in
his first spell despite featuring them. Notable
amongst them is Mahatma Otoo who was at the peak
of his powers with Hearts of Oak. The Black Stars
technical setup is now a made in Ghana team and
there are calls for this localization to extend to
the squad itself. How easy and feasible is this
call?

ARHIN'S NOTE

Kwesi Appiah has got a chance to make amends after
a rocky end to his first reign. His first
achievement is to get Ibrahim Tanko on board to
improve his technical team tactically. Tanko will
introduce new training techniques and introduce
new technology to a set of players who are used to
the modern trend of football.

The unveiling itself seemed rushed and his targets
well below of what is expected from a national
team coach. He was tasked to build a good Black
Star "A" and "B" squad, qualify and win AFCON 2019
and try his possible best to qualify Ghana for the
World Cup.

These seem fair on hindsight but what happened to
the CHAN tournament where he will be coaching the
Black Stars "B"? Ghana have reached the final
twice in that tournament and we are due a trophy
but that was not mentioned.

What style of play and philosophy do we want to
build as a nation? How will these trickle down
from the Black Stars, to Meteors, Satellites down
to the Starlets? What plans have been put in place
to build consistency and ensure players easily
transition from the Starlets to the Black Stars?

Someway somehow, part of Avram Grant's
responsibility was to hold seminars for local
coaches in the league. None of this was mentioned
in his target.

Are we bent on creating an identity or the short
term target of winning a trophy has blinded our
choices?

Appiah claims he has learned from his mistakes so
hopefully, in his next few press conferences he
will not be told what to say.

We can only hope for the best and wish he returns
Ghana to the pinnacle of African football.

Source - Myjoyonline.com

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