In defence of Coach Otto Addo

Football purists say it is not good  for a team to look good without producing the goods.

This is exactly what my favourite English club, Manchester United, are doing.The crestfallen Red Devils are now a pale shadow of what oldies like some of us cherished in the Alex Ferguson days.

Conversely, my dear national team, the Black Stars of Ghana, don’t look attractive but they are producing the goods all right. Therein lies the irony. 

In five World Cup qualifying matches the Black Stars have not fully satisfied the fastidious football public with the trademark fluent, attractive football even though they top the group with 19 points accrued from eight matches without defeat.

With two matches to go the odds are most likely Ghana will make it to World Cup 26.

The snag, however, is that there seems to be a large school of thought that Coach Otto should not be the man to take the team to the big football festival. 

I beg to differ. And I wholly back popular football analyst Kojo Addae Mensah who insists Ghana could be on a suicide mission if Coach Otto Addo is replaced after the qualifying series.

Kojo reminds us to note

Ghana's absence from African Cup of Nations (Afcon) in December would leave the Black Stars with no serious test of competitive strength before the World Cup.

And this would  definitely be a big headache if we had a new coach taking over from the familiar Otto Addo. History does repeat itself in football indeed. 

Do you recall we had a similar tense atmosphere prior to the last World Cup in Qatar when Otto Addo came under heavy attack even after the brilliant show in Nigeria against the Super Green Eagles in the decisive qualifier?

I think the time has come for all of us to accept the fact that the nation is dealing with a new generation of Black Stars that are not straightforward to deal with. 

Foreigned-based players

Call them "imported Ghanaians" and you may be right. 

Majority of them grew up in Europe, and are therefore not used to what may be called intrinsic Ghananian  culture. 

Some of these players who were not brought up there, but playing in top foreign clubs may be  unnoticeably acquiring certain habits alien to Ghanaian culture. 

Some of them may be visiting Ghana for the first time and meeting their colleagues face to face for the first time. 

This is why some uncharitable fanatics may even label some of the players as football mercenaries. The most familiar faces may also be facing identity crisis.

Fame and money may also be cited. Club rivalry in Europe may also come in.

Challenge

All these factors  can conspire to make national team building a tricky venture. Team spirit may be difficult to instil and the nation suffers in the end. This is not a Ghana issue but maybe worldwide.

I recall England skipper Steven Gerrard attributing their lacklustre show in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa to intense rivalry among players in the English Premier League.

My submission is that Coach Otto Addo, himself an "imported Ghanaian", must be given the laxity to build the Black Stars into a winning attractive side. 

It will definitely be too late to change him now.

Who knows, maybe the devil you know may be better than the angel you don’t know.

It is, therefore, my humble suggestion that we leave the issue of team tactics entirely in the hands of Coach Otto Addo and his technicians.

Don’t rock the boat

As I keep saying, some Ghanaians feel the Black Stars don’t play that attractive game. It is not that simple. There is more to it than meets the eye.

My past experience with the Black Stars as management committee member shows me there is more in football, behind the scene, than just seeing 22 players on the field in jerseys trotting around.

I can’t help quoting, once again, the authoritative football administrator, Ohene Djan, who said “many lovers of the game know very little about the subterranean aspects of football management.”

This is what he told a commission of inquiry in 1966 after the Coup that toppled the CPP regime.

My considered opinion is that Otto Addo and his coaching staff are on the verge of qualifying Ghana for the World Cup once again, and he should be given the free hand and all the support for this assignment.