<<Print>>

It is sometimes very essential that one does not look back after taking certain decisions. Coach Milovan Rajevac has stuck to his grounds and deflected every effort by the powers that be to bring back into the Stars squad the prodigal Muntari. It is the wisdom in the fact that looking back too much could send one backwards that makes me believe that for once there is a coach who knows what he is about and not ready to kowtow to the whims and caprices of his employers. Such idiosyncratic people can wait and observe the sense in what the man has done. In fact I was shocked upon hearing that some influential members of the GFA wanted to persuade the coach to call back Sulley Muntari; and even more flabbergasted was I because the GFA imposed sanctions on some three truant players recently Sulley inclusive , so how on earth did the same people who advocate good morals got divided over Sulley�s exclusion? If the coach could come out strongly against such calls then he indeed deserves applause. I�m quite sure those who wanted the player back never thought about the implications of that call. When I heard that some of the Black Stars players openly exhibited solidarity for Sulley, and thus called for his inclusion I had just one fear and it only bothered on sabotage. They could do such things to incapacitate the coach in his bid to make an impact with the squad he has assembled for the tournament. Contrarily, I thought the players could have advised their crony Sulley to change his ways but they decided to back him. Quite interesting! You know what? I expect every well meaning Ghanaian to support this coach in this trying moment where he has had to do with a makeshift squad because of the inevitability of injuries leading to the absence of many key players. Of course you will have to come into agreement with me that a team of as many as eleven debutants in a tournament as huge as the Nations Cup presents coach Milovan an uphill task to execute. The Black Stars will play their first match on Monday against the Hawks of Togo and I believe many Ghanaians are just waiting to know the outcome of that match and then they would judge whether there is any good thing in the offing for Ghana at the tournament or not. Indeed the Black Stars need the Angola test before the world cup in South Africa and from the look of things our team we know in the �big boys� might fail us and then we will be looking for new players to fill the vacuum that could be created. Isn�t it good that things happen like this early enough so that Milovan starts looking for replacements? Regulars John Mensah and John Paintsil are out to injuries and you know our backline has often been problematic so it remains to be seen how Eric Addo of PSV Eindhoven can galvanize the rest of the players at the back to tighten things up. Satellites defender Jonathan Mensah has come in late to replace the injured John Mensah; I;m sure the young Jonathan knows it is not just because he shares the same surname with John Mensah that prompted the coach to invite him but this is clearly a nice platform to prove he can be there when the need be. I keep saying the Satellites players might be inexperienced since the strengths of the Under 20s cannot be equal to the full international level. However our boys are not as young as people are being made to believe; wait until you meet a player who will be honest enough to confess his true age to you. It is good Ransford Osei has shown that he was misjudged by the coach Milovan when he too six players from the Satellites World Cup winning team and left out the whiz kid. I was in awe as to why the coach invited Opoku Agyemang ahead of Ransford but any which way Ransford has arrived in camp thanks to Derek Boateng�s inability to honour the late call up. Boateng�s Spanish club thought their player was being toyed with as the invitation was delayed and was only handed the player because there were injuries; a clear indication the Getafe player is only a second class player. Getafe said damn to GFA; I know FIFA could have spoken for Ghana but it was too late; the player cannot make it to Angola as his club simply says no. At least it represents a food for thought to Milovan and maybe he will tone down the feet dragging attitude in matters concerning Derek Boateng. Once Dereck is unhappy he was not permitted by his club means the boy still has the nation at heart. On the chances of the Black Stars in the wake of the mess created by injuries, I would advise every Ghanaian to remain hopeful as the players in camp at the moment could spring up a surprise and Ghana could smile in the end. The end they say justifies the means and as well epitomized by the statement of the Stars coach, the team constitutes the perfect blend of old and new and he has every faith in their abilities and potentials. The eight history making Satellites invited into the Stars camp must be a source of hope to all Ghanaians for the tournament in Angola. If they are able to rise to the occasion and glitter then just expect anything similar to what was seen in Egypt when Ghana combined determination and resilience to stun the entire globe in the FIFA World Under 20 tournament. Who knows Angola could be their destiny to savour another glory. I know some doubters would say this surely is borne out of a sense of over ambition. Let�s wait and see events unfold from Sunday onwards when the tournament kicks off with Angola and Mali in the opener. Maybe, I�m on the same side with Milovan in his buoyant behaviour trying to psyche his players up and give them the positive thought they can make it no matter what, but obviously the coach went overboard and beyond reason by declaring the current crop of players in camp as the best ever Black Stars team ; I think he is craftily playing the good mind game. Before I end this piece , I think it is time for those players who could not make it being it through injury or otherwise to rally behind the team in their quest to reclaim the trophy which made Ghana a soccer great in Africa after the Black Stars� four- time winning feat. It�s been too long since Ghana won the trophy in Libya 1982. I can�t end without urging you to keep the flame of optimism alive as 2010 holds a lot for the nation. Long live Ghana, long live the Black Stars.