Interview with Coach Johnson Smith

6th August 2007

Correspondent: David Kyei,  Oseikrom

After a few months of waiting in the shadows for his job search as the assistant to Coach Bashir Hayford to be confirmed, Johnson Smith finally heaved a sigh of relief when he was handed his appointment letter for the position two weeks ago.

Kotoko Express visited him at his South Suntreso residence and brings to readers his impression of his new job, his hopes and aspirations.

Kotoko Express (KXP): Congratulations coach for the confirmation of your appointment. How has it been to you looking back at the long waiting period and the uncertainty that surrounded your appointment at a certain point of the period?

Johnson Smith (JS): Thank you. I am a person who believes in the philosophy that the end justifies and the means, and so will say that the waiting period has been a worthwhile exercise.

I must say that many people did not expect to see me here in Kumasi as the assistant coach in Kotoko especially when I did not play for the club during my days as a footballer.

My work however has spoken for me and I am happy with that.

Kotoko Express: How did you get to be associated with the club especially when you had not played for the club before and was therefore an unknown face in the Kotoko setup?

JS: I give thanks to God for the opportunities he has given me in getting the chance to serve Kotoko. My association started with an invitation by my boss, Bashir Hayford, to help him build a strong team in Kotoko. I was sceptical with the invitation at first because like you said, I was an unknown face in the Kotoko family and so was not sure how things were going to be for me, but I must say that the reception I have received since my arrival in Kumasi has been phenomenal and heart warming.

Kotoko Express: Have you had any working relationship with Bashir Hayford before to inform his invitation to you to take up the appointment as his assistant?

JS: My first close contact with him was when I was the head coach of Tarkwa United. He was by then the head coach of the Starlets and so brought his team to play us as part of his preparation to build a solid team.

I knew his assistants, Quarshie and Joe Carr, so we fraternised and reminisced about our playing days.  My team played so well in the match and after the match, he called to congratulate me, and the relationship started from there.

Kotoko Express: Looking at your CV, I see references to three different occasions and clubs where your status was that of a Player/Coach. Was it a situation where there were no coaches that you increased your duties as a player with that of coaching, or that you thought you had the energy to play and so found yourself being registered even when you were employed as a coach?

JS: Interestingly, I was brought into coaching at an early age when I was in my prime as a footballer and so was ready to put my expertise at the disposal of the clubs I played for anytime it became necessary.

It all started when as a player with Sekondi Eleven Wise, the late Ackah Blay Meizer sent us on a Brazilian tour. The team did not have an assistant coach then so when an opportunity of a crush training programme for coaches and their assistance occurred, I was chosen among the players to join our coach for the training. I was later told that my choice was on the basis that I was able to direct my colleagues on the pitch whilst playing and so I was to go for the training to enable me do it well.

From that time on, I have been associated with coaching and playing until I finally went to the Winneba Sports College to do certificate courses in that field.

Kotoko Express: You come from a family where your other siblings, the Smith brothers, i.e. DeGraft, Ebo and yourself dazzled Ghanaians with your skills and ball artistry. Was there any secret behind the way you played?

JS: Our father Sam John Smith, could be said to be one of the best local players in Sekondi Takoradi during his youth days, but since football was played then and even to our time for the fun of it, he only enjoyed playing for his area and village. I can say he would have been a rich person if he were to have been born into the present generation where football has become a big money spinner.

The western region also could be said to be the hub of Ghanaian football artistry and so we had many skilful players to learn from as we grew up.

We also had the chance to go through the mill as footballers where one had to graduate from colts through the lower divisions and the reserve sides of the then division one clubs before finally playing in the senior sides. I for instance played at the reserves side of Hasaacas, Maravans, for a year and a half before finally making it into the first team.

I therefore had understudied the senior players for that period to put me in a better position to easily fit into their style of play without much hustle.

Kotoko Express: You and Ebo Smith are on record to have rejected several overtures from Kotoko to join them. What were your reasons for doing not joining the dream team of every Ghanaian player then?

JS: It is true that we turned down several invitations to join Kotoko, but it was not with the intention of despising them, but it was because coming to Kumasi was going to do a big blow to our ambitions to join the “Stow way” bang-wagon that had become the on-thing in Sekondi-Takoradi. Though we were good players, we did not see how much it was going to impact on us more that stowing away and return two years on with all the niceties that such sojourns normally brought.

It would surprise you to note that I pursued my interest of stowing away to the extent that I even had to travel to Cote D’ivoire since I was told it was easier to go on “stow way” from there.

At Abidjan, things became so tight financially that, I gladly accepted the invitation of Union Sportive Bassam, whose officials after seeing me play in a non-competitive match invited me to join them.

It was after I returned from Cote D’ivoire that I decided to concentrate on my football career, but it had become too late to join Kotoko because my form had dipped a little and so could not catch the eyes of the Kotoko people who were seeking to poach me into their fold.

Kotoko Express: Looking at football now and then, would you say there have been changes to the approach and style of play.

JS: The first difference I will say is the talent and how it is used. Even up to the 1980s, football was first skills and then the coaches and some times the players themselves build on the stamina and condition. But now, anyone could just walk to a shop, purchase a football boot, get some people to hype him up in the media and bingo, clubs will start chasing the player only to find out later that their performance do not match up to the media hype about them.

Secondly, the players are not ready to learn and so they only stick to the few techniques they know. That is the more reason why only a few Ghanaian players make it when they travel out on trials.

Some of the players that I am currently working with do not even know their strengths and weaknesses. I am therefore using the opportunities I have to teach them what I know and I hope that they will imbibe them to their benefit.

Kotoko Express: Someone somewhere would be wandering why as the head coach at Tarkwa United, you opted to pick up an appointment at Kotoko as the assistant coach.

JS: It is true that I was the head coach somewhere, but it is also worth noting that life is all about meeting the challenges that come our way. The assistant coach position of Kotoko is as hot as the head coach seat of many other clubs and so the stakes and challenges are different.

Working at Kotoko will open me up to many new ideas and opportunities that other clubs may not be able to offer. Some other clubs approached me, but I thought through them all and opted for Kotoko.

Kotoko Express: How have you been faring on the job at Kotoko? Would you say you are fitting well into the team?

JS: As I said earlier, working at Kotoko is a different ball game where the fans have a higher expectation about the club and so expect nothing but a win. Thankfully, my days as a footballer thought me how to cope with such pressure and so I am comfortable in handling it.

Talking about fitting into the team, I will say that it did not take me long to do that because other members of the technical team made things easier for me to integrate.

Kotoko Express: We are told elsewhere that you were surprised to see the fan attendance at training on your first day at the grounds. Didn’t that scare you in anyway about the challenge ahead of you?

JS: Scare me, it did not, but since it was my first time of coming to the Kotoko training grounds, I was surprised at the huge supporter presence. My first reaction was whether was part of the clubs in the premiere league who have been crying on their supporters to watch their matches. The presence at the training grounds on that day could comfortably fill Gyendu Park.

Kotoko Express: With the confirmation of your appointment, what different thing are you going to bring to bear on the team?

JS: The first thing I will like to talk about is the love I have for and attach to my job. I am fully committed to my association with Kotoko. I am here to work to put myself in the record books of the club. Of course, since I am not the boss, every thing I do should be that of the vision and programmes of the head coach. I will always offer my opinion to him and work harmoniously with him to ensure that we take Kotoko to a higher pedestal than how we met the team.

Kotoko Express: Many Ghanaian coaches have complained about how their assistants undermine them to take their jobs.  Since it is the ultimate intention of every professional to rise to the top of his or her career, how would you react to the question whether in the near future you would not have a similar problem with your boss?

JS: It is my intention to rise to the top, but not through foul means. I have said before that my invitation to Kotoko was born out of my harmonious relationship with the head coach, and as far as I am concerned, it will remain same.

Kotoko Express: Kotoko as a team has players with big names. Is it a good thing to have players with big names in your team? If yes, how does that affect the team?

JS: As believer in succession in the development of a team, I will say it is a good thing to have players with big image in your team. However, the coach will have to remain tough to ensure that the player does not take issues into his own hands by being allowed to do things their own way.

Their presence if managed well should be an opportunity for the young ones in the team to learn from. It is a dangerous and wrong thing to build a team of completely new players. At every point in the life of a football club, there should be at least five senior players who will serve as an inspiration and also keep the tradition of the team afloat.

Our duties as coaches therefore will be on how effectively we blend the young and the aging into a solid club.

Kotoko Express: Kotoko supporter will not mind losing to some other clubs but Hearts of Oak and Ashgold. How would you prepare for such matches?

JS: We will prepare like for all that matches but with the intention of keeping the hopes of the supporters alive. I normally do not like talking about the weapons I take into matches, so let us get to the bridge so that we roll out our plans of how we will cross.

Kotoko Express: What do you hope to achieve at and with Kotoko?

JS: I want to be part of a successful team. A team that works hard to achieve results on the pitch. I to work in cooperation with my boss and the other members of the technical team so that when the role of honour is called in Kotoko, my name will be mentioned to applause.

Kotoko Express: With your short stay at the club, what will you say has been your biggest challenge and worry?

JS: Player instability remains the number one problem of Kotoko. This makes things so difficult because we are almost always going back to teach the things that we had already done with.

We pick a player to bring up for the club and the next moment, you hear on the radio that the player in question has left the shores of the country for greener pastures. They go, are unsuccessful and come back worst off both in performance and in condition.

To check these things, I will like to suggest to management to bond the players to stay for at least a year or two so that they blend well with their colleagues for the benefit of the club.

Kotoko Express: Looking back at your playing days and now, do you regret or wish that you were playing in the present?

JS: I may sound to be boastful, but I can say without contradiction that I would have gone for one trial and be a success. However, God’s time is the best.

Kotoko Express: Are you happy with the contract that you have been given by Kotoko?

JS: Yes I am and looking forward to the fulfilment of all our parts for the success of the club.

Kotoko Express: Any final message for the fans out there?

JS: I call on them to be patient with us and also give us the encouragement to do things that will bring more honours to Kotoko. I am here to achieve whatever I could not do for them during my playing days. Together we can achieve much.