‘Operation 40 Points’ hope alive!  

By: Jerome Otchere

27th February 2008

It is good Tema Youth made all the noise! It is good Coach Opeele made the whole country believe that he could technically paralyse Kotoko at home.

Talk is cheap and realities are realities. The reality here is that Tema Youth could not have beaten Kotoko at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium. I am glad Coach Opeele hours after the match admitted in an interview that Kotoko’s player quality was excellent and that largely accounted for the team’s 2-0 triumph.

Coach Opeele can be pardoned for not knowing earlier that Kotoko possessed quality players. At least, he now knows and has humbly admitted that fact. Just for those who might have forgotten, Kotoko made many positive moves in the run up to the 2007/2008 football season. One of these positive moves was the elaborate pre-season programme management and the technical bench put in place, playing over 30 trial matches including 10 games outside Ghana.

Would it not have been distressing if not disappointing for the club to falter in the league? In life those who plan well reap the fruits of proper planning. On the other hand those who sit idly, doing nothing cannot run away from the repercussions of their laziness or lack of proper planning. Observers who saw little sense in Kotoko’s journey across the ‘world’ playing against lower division clubs must have by now seen wisdom in organising those friendly matches.

The ‘Operation 15 Points’ campaign that was launched at the beginning of the season yielded excellent results as All Blacks, Zaytuna United, Wa All Stars, Real Sportive and Olympics lost the plot in applying the brakes on Kotoko’s high acceleration. Thus it was 15 points and 15 goals in the first five matches. That was no mean achievement. It was about the first time in recent years that Kotoko had won five successive league matches with that high number of goals.

Eric Bekoe secured a hat trick. That in itself was another record for Bekoe became the first Kotoko player to score a hat trick in a league match in more than twenty years. A second ‘Operation 15 Points’ campaign followed suit but that did not bring desired results. The loss to Ashantigold and the goal less drawn game against King Faisal notwithstanding, three wins over Hasaacas, Liberty and Kessben FC still strengthened Kotoko’s first position on the league table.

With last Sunday’s victory over loud-mouth Tema Youth, Kotoko has effectively set into motion another ‘Operation 15 Points’ campaign. The Porcupine Warriors have their red eyes fixed on 40 points. That is good but there is no denial that the journey to amassing 40 points at the end of the first round will be difficult than being anticipated. It is however not impossible. Tema Youth is gone. Heart of Lions, Hearts of Oak, Berekum Arsenal and RTU are on the waiting list.

The four clubs must be slaughtered like their colleagues. The matches against the aforementioned clubs will be tough and if you have been reading the Kotoko Express, you would have noticed the changes in the date for the Hearts-Kotoko match in Accra. In view of Hearts’ Champions League match against FC 105 of Gabon, their encounter with Kotoko at the Ohene Djan Stadium will come on March 9 after Kotoko’s outing against Heart of Lions on March 5.

These changes might come with some goodness playing two matches at home but that does not negate the fact that the ‘Operation 40 Points’ campaign will be a hard fight. By virtue of Kotoko’s excellent performance, it is logical to think that defending league champions Hearts of Oak whose woes were worsened by RTU on Sunday will be dethroned at the end of the season.

Kotoko must thrash Hearts of Oak on March 9 at the Ohene Djan Stadium. If that dream of humiliating Hearts will come true, Kotoko must first tame Heart of Lions at the Baba Yara Stadium to serve as inspiration for the duel against Hearts of Oak. The Oak Tree is dying. Its leaves are dry and the branches losing strength. The roots have become weaker. This is the time for the Oak Tree to be cut down for the tree that bears no fruit should not stand so say the Bible! 

The Porcupine Warriors must therefore uproot the mighty Oak Tree. The Phobians must be taught lessons in proper planning and I bet Berekum Arsenal, our next opponents will ‘shiver’. I repeat that of the four remaining matches, none will come easy. I am however confident that there will be no serious threat to the ‘Operation 40 Points’ if Heart of Lions, Hearts of Oak and Berekum Arsenal are conquered. Coach Bash and the players will not lose guard against RTU.

Analysing the last eleven matches I have no doubt that the ‘Operation 40 Points’ campaign will be achieved. If Coach Bash and his assistants will work harder than they have done, if the players will show greater commitment, if management will continue motivating the players and devising workable strategies to ensure success and if the teeming fans will continue galvanising support the club as strongly as possible, ‘Operation 40 Points’ will be a reality.

Nothing is impossible for those who have the determination to succeed. In the same vein, success has never eluded those who diligently seek it. Management has done enough to be greatly rewarded. Should Kotoko record 40 points at the end of the first round, we will all have good reasons to rejoice. Therefore, the processes involve in rejoicing at the end of the day should start now. As the team prepares for Heart of Lions, we must all renew our commitment to the club.

 The league is not over yet. The club training programme must therefore be intensified taking into account the difficulties ahead. There should be no room for laxities. Kotoko undoubtedly possesses quality players in the premiership. Coach Bashir Hayford has succeeded in making use of these quality materials and he must be applauded for that. Last week’s news that the coach went on radio complaining about his conditions of service at Kotoko was not exciting.

I suggest that the coach’s concerns should quickly be addressed. Management is in a far better position to address that issue so let’s leave it here. The team is on course. We should not allow anything to derail this course. We do not have to shoot ourselves in the foot or be our own enemies. A good work has been done. That good work must continue unabated!  

Recent stories about indiscipline should make us uncomfortable for without discipline, we cannot progress. Discipline will take us to the top. Discipline cannot be taken lightly in team building. The players must get that clear! We expect nothing but a convincing performance from them. The win over Tema Youth was thrilling but Heart of Lions must as well be conquered.

The Lions roared loudly last season to win 1-0 at Konongo before drawing 1-1 with us at Kpando. This time, the game is at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium and there should be no comfort for them. They ought to be stopped to keep the ‘Operation 40 Points’ campaign alive. We have no choice than to work harder than we have done in the past. Good luck to the fabulous boys!