Kotoko remains on course – Jerry Asare

Posted: 17th April 2008

Director of Operations Jerry Asare has always been in the news teaming up with other management members to ensure that Kotoko excel. It has not been easy for him and his colleagues especially since the 2007/2008 football season opened. The club’s performance has been brilliant but there is more work to be done. In the interview below Jerry Asare shares his views on the first round of the season and hopes for the second rounds of the Onetouch Premier League, Africa preparations and all that you need to know about the club presently.

He spoke to Jerome Otchere.

Kotoko Express (KE): The first round of the Onetouch Premier League is over. We have all been waiting for the commencement of the second round. Did you as Director of Operations have any expectations before the start of the league season?

Jerry Asare (JA): I had some good expectations. I expected the team to excel considering the good number of training sessions it had and the matches it played. I had the conviction that given a fair ground we will take other clubs by surprise. It is unfortunate that we could not achieve our target of ending the first round with 40 points. Our performance was splendid. The first round was really tough. I anticipate the second round to be tougher. The fixtures will be reversed. That means we will first play the teams we played last in the first round. We lead the competition with seven points. There should not be complacency on our part. The league is not over yet. We must put everything that happened in the first round behind us. We must get the team motivated. We have to fight on. There must be total unity and victory at the end of the day.

KE: Did anything happened in the first round of the league, that convinced or made you feel that things will be good or bad as the team honoured its matches?

JA: We set some targets before the competition started. Therefore we had to work hard to achieve those targets. For instance, we vowed to win the first five matches which we did. We again vowed to win the second five matches but there was a set back when we lost to Ashantigold at Berekum. In that match we were molested and intimidated. That was not fair. Talking about the last five matches, we lost none but it was evident that other clubs had studied our pattern of play. They matched us in every department of the game. On the whole, I was not daunted because the team aimed to achieve the best. What it got at the end of the day was satisfactory. We could not get everything right but then when the second resumes we will make amends.

KE: Which of the league matches did you find most exciting and boring too?

JA: I would not say boring but painful! The match against Hearts of Oak was really painful. But for the strange officiating by the referee, we could have secured victory. Things did not go well for the team too. The players played their hearts out but still could not convert the decent chances they created. I was not happy. There is really no fun when Kotoko wins every game but fails to beat Hearts of Oak. With respect to the most exciting match, I will pick Zaytuna United-Kotoko at Dansoman. Prior to the match, I was confronted with too much ‘juju’ talk. I brushed them aside. I was firm because I knew the team we had. I prayed against the unexpected. When you rise up against the talk about ‘juju’ and does not win, all manner of interpretations are given to your actions. I was therefore excited that despite the ‘juju’ noise which I brushed aside, Kotoko played brilliantly to win 3-0. I was extremely elated after that game.

KE: How will you describe the relationship between the playing body and the technical bench?

JA: It is cordial. Management, members of the technical bench and the players relate nicely. There is unity of purpose, understanding, love and determination to succeed. We have come thus far because we have had all it takes to achieve success on and off the field of play. The tranquillity in camp has contributed immensely to our good performance and we are not looking back.

KE: What about your relationship with the players as well as the technical bench?

JA: It has been no different from what I said about the relationship between the playing body and the technical bench. My relationship with the players and members of the technical has been perfect. I have not heard the players or those on the technical bench or my colleague management members complaining about anything. I am human anyway. I cannot be perfect. I have my short falls. I listen to my critics. I see criticisms not as clutches. I see them as ladders that will help me climb to the top. Everything is okay.

KE: How will you describe your personality? Is Jerry Asare aggressive, hostile or friendly?

JA: How do you see me? Looking at my background – going through my educational career, I have always been a leader. At elementary school, I was the head boy. At secondary school, I was a prefect. At the university, I was a floor leader. A point in time I was a student leader in the Ashanti Region. I am fair and firm. I would not be human if I do not have weaknesses. God has strongly been behind me. The people I work with are okay with me. My immediate colleagues in management, the technical bench, players, etc. Otumfuo who gave me the mandate to work has been satisfied. Some fans may not have been happy with me for instance on the issue of purchasing tickets at the gates to watch matches. I do not expect everybody to like me. I respect everybody but I will not kowtow to anything that is not right.

KE: Let’s revert to Kotoko issues. As chairman of the club’s disciplinary committee, how

will you describe the level of discipline in the team presently?

JA: It is about the proportion, magnitude or degree. No system is perfect. With discipline, the sky is our limit. We cannot eliminate indiscipline completely. The state of affairs at the moment is something to write home about. The performance and direction the club has taken tells it all! Kotoko is a disciplined club. We can all take credit for that. We cannot be successful without discipline. We are on course. We must all continue to do our best to sustain the present situation.

KE: The Africa campaign has been on course following the elimination of Wikki Tourists from Nigeria. Kotoko plays another Nigerian club, Dolphins FC in Calabar on April 27. How is the team working for victory and qualification to the next stage of the competition?

JA: Our ultimate aim is to win the Confederation Cup, play the Super Cup and reclaim our lost pride on the continent. We have to start from somewhere. We have started on a good note. We will not look back. We are on course. We will face the Dolphins challenge squarely. We are treating that match with more seriousness. The competition becomes tougher as you progress. There is this talk about Dolphins FC being in division one. We cannot dispute that. But I keep saying that we will not be deceived by anything. As we learnt in Germany, lower division teams are normally stronger than you can imagine. They have young, aggressive players whose desire is to impress all the time. Football is about the ability to perform and that is what we have been working at. We are confident of good results but there is no complacency.

KE: What is your final word or message to the teeming supporters of the club?

JA: I wish everybody the best. I pray that it will be well with them in all their endeavours. The support management, the technical bench and the playing body have received from them has been positive. We appreciate their efforts. They should double their support. Our supporters should continue praying for us. We are doing a good work. I can assure our supporters that Kotoko will remain on course. We will not look back. We shall be successful at the end of the day.