2007/2008 transfer and recruitment blue

Non-performing players will be axed

By: Jerome Otchere

When the Technical Bench of Kumasi Asante Kotoko submits the list of targeted players from other clubs and those that they cannot work with in the coming season as demanded in a letter issued by Director of Operations, Jerry Asare last week, there is certainty that a number of players will be shown the exit, loaned out or transferred.

That decision, irrespective of how good and well-intended it will be, will definitely invoke uneasy feelings for the affected players and their supporters alike even though it will not be the first time such a difficult yet inevitable decision will be taken. It would be recalled that in January 2007, management along with the technical bench severed ties with some players whose services were not yielding dividends.

Examples of these players were Michael Asante, Kenneth Ababio, Samuel Addo, Osei Akoto and Aziz Ansah. These mass transfers coming after arch rivals Hearts of Oak had inflicted a back-to-back defeat on Kotoko in Cape Coast, generated a disturbing uproar because these players had many admirers who could not come to terms with the reason why management and the technical bench would sack, loan or transfer them on grounds of indiscipline or the fact that they were not performing.

Some talked about the dedication, unadulterated loyalty and unmatched commitment of Aziz Ansah. They argued that management should have considered those elements to keep him. Whether that suggested Aziz Ansah for example, could not be transferred even for very legitimate reasons is something discerning observers and Kotoko officials could not understand.

Thank God we are all witnesses to the fruits of that so-called unpopular decision taken by management and the technical bench! There is no doubt that we have come a long way since then. As we progress, I am afraid to say that we will have to go through that experience of showing some players the exit even if it will again come as a bitter pill pushed down our throats.

As people committed to the good course of life, we must face realities all the time. One reality here is that we are gradually coming to that point of off-loading players whose contributions to the club have been insignificant or substantially low. I say gradually because we are not there yet. The club’s programme for the year has not ended. I believe that as supporters we have to come to grips with these transfer issues so that nothing will be like an explosion.

Last year when it happened, Kotoko Express office lines and in fact the cell phones of the editorial team were for instance, inundated with calls and copious arguments – sometimes eccentric talk of why it was ‘wrong and dangerous’ to send certain players out of the team. On more than one occasion, I was left to wonder whether these so-called Kotoko supporters actually wanted the interest of the club to be served or that of their ‘gods’ so to speak.

We are about to walk that path of transferring and recruiting players into the team. It will be in the interest of the club if we allow management and the technical bench to do the work we have tasked them to do. There is absolutely nothing wrong in offering advices and suggestions or criticising when they all are constructive and wrapped in decent and civilised language.

In a free, democratic society like ours, we are at liberty to express ourselves, share our views and opinions but we have no right whatsoever to malign and denigrate people! At the end of the day we should be reminded that management and the technical bench are in-charge and they know best though we can still be in disagreement with any decision they take.

Looking at management efforts over the last one year, we should not be deceived that they do not have the interest of the club at heart. I will not sing praises to management without reason. My conviction is that commendation must always go to those who deserve it. The present management is one that appreciates good work. They believe in seriousness much the same way as they want the right thing to be done.

All these were evident in the appreciation and recruitment letter sent to the technical bench last week. This letter as I stated earlier was issued and signed by Jerry Asare, the Director of Operations. In the opening paragraph, Head Coach Bashir Hayford, his assistants and the players were lauded for winning the 2007/2008 Onetouch Premier League.

‘The team was determined to win honours – they were dedicated to their work. This sterling performance must be acknowledged by all’ the letter observed. The letter urged the team to remain focused while eschewing complacency. Then it came to the point about transfers and recruitment.

‘We still have a Confederations Cup match. We have the Ghalca Top 4; the 2008/2009 Champions League, not forgetting the 2008/2009 Premier League…The team must be strong to meet the challenges ahead…The current team is good yet certain positions ought to be strengthened…Non-performing players must be shown the exit, loaned or transferred’.

The letter further added: ‘Targeted players from other clubs should be exceptional and of superior quality to strengthen weak areas’. I believe that the points outlined in this letter are essential and therefore should influence our discussions on the issue of player transfer and recruitment this season, not our biases or preferences for certain players. We should not cry out because our favourite players will have to go out. The interest of the club must reign supreme!