CAN 2012 Files EP04: 2011 Performance Should Be A Confidence-Booster for Black Stars

As we usher in 2012, many have taken a retrospective look at the performance of Ghana’s football in 2011. I add to the discussion by taking a look at the performance of the Black Stars in 2011.

My fondest Black Stars memory of 2011 was that wonder goal scored by Gyan against England at Wembley. That was an absolutely sublime goal. Who would want to remember any of Prince Tagoe’s howlers in 2011?

PRINCE 'OF GOALS' TAGOE: Hopefully he gets a better 2012

General Performance

The year started on the back of some great performances in 2010. There was even greater hope of a wonderful 2011 with the signing of a smooth-talking Serbian coach, Goran Stevanovic, who promised attacking football.

Stevanovic led the Black Stars to what many will describe as an excellent year. The team produced a 60% win in all games and 100% win in competitive matches. 2 of the 6 friendly games played were drawn and the other two were lost. The team clearly took their job seriously. The Black Stars did not fall to any African opposition in 2011; showing the supremacy with which they go into the Orange African Nations’s Cup in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.

Defence

The Black Stars were stingy in defense in 2011; allowing only 7 goals to go past them. In competitive games, the Black Stars conceded only once. In 4 of the 10 games played in 2011, the Black Stars kept clean sheets. With the exception of South Korea, the Black Stars did not concede more than one goal against any team.

The most significant change in the Black Stars defense was the introduction of Adam Kwarassey who kept the post 5 times out of the 10 games played and conceded 2 goals and kept 3 clean sheets. Adam took over from the experienced Richard Kingson who had kept the post 5 times and conceded as many times and kept 1 clean sheet.

John Paintsil (RB), Isaac Vorsah (CD) and John Mensah (CD) were the most capped defenders. A general problem, which was probably self-imposed, was the lack of a consistent Left Back. We saw David Addy start a couple of games early in 2011, but somehow he was replaced by Lee Addy who fell to Daniel Opare at some point. Later in the year, the young and explosive Alhassan Massahudu was introduced to the position and he has held it down to date. But one wonders how long Massahudu can keep the position.

Midfield

The midfield has always been Ghana’s strength. In 2011, the Black Stars midfield did not disappoint. The midfield which was constructed around Kwadwo Asamoah, Emmanuel Agyeman Badu and Sulley Muntari produced 50% (9) of the total 18 goals scored by the team.

PLAYER	STARTS	GOALS
Kwadwo Asamoah	9	0
Emmanuel Agyeman-Badu	8	3
Sulley Ali Muntari	8	1
Anthony Annan	6	0
Derek Boateng	3	0
Andre Ayew	3	0
Samuel Inkoom	2	1
Dominic Adiyiah	2	2
Prince Tagoe	2	2
Albert Adomah	1	0
Abu Mohammed	1	0
Quincy Owusu-Abeyie	1	0
Kevin-Prince Boateng	1	0
Opoku Agyemang	1	0
Bernard Yao-Kumordzi	1	0
Michael Essien	1	0

One weakness of this midfield however was the obvious difficulty Stevanovic seemed to have had in finding regular wingers. Almost all the wingers used by Stevanovic did not start more than half of the 10 games played.

Another obvious challenge for the Black Stars midfield is the shortage of ball jugglers and creative midfielders. Throughout 2011, so much was expected of Kwadwo Asamoah in this regard, but the Udinese midfielder did not live up to the expectations even though one can tell that he gave out his best.

Attack

In general, the Black Stars exhibited some lethal attacking form. A total of 18 goals were scored; averaging 2.5 goals per game in competitive matches and 1.3 goals per game in friendly matches. This low friendly game average is not surprising as friendly games were always against tougher teams like Nigeria, England, Brazil and Korea Republic. Asamoah Gyan was the lead scorer with 4 goals.

STATISTIC	COMPETITIVE GAMES	FRIENDLY GAMES	GRAND TOTAL
Games played	4	6	10
Goals scored	10	8	18
No. of games with 2 or more goals	4	2	6
No. of games with less than 2 goals	0	4	4
No. of games without scoring	0	2	2

Ten (56%) of all the 18 goals were scored in the first half. Of the 10 games played in 2011, Ghana failed to score in only 2 (against Nigeria and Brazil). In terms of attacking depth, 10 players contributed 17 of the goals (1 of the goals was an own goal). These goals came from every department of Ghana’s 4-5-1 [4-4-1-1] game – 4 goals from defenders, 3 from the midfield, 5 from wingers and 4 from strikers.

NAME	POSITION	GOALS
Asamoah Gyan	ST	4
Emmanuel Agyeman-Badu	C(D)M	3
Prince Tagoe	ST/WING	2
Dominic Adiyiah	ST/WING	2
Isaac Vorsah	CD	1
Jonathan Mensah	CD	1
John Mensah	CD	1
Sulley Ali Muntari	CM/WING	1
Samuel Inkoom	RB/WING	1
Derek Asamoah	WING	1

Conclusions

2011 was as good a year as 2010, if not better! The good news for the team is that the blend of youth and experience is almost seamless, hence these above average performances should be expected for a good number of years to come.

With such an impressive performance behind them, the Black Stars should be able to go to the African Nations Cup in January 2012 with confidence and challenge for the title.

If the 2011 performance is translated to the Nations Cup Finals, then, Ghanaians have every reason to have their hopes up. Chances are the Black Stars will score at least 2 or more goals in every game. These goals could come from any department of the game. The likelihood of conceding is high though, but no more than a goal per match. The possibility of conceding will be bigger if loopholes in the left-back position are not sealed, unnecessary penalties are not conceded and the coach works on his team’s poor off-side trap record.

All of US$ 600,000 or more was spent of on Goran Stevanovic in 2011 to patch up these holes; he has to earn his money in 2012 and bring us silverware. Ghanaians will not settle for anyother thing.

CAN 2012 Files EP03: Paranoia, Pressure, Dropped and a Farewell Game

CHARLES TAKYI - Will he make the final squad?

Tournaments always come with weird camp news! This time, what word is coming from the Black Stars? Our supposed play-maker, Kwadwo Asamoah, who very often has flattered us with his potential only to leave us with some half-par performances seem to have self-diagnosed his problem – apparently, the poor boy is haunted anytime he wears the much revered ‘No. 10 jersey’.

Historically, the No. 10 Jersey has been left for the team talisman. Hence the jersey is believed to carry the spirits of Ghanaian greats like Abedi Pele and Stephen Appiah. Kwadwo has simply failed to walk the steps of the greats of old! He believes that the N0. 20 shirt will give him the desired impetus to live up to the hype.

Already, the debate has been sparked who to take the jersey. Following his sterling performers, Andre Ayew is the obvious ‘people’s choice’ to take his father’s favourite shirt. Without going into this kind of debate, the real question to be asked was posed by my friend Gary Al-Smith on facebook:

If you cannot help a player manage the pressure and his confidence when he wears No. 10, how can you help the same player manage the pressure his confidence when he wears No. 20?

Try as many pundits have, they cannot hide the fact that the pressure is on The Black Stars to perform. Goran Stevanovic will have his work cut out for him during this tournament. Beyond finding the right tactics, he obviously needs to manage all the pressure that seem to be creeping in from different sources if he is to succeed in this quest of bringing Ghana her 5th senior international trophy.

Speaking of pressure, one potential source of undue pressure is the thought that 2 of the 25 called-up players are not going to the tournament. By this time, many players are under pressure to stay in the team. Little wonder that some have already started talking of switching numbers, others claim they are the hope of local players.

But who are the top three most likely candidates for the famous ‘dropping’?. I came up with a list of candidates. My assumptions are that, Stevanovic will stick with players who have played for him for more than 90 minutes. He will not touch his goalkeepers and he will keep faith with anyone who is connected to his alleged Serbian connections. So, here is my list of four players who may miss the tournament:

JOHN BOYE: Boye, a central defender,  is obviously in the squad because no one is sure of the fitness levels of the two Mensahs  – John and Jonathan. Should any of them show signs of good physical fitness and form in camp, Boye will be surplus to requirement and headed to the guillotine!

CHARLES TAKYI: Takyi is the only true attacking midfielder in the preliminary squad. But there are too many preferred and probably more experienced players in camp for that role. Kwadwo Asamoah aside, Stevanovic has tested Sulley Muntari in that position. There are many who have argued that Andre, Gyan, and Boateng can easily fit into that role. So, if Takyi does not  come up with anything extraordinary in camp, the axe will be on his neck especially since no one knows how consistently he can perform in that role.

EMMANUEL BAFFOUR: I feel Baffour is between the rock and the hard place. His call-up is probably a trap. He was invited to douse the building-up anger of supporters of the local game. Stevanovic and his technical team have treated the local league and its products as ‘useless’. Being under pressure to leave his Serbian base to scout these local players, Baffour was his politically correct response to the critics. In this my conspiracy theory, I see an excuse coming from camp that Baffour was simply not good enough and hence was sent home. Afterall, to these people are local players are bad!

However Stevanovic manages to deal with this pressure build-up, he will need to court a lot more local support to follow him and his team to Gabon and Equatorial Guinea. Whether he keeps Baffour in there or not, it might be prudent for the team to come home to play a couple of low-profile send-off games at Ohene Djan and or Babayara Stadia.

Congratulations to Andre ‘Dede’ Ayew – BBC African Footballer of the YEAR, 2011

Andre Ayew has become the fifth Ghanaian to win the much coveted BBC African Footballer of the Year after his father, Abedi ‘Pele’ Ayew (1991), Sammy Kuffour (2001), Michael Essien (2006) and last year’s winner Asamoah Gyan.

Enterprising Andre 'Dede' Ayew - BBC African Player of the Year, 2011

Football Made in Ghana wishes to congratulate the 21-year old for making himself, his father and his country proud today.

Now, it is time to beat Samuel Eto’o and Yaya Toure to the CAF African Player of the year to become the only Ghanaian after his father to pick that award.

CAN 2012 Files EP02: Plavi and his 25 men for the job

The fun part about Ghanaian football is that everyone thinks of himself a better coach than the man in charge of the team. Goran ‘Plavi’ Stevanovic has named and justified his final 23-man team. I wouldn’t be a Ghanaian fan if I did not think of myself a better scout of Ghanaian players than he is, will I?

I find the team to be a seamless blend of many things fans could have asked for – experience, youthful exuberance, players in form and local players. Of course the usual inactive players, the ‘what is he doing in the squad?’ and the ‘lets give him the benefit of the doubt’ players have been thrown in there somewhere. What the squad seems to lack, and this has always been a problem, is a real playmaker.

GOAL KEEPERS:

Adam Larsen Kwarasey (Stromgodest), Ernest Sowah (Berekum Chelsea) Daniel Agyei (Liberty Professionals)

The name Adam Kwarasey has a nerve-calming effect on every Black Stars fan. He could be the man who wins us the trophy in January. But, can we say same of the others? Ernest Sowah’s inclusion could not have been on current form alone as he is presently not a regular starter for his team. Sowah has played only 4 of the 11 games for Berekum Chelsea this season. Daniel Adjei has on the other hand been in good form. He has played 7 out of the 11 games for his club, conceding 4 goals and keeping 4 clean sheets. Instead of Ernest Sowah, I would have pick either Foli Adade of Dwarfs or Robert Dabuo of Wa All Stars or Hearts of Oak’s Sammy Adjei.

DEFENDERS:

Massawudu Alhassan (FC Genoa), John Paintsil (Leicester City), Isaac Vorsah (TSG Hoffenheim), Lee Addy (Red Star Belgrade), Daniel Opare (Standard Liege), John Boye (Stade Rennes), Samuel Inkoom (FC Dnipro).

When fit, John Mensah and his partner Isaac Vorsah are a pretty reliable pair. Jonathan Mensah is a good enough back up. The difficulty with these central defenders is that we cannot be too sure if they will all be available at all times. Vorsah will miss two games, John Mensah is injury prone and Jonathan Mensah returned from injury not long ago and should be struggling to find his fitness back. This is why the inclusion of John Boye is one of the smartest decisions Plavi and his technical team have taken. But why didn’t Francis Dickoh or Rasheed Sumaila make the squad?

MIDFIELDERS:

Kwadwo Asamoah (Udinese), Emmanuel Agyeman-Badu (Udinese), Sulley Muntari (Inter Milan) Anthony Annan (Vitesse Arnhem), Abu Mohammed (Stromgodest), Derek Boateng (FC Dnipro), Andre Ayew (Olympique Marseille), Charles Takyi (FC St. Pauli).

The headache here will be to find the best players to play in the midfield. However Plavi lines his midfield up, it will appear that Plavi plans to play narrower than many expected. The exclusion of Albert Adomah and Quincy Owusu-Abeyie may cost Ghana the needed width and trickery which very often unlocks difficult games. Plavi claims  Andre Ayew’s ability on the left flank is not in doubt but he does not stretch the game wide enough, could Derek Asamoah be the man to make the flanks Ghana’s greatest asset?. Apart from building his confidence for the future, I struggle to see the value young and potential-laden Abu Mohammed will bring on board. Same feelings go towards St. Pauli’s Charles Takyi. If I am to drop a player from midfield, it will be one of these two players.

STRIKERS:

Asamoah Gyan (Al Ain), Prince Tagoe (Bursaspor), Emmanuel Baffour (Edubiase FC), Jordan Ayew (Olympique Marseille)Derek Asamoah (Pohang Steelers)

We, the unrepentant proponents of the local league should be grateful for the inclusion of Emmanuel Baffour and will keep fingers crossed that he is given the chance to prove himself and that he grabs the opportunity when it is offered with both hands. But why do I get the sense Baffour will be dropped? I do not believe Prince Tagoe has the confidence and the form to represent Ghana. After a series of horrible performances for Ghana, he must bless his stars (or experience) for making the final squad because truth be told he has lost his shine. Jordan  Ayew? Well, a few Ligue 1 goals have been his claim to fame, but we all know the lad must work even harder if he is given any chance to play.

CONCLUSIONS

In general, this team is strong and balanced enough to challenge for honours come January. Many people will find one or two of their favourite players in there and hence the support for the team should be high enough to drive them to glory.

Asante Kotoko vrs Berekum Chelsea – Tale of the tapes

Few games have the potential of determining the season’s champions. The Asante Kotoko vs Berekum Chelsea encounter at the Babayara Stadium on Wednesday, 14^th December 2011 is by every means a title decide.

Ahead of this crucial encounter, I compare the historical and current performance of both clubs and draw conclusions on how the three points at stake will be split between these two Ghanaian giants.

Emmanuel Clottey of Berekum Chelsea

Historically, Asante Kotoko have had the upper hand over Berekum Chelsea. Asante Kotoko has won 3 of the 6 encounters between these clubs since Berekum Chelsea joined the elite division in the 2008/09 season. Berekum Chelsea on the other hand have won twice and one of the games ended in a draw.

In terms head-to-head goals scored, Asante Kotoko have beaten Berekum Chelsea by 7-5. Last season however, Berekum Chelsea turned the heat on Asante Kotoko; beating them home and away.

Whereas the home side, Asante Kotoko, will have revenge on mind, the visitors will seek to extend their dominance. But with what streak of performance (this season) do both clubs bring to this match?

Berekum Chelsea are slightly ahead of Asante Kotoko in terms of form run. Since Match Day 6, Berekum Chelsea have not lost a game but Asante Kotoko who have lost once. Asante Kotoko have more to show on the league table as they are 2 clear points ahead of Berekum Chelsea.

Asante Kotoko are doing better than Berekum Chelsea in the attacking department. They have scored 2 more goals than Berekum Chelsea. While Asante Kotoko have scored in 8 of the 10 games played so far, Berekum Chelsea have scored in 7. Seven players have scored all of Asante Kotoko’s 16 goals while 6 players have contributed Berekum Chelsea’s 14 goals. There appear to be more scoring depth at Chelsea because 3 of their players have scored more than 2 goals, while only 2 players of Kotoko have scored 2 more goals.

Berekum Chelsea are narrowly ahead of Asante Kotoko defensively. They have conceded 5 goals compared to the 6 goals conceded by Asante Kotoko. By way of clean sheets, Asante Kotoko have kept one more clean sheet than Berekum Chelsea. One of the secrets of Kotoko is their goal keeper Soulama Abdoulai who have started in all 10 games. Berekum Chelsea have on the other hand not found the best fit goal keeper. Collins Addo started a couple of game before Ernest Sowah played the next three games. Abubakar Iddrissu has taken over since. So, Iddrisu and Abdoulai will hold the key to winning this all-important encounter.

From the aforementioned comparison, one can see how close this game will be. Recent history may favour Berekum Chelsea, but Asante Kotoko have done slightly better for themselves this season and should therefore have a narrow victory. Beyond the current good run of Kotoko, they should have the home advantage with their ever-intimidating Fabulous Fans in full attendance.

PROBABLE LINE UPS

ASANTE KOTOKO: Soulama Abdulai (GK), Baba Abdul Rahman, Ahmed Toure, Michael Akuffo, Henry Ohene-Brenya, David Offei, Daniel Nii Adjei, Yaw Frimpong, Awal Mohammed, Nathaniel Asamoah, Afranie Yeboah. Coach: Maxwell Konadu

BEREKUM CHELSEA: Abubakar Iddrisu (GK) Prince. Anokye, Jackson Owusu, Mussa Mohammed, Awudu Moro, Samuel Kyere, Kpodo Edward, Emmanuel Clottey, Awako Gladson, Solomon Asante. Coach: Hans van der Plume

CRITERIA	ASANTE KOTOKO	BEREKUM CHELSEA
Head-to-head: All games scores	7	5
Head-to-head: Total wins	3	2
League: Games played	10	10
League: Form (last 5 games)	D-D-W-W-W	W-L-W-D-W
Points accumulated	21	19
League: Goals scored	16	14
League: Goals conceded	6	5
League: Clean sheet	5	4
League: Games scored in	8	7
League: Goal difference	+10	+9
Players to watch	Daniel Nii Adjei (MF)	Emmanuel Clottey (ST)

Nathaniel Asamoah of Asante Kotoko

Ghana Glo Premier League 2011/12: Match Day 11 Summary and Statistics

[1] MATCH DAY 11 SUMMARY

Three home wins and four draws were recorded this week. There were no away wins. Hearts of Oak are the best defense so far. They cap their defensive performance with a 7 clean sheets. Wa All Stars and Asante Kotoko have scored in all games except two. Medeama have the best attack so far with 17 goals. On club form, Asante Kotoko, Dwarfs and Berekum Chelsea have lost just once this season. On the goal king front, Emmanuel Baffour scored his second brace of the season to increase his goal tally to 11. This is phenomenal by Ghana league standards given that we have crowned goal kings with just 13 goals in the past.

More details below:

[2] MATCH DAY 11 RESULTS

MIGHTY JETS 2-2 TEMA YOUTH

1-0 Jacob Quao

1-1 Ben Terry

2-1 Kofi Owusu

2-2 Hamza Abdulai

DWARFS 1-1 WA ALL STARS

1-0 Seidu Bancey

1-1Frank Sarfo Gyamfi

WASSAMAN UTD 2-0 LIBERTY PROFESSIONALS

1-0 Abubakari Mahadi

2-0 Ekow Ghansah

BEREKUM ARSENALS 1-1 ASHANTIGOLD

0-1 Aaron Amoah

1-1 Stephen Amankwah [pen]

HEARTS OF OAK 2-1 MEDEAMA SC

0-1 Francis Coffie [pen]

1-1 Mahatma Otoo

2-1 Gyimah Attakora

EDUBIASE 2-1 ADUANA

1-0 Emmanuel Baffour

1-1 Samuel Asiedu

2-1 Emmanuel Baffour

HEART OF LIONS 0-0 BECHEM UTD

ASANTE KOTOKO – BEREKUM CHELSEA

Postponed to 14th December 2011

[3] GOAL KING RACE – Emmanuel Baffuor

11 - Emmanuel Baffour (EDUBIASE)

7 -  Louis Agyeman (MEDEAMA);

6 - Ahmed Toure (KOTOKO);

5 - Seidu Bancey (DWARFS); Nathaniel Asamoah (KOTOKO); Emmanuel Clottey (CHELSEA);

4 - Frank Sarfo Gyamfi (ALL STARS); Godfred Saka (ADUANA);  Abdul Basit (B. CHELSEA); Richard Addae (BECHEM UTD);

3 -  Mahatma Otoo (HEARTS); Aaron Amoah (ASHANTIGOLD);   Hamza Abdulai (TEMA YOUTH);  Fadi Benjamin (HEART OF LIONS); Michael Helegbe (LIBERTY); Bernard Akuffo (TEMA YOUTH);

2 - Francis Coffie (MEDEAMA);   Stephen Amankwah (ARSENALS);  Kofi Owusu (MIGHTY JETS); Terry Benjamin (TEMA YOUTH); James Abban (LIBERTY); Peter Essien (BECHEM); Jacob Asiedu Apau (MEDEAMA); Daniel Appiah (TEMA YOUTH); Godfred Kwame Gyasi (AL L STARS); Jafaru Danjuma (ARSENALS);  Gilbert Fiamenyo (HEART OF LIONS); Kwame Frimpong (DWARFS); Didier Kore (ASHANTIGOLD); Samuel Azumah (ALL STARS); John Arthur (DWARFS); Yusif Ayoma (LIBERTY);  Uriah Asante (HEARTS OF OAK); Moro Mubarak (CHELSEA);  Douglas Nkrumah (HEARTS);  Frank Osei (MIGHTY JETS); Fuseini Zuberu (LIBERTY);

1 –  Samuel Asiedu (ADUANA); Attakorah Gyimah (HEARTS OF OAK); Abubakari Mahadi (WASSAMAN UTD); Ekow Ghanzah (WASSAMAN UTD); Jacob Quao (MIGHTY JETS); Masel Joseph (ARSENALS); Samuel Boateng (WA ALL STARS); Daniel Nii Adjei (KOTOKO); Eric Agyemang (CHELSEA); Nana Yaw Afriyie (MEDEAMA); Sampson Cudjoe (MEDEAMA); Emmanuel Allan (ADUANA); Akwasi Acheampong (ARSENALS); Prince Amponsa (ARSENALS);  Emmanuel Dogbe (MEDEAMA); Hans Kwofie (MEDEAMA); Issah Salihu (WASSAMAN); Moro Ibrahim (EDUBIASE); Francis Narh (TEMA YOUTH); Jeremiah Akorful (TEMA YOUTH); Richard Mensah (WASSAMAN UTD); Mohammed Musa (CHELSEA); Odjer Nicholas (TEMA YOUTH); Tamiru Muntari (MIGHTY JETS); Nafiu Iddrisu (KOTOKO); Moussa Foda Sylla (LIBERTY);  Kassim Razak (WASSAMAN); Joseph Tagoe (HEARTS OF OAK); Yufah Zuga (WASSAMAN); Fatau Mohammed (KOTOKO);   Daniel Bonsu (HEART OF LIONS); Mohammed Yakubu (ASHANTIGOLD); Daniel Adjei (LIBERTY); Michael Mensah (WA ALL STARS); Soufian Abubakari Sidi (MIGHTY JETS); Michael Akuffo (KOTOKO); Eric Fordjuor (BECHEM UTD); Joshua Otoo (ALL STARS), Saeed Adinan (ALL STARS),  Jafaru Musa (ASHANTIGOLD); Enock Asare (ARSENALS); James Buadu (ARSENALS);  Alex Tawia (ALL STARS); Jordan Owusu Mintah (WASSAMAN); Yaw Alexander (CHELSEA);  Bright Nsiah (HEART OF LIONS);  Akwasi Adu (BECHEM); Peter Ofori-Quaye Jnr (BECHEM); Daniel Gozar (ADUANA); Ekow Benson (MEDEAMA); Kwabena Edusei (MEDAMA)

[4] TOP PERFORMERS

Once again, Frank Sarfo Gyamfi of Wa All Stars stepped up on Match Day 11 with a jaw-dropping goal from the right flank for All Stars at the Robert Mensah Stadium. Emmanuel Baffour is on the form of his life.

[5] THE LEAGUE TABLE

Rnk	Team	MP	W	D	L	GF	GA	+/-	Pts	PPG
1	ASANTE KOTOKO	10	6	3	1	16	6	10	21	2.1
2	HEARTS OF OAK	11	6	3	2	9	5	4	21	1.9
3	WA ALL STARS	11	6	2	3	13	7	6	20	1.8
4	BEREKUM CHELSEA	10	5	4	1	14	5	9	19	1.9
5	DWARFS	11	4	6	1	11	6	5	18	1.6
6	EDUBIASE FC	11	6	0	5	12	14	-2	18	1.6
7	ADUANA STARS	11	4	5	2	8	6	2	17	1.5
8	LIBERTY PROS.	11	5	1	5	11	9	2	16	1.5
9	MEDEAMA SC	11	5	0	6	17	14	3	15	1.4
10	TEMA YOUTH	11	4	2	5	13	10	3	14	1.3
11	HEART OF LIONS	11	3	4	4	8	10	-2	13	1.2
12	ASHANTIGOLD SC	11	2	5	5	7	16	-9	11	1.0
13	MIGHTY JETS	11	2	4	5	7	12	-5	10	0.9
14	BEREKUM ARSENAL	11	2	3	6	9	13	-4	9	0.8
15	BECHEM UTD	11	2	3	6	9	20	-11	9	0.8
16	WASSAMAM UTD	11	2	1	8	8	18	-10	7	0.6

PPG = Points Per Game

INTERNATIONAL CLUB FRIENDLY: Simba SC 0-1 Kumasi Asante Kotoko

DAR ES SALAAM.  Simba Sports Club of Tanzania were beaten 0-1 by Ghanaian heavyweight Asante Kotoko in a special match at the National Stadium to mark the 50th anniversary of Tanzania Mainland independence. Explosive midfielder Daniel Nii Adjei’s strike provide the only goal of the match.

SIMBA SC [Tanania] 0-1 ASANTE KOTOKO [Ghana]

CAN 2012 Files EP01: A dreamer’s whims of Ghana’s road to victory

We football fans are some of the most fickle people you can find around. We live in the moment; we analyze little and hungrily seek the next opportunity to celebrate nothing. Ghanaian football fans are among the guiltiest.

Oh there will be more opportunities to dance, but will it be around the trophy?

We go to Germany 2006 World Cup, win 2 games and come home celebrating more than the winners. We host CAN 2008 and get brushed aside by Cameroun, yet we were the happiest. Some even argued that had we won that tournament people would have died celebrating…so it was good we crushed out….wooow! Need I talk about Asamoah Gyan and South Africa 2010 World Cup?

We have won nothing in adult football over the last 30 years, yet we parade ourselves as African football giants even though no one else does. Every year, we claim we are tournament favourites and in spite of our perennial failures we come home celebrating. Why? We always record sweet victories over our noisy neighbours – Nigeria.

So, it is that, a new tournament is already here with us. Once the groups and fixtures were announced, everyone in Ghana says Ghana is winning this easily. Forget about having a coach who thinks he can sit in Europe and win an African tournament.

This is by far our biggest chance to lift a trophy, we say. Why? There is no Nigeria, South Africa, Egypt and Cameroun. We only have only to face the usual tournament chokers Ivory Coast or fellow noise makers Senegal.

Ironically, the oracle agrees with our fickle whims. I have looked into crystal ball. I have seen the end from the beginning. The oracle has spoken. Ghana is winning CAN 2012. CAF should just come to Ghana and give the Ghana FA boss, Kwasi Nyantakyi, the cup. No need to waste money on the tournament.

Ghana coach GORAN STEVANOVIC hopes to be the first expatriate to win glory for Ghana

Nyantakyi will just have to also go flying to Serbia in search of the man who is paid over $50,000 per month to sit in his home country and coach another country. Nyantakyi must find the man with the easiest job on earth – Goran Stevanovic – and congratulate him for winning the cup without stepping a foot in Ghana, picking fights with his key player and building his team around out of form bench warmers. All things are possible to those who believe, No? All we need do is to believe in what the oracle says.

What did I see in the crystal ball? What did I hear the oracle say?

GROUP STAGES

The groups will finish as follows:

Group A: [1] Senegal [2] Libya

Group B: [1] Ivory Coast [2] Burkina Faso

Group C: [1] Gabon [2] Tunisia

Group D: [1] Ghana [2] Mali

QUARTER FINAL

Senegal beats Burkina Faso. Ivory Coast beats Libya. Gabon beats Mali. Ghana thrashes, no wallops, Tunisia.

SEMI FINAL

The Elephants of Ivory Coast see Senegal’s Lions of Teranga Senegal and choke – tails between legs…no surprises there! Gabon takes another beating from Ghana.

FINAL

Senegal’s Lions of Teranga will try to have Ghana’s Black Stars for dinner, but the thing with lions is that they can’t fly! There you have it – quite easily deduced!

So never mind what the so called pundits are saying about Ivory Coast being the favourites. Never mind all the warning signals about Euro-biased scouting; lack of striking depth; player selection politics; self-imposed left back problems; glassy central defenders; inactive bench warmers in the starting 11 or playing defenders as wingers, grab a Ghana flag and fetch your vuvuzela! There is going to be another opportunity to jump into the streets to celebrate all those moments of sweet nothings.

Follow the CAN 2012 Files for sharp, balanced, objective accurate and sometimes funny

analyses of Ghana’s quest for Nations Cup glory!!!!

VIDEO: Sky Sports on Mohammed Abu

Watch the story about one of Ghana’s rising young lads…Mohammed Abu.

Courtesy Sky Sports

Serving Humble Pies The Andre ‘Dede’ Ayew Style

Claude Leroy was not high on anything when he felt Andre ‘Dede’ Ayew represented the future of Ghanaian football and hence introduced him to senior football at a tender age of 17. When Andre first played for Ghana in 2007 held at Accra, many had felt that his introduction was just a politically correct thing to do as media reports were claiming Andre had threatened to switch nationality to France.

Andre 'Dede' Ayew in 2007

Leroy wouldn’t listen to the critics, Ayew and some other kids were taken to the Ghana 2008 CAF African Nation Cup. The criticisms were always harsh on Andre. Somoene posted on youtube that he was simply not good they said

Yet, the football authorities knew better. Later that year, Ayew was to be named captain of Ghana’s youth team – The Black Satellites. Coming from a not-so-impressive U-17 tournament, almost the entire team had been promoted to the Youth side. The captaincy was ‘almost set in stone’ till the arrival of Andre.

A dark feeling of Déjà vu hanged all over the situation. Some 18 years ago, around the time Andre was born, his father (The Maestro Abedi ‘Pele’ Ayew) had been handed the captaincy of The Black Stars in a rather controversial. That singular act proved the undoing of the Black Stars in the 1990s.

Andre Ayew vrs Dortmund on December 6, 2011Andre Ayew vrs Dortmund on December 6, 2011

Speculations were rife. The ‘Abedi was pushing his children on Ghanaians’ feeling was becoming popular. All the negative vibe will only bring out the fighter in Andre. His influence on the pitch grew larger than life. His skill set, although still work in progress, grew over the years. His ‘dog-fighting’ approach to the game became legendary as fans and critics watched in awe.

Today, Andre has earned the respect of his critics. The critics have so much humble pie stuffed in their mouths they can hardly speak for fear of choking on their words.

In just 3 years, Andre has risen from a fringe Olympic Marseille youth to a a key player for club and country.

>>>WATCH AYEW SCORE AGAINST DORTMUND HERE<<<

This season, Ayew has already contributed 6 Ligue 1 goals in 15 games. He has scored 3 goals in 6 games to push Marseille into the second round of the 2011/2012 European Champion’s League.

This is why even his critics are voting for him as BBC African Player of the year. So should you, otherwise, you can bet he will stuff some humble pies down your throat at the 2012 Orange CAF African Cup of Nations come this January.

JUST CLICK ON THIS IMAGE TO CAST YOUR VOTE FOR ANDRE AYEW AS BBC AFRICAN PLAYER OF THE YEAR

>>>CLICK HERE TO CAST YOUR VOTE FOR ANDRE AYEW AS BBC AFRICAN PLAYER OF THE YEAR<<<