Ghana Get To Germany

[LSF]

What do I know about diamonds? I’m a football man, and once a normal one until 2 years ago. Now what do I know about diamonds? That they come from Ghana.

Bad puns (Ghana – Gunna…Get it? No? Oh well) and stolen introductions aside, the last two years have really been like no other.

I’d always had an interest in football, and had enjoyed some moderate success in the lower leagues of my own country in the recent past. However, my managerial abilities were nothing to get excited about and I was probably never going to make it rich from football.

So how did I get this job? Not a bad question. Following the departure of their last manager (A Frenchman apparently, although I didn’t have a clue who he was), I was introduced to a member of their FA by a mutual “friend of a friend”.

Carefully pretending to be slightly more successful than I was (Europe? Who hasn't won the Champions League?!), I met several times with different members of their Association and talked through my plans for the team. I may not have known much about their domestic football, however many of their better players applied their trade in Europe, so I was able to make it look like I had some sort of a plan for progress. With my natural charisma, great attitude and obvious good looks, I eventually got myself the job that no one else wanted anyway.

The press conference in which my appointment was first announced was unspectacular to say the least. My plans of overtaking South Africa in the World Cup qualifying groups and taking Ghana to their first ever World Cup Finals seemingly fell on deaf ears. Looking back, I’m not surprised. In terms on International football, I was a nobody, and all they wanted from me was “the maintaining of their countries honour”.

[-Sambo Italiano-]

Hey not bad I've never seen anything with Ghana in it (Essien and Appiah aside.) This should be good.

KUTGW :y:

[LSF]

Thanks, I did a search for Ghana and didn't find any other stories about them specifically, so I figured it might be original. My first story so I'm glad no ones told me to shut up yet. :lol:

[Nelson]

good start - look forward to reading more kutgw

[KJAC]

Nice start, Ghana gave us a scare on Fish & Chips, but Gerrard equalised with 10 seconds left :cool2:

[LSF]

It was on the 8th of July 2004 that I was first introduced to the Ghana national team at the Accra Sports Stadium. The ground itself was a 35,000 all-seater stadium, and home to the countries most famous side – the Accra “Hearts of Oak”.

It turned out the team had been in action just 5 days ago, losing away at South Africa by one goal to nil. Despite the teams good start (Beating the Republic of Congo 4-1 and Uganda 2-0, both at home), the latest result meant we were trailing the group leaders South Africa by 3 points.

I had just less than 2 months to prepare the team for their first game under my management – Against Cape Verde. The game (originally meant to be an away one for us), was now scheduled to be played at a neutral venue instead. Fair enough.

My first job was to appoint a coach – I had been given an impressive backroom staff of 0 and was damned if I was going to be doing this by myself. I wanted someone who might know some of the players, and might also know about some of the teams we would be up against in the qualifying stages. Baring in mind that the person would have to want to coach a Ghana side, this narrowed it down to about 3 possibilities. I chose Mickey Gordon, a South African with a good understanding of football and apparently excellent coaching abilties.

We pretended we were old friends, and sat down to have a look at the squad we had inherited. After all, I knew little more about them than anyone else did at this point.

Goalkeepers

Sammy Adjedi The regular first choice keeper played his football at Hearts of Oak, in Ghana. Unfortunately injury would rule him out of my first game in charge.

Constant Mantey Also playing his football in Ghana, at Goldfields, this 28-year-old keeper was seemingly in the squad to make up numbers. Hopefully wouldn’t be needed against Cape Verde.

Louis Qainoo A young keeper who was favourite to get the number 1 spot during Adjedi’s time on the sidelines. Despite only being 20, he commanded his area well and looks reasonably capable between the sticks.

Defenders

Kofi Amponsah Plays for Greek club Aigaleo and prefers to either be on the right or in the centre of the defence. A strong player who seemed capable of dealing with any aerial threats the opposition could throw at him.

Christian Gyan The 26-year-old prefers to be in the centre of defence, or playing at right back. Contracted to Feyenoord, his tight marking and good heading impressed in training.

Samuel Kuffour Currently playing for the famous Bayern Munich, a tough tackling player whose reputation proceeds him. Even I had heard of this guy, he had to feature at the heart of the defence, for sure.

Hans Sarpei Plays for German club Wolfsburg, on the right side of defence. A speedy player and also a good passer of the ball.

Mohammed Hamza The 24 year old already has 36 caps to his name – Possibly because he is willing to play anywhere in defence or midfield. Good at tackling but weak in the air, the best thing about this guy was his clubs name – King Fasial Babies. Mickey (The coach) didn’t find it half as funny as I.

Abubkari Yakubu A 23-year-old at home on the right side of midfield or the defence, also capable of playing in the middle if needed. A determined and strong player, currently trying to establish himself at Ajax.

Eric Addo A central defender whose style is more physical than technical. Good for him, I say.


Midfielders

Anthony Obodai Another Ajax player, capable at crossing the ball and a good option to have on the right wing.

Stephan Appiah The 24 year old from Juventus is one of the stars of the team. A good passer and not afraid to have a shot from a distance either. I hoped he could hold my midfield together whilst the other players got used to the new style of play.

Mark Edusei A 28-year-old playing for Sampdoria who was worryingly aggressive, even in training.

Sulley Ali Muntari A third central midfielder who focussed more on attack than defence. Only 20 years old, this Udinese player looked more to be a star of the future. Excellent in most aspects of his game, he was too often thrown off the ball by stronger players.

Charles Akonnor He might not have been that great, but this 31-year-old midfielder was the only real option we had on the left wing, and he probably knew it.

Lawrence Aidoo A 23 year old attacking midfielder who liked to play on the right wing. One of the more skilful players in the side, not afraid to run at defenders and often capable of beating them. He also seemed pleased to have me there, so I liked him.

Otto Addo The 30-year-old from Dortmund was a determined central midfielder and very influential on the pitch.

Michael Essien The star player, as far as I was concerned. A good all round midfielder from Lyon, and only 22 years old. I hoped he would be able to link the attack and the midfielder together well.

Forwards

Yaw Preko Well he was quick, for his age (30). Not that great, but quick.

Ibrahim Tanko 27 year old who had been at Freiburg for a few years now.

Prince Nana The 22-year-old played for Russian side Spartak Schelkovo. Probably only included for his name, in which case proving that my predecessor at least had a sense of humour.

Augustine The 30-year-old who would hopefully get me the goals I needed. A deadly finisher with a good first touch.

Baba Adamu An influential 25 year old who liked to think of himself as a target man, with good aerial ability and hold up play.

Isaac Boakye 23 year old determined to make an impression. His heading and technique stood out.

Kwame Quansah Playing for Heracles in Holland, this 22 year old had a great first touch, pace to burn and a lot of technical ability.

Anthony Yeboah Obviously a legend, because he’s 38 and still in the national side. Playing in Qatar for Al Gharrafa, his heading and balance were as strong as ever. Bit slow, mind.

[LSF]

Just over a month had passed since my appointment to the post of Ghana manager. I’d like to have thought that the last month had been spent getting to know more about the state of Ghanaian domestic football and familiarising myself with a new country.

However, that’d just be untrue. The Ghanaian league was yet to kick off, as was the South African one, which I planned to keep an eye out for.

Meanwhile, the last few weeks had given me time to gauge the fans reaction to my appointment. Many of them seemed to be starting to warm to me and my optimistic attitude regarding the teams prospects. Others were still overly cautious due to me being fairly unknown in football, but were ready to let me prove myself if I could.

I had asked Mickey Gordon to take control of all the Ghana youth sides, including the Under 23’s, Under 21’s and Under 19’s. A tremendous work load for the newly appointed coach to handle, but expectation (and public interest in general) was low and I believe in retrospect he managed to cope fairly well. Well he never broke down in tears, at least.

He did however, insist on taking 10 of the first team players with him on his trip to the Olympics. I agreed to this, mainly because he wouldn’t have had a full squad if I refused. It also gave the lads a chance to play together in a competitive fixture - So far opportunities had been limited to the training ground only.

I decided I would try and attend at least one of the three group games they had scheduled, and if they got through the group stages, I’d be there too. Unfortunately, that never happened.

Following a 2-1 loss in their first game, I decided to fly out and watch the game against the Japanese Under 23’s on the 15th of August. The team struggled to get into their game in the first 45 minutes, as did the opposition, and they went in at half time with the scores tied, and only a few limited shots on goal.

Mickey changed things around at half time, the most noticeable being the introduction of Juventus’ Stephan Appiah in the midfield. After just 10 minutes, this change paid off, as Appiah fired a low cross into the back of the net from 18 yards out.

This positive start was not to continue, the younger lads began to relax, content to play the game in their own half of the pitch, despite Mickey’s shouted instructions from the touchline. Within 10 minutes, the Japanese had pulled level, as a neat cross the by-line was headed in at the near post. From then on Japan had the better chances, even hitting the post in the 73rd minute. However, neither side was too complacent with the 1-1 result at the end.

I left not knowing much more than I had at the start. I would have to encourage the team to play more positively if we were to achieve success. As I had said to Mickey, we would have to beat South Africa when they came to play at our place, and there was no reason we could not beat the other mediocre teams in our group. I honestly intended to win every group game until World Cup qualification was certain.

A good bit of news reached me at the end of the week – At least I considered it good. The Under 23’s went out fighting, earning a 1-1 draw with a classy Italian side, featuring Cassano amongst others.

[LSF]

In the final month of preparation before my first ever game as manager of Ghana, little change happened. I had decided to try and do something about the constant strains, pulled muscles and minor injuries sustained in the training sessions, eventually hiring a physio who joined our ever increasing backroom of staff (Now at an all time high – 3!) I would have loved to have appointed a Ghanaian to this post, but to be fair; none were even worth considering. As it happened, the man who got the job was Thabo Maseko, another South African. Despite the usual fame and glory a career in physiotherapy provides, this man was a relative unknown, but he seemed to know his stuff so I had few doubts.

The time came that I was asked to officially announce my squad. The only change I made was to bring Dida into the squad to replace the injured Adjedi. I hoped he would prove to be as good as his Brazilian namesake, however after 10 minutes at the training ground that proved to be a distant hope. Never mind – He wouldn’t get to play or anything.

Despite the squad being virtually unchanged, the media still decided to try and criticise me, saying I had picked too many players currently in the foreign leagues. One newspaper also suggested I was too certain of victory in the upcoming game, and warned the team not to get ahead of themselves. Before I could issue a response, Samuel Kuffour had hit back at the journalists, saying the team was focussed and the squad selection suitable for the task in hand. Believing him to be one of the more respected members of the squad, I agreed wholeheartedly.

Before I knew it, it was time to set off for the Estadio da Varzea in Praia.

[LSF]

Saturday 4/9/04, 3 p.m.

Cape Verde Vs Ghana

African World Cup Qualifying 2nd Round, Group 2

Estadio da Varzea, Praia. Att: 7,952

http://www.worldstadiums.com/stadium_pictures/africa/cape_verde/praia_varzea.jpg

Ghana: Qainoo (c), Sarpei, Hamza, Kuffour, Gyan, Aidoo, Akonnor (62), Appiah (45), Essien, Augustine, Yeboah (45)
Subs: Mantey, Yakubu (62), E Addo, Muntari (45), Boakye (45), O Addo, Obodai

After arriving at the stadium, going though the pre-match procedures, the warm-ups and a final team talk in the dressing room (Including a neat tactics board), I took my place in the dugout and waited for the match to start. Strangely enough, I was not feeling too nervous for my first game in charge of a national team. In fairness, there are worse sides you could be tested against than Cape Verde, and I had a feeling that if the players stayed focussed and did what I told them, a win was inevitable.

Unfortunately the game got off to a slow start, with the home side not wanting to commit too many players forward in case of a counter attack, and our side just being generally uncreative. Luckily, I didn’t have to wait long for a goal to appear from no where. A clumsy foul on the edge of the area gave us our first real chance to take the lead, and we jumped at it. With only 9 minutes on the clock, Augustine stepped up and hit a curling shot over the wall. Anilton, the keeper, was left watching at the ball flew into the top corner of the goal.

The goal gave us the kick-start we needed and soon we were all over the opposition. Only a minute after the goal, Essien dribbled the ball into the box and played an acute pass over the heads of 3 defenders, straight through to Augustine. However, his first time strike was superbly tipped over the bar by Anilton, and the resulting corner was headed clear with ease. Cape Verde seemed happy to just defend though, and in the 22nd minute, they paid for it through another free kick on the edge of the area. This time, Appiah and Akonnor played a neat one-two into the area and Appiah was left free to side-foot the ball to keeper’s right-hand side, doubling our lead. I began to relax, these lot were rubbish.

The team, however, did not, and immediately began pressing for a third goal to kill the game off. In the 25th minute, Kuffour headed the ball forwards to Essien, who was doing a superb job as the creative man in midfield. He played the ball up to Augustine, who found Yeboah with a perfect through ball. In a moment of sheer comedy, Yeboah performed a dummy-shot from 35 yards out and the keeper fell for it, diving across to the right side of the goal and allowing Yeboah the chance to hit a weak shot into the opposite corner of the net.

However, the lads were out to prove some sort of point that I was apparently unaware of. I had helpfully told them to “Win 10-0”, but I was only being half-serious. However, in the 41st minute, we had scored again, and I wasn’t object. This time Aidoo was the provider, hitting a cross from the far side of the pitch towards the nearest post and allowing Essien to head home his first ever goal for Ghana.

Half time arrived and Yeboah was subbed off for Boakye, whilst Appiah (on a yellow card) was replaced by Muntari. The game got worse for Cape Verde, as 3 minutes into the second half midfielder Paulo Dos Santos received a second yellow of the match and had to walk. This ultimately killed the game, with only one noticeable chance coming our way and Cape Verde’s comeback limited to a corner we headed clear straight away. Not everything went perfectly though, as Akonnor (later named Man of the Match) had to be carried off with an injury after an hour, and was replaced by Yakubu.

In injury time Augustine wasted his chance of getting a second goal. An excellent pass by Aidoo from the right wing went straight through the defence, allowing Augustine a one-on-one from just 10 yards out. However his low shot rebounded straight off the foot of the post nearest to us, and the score remained a satisfying 4-0.

Final Score: Cape Verde 0 : 4 Ghana

[DannyBecks]

looks good so far! must be a big task! yeboah is a legend, good luck

[LSF]

Thanks a lot DannyBecks :thbup:
--------------------------------

The other results within the group were very favourable to us and only added to the suddenly positive morale within the side.

The Republic of Congo 4 : 0 Uganda

However, the result that really mattered was:

South Africa 1 : 1 Burkina Faso

With South Africa now only leading the group by two points, and still having to play us in Ghana, our fate at least rested in our own hands for the time being. We were also further boosted by the news that Akonnors injury was not too serious and he would not be missing any games for his country, at least. Not a bad first match day, I thought.

[Unused User 1]

:xp1700: Good start. KUTGW

[LSF]

Thanks Hughesie, glad to see a few postive comments! :thbup:
-------------------------------------------------------------

I had an annoying wait of over a month until my next competitive match as Ghana manager. In this time, both good and bad things happened.

Despite recovering from the knock he got against Cape Verde, Akonnor had been injured again in training and would miss the Burkina Faso match. Yeboah was also eventually ruled out, with a groin strain. I hoped I had cover for these two. Yeboah was the easier to replace, with me having so many forwards, however Mireku had to be promoted from the Under 23’s just for this match - I had no other left wingers. I had already decided no changes were to be made unless forced by injury – I was never one to change a side that had just won 4-0, and I wanted a sense of continuity within the team as long as they performed well.

Good news came in the way that the local press was beginning to view me in a more positive light. Essien had thanked me personally for giving him the confidence he needed to get his first ever International goal in the last match, which may have been one of many factors in the press almost seeming apologetic for doubting me. Indeed, they said that few within the country would have expected such a comprehensive result, no matter who was in charge. Bless ‘em.

With my first home game as manager approaching, I named a starting line up with just the two changes. The media thought I was relying on youngsters too much, but they had already shown that they knew nothing. We were going to win.

[LSF]

Saturday 9/10/04, 3 p.m.

Ghana Vs Burkina Faso

African World Cup Qualifying 2nd Round, Group 2

El Wak Sports, Accra. Att: 29,485

http://www.worldstadiums.com/stadium_pictures/africa/ghana/accra_sports_stadium.jpg

Ghana: Qainoo (C), Sarpei, Hamza, Kuffour, Gyan, Aidoo (45), Mireku, Appiah, Essien, Augustine (86), Boakye (68)
Subs: Mantey, Yakubu (45), E Addo, Muntari (86), Quansah (68), O Addo, Obodai


An impressive home crowd added to what I thought was a pretty good pre-match atmosphere, and made the players determined to give the spectators something to cheer about. Morale was high as Qainoo led the players out of the tunnel just before kick off.

However, Burkina Faso were anxious to prove they would not just roll over, and the first chance fell to them in the 2nd minute as Nikiema hit a long range shot just past the right post. A few inches to the left and they would have scored – Qainoo was well beaten.

Surprised at the away teams attacking approach to the game, it took us 10 minutes to register a similar chance as Appiah ran into the area before playing the ball back to Essien, who hit a similar shot wide of the goal. I’d like to think Essien’s was closer, but at the end of the day – Who cares?

In the 24th minute we managed to grab a lead. Tall, the oppositions right back, was put under all sorts of pressure and his poor clearance was intercepted by Appiah who headed the ball on too Essien. Essien took only two touches, controlling it with his first and then knocking it on to Augustine. He then hit the ball cleanly from 25 yards out and his swerving shot found the right hand corner of the goal, sending the home fans into noisy celebration. I got caught up in the atmosphere and jumped off the bench, running up to the side of the pitch to celebrate with the staff and players. At the same time this shattered the ice cool image I thought I had. Not to worry.

We could have doubled our lead in the 28th minute, as Aidoo hit a low pass across the face of goal, however Gyan managed to hit his shot straight at the keeper from 6 yards out.

With 7 minutes left before half time Burkina Faso managed a rare effort on goal as Zoundi hit a free kick just over the bar. Our defence had performed admirably and restricted the visitors to poor, long range shots.

At half time Aidoo had to be substituted because of a minor knock and Yakubu joined the action in his place. Boakye got the first chance of the second half in the 56th minute, as Kuffour hit a long direct pass right down the middle of the pitch, playing Boakye through on goal. The striker tried to chip the keeper from the edge of the area, but his shot went well wide of the goal.

In the 63rd minute we got a deserved second goal, killing the game off. Augustine hit a cross in too the far post and the goalkeeper Soulama backed into and fouled Boakye. He received a yellow card and was faced with a penalty to be taken by Appiah. The Juve midfielder stepped up confidently, hitting a powerful shot right down the middle and into the back of the net.

The game now seemed to be won, as our defence was playing far too well to let in 1 goal, let alone 2. Yakubu managed to head a cross just over the bar, but apart from that, the remaining 30 minutes were just a series of long shots for both sides. Not one hit the target, and we took all 3 points for the second time in as many games.

Final Score : Ghane 2 : 0 Burkina Faso

[-Sambo Italiano-]

[B]Saturday 9/10/04, 3 p.m.


http://www.worldstadiums.com/stadium_pictures/africa/ghana/accra_sports_stadium.jpg



Ah world stadiums useful as hell.

[LSF]

That's right. A few other sites had that one in all honesty, but only WS had the Cape Verde ground, so I stuck with them. I'm loyal. :)

[LSF]

Maybe I’m just lucky. Or maybe I’m just a damn special guy. In the two games that I had been in charge of Ghana, not only had we played well above expectation (Against two great teams, I’m sure you’ll agree), but all other results had gone our way. We returned to the changing room after the game, and heard that once again South Africa had been held to a draw, with them and the Republic of Congo both getting 2 goals each. Uganda had drawn 1-1 with Cape Verde, but it was hard to get excited about that.

We were now 1 point clear at the top of our group, and World Cup qualification was now surely a real possibility. South Africa would have to come to Ghana looking for a win, and as far as I was concerned that was the only fixture I had left to worry about.

Still, there were other teams to play before that. Not for a while though, we had a five-month break before a trip to Uganda. I wouldn’t be seeing the squad for a while due to this, but was apparently a near hero in Ghana already. Result.


Any length of time will eventually pass, and I have to admit I found myself getting excited about the prospect of another match as the days slowly passed by. Before naming my squad though, I was disappointed by the news that Appiah would not be able to make the trip – Another damn groin strain ruling out one of the key players. Adjei was back in contention for a place, but Qainoo had done nothing except impress all of us staff with his recent performances in goal, so Adjei would have to settle for a place on the bench. For now.

[Heat]

Well done, a vry good story

[LSF]

Saturday 26/03/05, 3 p.m.

Uganda Vs Ghana

African World Cup Qualifying 2nd Round, Group 2

Nakivubo, Kampala. Att: 32,013 (32,012 more than Swindon get in the County Ground each week) :tongue:


Ghana: Qainoo, Sarpei, Hamza, Kuffour (45), Gyan, Aidoo (80), Akonnor (C), Muntari, Essien, Augustine (2 goals) (45), Yeboah
Subs: Adjei, Yakubu (80), E Addo (45), Johnson, Quansah (45), Edusei, Obodai


I can safely say this is the best first half of football I have ever seen one of my sides play. Uganda weren’t at the races (or the football) and we took full advantage of it. After just 43 seconds, Yeboah managed to turn his marker and shoot from 10 yards out, at a nice angle. Oliver, the Uganda keeper, was more alert than the rest of his team and managed to palm it over the bar.

Just 1 minute later, we were on the attack again. An Aidoo corner was only headed out as far as Akonnor on the edge of the area. A cross into the box was met by the head of Yeboah, who steered his effort low into the bottom corner of the goal. A sensational start to the game, without a doubt.

In the 8th minute, Akonnor was at it again. Showing a surprising amount of skill, he ran down the left wing, cut inside past the defender and chipped a pass forwards to Augustine. The centre forward controlled the ball before hitting one of his soon-to-be-trademark swerving, long range shots into the back of the net. The keeper had no chance.

Uganda didn’t give up, despite being no where near as good, and in the 14th minute, they found a way back in to the match. Sarpei gave the ball away just outside our area and Kizito hit a cross that went straight through our defence, allowing Bridge to shoot straight down the middle from 10 yards out. Their first shot on goal and they score. Bah.

Already this had been an incredible first 15 minutes of football, however I now needed my side to slow it down, lest we do something stupid and throw away vital points. And slow it down they did, sort of. In fact 15 minutes passed before we scored again! Essien, Muntari and Yeboah worked the ball up to Augustine through a superb series of short passes and Augustine shot first time from 25 yards out. Everyone watched as once again the ball flew past the keepers outstretched hand and into the back of the net. I asked Mickey how the hell Augustine kept on doing this and he had no idea either – Not that either of us were complaining.

With the 2 goal cushion now restored, I desperately tried to get the players to establish a pattern of play and slow it down. In retrospect, it was a boring attitude, but it had worked so far and we had a 1 point lead over South Africa to maintain.

However it has to be said the second half was a lot less exciting. Essien managed to hit his shot wide from six yards out in the 54th minute. Although the Uganda forward Joseph wasted a better chance in the 68th minute, as he saw his header go inches wide of an open goal from just a few yards out.

In the 81st minute, in a rare moment of second half-action, Yakubu managed to break free past the last defender and began running at the goal. Unfortunately his shot was hit straight at the keeper, we just weren’t going to score again… And neither were they. Another victory, 3-1, and another 3 points for the lads from Ghana!

Akonnor picked up his second MOM award, and well deserved it was too, he had been a different class on the pitch that day.

[LSF]

Thanks heat :thbup:
Typical though, I praise WorldStadiums and then they don't have the next ground I look for. :lol:
If anyone has any ideas for improvements, this is my first story, so I'll listen to any suggestions!

[Jimmy Floyd]

This is an excellent story, it really is. It reminds me in its style of my Botswana story from a long while back now, and although I'm no one to comment on the quality of my own story, I'd say it's at least as good as that one was.

[LSF]

Thanks Jimmy Floyd, is there any way I can read that story now or not? :thbup:
As for the updates, sorry it's taken a day or two if anyones reading. I'm meant to be revising. :tongue:
---------------------------------------------------------------
For what seemed to be the first time since I had taken charge of Ghana, we returned to the dressing room after the match to be greeted by the information that there had been no “upsets” in the other group games. South Africa had finally broken the drawing streak by beating Cape Verde 2 : 0 and the Republic of Congo had kept third spot after a thrilling 4:3 victory at home against Burkina Faso. Not that we cared too much, as the domestic media was focussing on our own comprehensive victory, and we did still lead the group by a single point.

If any single game is this group could be billed as the “decider”, it was undoubtedly our next fixture. After a 3 month break from International football we would be “welcoming” South Africa at the El Wak Sports Stadium.

As the day of the match slowly got closer, you could feel the pressure, the building atmosphere and the weight of ever-growing expectation. The players wanted to win. The staff (both of whom were South African) wanted to win. I was adamant we both could and would win. Not everyone else was though.

Days before the game, a former Ghana international commented that he doubted our sides chances, saying the squad I had chosen was too young to cope with the pressure and that players such as Delron Buckley would be able to rip our side to shreds if given the chance. You had to hand it to the guy, he knew how to inspire confidence in his fellow countrymen. Otto Addo was on hand to reply to this, saying he was confident we would be able to get the result needed. I felt bad about not playing him after that.

Other people in the media were suggesting I should give the youngster Emmanuel Osei-Kuffour (Who played his football at Hearts of Oak) a chance in the first team. I went to watch him at one of his games though, and left convinced he was not yet ready to face the likes of South Africa. Appiah had not quite returned to full fitness following his injury, but he wanted to play. Muntari had performed well in his absence, but I wanted Appiah to play as well, and so he was welcomed back into the team. I wasn’t fielding anything other than the strongest team I had.

[LSF]

Saturday 4/6/05, 3 p.m.

Ghana Vs South Africa

African World Cup Qualifying 2nd Round, Group 2

El Wak Sports, Accra. Att: 31,680

http://www.worldstadiums.com/stadium_pictures/africa/ghana/accra_sports_stadium.jpg

Ghana: Qainoo, Sarpei, Hamza, Kuffour, Gyan, Aidoo, Akonnor, Appiah, Essien, Augustine (63), Yeboah (45)
Subs: Adjei, Yakubu, E Addo (63), Muntari, Quansah (45), Edusei, Obodai

My team took the same shape it always did, and was told to try and play as they did against anyone else. We would have to attack and be uncompromising, the moment we made allowances was the moment they would walk all over us. Now maybe this was a bit dramatic, but it certainly made a couple of the younger players take notice.

Unfortunately, right from the kick off South Africa looked as if they had something we didn’t. Something important, like ability. After just 5 minutes, Charlton striker Bartlett received the ball on the edge of the area and hit a warning shot just wide of the post.

In the 18th minute the South African playmaker Buckley squared the ball to Vilakazi, who hit a shot straight over the bar from just outside the “D”. We might not have been attacking at all, but we were doing quite well at blocking the visitors out of our penalty area. At least we thought we were. 4 minutes later Pienaar hit the ball in too the area, towards Bartlett, from out on the right wing. Bartlett saw his chipped shot from 8 yards out saved spectacularly by Qainoo, and cleared into touch by Sarpei.

By halftime we were yet to register a single shot on goal. Yeboah, who may or may not have touched the ball in the first half, was substituted and pacey striker Quansah was thrown into the action. I hoped it would at least given the South African defence something to worry about.

With 7 minutes of the second half gone, we finally got our first shot on goal. Augustine played the ball out to Aidoo on the right side edge of the area. Aidoo played the ball straight back into the path of Augustine, who flicked a shot first time past the keeper and into the back of the net. Our fans had been in good voice right from the start despite all the oppositions’ pressure, now they went wild.

Suddenly, the game became more open. South Africa became less cautious and that allowed us to attack more. Augustine shot wide from 12 yards on the hour mark and in the 67th minute Quansah drew the keeper away from his goal, slipped the ball past him and fired a shot into the side-netting from an acute angle.

With 15 minutes left, Quansah was in posession with his back to the goal. I had changed to a 5-4-1 formation a few minutes ago, taking Augustine off and replacing him with Addo, so Quansah had to hold up play whilst support arrived. Showing skill no one knew he had, Quansah turned his marker and played a pass sideways to Essien, whose long range shot whistled past the post. Damn.

South Africa were beginning to get played out of the game, and their frustration began to show. They could not break our defence down, and their best chance of the half came in the 80th minute when McCarthy hit a shot from 35 yards out. The ball slid under Aidoo, but went wide anyway. 30,000 people sighed in relief. I admit that for the last 10 minutes we played with 10 men behind the ball, usually all in their own penalty area, but it worked. South Africa never got the goal, and Ghana got a famous, 1-0 victory.

[LSF]

The players and fans were ecstatic. We had now taken a four-point lead with 3 games left, all of which were surely winnable. None of us said it, but all of us thought it, World Cup qualification was inevitable now. In the four games I had had in charge, we have gained 7 points over the former leaders of our group, now that was good form.

None of us listened to the other scores as they came in, because at that time, none of us cared. However we later found out that Cape Verde had drawn 0-0 with the Republic of Congo (who we faced next, in 7 days) and that Burkina Faso had got a great 4-0 home win against Uganda.

We were looking forward to the away game at the Republic of Congo already, all the players would have recovered by then, so neither fitness or morale would be a problem. We would take some stopping.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Thanks Jimmy Floyd, is there any way I can read that story now or not? :thbup:


I might post it up at some point, or I can send it to you if you want a good day's pointless reading :cab:

Keep it up on this story, it's excellent, and some good results too.

[LSF]

Jimmy if you send the story I'll read it :lol: :thbup:

Sorry for the lack of updates to anyone who is reading this. To be fair, I chose a stupid time to start the story, I'm quite busy. :-/
---------------------

Seven days had passed since then, and we were looking to extend our lead at the top of the table by getting a good result against 3rd placed Republic of Congo. I was the first to admit I knew nothing about them, but I was shocked when yet another ex-international resurfaced to say he doubted our team’s chances. He also pointed out Lua Lua as a key threat. Thanks for that. Kuffour was as optimistic as ever though, saying he thought we could give the fans something to cheer about. Obviously being top of the group and beating South Africa isn’t enough. With no injuries to worry about, I named a familiar looking squad and prepared for the match.

[LSF]

Saturday 11/6/05, 3 p.m.

The Republic of Congo Vs Ghana

African World Cup Qualifying 2nd Round, Group 2

Stade 20 Mai, Kinshasa. Att: 51,627 (Why they say it’s called the 20th of May I have no idea)

http://www.fussballtempel.net/caf/COD/Martyrs.jpg

Ghana: Qainoo, Sarpei, Hamza, Kuffour, Gyan, Aidoo (45), Akonnor (c), Appiah (83), Essien, Augustine (2), Yeboah (45)
Subs: Adjei, Yakubu (45), E Addo, Muntari (83), Quansah (45), Edusei, Obodai

Feeling even more arrogant than usual, I took my place on the bench just before kick off and waited for us to take the lead. Unfortunately, the game took a while to get going. It was 9 minutes before the Republic of Congo (Now known as RoC because I am incredibly lazy) managed to get the first shot of the game. Mulekelayi played Portsmouth striker LuaLua through on goal, but his shot was hit straight at Qainoo. Still, it got the 50,000 fans going and the atmosphere began to build up.

2 minutes later we wasted a similar chance of our own, with Yeboah hitting the ball out to Akonnor who found himself in acres of space. He ran towards the goal unchallenged but still managed to hit his shot straight into the keeper’s arms.

Akonnor was involved in the next good chance in the 23rd minute, hitting a cross towards Augustine at the near post, who headed just wide. Mulekelayi then missed an even easier chance, hitting the ball wide from roughly 2 yards out.

Clearly the first half was destined to end in a draw, as Lembi hit a free kick against the post in the 43rd minute, and that proved to be the last chance of a frustrating half for both sides.

I attempted to change things at half time, bringing on both Yakubu and Quansah in an effort to kick-start the match. It worked. With just 2 minutes of the second half gone, Yakubu broke away from our own half of the pitch and played the ball up to Quansah. Quansah ran between the two central defenders and hit a low shot to the keepers left, and into the back of the net.

Suddenly we began to play like we had done in previous matches. 5 minutes after getting our first, Essien his a long ball forwards to Augustine, who lost his marker and shot to the right of the keeper from 18 yards out, doubling our lead.

And then again, 3 minutes later. This time Essien held up the play, drawing the hilariously named Minga towards him, which left Augustine free in the box. Essien knocked the ball over to him and our top scorer hit a shot from a nice angle straight into the top right corner of the goal.

With a staggering 3-goal lead built up in just 8 minutes, we began to calm down and the score remained the same for a while. However this half was the complete opposite to the first, as every shot that went on target seemed to be going in. In the 71st minute, the RoC got a goal back as Lembi’s free kick took a cruel deflection off Sarpei, sending Qainoo the wrong way.

In the 86th minute, the RoC got another one back as Masudi turned Gyan and hit the ball to Ngoye, whose shot hit the post and went in to the net. The remaining minutes were spent defending our one goal lead, which we did successfully to earn another 3 points and maintain our winning run.

[LSF]

There was about a waiting period of just under 3 monthes until the team would next be in action, at which point we would welcome Cape Verde to the El Wak Sports stadium. The last time our sides met was obviously the first game I spent in charge of Ghana, when we ran out comfortable 4-0 winners in a neutral venue.
Days before the game was due to take place, Appiah had to pull out of the squad with an injury sustained in training.
Whilst players such as Ibrahim Tanko spoke of their confidence regarding the upcoming fixture, the media warned us not to take anything for granted. Bastards.

[LSF]

Saturday 3/9/05, 3 p.m.

Ghana Vs Cape Verde

African World Cup Qualifying 2nd Round, Group 2

El Wak Sports, Accra. Att: 29,537

Weather: Hot, probably

http://www.worldstadiums.com/stadium_pictures/africa/ghana/accra_sports_stadium.jpg

Ghana: Qainoo, Sarpei, Hamza, Kuffour, Gyan, Aidoo (77), Akonnor (c), Muntari, O Addo (45), Quansah (45), Prince Nana
Subs: Adjei, Yakubu (77), E Addo, Johnson, Augustine (45), Essien (45), Obodai

Quite simply, if we won today we would have qualified for the world cup, for the first time ever in Ghana’s history. The fact that we were playing Cape Verde sort of relieved the pressure, but never mind. Of course, there was also the possibility that South Africa would not win, or we could just beat Burkina Faso in the final group game next month. But still...
Essien and Augustine were left on the bench as I gave a few other players their chances.

Right from the kick off, we looked to be in control and all the signs were positive. Our attacking intent was made clear in the first minute, as striker Quansah broke through the Cape Verde defence and had his shot turned round the post by the keeper.

We continued to push forwards, looking for the first goal, and we did not have long to wait. With just a quarter of an hour gone, Aidoo got the ball and ran down the right wing before hitting a cross in towards the near post, where Quansah was waiting to duly flick the ball past the keeper and open the scoring. Cape Verde offered little in reply. Too many of their moves broke down because they insisted on playing short, useless passes too each other instead of going forwards. Meanwhile, their defence was struggling to cope with our wide, attacking style of play and had trouble clearing the ball each time one of our wingers hit a cross into the box.

In the 31st minute, we doubled our lead, as Akonnor hit a corner into the 6-yard area, which Quansah reached first and headed down towards goal. Anilton, the keeper, failed to block the shot properly as it his own leg and went into the net. We only had to wait another 7 minutes until we increased our lead again. Addo got the ball inside the centre circle, and hit it out wide to Akonnor before sprinting forwards. Akonnor waited before hitting a delayed ball in towards the penalty area where Addo was waiting. The central midfielder took the ball past Pedro before shooting from 18 yards, straight into the roof of the net.

When half time arrived, there was little that needed to be said. Augustine and Essien were brought into the action, but we were all certain we had qualified by now anyway.

This didn’t stop us scoring more. In the 61st minute, the superbly named Prince Nana was in possession, inside the Cape Verde penalty area. He held up play before hitting it out to Akonnor who was once again waiting on the left wing. Akonnor hit another immaculate cross first time, and it was this time Essien who headed home at the near post.

There was only one more goal in this game, and we had to wait until the 82nd minute to see it. Yakubu hit a cross in from the far side corner flag, which Essien met but without any real power or direction. The ball ran out to Akonnor who then hit it straight back into the area, and this time Augustine was on hand to volley the ball straight down the middle of the goal and into the back of the net.

There were obviously missed chances in this game. Cape Verde had failed to register a single shot, on or off target, to my recollection, but players such as Essien were perhaps unlucky not to score more than they did. But who would focus on that at a time like this? The national media called us heroes as the fans celebrated in the streets and Prince Nana thanked me for giving him his first international cap. For the first time in their history…Ghana were going to the World cup!

[DannyBecks]

good story! and congratulations!

good luck in the world cup

[LSF]

As I had to re-install Windows this game has been lost and I can't continue with the story, making this the end. I guess I sort of reached a half decent point to end with them qualifying and all. Sorry. Thanks for all the comments on my first story. :thbup:

[Tommy]

well done on the good stuff, if you feel the need for another game then i'll read

[Jimmy Floyd]

Well done, good effort, let's hope another story comes soon.