• About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Photo Gallery
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Citi TV
Monday, March 20, 2023
Citinewsroom - Comprehensive News in Ghana
  • Home
  • News
  • Business
  • Sports
  • Showbiz
  • Coronavirus
  • Infographics
  • Livestream
  • Videos
No Result
View All Result
Citinewsroom - Comprehensive News in Ghana
  • Home
  • News
  • Business
  • Sports
  • Showbiz
  • Coronavirus
  • Infographics
  • Livestream
  • Videos
No Result
View All Result
Citinewsroom - Comprehensive News in Ghana
No Result
View All Result

Fentuo writes: 5 reasons why Wa All Stars are struggling

Fentuo TahirubyFentuo Tahiru
April 16, 2018
Reading Time: 3 mins read
ShareShareShareShare

The 2016 Ghana Premier League champions Wa All Stars have endure a torrid start to the 2018 Ghana Premier League season. The Northern Blues are bottom of the table after seven games, with just one win and two draws giving them 5 points out of a possible 21.

Liberty Professionals and Berekum Chelsea, who have both played a game less, sit above All Stars, 2 points better off. All Stars could be left further isolated at the bottom if both of these clubs win their outstanding matches. With only seven matches into the campaign, the Wa-based side could already be sucked into a relegation battle.

All Stars won the GFA Gala competition in February, giving indications that, perhaps, another title charge was in the offing. However, things have gone downhill since then.

But how have they got themselves into this mess?

Wa All Stars won the GFA Gala Competition in February
  • Managerial Instability

Since Jimmy Corblah left the club in at the beginning of 2016, Wa All Stars have had three coaches in two years. When you consider that Enos Adepa was in charge for a year and a half of that period, then you are looking at two coaches in 6 months or so.

Adepa impressed everyone by leading the Northern Blues to an unlikely league win in his first season in the top flight as a coach in 2016. But the 2017 campaign started off disappointingly as the club were kicked out of Africa by Al Ahly Tripoli in February, before a poor run of form in the league led to his sack 6 months later. All Stars had 20 points from 20 games and a mere 4 points above the drop.

Enos Adepa was fired just 9 months after winning the GPL title with All Stars

He was replaced by local favorite Alhaji Mumuni Sokpari for the last ten games. Sokpari delivered, successfully guiding the team to safety, losing only two out of the ten games he supervised.

But the 2018 season has been less impressive. Three games into the campaign, Sokpari was gone; replaced by Sarfo Castro. Sokpari has every reason to feel pained about his sack. He went into the season with perhaps the least impressive squad in the last three years.

Emmanuel Ocran (center) left the club to join Karela United. Image Credit: Images Image
  • Player Exodus

The club lost as many as 13 players before the start of this season. The players that formed the nucleus of the title-winning team from 2016 have all moved on. Sadiq Alhassan, Addul Ganiyu Ishmael, Maxwell Baakoh, Emmanuel Ocran, Hafiz Adams, Nasir Moro, Paul Devries Asare, Kweku Asuandzie  Baffoe have all left the club for pastures anew.

  • Lack of Quality Replacements

While the club attempted to address the mass player exodus, the replacements they brought in were either too inexperienced, or lacked top quality. The likes of  Ibrahim Yusif, Isaac Mintah, Maxwell Oppong, Emmanuel Dagadu, Mohammed Yakubu, Issahak Yakubu and Kingsley Anning, who were all brought in to reinforce the squad have all yet to settle in.

The departed players left with a ton of experience, acquired through years of playing top level football. The replacements have all been signed from lower-tier clubs and will need time to gel and adopt to the Ghana Premier League. This requires time – something that Wa All Stars unfortunately do not have.

David Sandan Abagna (left) was injured at the beginning of the season
  • Injuries to Key Players

Add to injuries to key players like David Sandan Abagna, center backs Eric Oppong and Nicholas Francis Mensah and Baba Musah, and it becomes even more difficult to see how Sokpari was not given time to turn things around.

Sandan in particular, scorer of 13 league goals last season, was sorely missed at the start of the campaign. Sandan has emerged as a new leader of the team despite being only 19, and his presence at the beginning of the campaign could have spurred the team onto better results than they had.

  • Knock on effect from Africa

The recent trend in Ghana has seen clubs generally struggle domestically the season’s following a campaign in Africa.

Ebusua Dwarfs got relegated in 2014 after they participated in the CAF Confederation Cup that year. Ashantigold almost suffered relegation the season following their campaign in the CAF Champions League while Medeama nearly suffered a similar fate in 2014.

The knock on effect has often been a lack of financial will-power to bring in reinforcements while almost simultaneously willing to let quality players leave in an attempt to re-coup some of the huge capital investments in the Africa campaign.

Wa All Stars President, Kwesi Nyantakyi, is on record to have stated that bankrolling the club’s Africa campaign in 2017 almost bankrupted him, so there is little surprise that he did not spend a fortune on bringing in new players after letting go of so many players.

Wa All Stars lost a lot of key players including Asuandzie (center)
  • Bonus point: A Lack of Patience

Castro has been in charge of 4 games, winning one, with the 2016 champions rooted to the bottom of the table.

The recent managerial turnover at the club means Castro might not be there a long time if results do not turn around quickly. The decision to entrust the team to Enos Adepa, a relatively inexperienced coach, was how they became champions.

But the lack of patience from the club’s trigger-happy president, Kwesi Nyantakyi, is gradually plunging the club back to a quicksand of mediocrity, and into the ditch of endless revolving fight for survival.

 

–

Fentuo Tahiru/citinewsroom.com/Ghana

 

ShareTweetSendSend
Previous Post

Arrest District Health Director over New Senchi deaths – Group

Next Post

18 suspected commercial sex workers arrested at La

Related Posts

General

Involve technical universities in AfCFTA implementation – STU Council Chair

March 20, 2023
News

Akyem Kotoku youth kick against enstoolment of rival chief for Adoagyiri

March 20, 2023
Top Stories

Ghana’s cocoa pricing system has encouraged smuggling – COCOBOD

March 20, 2023

Bureau of Public Safety urges GNFS to improve fire education

March 20, 2023
Top Stories

Govt commends media for celebrating Ghana’s heritage month in grand style

March 20, 2023
Appiah Kusi Adomako, Country Director, CUTS Ghana
General

CUTS rallies support for passage of Consumer Protection Law

March 20, 2023
Next Post

18 suspected commercial sex workers arrested at La

TOP STORIES

Ghana’s cocoa pricing system has encouraged smuggling – COCOBOD

March 20, 2023

Bureau of Public Safety urges GNFS to improve fire education

March 20, 2023

Govt commends media for celebrating Ghana’s heritage month in grand style

March 20, 2023
Load More
ADVERTISEMENT
Citinewsroom – Comprehensive News in Ghana

CitiNewsroom.com is Ghana's leading news website that delivers high quality innovative, alternative news that challenges the status quo.

Archives

Download App

Download

Download

  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Photo Gallery
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Citi TV

© 2021 All Rights Reserved Citi Newsroom.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Business
  • Sports
  • Showbiz
  • Coronavirus
  • Infographics
  • Livestream
  • Videos

© 2021 All Rights Reserved Citi Newsroom.

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
Cookie SettingsAccept All
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT