Why Hearts and Kotoko will struggle this season
It has not been rosy for the nation’s two most glamorous and successful clubs, Hearts and Kotoko, with three matches played so far by both teams in the ongoing Ghana Premier League.
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While Kotoko is yet to record a win after three matches, Hearts on the other hand, has secured just a win in three matches with two losses.
Fans of Kotoko and Hearts are up in arms against the club’s technical team. They have expressed disgust with the teams’ performance and want their respective technical teams out. Kotoko supporters say they can’t remember the last time the team went without a win in their opening three matches of a league season.
Hearts was purged by new entrants Bofoakwa Tano while Karela held Kotoko to a draw at home at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium in their last league matches played.
It is early days yet and 33 more matches to be played by both sides, the league cannot be decided on just three matches, but the signs have started showing that it won’t be a cakewalk for the two clubs in the 2023/2024 premiership.
Kotoko
The return of Prosper Narteh Ogum as coach spurred some sense of optimism among supporters and stakeholders of the club. The club’s owner and patron the Asantehene’s personal involvement in these appointments brought some fresh air into the club that struggled last season.
Consequently Otumfuo Osei Tutu II has chosen to entrust the club’s fate to the capable hands of Nana Apinkra Akwasi Awua, Kwesi Appiah, Dr Prosper Narteh Ogum, and Emmanuel Newton Dasoberi.
These four member committee are to steer the affairs. But a member of the committee and former Black Stars coach Kwesi Appiah underlined the huge task ahead and warned of the challenges ahead as the club look to offload some players and recruit new ones.
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“The season will not be easy for Kotoko, but once we have a substantive coach, he will be looking at players who will be leaving and then recruit new ones as replacements but I think with intensive six weeks of training, the team should be ready,” he asserted.
A former goalie Eric Nii Baah of the club has also corroborated this after stressing that Kotoko lacked the quality players to don the club’s jersey.
Hearts
Accra Hearts of Oak acquired the services of Dutchman Martin Koopman after disastrous last season. But like assistant coach Rahim Bashir told the media after the defeat to Tano Bofiakwa, that the team performance has so far not been up to scratch.
He criticized the lack of quality on the pitch as juxtaposed to the agility and youthful exuberance of other clubs such as Bofoakwa and Samrtex.
Lack of quality players
What is lacking in both clubs is the absence of quality players and the failure to properly finance and invest in their youthful teams.
Hearts and Kotoko are now reeling from the terrible mistake of neglecting young talents in their academies and over concentrating on purchasing already made players on the market.
Perhaps two steps back and realizing the need to invest in these youth side of their clubs will galvanise them to become the most glamorous and successful clubs in the country again.