A goalkeeper for the Black Stars

kwame

May 9, 2017 1:00 PM

The senior national team of Ghana, the Black Stars need a new goalkeeper. Here are a few candidates.

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Ghana’s football team has a big problem. It does not have a goalkeeper.

At least according to me. It is a pretty shocking conclusion to reach for me considering that the position is one where Ghana used to have an overload of talent no matter the generation.

From “Magic Hands” Dodoo Ankrah, Robert Mensah, who was so good that he is the subject of several myths, Joseph Carr, Abuakari Damba, Edward Ansah, Salifu Ansah, Ali Jaraa and recently Richard Kingston, the goal posts of the Black Stars has always been a position of comfort for coaches.

Not anymore. The period after the retirement of Richard Kingston has seen a drop in standard and quality with Adam Kwarasey, Fatau Dauda and Razak Braimah battling it out to be the first choice.

Suffice to say none of the above has delivered the consistent quality required to deliver success at the highest level and with Kwasi Appiah set to name a squad ahead of friendlies in the USA, the time is right to find some new options.

The candidates.

Felix Annan

The Kumasi Asante Kotoko shot-stopper is top of a lot of lists as the next first choice goalkeeper of the Black Stars. Annan is a modern goalkeeper with fantastic reflexes and excellent distribution who has no shortage of confidence in his abilities.

He is, however, prone to the odd gaffe borne out of lapses in concentration and is considered short for an international class goalkeeper.

Daniel Adjei

“Damba” as he is known was the chosen heir after his heroics with the world cup winning U-20 squad of 2009. His development was however not helped by the longevity of Richard Kingson, a lack of belief in him by the technical team and poor career choices. The timing of his move to Free State Stars cost him an opportunity to mount a solid case as first choice. Now playing in Tanzania with Simba, his experience with the team set up is also an advantage.

Richard Ofori

The Wa All Stars goalkeeper is the presumptive favourite based on his current history with the national team including an appearance at the AFCON in 2017. Imposing and agile, he lacks the distribution skills of Annan and Adjei but is a superb organiser. Has strangely decided to focus on earning a contract outside the country rather than games, which has limited him to only three appearances in goal this season.

Razak Abalora

WAFA’s brilliant young goalkeeper is another exponent of the sweeper keeper position. Excellent with his feet, he is technically gifted but also struggles with maintaining his concentration for full games.

Joseph Addo

Aduana’s challenger to the glove, Addo has been successful with the junior national team set up, placing third with the U-17 in 2007 and winning silver with the 2009 u-20 as back up to Adjei. He is calmness personified and has very few weaknesses in his game.

Razak Braimah

The current occupant of Ghana’s goalkeeping position has a tremendous record at national team level, playing in an AFCON final and reaching a semifinal in another. His style is not pleasant to the eye but has proven effective so far. His presence within the team is however under threat due to an invective-laden video targeted at fans during the AFCON. He is currently struggling for game time with his Spanish club.

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