FOREGONE CONCLUSION?

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An improbable 5-0 defeat to Egypt will see fans incredulous

The road to Brazil continues for the Black Stars as players assemble in Turkey for a two-week camp.

The aftermath of Ghana’s “beyond our wildest dreams” thrashing of Egypt’s Pharoes has been dominated by talk of the safety of our players and officials in Cairo. Admittedly, Cairo is not the most serene place on earth right now, with the prospect for upheaval seemingly a thrown stone away. The unpredictability did not prevent FIFA from sanctioning Cairo so barring a change of heart, Ghana’s focus has to remain on the pitch at the Air Defense stadium.

The Stars’ emphatic victory gives them a lot of breathing room. They would have to lose by an impossible sounding 5-0 to snatch defeat from the jaws of qualification. Stranger things have happened yes but given the caliber of players Kwesi Appiah will choose from, there should be no fairytale for the Pharoes.

The fan in me says emphatically, there is absolutely no way this will happen but journalistic training requires a deeper reflection. Could it happen? Men can be turned to women, eclipses occur from time to time,  so never say never. What could make the Stars suffer such a nightmare? Refereeing, bad play, the sky falling down, the 30,000 fans threatening the Stars with their lives if they don’t allow the Egyptians to score and oh Armageddon.

Barring any combination of these things, we should begin our crash Portuguese course, pack our bags, and wait for June/July 2014 where the Black Stars will attempt to shine for the third World Cup in a row.

Transfer Deadline Day and Black Stars

Shedding tears after a loss is one thing but Turkey? Say it ain't so Baby Jet. Photo Credit: Senyuiedzorm Adadevoh

The European transfer day deadline has come and gone with only one Black Star making a move on the day. Almighty “Prince of Goals”Tagoe moved from Hoffenheim to Bursaspor on a three year deal. Widely expected to move, Sulley Muntari stayed at Inter Milan. Milan must be really hard to leave or he knows something we don’t about playing time there.

A frenzy was generated by a rumor that Black Stars striker Asamoah Gyan was moving from the Northeast of England to where? Turkey? Noooooo way!!!! The rumors suggested it was to no less a club than Galatasaray, one of Turkey’s biggest. While they could probably afford it why would a top player consider Turkish football at such a turbulent time? I forgot. It’s all about the money. Cha Ching!

By the time some reports mentioned Gyan had handed in a transfer request, which was then refuted by the player himself with a classic “are they liars too?”quote when told the BBC reported it, my head was spinning. In these dealings it is clear all parties like to ‘manage’ information so sometimes you have to believe everyone and no one at all. In the final analysis, nothing came of it and I’m glad. I get to watch Baby Jet play regularly in England until January when he leaves for the Cup of Nations and then after. Back on and on. Oh and he’s joined by a player who is how should I put it, as self-assured as they come, Nicklas Bendtner. Perhaps Bendtner can fill the shoes of Danny Welbeck whose presence at Sunderland in my opinion helped Gyan a great deal.

Prior to this activity, Anthony Annan had quietly moved to Vitesse Arnhem in the Dutch League. Let’s hope he gets more games than he did at Schalke where a change in coach shortly after he got there as well as niggling injuries limited his opportunities.

Moving forward, the most important thing for Black Stars players is to get playing time going into January. So while some may scratch their heads upon hearing a transfer like Dominic Adiyiah moving to the Turkish second division (I admit I scratched my bald patch so hard I developed sores), it is important that he plays often to get into the rhythm of playing.

That’s why it is good to see that of all the players invited to camp for the games against Swaziland and Brazil, only a few are not regulars. Let’s hope it stays that way.