Black Stars - The Official Ghana WC Thread

U20 FIFA World Cup Champions 2009

U17 FIFA World Cup Champions 1991, 1995

African Cup of Nations Champions 1963, 1965, 1978 & 1982

Despite a glorious history in African football Ghana did not make their first World Cup appearance until Germany 2006 where they impressed with victories over the United States and highly rated Czech Republic sides. Ghana only defeats came in the opening match against eventual winners Italy and the incumbent holders Brazil in the first knockout round.

Although the majority of the successful 2006 side are sill in their prime, inspirational captain Stephen Appiah on the decline and struggling to play any club football at all, sitting on the bench at Bologna. Opinion is divided as to whether coach Milovan Rajevac will continue to keep faith with Appiah to whom he has been extremely loyal thus far.

Whether Appiah is included or not, there is undoubtedly a massive responsibility on both the established players and a new generation of young players coming through to take up the mantel. Whether Kwadwo Asamoah is able to link up and Micheal Essien and influence things in the centre will be absolutely key.

Ghana style of play is an attractive short passing game, their strength lies in a midfield where blessed with talented players. Rajevac is a conservative tactician and is likely to favour a 4-5-1 formation taking advantage of the strong midfield only switching to 4-4-2 when absolutely necessary.

Taken by my cousin Ofoe outside the Ohene Djan Stadium in Accra, where we were watching a match at the 2008 Cup of Nations. No hands and The TV was switched on.

The Players

Richard Kingston 31, Goalkeeper, Wigan is a good shot stopper but a little on the short side for a keeper at only 6 foot and is unable to command his area

John Mensah 27, Centre Back, Lyon, very strong physical defender whose season on loan at Sunderland has been hampered by injuries but can be very good. Taken over from the retired Samuel Kuffour as the leader of the defence on the pitch and has captained the side.

Isaac Vorsah 21, Centre Back, Hoffenheim, 6’5 adds much needed height to a short Ghanaian defence. Plays defensive midfield for Hofenheim but seems to have adapted to centre back no problem and compliments Mensah well.

John Paintsil 28, Right Back, Fulham hard working energetic fullback with plenty of experience, good all round footballer and likes to get forward whenever possible.

Hans Sarpie 33, Left Back, Leverkusen, experienced utility player expected to slot on the left of defence. Will offer very little going forward but should add some stability. Possible weak link against pacey right wingers.

Eric Addo 31, Centre Back, Roda JC another experienced pro is unlikely to start but can provide back up across the defence and could also play the holding role in midfield in an emergency.

Samuel Inkoom 21, Right Back, Basel fast exciting fullback who loves to attack, was one of the starts of the successful U20 side. Probably backup to Paintsil for now but a star of the future and could make a name for himself if he gets a chance on the pitch.

Anthony Annan 23, Centre Midfield, Rosenborg, cracking little holding midfielder who despite his more illustrious competitors is one of the first names on the team sheet. Great distribution of the ball and aggression that belies his small physical stature. Happy to sit back sacrifice his own game for the team.

Micheal Essien 26, Centre Midfield, Chelsea, widely regarded as on of the most complete midfielders of his generation. Powerful runner, great is possession, can pass, shoot and rape any opponent with ease. Annan’s presence allows Essien to get forward more for Ghana than Chelsea.

Kwadwo Asamoah 21, Centre Midfield, Udinese, one of the few players to really shine at this years African Nations Cup, a lot of hopes are being placed on Asamoah’s shoulders. He is the man expected to bring a little flair to the midfield maybe playing just off the striker.

Sulley Muntari 25, Left Midfield, Inter after a great 2006 World Cup, and a fine season for Portsmouth Muntrari got a huge money transfer to Inter, where unfortunately he appears to have gone mental. Not playing well at all, highlight of the season was him coming on as a sub and picking up 2 yellow cards in a minute and being sent straight off again. Missed the Cup of Nations for disciplinary reasons. Muntari can be a dynamic winger on his day but needs to sort his head out.

Kevin-Prince Boateng 23, Right Midfield, Portsmouth, finally beginning to show why he was regarded as one of the top young talents in Germany. Been one of the few players to shine in a struggling Portsmouth side, FIFA still haven’t given clearance for his nationality switch but surly just a matter of time.

Laryea Kingston 29, Right Midfield, another good all round midfielder with anger management issues. Spent a lot of the season out of favour at Hearts after some ill advised media statements but is back in the team now when it matters the most.

Stephen Appiah, 29, Centre Midfield, Bolonga influential captain and brilliant all rounder at his best but hasn’t player club football for a year now. Much as I love him I can’t see how the coach could pick Appiah in anything other than a coaching role.

Andre Ayew, 20, Right Midfield, Marseille Son of the legend Abedi Pele looks to be a promising talent in his own right, not done anything on the club scene yet and appears to be a little undeveloped physically but has plenty of skill and showed some promising leadership qualities in captaining the U20’s to glory.

Haminu Draman 23, Left Midfield, Lokomotiv, Very quick, tricky left winger, not the most creative player but has become a coaches favourite probably because of this excellent work rate.

Mathew Amoah 29, Forward, NAC Breda, Small mobile forward with a good goal scoring record in Holland. His all round game probably doesn’t offer enough to earn a place in the starting XI but more than capable of nicking a goal or tow if he gets playing time.

Quincy Owusu-Abayie 23, Forward Al-Sadd, one of the most inconsistent and frustrating players I have ever seen. Capable of absolute brilliance on the ball and total garbage in the same move. Arsenal and Holland thought they had themselves a world beater 5 years ago but Quincy has failed to live up to his potential. Despite this he is still probably the man to throw on if desperate for a goal as he can make things happen.

Dominic Adiyiah, 21, Forward Milan, best player and top scorer at the U20 world cup where he looked amazing, done nothing in club football yet so an unknown quantity. Might be one World Cup to early for him to make an impact.

Asamoah Gyan 24, Striker, Rennes, big powerful target man with a decent goal scoring record. Got some stick in Ghana 2008 for missing a few sitters but seem to have sharpened up, very good in the air and gets in the right positions.

Prince Tagoe, 23, Striker, Hoffenheim Another big target man probably Gyan’s understudy, has always scored goals but signed for Hoffenheim who then said he had a dodgy ticker and tried to cancel his contract. Health scare is sorted now and he is fighting to get in the team.

Essien comment really necessary?

Essien comment really necessary?

It was a reference this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bx94jwmMxPs

Fair enough, Pardew such a joker!

Michael Essien

Always a great atmosphere... Went to every game at the 06 World Cup, even the ones we lost (Italy and Brazil) were still amazing. If Appiah is fit I wouldn't put money on him not starting next to The Bison.

That said the real worry is up front and in goal for me. Solid defence, star studded midfield, inconsistent keeper and toothless strikers. If Quincy plays up top, then he might do well, but I'm not too sure Rajevic will play him there.

Hopefully Australia can keep there unbeaten record v Ghana .

Always a great atmosphere... Went to every game at the 06 World Cup, even the ones we lost (Italy and Brazil) were still amazing. If Appiah is fit I wouldn't put money on him not starting next to The Bison.

That said the real worry is up front and in goal for me. Solid defence, star studded midfield, inconsistent keeper and toothless strikers. If Quincy plays up top, then he might do well, but I'm not too sure Rajevic will play him there.

So you don't have any faith in Asamoah Gyan then?

13 goals in 25 appearances is a very good strike rate in Ligue 1

http://www.staderennais.com/index.php?rb=100-80&id=FC2303

Only 2 goals behind Mamadou Niang in the race for the golden boot

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/stats/topscorers?league=FRA.1&cc=5739

I feel he has really grown since 2008 where he was admittedly poor in front of goal but only 22 years old. Sure he is not an elite striker but I think he is a lot better than toothless.

Stronger than a lot of other nations number 1 strikers going into the is tournament.

Hopefully Australia can keep there unbeaten record v Ghana .

Don't think so mate, and a few meaningless friendlies in London and a World Cup in match in Africa are different animals.

Don't think so mate, and a few meaningless friendlies in London and a World Cup in match in Africa are different animals.

I don't think you can just say Ghana will beat us. It will be a very tight match and either team could win or most likely we'll see a draw.

I don't think you can just say Ghana will beat us. It will be a very tight match and either team could win or most likely we'll see a draw.

Yeah I can, Ghana will beat you.

Yeah I can, Ghana will beat you.

Australia will blatantly hammer the Black Stars. Better team IMO.

Australia will blatantly hammer the Black Stars. Better team IMO.

Thats more like it.

Just be ready to apologise.

Ghana vs Latvia 5th June in Milton Keynes

Another chance for UK fans to see the Black Stars World Cup warm-up

http://www.mkdons.com/page/NewsDetail/0,,10420~2023423,00.html

Michael Essien is back in training.

So you don't have any faith in Asamoah Gyan then?

13 goals in 25 appearances is a very good strike rate in Ligue 1

http://www.staderennais.com/index.php?rb=100-80&id=FC2303

Only 2 goals behind Mamadou Niang in the race for the golden boot

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/stats/topscorers?league=FRA.1&cc=5739

I feel he has really grown since 2008 where he was admittedly poor in front of goal but only 22 years old. Sure he is not an elite striker but I think he is a lot better than toothless.

Stronger than a lot of other nations number 1 strikers going into the is tournament.

I actually don't follow Ligue 1, so I can't really comment on his appearances outside of a Ghana shirt. He scored a few goals at the African Cup of Nations, but never looked very impressive doing it (a little like Niklas Bendtner (not in terms of type of player)). Before that he'd been average most times I'd seen him. Outshined by Agogo in the 2008 cup and pretty meh at the World Cup.

If he's found form, that's only good for us, merely saying what I've seen of him hadn't impressed me.

Super Mario and Welbeck for GHANA!!!

Chris Dickson, who can't get in the starting 11 for Gillingham, apparently he thinks he can be top scorer in the World Cup.

Lloyd Sam another one of our players that qualifies for Ghana, got called up early this season but I think he was injured.

Both are miles away from contention for a squad place.

That's what I expected. All the Dickson fans have been very quiet recently, he's doing even worse in his second spell with Gillingham than I thought he would.

Super Mario and Welbeck for GHANA!!!

Imagine if Balotelli, Welbeck and Adu had all chosen to play for Ghana... That'd be a ****ing formidable squad (not that it isn't at the moment).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Clu5S_AXtyI This guy looks good to me, how much did AC Milan pay for him?

Hope to see some of those dancing celebrations in the WC, though I assume that was the u-20s?

Milan paid only €500k for Dominic Adiyiah. Could be a bargain of Anelka proportions.

Terrible team. Bunch of no-hopers really.

30-player list of Ghana:

Goleiros: Richard Kingson (Wigan-ING), Daniel Agyei (Liberty Professionals), Stephen Ahorlu (Hearts of Lions), Stephen Adams (Aduana Stars)

Defensores: Samuel Inkoom (Basel-SUI), Eric Addo (Roda JC-HOL), Jonathan Mensah (Granada-ESP), Lee Addy (Bechem Chelsea), Rahim Ayew (Zamalek-EGI), Hans Sarpei (Bayer Leverkusen-ALE), John Mensah (Sunderland-ING), Isaac Vorsah (Hoffenheim-ALE), John Paintsil (Fulham-ING).

Meio-campistas: Sulley Ali Muntari (Inter-ITA), Derek Boateng (Getafe-ESP), Anthony Annan (Rosenborg-NOR), Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu (Udinese-ITA), Kwadwo Asamoah (Udinese-ITA), André Ayew (Arles-Avignon-FRA), Michael Essien (Chelsea-ING), Stephen Appiah (Bologne-ITA), Haminu Dramani (Lokomotiv-RUS), Quincy Owusu Abeyie (Al Sadd-QAT), Bernard Kumordzie (Panionios-GRE), Laryea Kingston (Hearts-ESC), Kevin-Prince Boateng (Portsmouth-ING)

Atacantes: Matthew Amoah (NAC Breda-HOL) Asamoah Gyan (Rennes-FRA), Prince Tagoe (Hoffenheim-ALE), Dominic Adiyiah (Milan-ITA)

That said the real worry is up front and in goal for me. Solid defence, star studded midfield, inconsistent keeper and toothless strikers.

Richard Kingston has been a solid and very consistent keeper for the country imho. Sure, he gets very little match practice at Wigan but that wasn't any different in 2006 when he still played in Turkey and had a fine tournament anyway. Gyan has been doing well for club and country recently as well.

The issue I see is the missing depth of the squad, arguably with the exception of the midfield. There is no decent cover for Sarpei in the left back position ( Rahim Ayew didn't perform there, why is Porto's David Addy not on the squad ? ), the backup goalies are all from the semi pro league in Ghana and the strikers other than Gyan are not World Cup material.

If everyone is fit it's still a decent squad and the addition of Kevin-Prince Boateng as an additional player able to link between midfield and attack as well as the recalled Quincy Rajevac has some additional options. If some key players get injured or banned there'll be a massive drop in quality though and I'm not even talking about Essien here. A guy of his calibre can't be replaced by any team.

PS: Overall a pretty good provisional squad chosen by Milo. I would have taken D.Addy along as mentioned above and you probably could make an argument for Prince Buaben instead of the indisciplined L.Kingston, Moussa Narry instead of Rahim Ayew, or one of the Bekoes who have been setting the Egyptian league on fire this season. I doubt any of these changes would have a substantial impact on the quality of the squad though.

Only four called strikers are a pretty clear indicator Milo will stick to his 4-2-3-1 by the way. I'm not sure the defence can shut out teams of the quality of Germany and Serbia, so parking the bus and hoping for the lone goal might backfire at the World Cup, especially considering the low conversion rate on set plays other than the occasional direct freekick. Given his good track record I think the coach deserves the benefit of the doubt though. The man has a plan and that's more than can be said about most other Black Stars coaches for many many years.

Still, it would have been a personal highlight to see Sellas "grim face" Tetteh staring down Joachim Löw and pretty much all the other 100.000 people at Soccer City Now he's coaching Rwanda...

.

Milan paid only €500k for Dominic Adiyiah. Could be a bargain of Anelka proportions.

He will never play for their first team

anyone in here actually ghanaian/live in ghana? what are people's expectations for the summer and what do people think of rajevac?

Milo is pretty popular right now. He was starting to lose the support of a lot of fans before the successful African Cupof Nations but proved his worth by getting to the final with a much weakened teem.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/world_cup_2010/8677827.stm

Kevin Prince Boateng has been cleared to play for Ghana at last.

My sister lives out in Ghana so I have adopted the Black Stars as my second team for the tournament. I hope Asamoah and Adiyiah get some decent playing time, shame for Asamoah that he plays in a position where they have Essien and Appiah really.

In Milo's 4-2-3-1 Asamoah plays in central attacking midfield, Essien alongside Annan behind him. So those two aren't competing with each other. We'll have to wait and see regarding Appiah's real fitness level, he's played his debut for Bologna the other day but essentially still hasn't played competitive football for years.

It will be interesting to see the coach's plans for Kevin Boateng though. He's best in the AMC position too, but could provide a decent option for the weaker areas on the wings. Muntari is back as well but so far he has been absolutely dreadful at AMC for Ghana. Claude LeRoy in particular tested him there a couple times and it didn't work out at all. Without checking I'm not sure if Milo tried as well, but hopefully someone will tell him. Tetteh may not be with the team anymore but Baffoe and most of the other staff are still around.

blurps11 is correct,

Likley line-up:

-----------------------Richard Kingston-----------------------

John Paintsil------John Mensah------Isaac Vorsah-------Hans Sarpie

-----------Anthony Annan------------Micheal Essien-------------

Kevin-Prince Boateng----Kwadwo Asamoah------------Sulley Muntari

-------------------------Asamoah Gyan-----------------------

Disappointed that Kingston isn't in the starting XI. Been our best player for the last 5 or 6 games of the season.

Fact for you. Even though Richard Kingson and Laryea Kingston are brothers their surnames are spelled differently after a cock-up, that was never amended, after registering Richard after he had been born.

Disappointed that Kingston isn't in the starting XI. Been our best player for the last 5 or 6 games of the season.

Competition in midfield is just really really tough. Dundee's Prince Buaben did very well this season as well but isn't even in the provisional squad. I don't see Laryea fitting into Milo's tactical plans that well either to be honest, in the wide diamond Ghana used to play a few years ago he was a creative spark on the right side, but for a 4-2-3-1 he's a bit lacking in pace and scoring ability. Kingston is also a very indisciplined player and Rajevic is not exactly tolerant in that regard...Remember that Laryea missed the 2006 WC because he simulated a headbutt at the Nations Cup. Would that have happened under Milo the guy would never see a Ghana shirt again :o

Likley line-up:

-----------------------Richard Kingston-----------------------

John Paintsil------John Mensah------Isaac Vorsah-------Hans Sarpie

-----------Anthony Annan------------Micheal Essien-------------

Kevin-Prince Boateng----Kwadwo Asamoah------------Sulley Muntari

-------------------------Asamoah Gyan-----------------------

I wonder what Milo thinks about Inkoom. The kid has won four trophies in the span of one and a half year now as a starter ( U20 African and World Cup, Swiss League and Cup ) and that can't be a coincidence. I know Paintsil has a very good standing with his teammates because he's just one hilariously funny guy, but if Inkoom keeps collecting medals at this pace maybe John needs to take one for the team and let the very brightly sparkling prospect start...

Fact for you. Even though Richard Kingson and Laryea Kingston are brothers their surnames are spelled differently after a cock-up, that was never amended, after registering Richard after he had been born.

I haven't seen his birth certificate, but in his time in Turkey Kingson was spelled Kingston by pretty much everyone if I remember. What was his Turkish name again, Faruk Gürsol ? Anyway, I suspect an age related "cock-up", but your version is possible as well of course .

From what I have seen of Inkoom he looks a good attacking fullback, fast, great on the ball and although his crossing is erratic he can put in some dangerous balls. The defensive side of his game is not fully developed yet and as Milo is a pragmatic coach I think he will go for the more defensively sound and experienced Paintsil.

If the coach does decide to take a gamble on Inkoom an option might be to start Paintsill on the left.

Buaben looks like a cracking player, certainly one for the future. I can understand why Kingston might not get into the starting XI. That midfield has so much class.

On behalf of KPB, I've found my first team of this WC that I want to crash out badly and humiliated to the bone. C'mon everyone playing against Ghana! ..|.

Well tough **** because Ghana will be getting through this group.

From what I have seen of Inkoom he looks a good attacking fullback, fast, great on the ball and although his crossing is erratic he can put in some dangerous balls. The defensive side of his game is not fully developed yet and as Milo is a pragmatic coach I think he will go for the more defensively sound and experienced Paintsil.

If the coach does decide to take a gamble on Inkoom an option might be to start Paintsill on the left.

I agree completely on your assessment of Inkoom, his backpeddling before crosses is pretty hilarious Over the season he seems to have made some improvements defensively though. The other day I watched the final league match and he was really solid against Young Boys who finished second in the Axpo Superleague.

Not sure about putting Paintsil on the left though. Hans has always been very solid when called upon. If he's fully fit, he should start imho...Generally it's nice to see another position than DM/CM covered by two quality players. Lacking depth in certain areas is a big issue of the squad, just imagine if Richard Kingston, Mensah or Gyan would get injured/banned. Absolute nightmare. ( Thanks again for that ridiculous Yellow in the last group match in 2006 for Gyan, Mr. Referee ).

Ghana's Michael Essien is ruled out of the World Cup

Essien suffered his latest injury on international duty for Ghana

Ghana's Michael Essien has been ruled out of the World Cup, according to the country's football association (GFA).

The Chelsea midfielder has been struggling with injury and has been told he will not fully recover until the end of July.

The GFA said that the decision was taken after a joint evaluation of his fitness by them and his club.

His last competitive match was for Ghana during the Africa Cup of Nations earlier this year.

He took part in the early stages of that tournament despite not being fully fit and has not played since.

real shame that its always nice to see all the best players at the world cup

I like Essien but, yeah.

Gutted for him, I love reading his blogs and you realise what a great dude he is whilst reading them too

What a disaster. Essien out!!!

They rushed him back for the nations cup despite all the warnings. The pressure in Ghana for him to play was immense and the GFA took a gamble which led to this

They rushed him back for the nations cup despite all the warnings. The pressure in Ghana for him to play was immense and the GFA took a gamble which led to this

total nonsense.

total nonsense.

Nonesense that he went there nursing a hamstring injury as he only started light training on around the 6th of january. He was brought on against Ivory Coast in that game in which he was stretchered off and still came back on. Then injured his knee that weekend while training with the national side.

They should have left him out through the group stage but once it became a 3 team group the pressure really intensified on the GFA for him to feature against CIV.

Nonesense that he went there nursing a hamstring injury as he only started light training on around the 6th of january. He was brought on against Ivory Coast in that game in which he was stretchered off and still came back on. Then injured his knee that weekend while training with the national side.

They should have left him out through the group stage but once it became a 3 team group the pressure really intensified on the GFA for him to feature against CIV.

Where is the evidence that the hamstring problem caused the knee injury?

Where is the evidence that the hamstring problem caused the knee injury?

If i remember right Michaels's knee injury is an MCL one that occured in training with no contact whatsoever.

If he was carrying a hamstring injury, it would have affected the flexing of the knee as well as affected his typical running and movement.

Unless a Physio comes out so say its definitive you will find a reason to argue, but it was his left hamstring which was rushed leading to the left knee MCL.

The NFF are doing the same thing with Mikel, huge amount of interest in whether he plays just the same way England go mad over Rooney's fitness.

All Ghanian interest at the time of the nations cup was about needing Essien to guide the young team, even Prof John was on radio central and GTV talking about how all efforts will be made to ensure Michael Essien plays (pressure).

They had constant updates on his fitness on an hourly basis, same thing is happening with Nigeria right now.