License A- no Guarantee for Success

                                     Lonestar Head Coach J Kaytu Smith

By Wleh Bedell
bedellblessing@yahoo.com
231886106293

Newly handpicked Lone Star head Coach Kaytu Smith is all in the news with the much publicized story of him acquiring an A- license since spreading like a wide fire in the Harmattan as faithful of the red, white and blue outfit yearn to expunge the already erratic status of mediocre performers to a more lasting impact performing side. The former LPRC Oilers tactician who from all indication has come to the fore as far as operating in the dugout for the senior national team is concerned due to his close friend Henry Brown going to the LFA as technical director who in turn recommended his ally Kaytu ,Brown recently told reporters in Monrovia “I only recommended him (Kaytu) and the LFA could have rejected him”.

Whatever the case, Kaytu’s first test is against a star-saturated Senegal Lion Teranga in the first match of the group stage first phase of the Brazil 2014 World Cup qualifier on June 2, at a very difficult hunting ground as far as Lone Star performance there is concerned as they lost their last three matches there where they scored just two goals, through Isaac Tondo and Dioh Williams and conceded twelve. It can be recollected, the Lone Star in an academic fixture lost to the Senegalese 3-0 in a 1996 Nations Cup qualifier when the Lone Star had already topped their group that also comprised Congo DR and Togo. Then, in the joint 2006 Nations and World Cup qualifier, the Lone Star lost 6-1 and also lost 3-1 in the 2010 qualifiers.

Coach Smith has already begun work at the Antoinette Tubman Stadium (ATS) mainly with the locals, but there is however some talking point as far as his selection of players is concerned. Firstly, the Coach’s decision to call an over crowded list of 37 players for three matches involving Senegal, Angola and Namibia raises connoisseurs eyebrows and then to drop three players in the Brazilian based Dweh Allison, the Indonesian based Oliver Markor and Romanian based Ben Teekloh (though the latter was surprisingly dropped due to the fact that he was blunt in calling for players insurance as a means of guiding them or putting safety measures intact as far as protecting their career is concerned).

 Kaitu through the LFA claimed current form, prompting many to ask why then were they sent for or named in the first place. There is still a wonder as to the seriousness of the Coach as far as knowing the actual performance data of the players and must have being bullied in making the list as he does not know the players and was just spoon fed with the listing for the crunch 270 minutes.

But, to drop three and just call one in the Serbian based rearguard Omega Alamadine Roberts who should have in fact being called ever since as he is one of the country’s best performers overseas shows another elementary mistake and is a further proof that the coach was erroneous in calling 37 initially and has managed to somehow reduce it to 35 which is still a bit more.

However, with the Senegal duel looming and the much heralded news of the qualification of the former Fulani coach acquiring an A-license all over (though he mainly coached female teams in the United States), what would really matter is not his heavily promoted or publicized A-License but how effective he would be in making the team winsome. Kaytu is quite aware that Wilfred Tijani Lardner (Peace to his ashes) who is no doubt Liberia’s greatest coach by evidence of being their first coach to qualify the country’s senior national for its first nations cup in 1996 in South Africa never had an A- License .

 Kaytu is now jumping all over the place reminiscent of someone having a certificate or documents in a briefcase moving all over the place. The Coaching duo of Dominic Vava George and Frank Jericho Nagbe who were working with then technical director George Weah to qualify the Lone Star to their second nations cup in 2002 in Mali never had the much publicized A-License but were however able to deliver.

Thus, Kaytu will be judged on the success he has brought to the fore or the feat he has achieved and can as well concord that having an A-license is no guarantee to success. That’s why, in the world over, the appointment of a coach is mainly based on his achievement order than the much heralded qualification. Kaytu must therefore face the reality that his credential is one thing, but how well he will translate such mammoth stride made as far as the qualification is concerned would be in the spotlight in terms of making the Lone Star winsome in the days, months and perhaps years to come.