Lone Star Far From Qualification

                Lonestar Starting Lineup in Equatorial Guinea


By Wleh Bedell
bedellblessing@yahoo.com
+2316106293

The Senior national team of Liberia the Lone Star as you may know by now have what should be a torrid pairing with the Super Eagles of Nigeria in a two leg contest for a place in the finals of the AFCON finals.

With the first leg slated for September 9, at home and the return leg on October 14, the Lone Star no doubt has a mountain to climb against a side that will be keen to make amends just as the red, white and blue outfit after missing out of the finals of the AFCON 2012.

And, in preparation for the mammoth 180 minutes the Lone Star made use of the August 15, date approved by world football governing body FIFA as far as holding friendly international fixture is concerned.

Against 2012 Nations Cup co-hosts cum quarter finalists Equatorial Guinea’s Nzalang Nacional, the Lone Star were pinned by a solitary goal at the Estadio De Malabo after gloves man Nathaniel Sherman made a horrendous mistake.

In the match, the Lone Star enjoyed possession and created few scoring chances. The team could not however avoid defeat as their game lacked the cutting edge, aggression in terms of going forward and they lacked urgency, ruthlessness, urge, power, bite and variation.

With Equatorial Guinea having a first leg away tie to Congo DR, they opted to adapt the waiting game against the Lone Star, something they will be doing against the Congolese. Thus, the Lone Star further enjoyed possession, but could not break through as the opponent tried to play on the break.

But, while both sides got a lot of positives from the game with the Lone Star somewhat contend with possession which though was mainly passive, and in fact created some chances, the Central African side can be happy that they managed to keep a clean sheet as they defended in numbers and played on the break just like the way they will play in East Africa on September 9.

Despite such respectable friendly with another one coming against the Flames of Malawi on September 4, in Monrovia, the Lone Star remains very far from qualification as there are a plethora of things or problems that must be looked at critically and in fact exposed with recommendations put forth as a way forward in solving them.

Disorganization Still at the Helm of the Game
While the Musa Bility led administration continues to strive in developing the country’s football that is no doubt behind many parts of the continent, the game remains disorganized in almost every phase. Firstly, the national league which should be a medium for clubs to fiercely compete in which will in turn serve as recruitment ground for the various national teams remains unattractive with much emphasis been placed on the senior national team order than the league. Clubs continue to feel the burden as the whole sponsorship deal with Cellcom remains confusing or information on it remains scanty.

On the flip side, with all the support for the Lone Star and clubs still striving, the nation’s pride and joy is as well disorganized. Players on the team are made to purchase their own attires (red tie, navy blue trousers and white shirts) despite representing their country in the Equatorial Guinea match and previous matches.

One therefore wonders why will a player going for national duty be asked to purchase his own attires when in the world over it is the responsibility of the LFA to do so. Also, the players left the country without allowances to probably leave with their families and a day after the match in Malabo, they were each given a modicum amount of US$ 250.00, something that should be termed somewhat discouraging judging from the fact that they had risked in playing for country, covered a very long distance for the match and other factors. On the flip side, their opponents, Equatorial Guinea, benefitted from a huge 3,000 Euros per player just for appearing (nothing there had to do with tickets) with winning bonuses not known.

Ineffective Technical Director, Tactically Maladroit Coach
With the coming of Henry Brown from the United States who landed at the LFA mainly based on sympathy, the lowly rated tactician in turn made sure his close friend and fellow perennial under achiever like him returned from the United States to take over the Lone Star with Thomas Kojo who had earlier led the team to beat Namibia in the AFCON qualifier first leg left in the cold. So far, Brown has proven ineffective with no program from the former Liberia Black Star Coach in the form of long term been brought forth for stakeholders to scrutinize. The only thing one can remember from him is his regular trips first with the U-20 to Niger, and then trips with the senior national team to Senegal, Namibia and Equatorial Guinea.

He was seen involved with technical matters during the game with Equatorial Guinea, is always on the training ground of the national team, and one wonders whether he is technical director of the LFA or the senior national team. At least his job says he is technical director of the LFA, but with him focusing only on the national team, the question is what programs or recommendations have he put forth for grass root and youth football development and even the organization of the league.

Also, with the LFA engaging in the very awkward decision to relegate more than fifty percent of clubs in the name of FIFA directive, many are keen to know what sort of advise has Brown given the LFA on such. Also, has he toured parts of the country to identify younger talents?

The questions are so many. Like Brown like Kaytu, and if the former is ineffective where he earns a rather undeserved monthly salary of US$ 3,500.00, and Kaytu earning US$ 2,500.00, the current Lone Star head Coach remains winless as he has so far played four matches against Senegal, Angola, Namibia and Equatorial Guinea, winning none, drawing two and losing two. Under the former Oilers coach, the team has managed to score just one goal and conceded four. His training programs are mostly laughable as far as contemporary football on the top level is concerned as he is strangely seen been involved with the fundamental side of the game where the players’ train like kids in focusing on ‘control and pass’.

Also, like his promoter Brown, he sees the press as enemies and is an anti of them. With the press, he feels threatened, frightened and seemingly confused.

Technically, Brown is the head coach and Smith is the deputy with the other technical crew members normally playing passive role. Smith is no doubt a stooge to Brown who makes decisions mainly based on Brown’s input.

Another ugly issue is the boring nature of Kaytu and his close friend cum promoter Henry Brown to hold meetings with the players on the Lone Star after almost every two hours. The pair often disrespect the players, take them like kids where they don’t allow them freedom in terms of making decisions, been by themselves, etc. They also run the team based on anger as their decisions are mostly poor.

Also, under the reign of the two tactical jokesters it is surprising to note that there is no special time for the national team to train with players of various clubs been compelled to train with the Lone Star almost daily as they normally abandon their clubs training, but appear for league matches which affects their performances as they often suffer from injuries and fatigue.

Does Kaetu and his boss not know that it is the clubs that own the players and not the national team? Do they also not know that just as oversea based players are send for two to three days to game, local players must also be send for or be asked by their clubs to release them at such period or at least a week earlier? Besides, which part of the world does Katu know or have seen a national team train daily? To prove the unprofessional nature of the coach, player Martin Kendu was dropped from the trip to Equatorial Guinea simply because his club, LISCR, complained that he was used too much on the Lone Star training ground and the training with the national team and abandoned his team’s practice.

Also, the questionable and somewhat unconvincing reason the trio of Francis Doe, Dioh Williams and Anthony Laffor were thrown out of the team in the name of expulsion as it was reported “they broke camp”.

 Another weak side of Kaytu was shown as he was quoted in the media “I wanted to suspend the three players for the game against Namibia, but the (LFA) said they were expelled”. What one can deduce from such statement is that Kaytu is greatly controlled by the LFA and Brown and that he does not really have his own decision but the LFA, and judging from the manner in which he took the job, he will always have to succumb cause thinking on going the contrary by been independent in decision making, he will lose his biggest coaching job ever.

 Also, remember the dropping of Gebro on grounds that the player was not willing to play for his club Invincible Eleven (IE) due to what they termed ‘fake injury’ and was against the Lone Star so-called code of conduct that is yet to be seen, but soon went to the Lone Star training ground the next day, the weak, under pressure and indecisive coach would then somersault for Gebro to return which further showed Kaetu’s lack of firmness, consistency and organization. At one point it is ‘A’ decision at the other point it is ‘B’ decision.

It was quite unbelievable that the Lone Star handler took a team to Malabo without a holding midfielder and opted to play with an all attacking style players, thus abandoning or ignoring the relevance of a holding midfielder. With Martin Kendu foolishly dropped by the lowly rated Kaytu Smith, the only holding player on the team during the trainings to the trip was Indian club Wahindoh FC player Othello Banei, but the lad was left back for no apparent reason. Everyone knows the position of a holding midfielder is so important that even the likes of Spain and Barcelona, arguably the most attacking country and club in world football stress on such position, but a tactically blind Kaetu and his man Brown have a complete opposite and dreadful view.

Then, with the Lone Star not been prolific in terms of bursting the game at home and scoring many goals to at least have some hope of qualification, (the Lone Star has never beaten an opponent in Monrovia in a competitive match by a two goal margin or more since the exit of the George Weah led generation for a decade now and taking into account the team’s poor traveler status where it has lost 18 matches away and drawn just one without a single win since the exit of the George Weah led generation, the Lone Star is certainly very far from qualifying to its third nations cup finals, the first for this current generation.

Whatever the case is the players must not take the huge portion of the problem but first the LFA who hired Henry Brown, changed Kojo when the team had won a competitive match and then brought on Kaetu Smith, thus ignoring continuity.

The lads will play their part, but the Musa Bility led administration and their two hirers from the land of Obama, Henry Brown and Kaetu Smith, must be greatly blamed for the team’s woes in the coming weeks. It has over and over been proven in many countries that have qualified for the African Nations Cup and World Cup finals that a country does not have to have its players playing I the Spain, England, England, France, etc. to qualify, but in any country as what one plays is what matters most.

The Way Forward
As always, there are recommendations after several constructive criticism and these are just some of the things that must be put in place as a way forward.

That the LFA after both legs with Nigeria start thinking of parting company with Henry Brown who is yet to put forth a constructive program to propel the game here and Kaytu Smith who from all indication lacks the tactical know-how and nuance in taking the Lone Star to another level.

That the current corps of coaches working with Kaetu on the Lone Star be maintained and at least two more coaches from the local scene be added to make a five-man care taker team for the Lone Star Star with a recruitment exercise be brought to the fore on the need to hire an experienced and efficient technical director of the LFA and not the Lone Star who would put forth programs for the country’s football development. Also, there is a need for the LFA to be serious in hiring coaches of the various national teams with its technical committee be given all the power and backing without interference and be allowed to select coaches for the various national teams.

Also, emphasis be placed on youth football development with U-15 and U-17 teams organized in the various sub-committees and sub-associations with coaches on the local scene be send abroad on a regular basis to be trained via top rated courses.

That the decision to relegate more than fifty percent of clubs be expunged and that the Lone Star be more organized with players not having to buy their own attires, be given attractive allowances even before they leave the country for a match and that fees or money paid as appearance fee to the team be announced after a friendly.

 (The appearance fee for the recent friendly with Equatorial Guinea is still unknown). And that all the pillars of the game are uplifted greatly with sponsorship and capacity building being paramount.