Two Friends Set to Run Lone Star


News that secretly appointed technical director Henry Brown has persuaded the LFA to send for from the States his close friend and ally Kaytu Smith to serve as head coach of the Lone Star makes one to conclude that all is now set for two friends to handle the Lone Star as they have got at helm of the technical area of the FA and the Lone Star without any vetting process, something that have raised more questions screaming for answers as far as the running of football in the country is concerned.

Why would the FA choose to firstly appoint Henry Brown as technical director without letting stakeholders know of his credentials, achievements and other relevant issues? What has he come with or what was he been doing football wise during his many years in the United States that the football house chose to appoint him as technical director of the Lone Star? Besides, what is he bringing in terms of his expertise remains one of the unknowns. But, while such questions are yet to be answered, the former chemistry teacher, Henry Brown, has come reminiscent of John the Baptist, paving the way for the so-called messiah, Kaytu Smith who he has since told the FA is the best man for the job of handling the Lone Star and that there is no need to carry on a vetting process, prompting the saying “Two Friends set to run Lone Star”.

The two long time friends who from all indication are not amongst the highly achieved tacticians as far as top flight football on the local scene is concerned, can mainly be boastful of leading the talent saturated U-13, U-14 and U-15 in the Gothia and Diana Cups between 1997-1999, something critics say they need not much credit for since the lads on the team were over aged and in fact such tournaments were very unserious ones by evidence of the heavy scorelines they won with including 21-0, 23-0, 31-0, etc.

While Brown failed to make an impact as far as winning laurels at Black Star and the now disbanded Bosco United Sports Association (BUSA) all in the top flight during his heydays as a coach, his close friend Kaytu after making the rugged Baccus Marines a mere middle of the table club managed to move to LPRC Oilers after many years of tactical mediocrity as he relied on the talents of a star studded Oilers which had players like Fofee Kamara, Fallah Johnson, Joseph Amoah, Rufus Salue, etc. to at least win top prize in the 99/2000 season, but technically, he did not have the credit for the title as he was away with the U-15 in Sweden leaving his deputies in charge to win the title at the expense of the now disbanded St. Anthony via a late strike from the then bomber Rufus Salue.

It remains unclear though as to which club or clubs Kaytu Coached while there in the United States. Some reports have it that he was busy in the female football sector as coach, and if this is the case many think it is insufficient to give him the task to handle the Lone Star. But, some argue that he has a good CV, something that is quite debatable as acquiring a host of certificates should not be enough as the achievement in terms of winning laurels should be the key in selecting a coach rather than someone with so many papers but with little or no history of winning.

There is as well some talking point relative to their whole promotion spree with the players that made them proud in the Scandinavia. In retrospect, it can be remembered that during the final year of the competition, seven players in Natus Ponnie, Dioh Williams, Dulee Johnson, Sehten Hills, George Boe, Zah Krangar and Martin Faryanbo through a special arrangement left in Sweden at the end of the Gothia tournament to help Floda Boif FC gain promotion from the amateur division. True to this, the seven starlets helped the club owned by business tycoon Stig Johnasson achieve its objective. It was then reportedly agreed that the lads would return home with the hope of returning back to Sweden upon the start of the following season where they would play for Floda.

The likes of Dulee, Dioh and Natus went there to Sweden, but it seemed that was all as the others were left in the cold with the duo of Brown and Kaytu surprisingly turning to Jimmy Dixon, Ousman Larmin, Bebe Jones, Joseph lepeh lepeh Sayon, etc. (all of whom were not part of the initial arrangement or the youth side known as Monrovia FC) to reap what they did not sow as they all never had stints with the club the lads promoted, Floda Boif. The lads would then continue with their career with Sehten managing by some means to move to Sweden and then the United States where he has since graduated from College. Boe after many years on the local scene is now in Greece, Zah is in Indonesia after stints in Cameroun, Faryanbo is in Nigeria, and the two coaches, Brown and Kaytu are yet to explain why the whole deal went the way it went, something many regard as betrayal as they apparently fell for cash where they sidelined the lads who began the job for Jimmy and co. who were with then with NPA Anchors and then big spenders Mark Pros under the Philipino Mark Oshwaldo.

Others argue that the pair indirectly served as agents in the deals and how did the whole transfers go in terms of cash remains unknown, but they are back again and are this time rewarded with the top notched posts of technical director and senior national team coach.

Two friends are therefore running the Lone Star with many itching as to what they will do. Whether they have the tactical panacea in making the team leave its doldrums state is what remains to be seen, but what will remain a debate forever is the style and manner the two who were always critical of fellow coaches including the late Guinean born South African born Mohammed Fernando Sithole who played a key role then In developing the talent of the legendary George Weah during his days with Invincible Eleven (IE), Frank Jericho Nagbe, etc were selected.