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Kotoko's bane is
indiscipline-Military instructors
In just one and a half hours of
taking the beleaguered team in physical exercises, the three
military physicals training instructors ceded
at the request of management by the 4BN of Infantry to
assist the club, have
unanimously attributed the main reason for the club's
inconsistent and poor showing in the league to the high
incidence of indiscipline within the general politic
of the club.
They
have therefore cautioned that the poor runs can only be stopped
by a conscious decision by management and the various sectors of
the club to take austerity measures and boldly implement them.
Speaking to Kotoko Express after their first meeting with the
players in what they referred to as an introductory session, the
three, WO I Ackom, WO I Quaye and L/Cop Brobbey, described the
fitness level of the team as "not that bad" but were also quick
to add that their "level of discipline is to say the least,
awful".
They
said they realized from their brief interaction with the players
that either most of them did not know the reasons for being
recruited into th club, or they do not genuinely care a hoot
about the success of the club.
"I do
not want to blame anyone, but it clear that most of the players
need to have a mental re-orientation to fit into the Kotoko
team," W.O Quaye surmised.
He
expressed dismay at the poor level of response when instructions
are issued out to the playing body.
"Meeting the players for the first time, one would expected them
to put up their best of attitudes and if what we saw was their
best, then the team has a lot of work to do on discipline".
Citing an example, W.O I Ackom wondered what the players hoped
to achieve by engaging in personal conversations whilst
exercises are on going.
"It
is strange to see how far the players can be engaged in
conversations at a time when they have to concentrate for the
exercise to have a positive effect on their bodies".
"Seeing the way they freely chat amongst themselves quickly
brought answers to my quest as to how come the team plays well
but wastes glorious scoring opportunities".
"Football is a sport that whatever you do at training reflects
in matches. The players do not concentrate during training and
so when they get into matches, they find it difficult
concentration for the greater part of period of the match".
Another area of indiscipline they pointed out was the lack of
competitive spirit at the training grounds.
They
observed that it appeared some of the players were confident of
their automatic positions during matches and so they tend to be
lackadaisical at training.
"We
also observed that when it comes to trying to access individual
endurance level through group activity, all the players tend to
conform to doing together and so defeat the purpose of the
exercise".
"For
example, we instructed that the players individually did a seven
lap race in a maximum of 16 minutes. What we wanted to see was
their respective speed and stamina levels; however, they ended
up doing the running together as a group and so ended up
clocking the same time".
"What
that action alone meant was that, the players liked to hide
behind their colleagues, and yet wanted to be recognized when
success was achieved. It also meant that the fitter ones had
either been cowed to slow down or that they were shielding their
not so fit colleagues".
Linking discipline to the performance of the team in terms of
the achievement of results, W.O.I Quaye had this to say:
"Discipline is the cornerstone of the success story of every
footballer. An undisciplined player does not train with full
concentration and so does not get the full benefits of
exercises. He goes into matches and easily gets tired. He fights
for the ball, run with it to the opponents’ area, and when it
matters most. Lacks the power to shoot with full concentration”
“When
you look at all these, you do not need anyone to tell you that
Kotoko at the moment finds her self in such a situation”.
“Something has to be done quickly and we therefore recommend the
following. First we recommend incentive and sanctioning regime
for the team. Since players get bonuses when they win, those who
flout rules of the club should in a similar fashion face tough
sanctions for their misdemeanors”.
“We
have noted some players whose disciplinary levels are a bad
influence on the others and so such players should either be
clipped or be fished out and showed the exit door”.
“As
for fitness, it will come over time, but we are also going to
introduce a regime where players who get selected by the coach
for matches should be passed and cleared by the medical and
physical training department. This way, only fit and healthy
players will get to play matches,” they concluded. |
