Smith adopts open door policy

17-04-2010

Tasked with the daunting task of getting Kotoko placed at an acceptable and respectable position on the league table, Coach Johnson Smith says the only way for him to succeed is through an open door policy.

He says he has to adopt the policy where all people connected to Kotoko would be welcomed to make positive contributions to the growth and success of the club.

“What I have experienced from my association with Kotoko is that, there are many stakeholders, and so one will need to cultivate the confidence and support of all these groups so as to have the right kind of mentality to succeed”.

“I must however point out that my open door policy does not mean that people should take me for granted and start imposing things on me from all angles”.

“Apart from His Majesty and the management of the club, the important stakeholders that I am counting on for success are the players. They are the engine and the reason for which we all get paid and our joy. They therefore have to work hard to uplift the club from the doldrums that we presently find ourselves”.

“As a show of goodwill, I have given all the players a clean sheet to start from and I expect them to first convince me to field them in matches, and when they get selected, they should affirm my conviction with a good performance that would be sealed with sweet victories for Kotoko”.

He recounting how such open door policy has helped him in the past, by sighting the classical Mark Sekyere example.

“I remember very well how the diminutive Mark Sekyere had been kept on the sidelines for a long time probably as a result of his size and the fact that he did not really impress when he was offered a match to justify himself”.

“But when I game him the chance in a practice match that I handled, he excelled and from then on given a big role in our midfield. We all are witnesses to how the boy has developed into an International star in La Cote D’ivoire with Asec Mimosa”

“Similarly, I have given Godfred Ofosu, Mutalabi and Afranie Yeboah the chance and they are doing very well. My advice to the players in the team is that, they should see every training session as an opportunity to stake a claim for a position in the first team. Any slip on their part, I am sure would be fully utilized by their colleagues and it may take a long time to get their positions back”.

On the way forward for the club in terms of their performance ad the achievement of laurels, the former national star turned coach, insists that it is not too late for Kotoko to place within the first five on the league table.

“I must however add that achieving such a feat requires of the players, management and the technical team, a lot of hard work. We will have to close our ranks and stay more united and stronger, and give our final and big push to the progress wheel of the club”.

“As for the remaining matches, I have always insisted that we are taking it one at a time. We will not get our hands full by thinking about them all once at a time”.