Today marks exactly a year since former Chelsea boss Avram Grant was appointed the head coach of the Black Stars of Ghana.
There is no doubt that the Israeli trainer has contributed greatly to the progress of the Black Stars even though I personally think there is more to be done.
The soft spoken former West Ham United manager indicated at his unveiling ceremony on the 4th of December 2014 that he will dwell much on the development of the game locally including organizing refresher courses for local coaches.
His contribution to the local game has left much to be desired with reference to the local league.
... well, he has finally organized the coaching course for the coaches and it commenced today.
Regardless of the fact that we expect a lot of inputs from the former Chelsea manager, there are areas that the man has scored excellent marks.
Below are 6 achievements of Avram Grant since his appointment as the head coach of the Black Stars:
- Reaching the 2015 Afcon final as a first timer: The former Chelsea boss who was tasked by the Ghana Football Association to 'go and do well' at the 2015 Afcon in Equatorial Guinea and he really did well by getting to the finals of the competition only to lose through the lottery of penalty kicks to eventual winners Ivory Coast. This is a coach who was coach who was handling a team on the African continent for the first time. Before the tournament, many Ghanaians had lost hope in the team, taking into consideration the way the team qualified for the tournament. Ghana could not be sure of qualification until the last game against Togo in Tamale. The team drew one all with lowly-ranked Uganda in the opening game of the qualifiers, drew with Guinea and lost to the Cranes again in Uganda by a lone goal. Maxwell Konadu guided the side to a 3-1 victory over Togo in Tamale in the final group game before securing the ticket for the tournament. Many people had lost confidence in the team going into the tournament but Grant ensured the team got to the finals. That is obviously a remarkable achievement.
- Grant has transformed the leaky Black Stars defence: Before Avram Grant took over the managerial role of the Black Stars, Ghana had a leaky defence that conceded 13 goals in nine matches, an average of 1.4 goals per match, counting from the Black Stars matches at the 2014 World Cup. Remember Ghana conceded two goals in each of the three matches at the World Cup, against USA, Germany and Portugal. Ghana also conceded at least a goal each in the six qualifying matches played before the Afcon 2015 tournament in Equatorial Guinea. Against Uganda in Kumasi, Ghana conceded a goal. Ghana conceded two goals against Togo in Lome, a goal against Guinea in Morocco, a goal against Uganda in Kigali and a goal each against Guinea and Togo in Tamale. But the coming of the former Chelsea trainer has transformed the leaky defence of the team into a solid side. Ghana has since conceded only four goals in ten appearances scoring 18 in the process. This is obviously a laudably remarkable achievement by Avram Grant.
- Black Stars players' transfers have sky-rocketed under Avram Grant: Whether it is a mere coincidence or it is a calculated measure by Avram Grant, the number of Black Stars players who have been involved in transfers has never been observed by the nation before. Let me take you through the transfer wheel for some few minutes. After the 2015 Afcon in Equatorial Guinea, all but one of the starting eleven of the Black Stars side secured new deals. Jonathan Mensah is the only Black Stars player who could not move after the tourney and that was even as a result of technical issues. The FIFA ban was the hindrance. Razak Braimah, Harrison Afful, Baba Rahman, John Boye, Wakaso Mubarak, Afriyie Acquah, Christian Atsu, Andre Ayew, Jordan Ayew and Asamoah Gyan have all secured new contracts. Is it the Grant magic or it is a mere coincidence? Well, as I noted earlier, in whatever way you choose to take it, Grant's presence is felt here and we cannot overlook that.
- Avram Grant's presence has enhanced the Black Stars image and value: The presence of the former Chelsea boss has enhanced the Black Stars image and brand. I remember most journalists calling on the FA to poach a coach instead of accepting applicants before the appointment of Grant. The FA's excuse was that poaching a coach comes with the disadvantage of paying more since the coach will determine what to take. The association was hailed by many pundits of the game for the choice of Grant for the mere fact that he is an internationally acclaimed coach. Hope you remember the term 'top notch'? That was the description of Grant after his appointment. For the fact that Grant coached Chelsea and West Ham in the English Premier League as well as seeing Chelsea through to the finals of the 2008 UEFA Champions League final invited a lot of recognition for the Black Stars. Of course many people will say that before Grant's appointment, Ghana had been to three World Cups. That is true but let us not forget that fact that Ghana had returned from a very bad World Cup with a shameful performance. Grant's presence and his exploits at the 2015 Afcon have obviously contributed tremendously to the image uplifting exercise of the Black Stars.
- Grant has galvanized the team spirit of the Black Stars after the 2014 World Cup trauma: Every Ghanaian who watched the Black Stars' performance at the 2014 World Cup and the fact that we exited the group stages due to the government's inability to pay the appearance fee for the players could easily realize that the team was psychologically down upon returning from the tourney. The team was not welcomed from the tournament at the airport as they were always welcomed and the players were even booed in their first international game after the World Cup at the Baba Yara Stadium. But what do we see today? The players have suddenly transformed from psychologically afflicted mechanical beings to supernatural super stars. On that score, you can't take anything away from Grant. He has really impacted positively on the psyche of the players and the results are just mirroring in their recent performances.
- Avram Grant's arrival has strengthened the competition in the team: The final point I will like to make is that, Avram Grant has enforced the competitiveness amongst the players in the team. Each position in the team can now be said to be under a perfect competition. Take it from Razak Braimah/Fatau Dauda, Harrison Afful/Phil Ofosu Ayeh, Baba Rahman/Jeffery Schlupp, John Boye/Jonathan Mensah/Daniel Amartey, Wakaso/Badu/Afriyie Acquah/Rabiu Mohammed, Christian Atsu/Solomon Asante, Andre Ayew/David Accam and Gyan/Jordan/Waris. There is nothing to expect but a perfect competitive team.
Well, I think the man has achieved some feet with the Black Stars but I still maintain that his influence on the local league as well as the local coaches should be memorable.
By: Sheikh Tophic Sienu @desheikh1 on twitter