Duncan calls for patience to transform Hearts

Published on: 10 January 2013

By Patrick Akoto

Coach David Duncan says he holds no magic to turn around the fortunes of Hearts of Oak this season.

The Phobians have been simply poor this season where they lie in the relegation zone after the first round of the Ghana Premier League.

Duncan replaced CK Akunnor in November last year but has failed to spark their season after supervising five draws, three defeats and a single win in his nine games in charge so far.

The former Ashantigold trainer has come under some form of criticism from a section of the club’s supporters but he has warned he cannot turn the side into champions this season.

“When I came to Hearts I told them we were going to struggle this season,” Duncan told Kumasi-based Fox FM

“Any building process takes time. In the short term, we’ll try as much as possible to get players whose prizes will be low.

“Players were bought as much as 600, 800 million. If I was around, we will not have bought such players with such huge prize tags.

“Ask Ashantigold, how much we bought the players. Ask about how much the club paid for Yakubu and how we have been able to turn his fortunes around. Now he’s commanding a prize tag of about 800 thousands dollars.

“Ask how much we bought Alhaji Sannie, how much we bought Mubarak Wakaso.

“So for the time being, we should not expect any magic wand to turn Hearts fortunes around all of a sudden.

“We’ll struggle this season, no two ways about it. We’re bringing in new players to stabilize things for us.

“Then next season, we’ll see what we do. That is going to be the long-term project.

“How many years did Jones Attuquafio used to build the 64 battalion?  For those of you who know the Hearts history, it took him three to four years.

“In those days it was only Kotoko and Hearts, but now there are other competing teams like Chelsea and Medeama, who are all challenging for the best players in the league.

“So the challenge has become more difficult than the Hearts-Kotoko hegemony that used to be there.”

Duncan has brought in seven new players to beef up his squad ahead of the second round of the country’s top-flight league.

 

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