Ernest Thompson rallies support for CK Akonnor

Akonnor on Tuesday had an engagement with the Ghanaian media where he announced his squad and also briefed Ghanaians on his philosophy and expectations of his players.

The former Kotoko coach articulated his points succinctly and earned plaudits from some astute journalists for his overall performance at the presser.

Akonnor emphasized on commitment and discipline which he says will be the hallmark of his attack-oriented team.

Speaking to ghanaweb.com in an interview, Ernest Thompson called on Ghanaians to back Akonnor as he seeks to qualify Ghana to the next AFCON.

He contends Akonnor did justice to questions which were posed at him and demonstrated beyond doubt that he has full idea of the players he has called.

"Why don’t we give the coach his peace of mind to do the job? That job is very demanding and we are not helping his cause. Are we saying the players called cannot beat Sudan? What is important is the principle behind his call. He has explained that he cannot and didn’t want to disturb much the core team which won the last set of matches. This makes a lot of sense in football especially if those players are fit and still playing.

"The coach has just some few days to prepare this team because of the FIFA rules on when to release a player so the best he can do is to start with maintaining the last core team whilst giving the chance some few new ones. Let’s also remember that some of the new ones may excel at their club level but may not at international level so let’s also stop putting pressure on this new call ups.

Turning his attention to Akonnor, the former board secretary of Accra Hearts implored on CK to be cautious with his engagements with the media and focus on the task handed him by Ghanaians”.

He urged him to instill discipline in the team as that could be the secret weapon to his success as Stars coach.

“Finally, to CK, stop justifying your call up. What you have said is enough, concentrate on the job ahead with your players and management team. You can’t be giving people a running story. But remember they will be judging you which is even normal after every game. The discipline of the team is also the key to success."

Ghana will face Sudan later this month in a doubleheader qualifier for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations.