Former Hearts of Oak board member Frank Nelson Nwokolo has defended coach Aboubakar Ouattara regarding the club's current struggles in the Ghana Premier League.
Following a disappointing start to the season, with two wins, three draws, and three losses after nine matches, the club finds itself with just nine points from a possible 24. This performance has led to calls from some supporters to dismiss Ouattara.
In an interview with Luv Sports, Nwokolo emphasized that the issues facing the team stem from a lack of quality players rather than the coach's abilities. He urged the management to adopt a more thorough approach to recruitment, questioning whether the players currently on the roster are suitable for a prestigious club like Accra Hearts of Oak.
“First of all, I won’t blame the coach or the playing body, but we need to look at the problem holistically,” Nwokolo stated. “We need to ask if we are doing the right recruitment and if the players we signed are capable of playing for Accra Hearts of Oak.”
He compared the current recruitment strategy unfavorably to the club's history of acquiring top talent, referencing past signings like Yaw Sakyi, Eric Gawu, and Anthony Annan, who significantly contributed to the team's success. “Accra Hearts of Oak is not used to mediocrity; we don’t accept anything below average,” he added.
“Well, I don’t think these are the best players in Ghana for Accra Hearts of Oak. Accra Hearts of Oak I know in those days is the club that goes for the best players, like going for Yaw Sakyi from Kotoko, going for Eric Gawu from King Faisal, Anthony Annan from Hasacas etc,” he emphasized.
Nwokolo also called for the club to prioritize acquiring experienced players who have proven themselves in the Premier League rather than those from lower divisions.
“Go for players who are tried and tested not playing for Division One or Two clubs but players who have tasted the premiership and achieved laurels with their clubs. Everybody knows Gawu’s influence on the King Faisal team then, everybody knows what Yaw Sakyi was doing with Kotoko. Accra Hearts of Oak we are not used to mediocrity, we don’t accept anything that is below average so I sincerely think that we need to take a look at how we do our recruitment again,” he said.
Additionally, Nwokolo highlighted the importance of a robust scouting team to help identify and recruit talent throughout the season, rather than relying on last-minute recruitment. He pointed out that frequent changes to the squad hinder consistency and performance.
“I think we should also look at our scouting, in terms of recruitment I don’t think we should wait till at the end of the season then we do a wholesome recruitment as we did this season. For instance, this season I know we recruited about fifteen players into the club and that’s not the best for a club that wants to progress. And the season before I’m sure that the same number of players were recruited."
Accra Hearts of Oak will next face Medeama SC at the Tarkwa T&A Stadium in a crucial Ghana Premier League clash, hoping to turn their fortunes around.
