12th September 2010
Berekum Chelsea suffered its first defeat of the season after a 0-2 loss to Heart of Lions in Kpando. With Edmund Owusu Ansah running the show for the hosts in midfield, Lions took the lead through Gilbert Fiamenyo before the ex- Asante Kotoko captain made it 2-0 from the spot.
The Africa Cup of Nations has already kicked off but we at Socceringhana still want to focus on our Glo Premier League.Today we want to review Berekum Arsenal’s first half of the season.The team from Berekum has lost all its league matches (3 games) in 2012,conceding 8 goals in the process.I won’t be surprised if Arsenal gets relegated this season.The team is currently 15 th (out of 16 teams).
List of scorers
Stephen Amnkwah is the club’s top scorer with 4 goals.Tall, hard-working left-winger Bennett Ofori (22) is very important in the offensive play of Arsenal. Creative midfielder Richard Osei Bonsu (21) has not impressed me this season.A lot was expected from them at the beginning of the season. John Afrifa (18) has been a revelation in central defence although the team has conceded 22 goals.Star striker James Boadu (27) has only scored once this season and he has to rediscover his goal scoring form if he wants the team to remain in the Premier League.
Peter Ofori-Quaye
List of scorers
Lowly Bechem United FC has 11 points from 14 games (14th).There are several interesting players in the team, Princebell Addico (17) is a lanky central midfielder. Central defender Bismark Yaw Osei, right-winger Peter Essien and left-back Rashid Abdul are definitely good enough for this level. In Richard Addai (25) and Peter Ofori Quaye the club has experienced frontmen who know what it’s all about.
Record:Ofori-Quaye is known for being the youngest player ever to have scored in the UEFA Champions League. He was just 17 years and 194 days old when he scored for Olympiacos against Rosenborg on 1 October 1997.
Strugglers Bechem United managed to hold Hearts of Oak to a pulsating 0-0 draw on Wednesday.The ‘Phobians’ had hope to up the pressure on joint leaders Kotoko with a win but failed to score despite dominating in midfield.Bechem United had scanty scoring opportunities to threaten Sammy Adjei’s goal but the few times they did, the experienced glovesman showed great agility to deny the hosts.Peter Essien came closer to scoring for Bechem United but saw his effort expertly palmed away by Sammy Adjei just before the break.
List of scorers:
AshantiGold SC has been very disappointing this season (12th out of 16 teams). A team consisting of Fatau Dauda ,Kwadwo Boateng, Henri Traoré, John Ashong (30), Daniel Asamoah and Henry Entsir should have performed better.The team’s attack has been very poor .When will the GLO Premier League have prolific goal scorers like Ishmael Addo again?Strikers Yakubu Mohammed (3 goals) and Ivorian Didier Florent Koré (2 goals) have not scored regularly.
David Telfer , a quality holding midfielder, will return to the club for the second part of the season. Maybe Telfer will be the answer to AshantiGold’s problems.
List of scorers:
Eight goals in 12 matches is not impressive (conceding 6 goals in the process).Aduana has relied on its defenders for most of the goals.The strikers have been misfiring all season. Talented Richard Arhin ,a product of the Red Bull Academy often played as a lone striker, is still is chasing his first goal of the season. The top scorer and most impressive player of the team is arguably right-back Godfred Saka ,a modern full-back with a wonderful right-foot. Saka is the top scorer of the team, primarily because of his expertise from set-pieces.
The side still relies on players like Johnson Adomah , Emmanuel Akuoko ,Samuel Asiedu and hard working midfielder Anthony Tawiah. Defensive midfielder Ebenezer Otu Tetteh also looks promising.
Aduana are currently 8th in the league and this year will be the right time for the team to improve upon last year’s performance.
There is no place like home. It’s Thursday afternoon 15:25 local time.Soccer in Ghana’s Nana Osei Kofi Abiri (NOKA) goes back to his roots as he is in Ghana to interview Berekum Chelsea skipper Jackson Owusu.
Previously known as Bechem Chelsea Football Club, the board of directors heeded the advice by the Ghana Football Association to use the name Berekum Chelsea rather than the Bechem Chelsea. Berekum Chelsea has not been in the form that saw them win the league last season and many reasons have been assigned to their misfortunes. Hence, the appointment of Hans van der Pluym after parting ways with Steve Pollack last Sunday.
His first assignment is at Sekondi this weekend as Berekum Chelsea locks horn with newly promoted side Wassaman Fc.Coach Hans van der Pluym will need his skipper to help Chelsea recover from their slump in form.
NOKA had a chat with Jackson Owusu . They discussed him playing for the Black Stars one day; life in Berekum; and his dream to play for Marseille.
Personal
Tell me more about your family
Jackson: I was born in Makro,Kumasi. My mother lives in Germany. I am a Christian (a roman catholic) and I’m very God fearing.
Are you still in school?
Jackson: No but I attended Eben International School in Makro,Kumasi. Junior High School was my highest level of education.
What do you do at your leisure time?
Jackson: I play video games, mostly FIFA 11 on my PlayStation 3.
What is/are favourite movie(s)?
Jackson:I don’t have a favourite but I like adventure movies.I think Robin Hood is not a bad movie.
What is/are favourite television programme(s)?
Jackson: I don’t have one.
What is your favourite food?
Jackson: rice and tomato stew
Do you eat before a match?
Jackson: Yes, I eat spaghetti around 11 am.
Humble Beginning
How did you start out in the game, where did your passion for football come from?
Jackson: I have been playing football since my childhood.
Who is/are your role model(s)?Why?
Jackson: Wesley Sneijder.I admire him because he is one of the best passers in the world.He’s a free kick specialist.
Who do you see as the best player in the world?
Jackson: Xabi Alonso
What is your position?
Jackson: I am a defensive midfielder but I’ve also been utilized in defence on several occasions.
Which Clubs have you played for?
Jackson:Osika FC,Medoma and now Berekum Chelsea.
Life at Chelsea
How has it been for you at Chelsea?
Jackson: I’ve been at Chelsea for the past five years and I’ve been with them right from the first division. I am the longest serving player in the team. I played all 30 games last season but failed to find the back of the net. Personally, it was a great season. We won the Glo Premier League for the first time in the club’s history. No one expected us to win it.
What is/are the moment(s) you remember the most ?
Jackson: Firstly, when we came from two goals down to win 3-2 in Kumasi in the 1st Round of last season’s league.My second best moment is Chelsea’s 1-1 draw with Accra Hearts of Oak in Accra last season.
What is/are the low point(s) you remember the most?
Jackson: My worst moment was our FA Cup defeat to Nania FC in the semifinals this year.
What is/are your dream team(s)?
Jackson: Marseille is a team I would love to play for one day. Young players are given the chance to develop their game. Players like Andre and Jordan Ayew have all been given the chance to show the world their potential.
What is your goal/ambition?
Jackson: I want to be known internationally and represent my national team. The sky is the limit.
El Capitano
Do you have football friends?
Jackson: Yes. Emmanuel Osei Kuffour (General),Thomas Duah and Mark Edusei.
Have you had any offers from other clubs?
Jackson :Yes, a lot of teams outside Ghana want me. Accra Hearts of Oak, Kotoko, Ashgold and Medeama Sporting Club all want me to play for them.
I’ve realized you never captain your side even though you are the skipper of your team. Why is that so?
Jackson:Yes I’m the general captain of the team but I rarely captain the side because when I do so I usually get injured and when one player in the side captains and we win he continues to keep it till we lose a game.
Glo Premier League
How do you rate the standard of the Glo Premier League?
Jackson: It is very competitive. It is a good learning curve for young players like me.
Who do you tip to win the Glo Premier League this season?
Jackson: Can’t mention names now. We’re 9th after 4 games (5 points behind League leaders Kumasi Asante Kotoko) but I believe Chelsea will bounce back to win it.
What is the future for Ghana football?
Jackson: The future is bright especially after our national teams’ performances at international tournaments. The local clubs also have to follow suite.
National Team
Have you represented any of Ghana’s national teams before?
Jackson: I was part of the Satellites team that qualified for the Under-20 Africa Cup this year. I played in the qualifiers but I was very disappointed I wasn’t selected for the main tournament. I hope I get my chance and my dream is to represent the Black Stars one day.
All the best
Football is a sport played by 22 players, 11 players on each side who are chasing one ball. It can be played anywhere but professional football is played in a stadium where spectators pay money to watch their teams. Others too prefer to watch it on TV since the sport is now aired live on TV. I sometimes find it very strange why people have become so passionate about a sport which involves 22 peoples chasing one ball and supporters making noise when this ball is playing tricks on them. But surprisingly I belong to that group.
Football has become part of daily activities;especially when one lives in Kumasi, he might know what I am talking about. Football is talked about 24/7 on Kumasi FM stations. Just imagine that. You just tune your radio set to any radio station when it’s time for news! Just tell me the presenter will not talk about football. The greatest footballer of all times Pele (others think it is MARADONA) even dubbed football ”THE BEAUTIFUL GAME” after Brazil’s 1970 FIFA World Cup triumph over Italy. But I see football as ”THE SWEET BITTER GAME ”, sweet when a team wins and bitter when a team loses. The game also has an unfortunate aspect which has ended the dreams of most footballers: INJURIES AND HEART FAILURES.
Some footballers might have been the best in their generation had it not been for one injury or another. Injuries have ended their careers prematurely whilst others are still active footballers but have lost that Midas touch that once made them the most feared players in the world. They were great prospects and the engines of their teams. They were as quick as lightning when they had the ball in their territory but lost all those qualities after coming back from an injury. Their contemporaries could not match up with them during training or when there was a match, being it a friendly, exhibition or a tournament.
Most footballers have become victims of injury. Starting from Pele to Ransford Osei, Alan Smith, Michael Owen, Sebastian Deisler, Edu.Some footballers too were victims of health diseases such as heart problems. A typical example being Fadiga,Kanu. Others too like Mark Foe and Feher were not able to survive. They both died on the pitch. Similar incidents have occurred in India and Nigeria. Others too have injured themselves in car accidents or even resulting in their death. Dario Silva can no more play football after being amputated. He was involved in a car accident.
Today I want to focus on one Ghanaian footballer who could not fulfill his potential.
CHARLES TAYLOR
Kweku “Charles Taylor” Asampong (30) was born in Sefwi in the Western region in Ghana on July 14, 1981. He was often called tailor, after his uncle who was a tailor. He used to help his uncle with work; he adopted the name Charles Taylor after the former Liberian president.His playing career started off at Great Olympics, where he used to polish the shoes of their management, he had a bet with the then chairman Ade Coker that he could play better than the team players, he was asked to play and showed excellent dribbling skills, and he later signed for the club.
He transferred to Accra Hearts of Oak from Accra Great Olympics in 2000. Taylor was handed the No. 8 shirt. He helped them win the Ghana premier national league in 2000, 2001 and 2002 seasons, the African Champions League in 2000 and the African Super Cup Championship in 2001 where he scored the second goal against Al-Zamalek.In 2003, he and Bernard Don Bortey formed a great partnership scoring 18 goals each in the league.He controversially transferred from Accra Hearts of Oak to arch rivals Kumasi Asante Kotoko in 2003 for the then domestic transfer record fee of 400,000,000 cedis (roughly US$42,000),that is 40000 new Ghana cedis.
He was handed the famous No. 8 shirt, surrendered by departing captain, Godwin Ablodey who was also a former Accra Hearts of Oak player. The transfer caused a lot of bitter local sentiment towards Taylor, from which his popularity has never recovered.Taylor was offloaded, together with striker Frank Osei, Etoile du Sahel, but less than a year into what initially seemed a great move, the two players appeared surplus to Etoile’s requirement. Taylor joined the Tunisian club from Kotoko in 2004 for a fee of US$250,000. After an unsuccessful spell in Tunisia he was loaned to Accra Hearts of Oak in October 2006. Charles Taylor featured for Hearts of Oak in the 2006 Macufe Cup in South Africa. Taylor featured once for Hearts in 2006/2007 One Touch Premier League against Liberty Professionals.
He rejoined the Phobians permanently in 2008 and played two more seasons before moving to Nigeria to join Enugu Rangers.Taylor has moved back to his country and now represents Glo Premier League defending champions Berekum Chelsea. He is trying to regain his form that made him one of the most feared players in Africa. Injuries have prevented him from attaining that cause.
Talent
Taylor is known for his dribbling skills on the ball, free kicks, and pace, shot power, massive influence within the team, two good quick feet, and adaptability on both wings and anywhere up front. He brings consistent pressure on defences with his deft touches, superb ball control and an amazing ability to get behind defenders and cross to fellow strikers. His skill has been likened to that of Cristiano Ronaldo. In his best seasons he had an average close to one goal per game in the domestic league. He was once the top goal scorer playing 19 matches and scoring 19 goals. He has been regarded by some as the best local player Ghana has ever produced.
International career
He was part of the Ghanaian 2004 Olympic football team that exited in the first round, having finished in third place in group B. He was a silver medalist with Ghana U-20 team at 2001 Africa youth championship in Ethiopia. He currently has forty one caps for the Black Stars scoring nineteen goals. He was also part of the Local Black Stars team which finished second in the 2009 CHAN tournament in Ivory Coast. He scored a terrific free kick against the Democratic Republic of Congo in the group stages of that tournament.
A footballer with so much talent will help Berekum Chelsea defend their Premiership crown.New Berekum Chelsea midfielder Charles Taylor is confident of recapturing his form that will help him get a recall to the Ghana national team. Can Charles Taylor be back to his former best??
Accra Hearts of Oak opened their Ghana Premier League campaign with a 1-0 win over Berekum Arsenals at the Cape Coast on Saturday. Ghana U23 striker Mahatma Otoo’s 8th minute goal helped the former African champions recover from last week’s 3-1 defeat to rivals Kotoko in a pre-season friendly.
With the Ghana league starting on Sunday, the Arsenal-Hearts clash was arranged a day earlier because of venue problems.
Arsenals had to play their home game at the Robert Mensah Stadium instead of their favourite Golden City Park in Berekum due to a two-match home ban.
Serbian coach Nebojsa Vucicevic who has come under intense pressure at the club after the defeat to Kotoko fielded a strong squad with goalkeeper Sammy Adjei returning to the post. Midfielders Esme Mends, Douglas Nkrumah and striker Mahatma Otoo were all started while Joseph ‘Bobby Short’ Tagoe marked his return to the club coming on as a second half substitute.
It did not take long for Hearts to launch an assault on Arsenals who beat the Phobians in Accra last season.
Otoo connected a cross from captain Douglas Nkrumah to seal the victory for the vociferous supporters of the Accra-based side.
Captain Nkrumah expressed delight at his side winning start.
“We thank God for the victory. The fans were great. They cheered us on through-out the game and we want that to continue,” the club’s top scorer for last season said.
The former Asante Kotoko midfielder also praised the tactics of coach Vucicevic.
“We played to his instructions and that helped us to win.”
Berekum Chelsea’s title defence is under-threat after rallying to draw 1-1 with Mighty Jets at the Accra Sports Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Chelsea who were without new signings Musah Mohammed and Charles Taylor, looked ordinary and were nearly punished.
The first half failed to provide any major highlight but Chelsea left-back Alfred Arthur received the first yellow card for a late tackle on Isaac Klevor.
Earlier, Arthur wasted a free-kick from 35-yards with a poor attempt at goal. In the 26th minute, Jets defender committed a terrible mistake when he lost the ball inside his half but recovered well to defend. After the break, Chelsea were pressured and coach Steve Pollack brought on striker Emmanuel Clottey for Sadat Karim. His inclusion swung possession in their favour but that was not for long when Jets floated a ball inside the box and substitute Frank Osei headed in for the opener in the 64th minute.
Chelsea huffed and puffed until captain Abdul Basit grabbed the equalizer in the 85th minute following a defensive mishap in the Jets back line. Jets were denied a penalty in added on time after Ganiyu Yahaya was clearly fouled in the 18-yard box by Richard Afari but referee S.B Bortey waived it.
Socceringhana's Blog 