Accra, Aug 18, GNA - Ghana's Black Queens are rated second best in Africa and so will they remain; at least for the next two years! It is always a tough experience to sit through a Ghana-Nigeria game where the Queens always flatter to deceive whiles expectations are surprisingly high. It is effortless to marvel at the motivation behind the amazing sense of belief among the "loyal Ghanaian soccer fan" whenever the Queens are called to duty against the Nigerians or any non-African country.

The last time I checked, the 7th African Women Championship (AWC) slated for Equatorial Guinea was only twelve weeks away but I cannot seem to find what the Queens are doing in their perpetual bid to dethrone the Super Falcons. Nigeria may be returning from the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games winless, but to think even in their worst of forms they are better than the Queens remains a throbbing acceptance.

Severally, one is tempted to wonder when the cycle of assembling the team a few weeks to tourneys will come to a closure judging from the fact that beneath the layers of hope is the obvious truth that without preparation, adequate exposure and seriousness, the Queens can only take solace in silver or fine play without results. Another AWC is beckoning and without malice, anyone could wish the Queens will be shocked and embarrassed at the tourney if that will be what it takes for the bare reality of reaping what one sows is to be embraced.

The Women's league is finally on and it is understandably a fine step but deeply depending on a league that is yet to gain root as a major source of preparation is a recipe for disaster. Granted that new players will be discovered to serve as replacement for most of the "ageing" ones but pushing to the reverse gear the reality that good preparation and experience will always come in handy at the big stage is the unfortunate bit.

The bottom line is, selecting raw talents and developing them for a tourney in November can never be on the same street with building on experience and acquiring enough exposure for improved confidence! It should be a common knowledge by now that long gone are the days where teams' reliance on past glory alone was enough to scare the hell out of an opponent. At the last AWC in Warri, Delta State- Nigeria, the Queens themselves needed no reminder that they were lucky to have gotten that last minute penalty that toppled the highly improved South Africans (Banyana Banyana) in their semi final meeting that left their tails in-between their legs. And that was the period rebuilding and preparation must have begun!

But the Queens went on to sell out an abysmal performance at the 5th Women's World Cup (WWC) in China almost a year on; only for the then coach Isaac Paha to tell the international press after one of those disastrous defeats that "I did not know that most of the players are not what they used to be." As embarrassing as it was, the coach went ahead to admit the painful truth that Ghana's performance standard was not yet at the WWC level even after three consecutive appearances. So just what has been done after the team exited at the group stage conceding 15 goals with performances that remained evident that Ghana had done nothing right to deserve a better result apart from the justified admiration for playing "fine football?" Yes, the coaches will do another national tour to scout, beef up the team, gamble occasionally by leaving the best materials on the bench; and what next?

It is rumoured that a bulk of the Queens will be replaced by the U-19; Black Princesses for the Equatorial Guinea challenge and without a shade of doubt, these girls are wealthy in potentials. And so did England's Theo Walcott, at 17 years 75 days, had potential going into the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany but on a bigger stage where talent is a mere fraction of the ingredient required to deliver, the player was reasonably reduced to an overawed spectator. In South Africa 2010, Walcott could be handed a first team place if England qualify and even his critics will depart sharply from questions that engulfed his call-up in 2006 largely because playing week in and out with Arsenal at the highest level has undoubtedly made him better.

These Princesses must not be seen to be rushed, least they end up like most of these players whose exhibition of raw talent alone has been enough to get them a shirt in the Black Stars and are dumped too soon with tags of being "Old men" when indeed they only would have played too quickly at the senior level. We must be seen to be serious with the development of the Women's game instead of expecting miracles where there are none. It will even be naturally unfair to expect disadvantaged teams to excel without the basic components that help churn out the results.