Former Ghana defender, Sam Johnson has told Black Stars coach Charles Akonnor to be firm on his grounds and not allow any Ghana FA official to influence him in his call-ups.

Akonnor supervised his first two matches as Black Stars coach in the recent international friendlies against Mali and Qatar.

Akonnor lost his first game by 3-0 to Mali and then responded with a 5-1 victory over Asian champions Qatar in his second game on Monday, October, 12.

The former Asante Kotoko coach faced some serious criticism following his humiliating defeat to Mali in his first game.

He was criticized for omitting most of the core players who formed the team under former coach Kwasi Appiah as his call-ups were dominated by new players.

Sam Johnson in analysing the humiliating defeat against Mali said most of the players invited are not yet ready for the Black Stars despite the potential they possess.

He added that: “I don’t think this current crop of players are ready for the pressure that comes with playing for the Black Stars. CK Akonnor should not allow anybody to influence him in his next call-up”, he said in an interview on Happy FM.

Sam Johnson urged CK Akonnor to prune the current squad and blend it with some of the experienced players if he wants to compete for honours.