Sports News of Saturday, 19 December 2015

Source: ghanasoccernet.com

Hearts of Oak suffer 2-0 defeat

Ghanaian giants Hearts of Oak Ghanaian giants Hearts of Oak

Ghanaian giants Hearts of Oak ended their eye-opening tour of Libya in disappointing fashion on Friday when they were defeated 2-0 in their second pre-season friendly against Libyan outfit Ahli in Tripoli.

The Phobians ended their tour of the north African country as they conceding five goals and scored none in their two-match tour, exposing the lack of talent and depth in the squad of their Japanese coach Kenishi.

Hearts lost the first leg 3-0 on Wednesday and were desperate to prove that they have overcome the immense doubt among their fans of the quality of players purchased while some much more talented players were put on bizarrely put on the transfer list.

They were punished for lacking imagination as the home side went into the lead in the 39th minute through Abdul Qadir.

Ali Amado doubled the lead for Al Ahli on the hour mark to end Hearts miserable times and also pointing to the lack of talent in the squad with the new season looming.

Hearts have now conceded nine goals in three matches and scored only one pointing to worrying times ahead for the Phobians.

Their inexperienced Japanese coach will come in for some scrutiny and criticism as they have wobbled since last season and narrowly escaped relegation.

The same fate awaits them if they fail to recruit players with the transfer window shutting just month.

The giants have persistently failed in their bid to attract talents who committed to the club in the off season but the lack of funds prevented them from committing to the club.

Several top players were announced to have been captured by the Phobians in their official newspaper but the players opted not to commit to the Accra because of lack of payments.

The board and management have woefully failed to attract the best talent and manage the club well - a far departure from the situation with the club just over then years ago when they attracted the big name talents.

Board chairman Togbe Afede and the club's managing director look to be lost in the football industry where sophistication in transfer dealings largely determine a club's fate.