Many football pundits have described Ghana’s returnee coach, Kwesi Appiah as a calm and collected coach but how does the character of a coach impact on his duties on and off the pitch?
Some are clearly wild and animated like Chelsea’s Antonio Conte and Liverpool’s Jurgen Klopp whereas others are calm and cool irrespective of what is happening like Arsenal’s Arsene Wenger and former Spain coach, Vicente Del Bosque.
But how does their attitude on the touchline impact on the teams? This has become one of football’s greatest debating points and one that is bound to resurface in Ghana with Kwesi Appiah back in charge of the Black Stars.
Often, football fans like their coaches to be strong characters, animated on the touchline and exude passion. The argument has always been that the calm quiet coaches don’t inspire confidence.
That was one of the accusations Kwesi Appiah faced during his first stint as Black Stars coach. But the man nicknamed the Silent Killer for his calm but ruthless nature has always insisted that you must judge a man by his competence not outward expressions.
Those who have worked with Kwesi Appiah as a player and leader say the calm, quiet nature hides a tough personality.
Former Black Stars defender Sam Johnson who spent time with Appiah on Black Stars duty claims he never showed signs of becoming a top coach as a player.
“The guy is funny but don’t go beyond your limit”, Johnson said of Appiah. “He didn’t particularly show any signs of going into coaching after football but I am delighted with the way things have gone so far.”
Former Black Stars goalkeeper, Abukari Damba who also spent time on national team duty with Appiah reckons that his calm nature will work in his favour. “Kwesi Appiah is highly unassuming, his demeanour might be deceptive because he is a very strict personality.
“I must say and will always want the best but of course it’s very difficult to tackle him but if you tackle him to get the worse out of him, you will know. He is gentle and calm but very hot when it comes to execution”.
Another former teammate of Appiah at Kumasi Asante Kotoko, Frimpong Manso says yes “He’s more matured now than he was before in terms of everything; coaching, managing the team and all other things, so I think he will do a better job now than he did the last time”.
By Dora Badu Acheampong|TV3 Sports|Ghana