If anybody thinks we can get rid of the ‘senior players’ in the Black Stars, for no just reason, that person must think again. The silver medal feat chalked by the young and gallant Black Stars in the just ended Angola tournament is incredible but should not be the reason to get rid of the supposed ‘senior players’ in the team. Coach Milovan Rajevac soon after the final against Egypt said: “The young players are the future. But they cannot play on their own. Egypt beat us today because they have plenty of experience.” I couldn’t help but agree with him more and any progress-minded Ghanaian should and would do same. Rather than being carried away by the super performance of the Black Stars in Angola, I believe we ought to take a few lessons from the lapses if we want to make any headway in South Africa 2010. One clear statement made after that tournament is that no single player is bigger than the Black Stars and that I believe is not lost on Sulley Muntari, Michael Essien and all the others. But we as a country owe it a duty to be fair and proportionate in our criticisms to those we accuse of not having the country at heart. We don’t have to give the dog a bad name and hang it. As many as six regulars of the Black Stars were missing in Angola; five due to injury and one on disciplinary ground. Somehow some critics think some of those injuries were feigned. I am not one of them and I would rather be called a fanatic or a praise singer. The bare fact is that whilst some of them returned to the pitch at a time when the Nations Cup was drawing to a close, some of those players are still on the sidelines nursing their injuries. Instead of hoping the players will get well soon enough to join the Black Stars ahead of the World Cup preparations, we rather question their commitment and take delight in rubbing salt into their wounds. That is not fair. And that is not managing their egos, either, even if they have any. Unless there is a shred of evidence that any of our five players who played key roles in qualifying Ghana for the Nations Cup and World Cup colluded with their clubs to feign injury and still get paid for no work done, I think we should enrich the debate. A lot of the time we as journalists have created monsters, selfish and unpatriotic beings out of our players, achievers and politicians all in the name of criticisms and managing their egos. I will not for once suggest that if a player commits an offense that player should not be criticized. No! Far from that. Rather our criticisms must be tailored at refining the player and getting him back to do the things he loves to do. Nobody can tell me that Asamoah Gyan’s brilliant performance in Angola is as a result of the criticisms he received in the past. Never! Those criticisms were as good as burying his national career. I cannot in my wildest imagination believe how boos and chants by home fans at every touch he made in Accra when Ghana played Namibia in the Ghana 2008 will become constructive criticisms. I cannot imagine how insults on his mother, family, (even scurrilous death threats) can be said to be criticisms meant to spur on to become a better striker. And I don’t see how some journalists will accuse him of wasting so many chances in a match he did not even feature in ( Angola 2010 warm up match against Malawi) as a way to improve his scoring record. No, these were not criticisms. Maybe we have forgotten so soon. The two Gyan brothers just two years ago were on the verge of walking out of the Black Stars camp just because some journalist, critics, decided to ‘curse’ their family, them, for being part of the team and for wasting so many goal scoring opportunities. If speaking against these ills will earn me the accolade of hero worshipper and a fanatic supporter, I would rather be those for the rest of my life. Gyan is back today and named as part of Africa’s best IX, I would rather congratulate his temerity and mental fortitude. Sulley Muntari, the one player not selected due to disciplinary issues, may be all that Ghanaians accuse him of, but I don’t sincerely think playing and replaying an emotional outburst of his mother “no Sulley no Black Stars” on air is a sure way of making him change his attitude or managing his egos. The same way we have fanatic supporters, there are fanatic critics and the deeds of those critics are worse off. Escoba of Columbia was gunned down for scoring an own goal in a World Cup tournament by fanatic critics. A Cameroonian player got his house burnt, his life threatened when he missed a penalty in a world cup qualifier against Ivory Coast by fanatic critics. There are other examples in Nigeria, so many, which I don’t need to mention. Those dastardly acts were committed by people who thought they loved their country more than the player who was wearing the national jersey. It has not happened yet in Ghana and I pray it doesn’t. But when influential and quite respectable persons in the inky profession begin to accuse players of feigning injuries when in fact they are, accuse them of not jubilating in their crutches because Ghana has scored a goal, only God knows what the uneducated people on the streets will do should these players return to miss a penalty kick or score an own goal. Remember the burning of houses and threats were not committed by the journalists, but by these fanatic critics. The journalist only whipped their emotions and enthusiasm. The media, especially radio is too powerful and we must always be circumspect in what we say about others. I need not mention names, but some renowned journalists have had to change their careers immediately the spot light was turned on them for alleged acts of indiscretion and criminality. They could not take the heat. If that same logic of getting rid of the senior players just because a few of them misbehave is brought into the inky profession, I bet my last two pesewas that there will not be any profession called journalism in Ghana. All I ask for is moderation and a sense of proportionality in dealing with our so-called achievers and senior players when they go wrong. That is not fanatism or hero worshipping. As we prepare for South Africa, we need to put our best foot forward; senior players, junior players and even arrogant players, as long as they are fit, performing and committed. Like the old adage says, 'Efie bia Mensah womu,' there are bad nuts in every house. We don't throw them out as outcasts. We manage them. Any football administrator knows that there are always difficult and arrogant players in every team and the ability to bring the best out of these players speaks a lot of the quality of the administrator. I don't want to think about what would happen to Wayne Roony if he played for Ghana. Five months is too long a time to shut the door of South Africa in the face of the so called senior players based on a pseudo allegations. If we want to know what to do with our senior players and possibly their fanatic supporters we don’t have to look too far. Coach Milovan Rajevac answered that question and that is quoted in the beginning paragraphs of this piece. Credit: Nathan Gadugah