Kenichi's Diary: Three reasons why Hearts' new man could be a hit

For US-based Ghana coach Robert Sackey, new Hearts of Oak new coach Kenichi Yatsuhashi is not the right person for the job.

The announcement of the Japanese-American has been met with mixed reviews. The major concern which cuts across has been how relatively unkown Kenichi is and how college football cannot be compared to higher level soccer.

A lof of the points are valid, but certain facts might be well remembered.

For many Ghanaians, we should not forget Mariano Barreto and Milovan Rajevac were both subjected to such scrutiny when appointed but proved beyond doubt they were worth every penny.

Soccer is a universal game hence it comes as no surprise a South American excels in Europe and an African in Asia.

Coaching is very similar and the most important bit of it is about getting the best out of your players mentally, physically and tactically as well as being clear with your ideas.

For Hearts, there could be specific reasons for the appointment of Kenichi. The experienced Herbert Addo came and was below standard, the young C.K Akunnor came and failed, David Duncan’s case is still a mystery yet to be unraveled while Paa Kwesi Fabin could not stay for too long.

So why the gamble of the Japanese-American?
1. Possible guidance or tutoring of youngsters

The Hearts team is currently filled with youngsters who could potentially blossom into big name stars given the right guidance.

Sarbah Laryea, Fatau Mohammed, Isaac Mensah, Issah Mumuni, Paul Acquah and Kenneth Okoro all showed flashes of brilliance during the course of last season but inexperience was always their biggest flaw. Having a coach who specializes in youth football could possibly be the catalyst to a successful career. With the right guidance and coaching, these players could possibly be Black Stars materials in the not-too distant future.

This move should further justify the appointment of Yaw Preko as his assistant. The former Black Stars winger has been with the Black Satellites for a couple of years now and he alongside Sellas Tetteh have been scouting the country for talents and coaching them. If both Kenichi and Preko work in tandem, these youngsters could terrorize most of the Premier League clubs in the country.

2. Structured team and youth system
It is no secret that the conveyor belt for youthful talent production is non existent Hearts of Oak.

Auroras, the youth team, is as good as dead. Not even the introduction of the reserves league could generate any big name for the club. For a club who have not been in the best financial situations, reliance on youth production will be a sure bet to reduce their excessive spending.

Coughing huge sums of money to clubs for the services of their players will be drastically reduced. In hiring the Japanese-American the club will be hoping a reliable youth team will be put in placed with players constantly knocking on the doors of the first team.

3. Opportunity Cost
Hearts were clearly torn between paying for an experienced coach and going for an inexperienced manager who could well have the potential.

For the experienced coach, Hearts were going to cough out a substantial sum of money while the inexperienced coach was going to go for a relatively cheaper cost. The alternative forgone in Kenichi’s appointment is the high cost and experience of a big name manager. It comes as no surprise Swedish Tom Strand, who was their prime target, was ditched at the last moment due to his high demands.

This is a clear gamble for the Phobians who are reportedly going to pay Kenichi in the region of $1800 per month.

All in all, every appointment of a coach is certainly a gamble. The most important bit now is for Phobians to get behind the new manager and hope for the best. It will be a massive feather in the cap of the Heart’s management should the Japanese-American lead the club to league glory.

Anything short of that and he is sure to incur the wrath of the usually wild and impatient fans.

All the best Kenichi!
Follow Kweku on Twitter: @nana_odum. Get more updates on Facebook/Twitter with the #JoySports hashtag.

Story by Ghana/Joy Sports/Kweku Arhin