Stephen Appiah bemoans current state of Hearts of Oak

By Daniel ODURO, Accra

Former Black Stars captain and one time midfielder of Accra Hearts of Oak of Oak Stephen ‘Tornado’ Appiah has said the once glorious team he played for is now a pale shadow of its former self.

He said it saddens him to see Hearts of Oak struggling to make an impression in the domestic league, and now play second fiddle to relatively ‘smaller’ clubs in the league.

He has thus admonished the players to demonstrate that they play for a big club with big ambitions and expectations.

Until two seasons ago, Hearts of Oak had gone a decade without winning the Ghana Premier League.

Since their last triumph, the Phobians have struggled leading to the sacking for at least four coaches in the last two seasons.

The club has won just three games in 14 fixtures in the Ghana Premier League this season losing four in the process with the latest being the defeat to Asante Kotoko last Sunday.

Speaking to Joy Sports, Appiah, who played for the Accra-based side between 1995 and 1997, called on the current crop of players to prove their worth on the pitch.

“The Accra Hearts of Oak we know is not what we are seeing today. They are finding it difficult to win matches that we think they will,” the ex-Black Stars captain said.

“We have to know that gone are the days where you have only two or three teams winning over and over again. These days we have other clubs who are doing so well. It’s very competitive.

“[The players] should know that going on the pitch is not about Accra Hearts of Oak. It’s about what you do on the pitch.”

Hearts currently sit ninth on the league table with 16 points from a possible 42 available. They are also out of the MTN FA Cup after losing to FC Nania.

They face Nations FC in their next league game.