Lone Star Faithful Eleven Performance Data



By: Wleh Bedell

The Lone Star of Liberia seem prepare to give the visiting Palancas Negras of Angola a football treat as the technical staff have called on eleven oversea based players for the crunch friendly as they prepare for this Wednesday, August 10 contest with 2006 World Cup debutants, Angola and another friendly four days later with late invitees, the Mena of Niger at the SKD Sports Stadium.

Those sent for by the Lone Star handlers include. Jimmy Dixon of Turkish Super Lig side Manisaspor, Patrick Nyema Gerhardt of Bosnia- Herzegovina Premier League side FK Zeljeznicar Sarajevo, Solomon Grimes of Cyprus Division 1 outfit Nea Samamina, Sekou Jabateh Oliseh of Russian side CSKA Moscow, Isaac Pupo of Swedish Allsvenskan side Hammarby, Dulee Johnson of Dutch Eredivisie club De Graafschap, Swedish Allsvenskan side BK Hacken-Dioh Williams, Francis Doe of Egyptian Etisalat champions Al-Ahly South African PSL side Supersports United ANthony Laffor, Ben Teekloh of Romanian Lig 1 side Astra Ploiesti and new boy Ansu Toure of the Swiss Challenge League side Locarno.

Reports however gather say the trio of Solomon Grimes, Jimmy Dixon and Captain Anthony Laffor are doubtful due to club engagements, something the FA is yet to explain. "Why would a club hold on to a player when such match is a FIFA friendly date which makes it mandatory for clubs to release their players when their FA's request for their release to play for their respective countries?", one pundit screamed for an answer.

Up to Tuesday morning, the quartet of Ben Teekloh, Isaac Pupo, Francis Doe and the would be debutant Ansu Toure were in the country warming up with their local counterparts for the Wednesday and Sunday matches.

Report say Jimmy will not be coming as the coach of his club has being sacked and the towering rearguard is awaiting the new Coach where he may want to be able to partake in his first training program, but could be available for the Sunday match aagainst Niger. There is another worrisome news as the pin-sized Dulee Johnson is stock in Ghana. The player is traveling on a Swedish passport as he has since got a Swedish citizenship. Thus, the LFA is making frantic efforts to ensure he gets a Liberian visa to enable him leave the former Gold Coast to be in time for the six-quarter tussle with Angola.

However, one player who is not part of the eleven invited players is the rugged George Gebro. The ginger-footballer recently traveled to China for a trial, but a source at the FA said, "Gebro had a return ticket so we invited him for the match". It is not yet clear though as to the status of the trials as the player remains tight lipped.

But, there has been a major concern as it relates to the criteria used for the players selection for the historic friendly with the Angolans. " Did the technical staff monitor the players activities? Did they base their selection on current form? Were they not sentimental, where they not carried away by names?", These are just few of the many questions followers of the Lone Star are keen to get answers for.

Thus, for the benefit of our many readers the players performance data or grade sheet as far as their matches or forms during last season and this season is concerned is brought to the fore. This will afford the thousand of readers to do an intrepid analysis on the entire selection process.

DIOH WILLIAMS
The 27 year old forward of BK Hacken in Sweden has so far played 419 minutes, 13 games in the ongoing league known as the Allsvenskan. Of the 13 games, the lanky forward started five, came on as a substitute in eight, was substituted in five and has managed to score just one goal and received two yellow cards.

FRANCIS DOE
At age 25, the bubbling forward may be in ecstasy as his club Al-Ahly have emerged as champions in the Egyptian league known as Etisalat. But, whether the Christmas day born striker played a major part in the team's triumph is one big ask as he featured in just four games the entire season where he failed to score a goal. The former Attromitos forward played 244 minutes where he had three starts, came on as a substitute once and was substituted twice. Reports say due to the arrival of Mauritanian import Dominic Da Silva, the Cape Verde conquerer has fallen in the pecking order of the Portuguese tactician Jose Manuel.

ANTHONY LAFFOR
The 26 year old under fire Lone Star Captain of South African former Champions Super Sports United managed to play for 1,963 minutes in 25 matches in the 2010/2011 season where his side performed in a dismal fashion to the astonishment of bookmakers. The towering winger cum striker made 21 starts where he came from the bench in four of those matches and was substituted in nine. The former Jomo Cosmos man netted in seven goals and received one yellow card.

ANSU TOURE
At 29, one wonders how far the striker would go as far as his international career is concerned. In the ongoing 2011/2012 season of the Challenge League in Switzerland, the former United Stated based front runner has so far played played 83 minutes in three games. He came on as a substitute in all three matches as he is yet to start and has not yet scored a goal. But, with the new season just starting, one can look back at his rating in last season where he played for 828 minutes in 14 games last season with Locarno.
The soon to be 30 year old made 11 starts and came on as a substitute and was substituted three and one time respectively where he managed to score four goals and received one yellow card.

Also in 2010, the player styled for United States UD2 club Vancouver White Cats, playing 840 minutes in 15 games. He made ten starts and came on as a substitute five times and was substituted nine times, managing to score just two goals.

BEN TEEKLOH
The 27 year old defender cum midfielder who is yet to feature in the ongoing 2011/12 season currently plays for Romanian Lig. 1 side Astra Ploiesti. The industrious customer played for two clubs last season. First, he featured for Astra Giurgiu, winning 695 minutes in eight matches. He made eight starts and was substituted in those eight matches once. The former Tonnerre Klara club harderworker scored a goal.

Then, the player who also had a stint with Ghanaian side Obuasi Gold Fields during the formitive stage of his career played for Astra Poliesti as he featured in 840 minutes in nine games with six starts. He would then be substituted in four of those matches and came on as a substitute in three with one yellow card.

SOLOMON GRIMES
The newly signed on 24 year old right full back of Cypriot side Nea Samamina is still trying to adjust to his new destination,and the focus is on his time in the Greek Second Division where he was a mainstay at Ethnikos Piraeus. Solo played for 2,396 m,henry_flomo@yahoo.com,inutes in 28 games where he made 27 starts. He came on as a substitute once and was substituted twice and received six yellow cards.

JIMMY DIXON
Plying his trade with Turkish top flight side Manisaspor, the 29 year old crumbs collector, defensively speaking, featured in 31 games last season where the emphasis is on last season as the new season is yet to begin. The former Malmo FF rearguard played for 2, 790 minutes and started in all 31 games where he scored four goals and was awarded five yellow cards.

SEKOU JABATEH OLISEH
The 21 year old boy-wonder of Russian elite side CSKA Moscow has so far played 18 of the 19 games for his club in the ongoing 2011/2012 season. The electrifying winger cum striker has played 653 minutes, made just six starts, came on as a substitute 12 times and was substituted five times. He received two yellow cards as his club aim for the championship in the Russian Premier Liga.

DULEE JOHNSON
'Diego A' made his debut in the Dutch Eredivisie for his club De Graafschap over the weekend where he was introduced in the last 20 minutes in his side 4-1 demolishion by highly rated outfit Ajax Amsterdam. But, prior to moving to the Netherlands, the 2002 African Nations Cup peripheral member made a brief stint in the Greek second tier for Panaitolikos where he featured for 110 minutes in 4 matches. The former Floda Boif playmaker did not start in any of those four matches but came on as a substitute in all.
Prior to his move to Greece which was caused as a result of his then club AIK Solna of Sweden sponsors asking the club's management to part company with the 26 year old crisp passer due to an alleged rape case which he managed to fight via legal means as he was acquitted, Dulee played 1,561 minutes in 20 games where he made 18 starts and came on as a substitute twice. Also, he was substituted six times, scored two goals and received two yellow cards.

PATRICK NYEMA GERHARDT
Born in Switzerland, the 26 year old played 720 minutes in 9 games last season. The white collar defender made eight starts and came on as a substitute and was substituted one time each. He scored a goal and received three yellow cards for FK Zeljeznicar Sarajevo of Bosnia Herzegovina.

ISAAC PUPO
Many thought the 25 year old craft man would have being left out of the friendly to give him much time to adjust to new life in Sweden with Allsvenskan side Hammarby where he is yet to make his debut. But last season, the craftman made a brief spell in Greece with Pananios where he played for 41 minutes in one match. He was an unused substitute six times and received a yellow card in his one and only match played.