What's
Happening In NPA Anchors?
NPA Anchors
By Julu M. Johnson, Jr.
The NPA Anchors suffered one of many their defeats in recent
times at the hands of LPRC Oilers. Last Saturday, the port boys left
the Antoinette Tubman Stadium (ATS) weeping as a result of a 2-0
bashing.
The NPA Anchors, despite taking the 2005 premier
league by storm during the early stage, have now become the biggest
whipping boys in Liberian football. They have failed to collect a win
in the entire second phase of the league. After a goalless draw
against Invincible Elven (IE), the NPA Anchors subsequently fell 4-1
to Mighty Barrolle, 4-2 against Roots FC and now the one sustained at
the hands of the LPRC Oilers. Their next matches are against Monrovia
Club Breweries, Alliance FC and LISCR before ending the 2005 campaign.
Bookmakers see these coming matches to be tough for the NPA Anchors.
Very embarrassed at the moment, the NPA Anchors
coach Frank Jerico Nagbe has blamed the latest loss on his first
choice goalkeeper Saydee Koumateh whom he believes was not up to the
task.
But Jerico's critics are blaming him for placing so
much power in his son, Frank Nagbe Jr.
Meanwhile, an investigation conducted have it that hours before that
fateful match, the NPA Anchors goalkeeper Saydee Koumateh visited the
compound of the LPRC on Bushrod Island.
An LPRC Oilers player (name withheld) disclosed
that goalkeeper Saylee was spotted in the office of an official of the
LPRC Oilers, something which created the feeling that he was about to
"sell" the match to his opponents.
To give the claims little truth, with Saydee between
the posts, the NPA Anchors conceded two goals in the first half. Had
it not been for unknown goalkeeper Morris Tarr popularly known in West
Point as "Bone Tarr" or "Van Der Sar", the Anchors would have
apparently swallowed even more goals.
However, on the other side of the coin, there is this
issue of lack of interest from the NPA management as well as the NPA
Sports Association, headed by Jimmy Toe.
Nagbe informed our reporter that these days, he
has to take the team to West Point to conduct practice sessions as the
club does not have any access to their pitch any more.
It was also revealed that players who are in the fold of the
NPA Anchors are either those that Jerico was able to convince to join
the club without transfer fees being paid or those that were already
there before he took charge of the Bushrod Island based outfit.
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