I cannot guarantee trophies - Black Stars Chris Hughton tells Ghanaians

Black Stars coach, Chris Hughton says he is unable to tell if Ghana’s four-decade-old trophy drought will end during his spell.

Chris Hughton at his unveiling in Kumasi on Monday, 20 March 2023 said that winning trophies is a process and that he currently cannot say that the Black Stars are in a good place to win trophies.

Chris Hughton said his focus is to build a team that will compete and qualify for tournaments but he will be given false hopes if he states explicitly that he can win trophies with the Black Stars.

He outlined his targets for the team and hoped that the team will in the long term do something huge for Ghanaians

"No coach can guarantee a trophy. No coach can sit at a table like this and guarantee you that. No single coach can do that," he said during his unveiling.

"It starts with qualifications and you can know what you can do but no coach can guarantee a trophy," he added.

“We have short, medium, and long-term objectives. In the short term, we want to win football games which will put us in a better position to extend the duration.”

The former Brighton and Hove Albion coach indicated his satisfaction with the duration of his contract with the Ghana Football Association.

“I think the length of my contract is the correct one”, Chris Hughton said in response to a question about whether he was unhappy with the offer by the FA.

Chris Hughton also spoke about the future of Arsenal midfielder, Thomas Partey in the team, indicating that he is hugely impressed with the midfielder.

“Partey's role in the team is as a continuity player...he is not that guy who is going to dribble past multiple players. His role is important to what the team does even if he doesn't always stand out.”.

He urged Ghanaians not to compare Partey’s performance for Arsenal and for the country as he plays distinct roles for both entities.

"Sometimes as football fans, we assume a player must necessarily fit the frame we have of him in an A team in a B team. Partey's roles ar both club and country are different from each other, but key."

Chris Hughton also disclosed during his unveiling that he will pay attention to the Ghana Premier League and give selections to players who impress.

Chris Hughton’s first game as Black Stars coach is against Angola on Match 23.

KPE