Head coach of Basake Holy Stars, Johnson Smith, admits he is still struggling to understand how his side suffered a 2–0 defeat to bottom-placed Techiman Eleven Wonders in the opening fixture of the second round of the 2025/26 Ghana Premier League.
Basake Holy Stars went into the game ranked 14th on the table with 20 points, making the result one of the early surprises of the second half of the season.
Smith arrived late for the post-match press conference and explained that his delay reflected his frustration with his players’ attitude and performance.
“It’s the same thing I’m asking them – that’s why I delayed,” he said.
“Their attitude before the match, after training, everything was obvious. I had to psych them up because if you don’t let players know what they are doing wrong, you will go astray. That is our problem.
The coach did not hide his anger over what he described as a disappointing display.
“I was furious. What type of game was that? No, no, no,” Smith said.
“I don’t usually shout like this, but I was shouting because there was a problem within them. Either they wanted to give out or do something different.”
Despite his visible frustration, Smith says he must remain composed in order to correct the issues ahead of their next fixture.
I have to calm down
I like talking to the boys and psyching them. If I go furious on them, everything will go astray.
Basake Holy Stars will now look to bounce back when they face Bechem United, as they seek to recover from a result that has left their head coach searching for answers.
