The New Rise of Fiamenyo – and the moral lesson for Hearts fans.
“Take him off, Herbert Addo!”
“We should play 10 against 11 and bench Fiamenyo!”
“If Fiamenyo is our striker, then we must forget it!”
“Fiamenyo must learn from Ahmed Toure!”
“Look at his buttocks! He cannot even run!”
“Fiamenyo is fat and s**t!”
“Fiamenyo is disgracing us!”
“Fiamenyo must not wear the Hearts jersey!”
“Sell Fiamenyo for free!”
“Fiamenyo cannot help us!”
“Is Fiamenyo a sumo wrestler or a footballer?”
Those were the popular “praises” hurled at Gilbert Fiamenyo during the Hearts pre-season – particularly the Top 4 competition.
Can you cross your heart and say, you never used any of the above “praises” for Gilbert Fiamenyo or even worse which cannot be printed? Yes, I am waiting. I have got all day.
But never mind. That was how we tore the guy’s confidence into pieces; shattered his ego like a pedigree dog. He had fallen down in our sight and we just wanted to get rid of him – for good too.
And it got to the man Fiamenyo. After training, he walked with his head down, but still we pointed fingers at him. Then he started using his ‘togbe-cap’ or balaclava – if you like – and still the abuses continued; just picture a man of Fiamenyo’s frame trying so hard not to be seen.
Yet, it did not end on the field or even at training; it followed him home. His girlfriend of six-years left him. And he fell again. He tried to smile but there was no one to smile to. And even before then, he was a broken-man-walking as he nearly wept when they prevented him from entering the local Black Stars hotel when they returned as runners-up from the CHAN tournament in January last year.
His family became worried and even relatives said he was disgracing the family name. Everywhere they went, people were making fun of the family name F-I-A-M-E-N-Y-O.
And that nearly ended it for the young man. He felt like the wealthy man who had myriad gold yesterday, but could not even afford to buy water today.
Backtrack 2 years earlier; he was the toast of the fans even though he had not kicked a ball for Hearts. On the 14th August, 2012, Fiamenyo’s picture was on the front page of HEARTS NEWS with these beautiful words sprinkled around his frame: “HEARTS SIGN FIAMENYO! Fiamenyo: Once a Lion now a Phobian.”
The fans had seen closely how he bullied Kofi Agyare and Philip Boampong in the ultimate game of the first round of the 2011/12 season. He did not score, but he left a huge scar at the Accra Sports Stadium, helping his team to bounce back twice to earn a draw with a shell-shocked Hearts. Fiamenyo had scored six goals before that and left for Serbia in search of a contract which never materialized because he had picked up a serious injury.
Hearts doled out the money and bought him from Heart of Lions despite his injury, and he repaid the trust with seven goals and four assists in the second round of the 2012/13 season. But that was it. He peaked at the closing stage of the season, and when he came back the following season, he had lost it all. One goal from 9 games (8 of which he started from the bench) meant his stock had fallen exponentially.
Things got from worse to worst for Fiamenyo in the Top-4 competition with even Head Coach Herbert Addo being pointed-fingers at for keeping faith with the out-of-form striker.
I cannot claim to be a Fiamenyo confidant or believer or praise-singer or best/close friend or anything of that sort. But the striker told me he would bounce back.
“I will rather make my name in the league than score in pre-season and fail to score when the season starts,” Fiamenyo asserted (in a private/personal conversation).
I took it as an empty bluff! Thought to myself sarcastically that ‘we want it now, you dey say tomorrow’. However, outwardly, I wished him well and gave him the words of encouragement that if he had done it before; he could do it again.
But, I honestly doubted him from what I had seen from training & during pre-season friendly games. He was missing the easiest of chances. He became King Midas, but only that everything he touched turned to dung instead of gold.
What was even painful was that whenever they substituted him in pre-season or even at training, whoever took his place came to get a goal or two to their name. Two weeks before the new season, we had to pretend a match did not happen because he missed a penalty against Division 2 side Madina Republicans in a 0-0 draw at Pobiman. Fiamenyo had hit the nadir; and we did not want to stoke the fire against his already, not even tarnished, but non-existent reputation at the time.
But then, like the elders say: “Through every dark night, there is a bright day after….”
The phoenix in Fiamenyo rose again. He struck on the opening day of the season against Sogakope WAFA in the first game of the 2014/15 First Capital Plus Premier League – incidentally at Kpando.
Six days before the start of the season, he netted a brace against Division One side Akosombo Crystal Palace in a 5-0 rout.
Four games into the new season and he had scored five goals. Wait! Make it five goals in the first three league games. And they were not ordinary goals.
The first strike, a clever chip over the goalkeeper in Kpando against WAFA; his second, A CLINICAL STRIKE FROM A ONE-ON-ONE SITUATION to level the scores against Berekum Chelsea; quickly followed by his third: a fox-in-the-box finish from a cross in a crowded penalty box to complete a remarkable turnaround for Hearts.
But despite his heroics, the Hearts defense condoned to steal the spotlight from Fiamenyo by losing the game 4-2 to Berekum Chelsea. Yet, he continued his scoring form again at the Essipong.
A half-turn volley from a beautiful team move involving Paul Acquah and Selasi Adjei was his fourth strike of the season, and he topped that with a super solo strike that got his markers down to their feet; and spectators off their feet, again at the Essipong against Medeama.
I hardly know how many goals Gilbert Fiamenyo will score in the remaining games of the season, but even if he does not score again till the season ends, I strongly believe there are lessons for Hearts fans in his present – maybe ephemeral – success.
Not every player has the test of character or temperament of Gilbert Fiamenyo to survive the mortification, thrive under the hostility, and revive their career like the burly striker has done in this few days of the season. And here in lies the lesson.
Goalkeeper Tetteh Luggard is everybody’s villain. Every goal conceded is the fault of the young man. He committed not a single mistake – in my opinion – leading to the four goals he conceded against Berekum Chelsea.
But we called for Seidu Mutawakilu in the next game, and the pressure got to the young man on his first appearance. Once again, some said he should not keep again, forgetting that it was only his first ever start in the Premier League. Others sent an SOS to Soulama Abdoulaye straight away oblivious of the fact that if defenders did not defend their lines, it was the goalkeepers who would be exposed. And we kept saying we had a goalkeeping problem straight away instead of supporting our keepers.
Abraziz Abankwa, who has made giant steps in terms of performance – and could be, without competition, the most improved Hearts player, was also not spared at the Essipong when we lost to Chelsea. And midfielder Leonard Tawiah’s Hearts career is on the verge of dying even though he hardly put a foot wrong doing his defensive duties against Berekum Chelsea.
And even last Saturday, defender Isaac Oduro had to chase a fan with a stone to protect himself after he was singled out for t he goal at Bechem. Why do we do all these to the players of the team we support?
All because, we are in a golden and never-ending-pursuit for a villain – or who to blame – whenever we lose a game or results don’t go our away.
Things are not going so well for Herbert Addo’s side at the moment, but what if we all throw our support for the team – in good and bad times!
Where will our support take us? What will the unflinching support do for the players and the team?
I look back to Coach Mohammed Polo’s penultimate game in charge of Hearts, and I get goosebumps when I recall how the fans turned up for the former Hearts hero.
Bereft of fan support throughout his short tenure, the fans resurfaced against the sworn enemy, Kotoko, in Kumasi. We, yes, the fans, were there to support the team; and just look at how the players played with so much pride and heart. If we can rally ourselves up against Kotoko, why not do the same against the other teams?
On the other hand, and most of you would be thinking of the alternative route to making players stand up for the Hearts jersey, I agree just to only a small extent the alternative route of making players stand up for the Hearts jersey. It cannot always be kisses for misses or hugs for thugs. I know.
And true, I have seen at close hand what ‘tough love’ can do for Hearts players. I remember how Samuel Afum and Mahatma Otoo came to be loved. They had to work for it; sweat for the love, respect, and recognition. But those who overcame are just a few compared to those who wilted – and never recovered like James Abban, James Bissue, Richard Addai, Edward Afum, David Anas, etc.,
Hearts is a big club and the level of expectation is demanding. But perhaps, we, the fans, must change our ways now and move from the come-to-be-entertained-only-supporters or only-good-time-supporters and part-time-supporters to TRUE SUPPORTERS, THROUGH AND THROUGH, for the PLAYERS, COACHES, and most importantly for the great TEAM, ACCRA HEARTS OF OAK.
If Fiamenyo can find his way back to the top through all these quandaries without our support, why can’t we help the team and the players back to the top with our very own support when results are not good?
Over to you, Hearts fan. Do you support only when we win or you will support us to win?NB: Sorry, Gilbert Fiamenyo, we take back all our bad words.
“Take him off, Herbert Addo!”
“We should play 10 against 11 and bench Fiamenyo!”
“If Fiamenyo is our striker, then we must forget it!”
“Fiamenyo must learn from Ahmed Toure!”
“Look at his buttocks! He cannot even run!”
“Fiamenyo is fat and s**t!”
“Fiamenyo is disgracing us!”
“Fiamenyo must not wear the Hearts jersey!”
“Sell Fiamenyo for free!”
“Fiamenyo cannot help us!”
“Is Fiamenyo a sumo wrestler or a footballer?”
[My sincerest apology goes to Gilbert Fiamenyo for using personal conversations we had in the past in my blog without his permission or knowledge. But I hope this will serve a greater cause than the small clip of the ear I will get from the big man].
Next BLOG: WAKE UP, OLLENU, AND CLAIM YOUR GLORY!
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