Asamoah Gyan has talent

If ever we needed proof of television's enduring power and appeal, then last Monday must have provided one.

It went almost unnoticed but the decision by two of the nation's leading television networks to show the Black Stars friendly international against South Korea, which was not telecast live, would have worked magic for some of the most maligned football fans in the country.

And while the Asia tour didn't improve Ghana's current FIFA ranking, it served as another stunning reminder of how well the Black Stars team is gelling.

Throw your mind back to Claude Le Roy's first news conference, organised by the Ghana Football Association in Accra. Asked about the ranking and he simply reacted that all he wanted was to have a team that plays well and gets better as CAN 2008 approaches. And like most coaches who have managed the Black Stars in the past, we knew the problem was goal scoring.

So it must have been a relief that despite failing to move up the ranking, the Stars are proving a formidable unit by the day.

No one epitomized that better than Asamoah Gyan. The younger of the two Gyan brothers, he has over the last year overtaken his brother in the pecking order of the senior national team and seems to be establishing himself as the nation's leading goal scorer.

But there is a problem and it is a big one. He is unable to score in the manner many Ghanaian fans expect him to do. The suspicion is that he needs too many opportunities before taking one and the critics have lined up to rip into him.

One caller into a radio discussion programme after the game against Japan, said it was time to put him on the bench, yet his response against South Korea must have won over the critics.

That header for Ghana's first goal, the shot that came off the post and the burst of speed past the defender and crisp shot into the net to restore Ghana's two-goal advantage, all worked extremely well for him that day.

Yet, those falling in love with him and his slick movement on the field must be hoping that those moments, when they come, will not be followed by long periods when he appears lost in front of goal, unsure of himself and off colour and off target.

The truth is that no player has quiet managed to thrill and infuriate us the way he does. In the run up to the World Cup, his four goals earned him the top scorer of the team firing in the goals away from home when we needed them.

His absence in Egypt hurt, yet in his first game back against Italy at the World Cup, he looked so poor it wasn't funny. And just when the chorus of criticism grew, he responded in fantastic fashion against the Czech Republic.

For those who believe in him, his inconsistency must be a source of frustration. Nothing hurts more than knowing what the young man can do and yet fails do it on a regular basis.

But Asamoah Gyan can take solace in a few facts and look at the careers of some of the game's biggest names to believe that with the right approach, he surely will get it right.

Even Thiery Henry is called wasteful sometimes, Drogba was maligned last season, but currently he is hitting the right notes and scoring all the goals. So also was a time when, even though Samuel Eto'o showed great promise, he didn't look anything like a 25-goal a season striker.

Therefore, Asamoah Gyan must keep at it, practicing his shooting, ball control and composure in front of goal. Once he gets them right, he has the confidence and talent to walk tall among the best strikers.

He proved that against Czech Republic. Against South Korea, he re-enforced that, even though it took us a considerable time to see and take it all in. Pray though that by CAN 2008, he will be close to the complete article leading the line for Ghana.