Head coach, maxwell Konadu, has told Kotoko Express in an interview that he is hoping to effectively combine his new position as the assistant to Akwasi Appiah at The Black Stars with his post as the head coach of crowned league champions, Fabulous Asante Kotoko SC.

Though he admits that combining the two demanding positions is a difficult task for any coach to dare, he is challenged by his attitude of being a person cut to confront challenges to move on with the two jobs and work at success.

He says it was for this same reason if being cut for challenges that he took the bold decision of taking up the demanding Kotoko job at a time when things had become rough at the technical bench of the club.

"I love challenging jobs because they bring the best out of me. The job at Kotoko is a huge challenge to me, but I have been able to move on and we all are witnesses to what we have been able to achieve even when the season has some matches more to go".

"Much in the same way, this new national duty is another tough challenge but the challenge has become even tougher having to combine it with the Kotoko job. This is a challenge I am bent on and ready to surmount".

Though he says he is yet to meet with the Executive Chairman, Dr. K.K Sarpong, to discuss and develop means by which the jobs would be done, he is hopeful that Dr. Sarpong having been a mentor to him since his association with Kotoko, will understand his move to combine the two jobs.

"Dr. Sarpong has taken a personal interest to assist me in my career and in my personal development, I therefore have come to have a relationship with him that goes beyond football. In all these, he has shown genuine concern for my issues and so I will fully and whole heatedly respect any decision that would be taken at the meeting I have with him over the issues," he said.

Commenting on the national team job, Coach Maxwell says it is a dream of every coach with an ambition to handle a national team and so sees the job as a dream come true.

"However, much as I had an eye for the job, I never imagined it coming this early. Just like Kotoko job, I knew I was working at placing myself in a good stead of the job, but I never saw it coming that soon".

"What I have therefore learnt from the two situations is that, as a professional,  you ought to have an ambition for bigger challenges and before that happens, you should also prepare yourself through study, because you hardly know who is watching you and how soon your dreams would come into reality".

Despite having worked with his boss at The Black Stars, Akwasi Appiah, he had not had a discussion with him concerning the job "so I was pleasantly surprised when I heard that my name has been put up as the suggested assistant".

"That is also not to say that I am not qualified for the job," he added.

Having struck a strong bond of friendship with his players, it it has become a difficult task for him as he tries his best to manage the fears of the players that he was going to leave Kotoko eventually.

"It has become an issue of missed feelings for me as my joy of landing a dream job is being challenged by the genuine fear and pain being expressed by most of my players".

"I have received  information concerning how sad my players have become since the announcement of my appointment was made. I have been taking time to talk to them individually and explaining things to them. I know some are convinced but many others will also take time to come to terms with the realities".

"As issues stand now, I don't see myself getting out of Kotoko now because having been a Kotoko man all my life, we will look at way whereby my services will be handy for the club".

"I believe this is the time when we have to look at the role of Kotoko coaches vic-a-vic adopting the English system of managers who have two or more coaches working under him"

"With that, it should not be a problem at all for me todo the job both at cob and at national level".

To the fans who have also expressed concern about losing their beloved coach, he says he will not leave the club mid-stream.

"I know and appreciate the sentiments of the fans and so will like to assure them that it has taken us a lot of sacrifices and hard work to bring the team to this level and so we will not do anything to derail all our efforts. Kotoko s on the way up and up so nothing will be done to bring us down," he concluded.