Ghana will be gripped by English Premiership fever again this weekend but even with all the star names to cheer on the football mad nation will be united in its goodwill for three of the country’s proud ambassadors. Michael Essien, John Paintsil and Richard Kingson are the country’s three flag bearers in the premiership but it is correct to say three will be two in the practical sense because while Paintsil and Essien have been regular features for Fulham and Chelsea respectively, Kingson has struggled to get games. That though won’t take away the interest the league will generate in Ghana. From the mid 80s when English Premiership football hit the television screens in Ghana, it has grown in huge popularity thanks largely to expansion of satellites TV. But it has come at a cost as club owners and local football discovered last season when the timing of many Ghanaian League games had to be done in a manner that ensured it did not clash with premiership games. It is a wave that local football authorities simply can’t stop and with virtually every game available to replica jersey wearing fans, the premiership’s appeal is likely to grow. And in Ghana one man has come to symbolise the affection for that league. While Michael Essien was a big name in Ghana long before his big money move to Chelsea, he has become much more than that largely because of his fine displays for Chelsea. His every move is watched by the local media and when Chelsea players party after a game the headline inevitably will include Essien somewhere. He has become the one man fan driving machine for Chelsea with many Ghanaians proclaiming they are blues for life thanks in part to him. Yet he was not the first big name Ghanaian footballer to have played in England. Nii Odartey Lamptey played for Coventry City and Aston Villa in the 90s before his career went into free fall. Anthony Yeboah had a phenomenal goal scoring record for Leeds United before his fall out with George Graham led to his exit. There has been one spectacular failure too in Alex Nyarko. Compared to Patrick Viera and courted by Arsene Wenger at one point, Nyarko struggled to put his marker down at Everton before a fan challenged him to do more in a game against Arsenal of all teams by demanding they swap not just shirt but places in the middle of a game. It was the beginning of the end of Nyarko in English football. Paintil and Essien though have distinguished themselves in their own small ways. Paintsil rose from being constantly overlooked by West Ham in two seasons to a regular at Fulham, missing only one game the entire season through suspension. Essien suffered badly from a serious injury last term but when he returned it was easy to see why he is so highly rated by the Stanford Bridge faithful. The two of them will be just keen to continue from where they left off last term while Kingson will hope someway somehow he can get games in a league his countrymen will watch with a lot more interest than ever before. Source: Kickoff.com