Perspective from Sport

Which Way Super Eagles

2019-07-15T14:23:00.000-07:00

Well, the Super Eagles of Nigeria eventually succumbed to the Desert Foxes of Algeria in a pulsating semifinal game in the ongoing African Cup of Nations in Egypt. The Nigerian team lost by 2-1. To be honest, the result does not clearly illustrate how the Algerians threatened our goalline severally. The Super Eagles' build-up to the semi-finals has been anything but impressive in the tournament, losing to competition debutant Madagascar along the way.

Personally, the last time I enjoyed a Super Eagles match was the friendly game against Argentina where we defeated South the Americans 4-2. I remember watching Super Eagles against Serbia at the Barnet Stadium, it was at that point that I started having some doubt about certain aspects of Gernot Rohr's managerial style. One case in point was when Junior Ajayi an Al Ahly national striker that was invited for the friendly game against Serbia jogged all night until he was brought in for Alex Iwobi in the 88th minutes. I would have thought that one of the purposes of a friendly game was to try out new players but for Gernot Rohr, he likes to play his full strength squad even if the game does not matter. I will come to his managerial acumen later.

On the whole, it wasn't really a bad outing from the Super Eagles, getting to the Semi-Finals was the minimum target for Rohr and irrespective of emotions, he has fulfilled his own side of the bargain but from my perspective, we should be challenging for the titles.

The Algerian team were certainly the best team so far in the competition. The fact that they defeated 2 stronger West African teams ( Senegal and Ivory Coast ) showed the strength of the team.

I will give a brief summary of the team and I will break down by the team positions:

Goalkeeping

As far as I am concerned we have a major crisis in this department. Francis Uzoho, Ikechukwu Ezinwa and Daniel Akpeyi were the selected goalkeepers. Francis Uzoho was invited on the basis of 2 cameo la Liga games when he featured for his club Deportivo La Coruna in 2017/18. He was the first choice after his debut against Argentina and he remained in the number one spot going into the World Cup. However, mistakes in the game against Seychelles saw him lose his position.
South African based Daniel Akpeyi became the first choice leading to the African Cup of nations. I am not a fan of his, as he does not inspire any confidence required of a goalkeeper. He was generally blamed for the second goal Algeria scored. Though it was a free kick, his positioning behind the wall confirmed why a cross-section of football fans was never convinced in his ability as a goalkeeper.
Ikechukwu Ezinwa, on the other hand, is the only home-based player in the entire squad, I personally feel he is the best of the 3 but I guess carrying the stigma of being a home-based affected his chances

Defence

Generally, we were okay in this position - Troost Ekong, Leon Balogun, Jamilu Collins Kenneth Omeruo, Shehu Abdullai and Olaoluwa Aina formed the defensive line at Afcon 2019. They could be quite prone to errors and display tendencies to lose concentration when it matters, I believe they can be a formidable force with proper coaching. I give them a pass mark generally, under Gernot Rohr, the defence seems quite organised

Midfield

We were quite thin in this area, we went with

Fifa takes over African football

2019-06-20T02:58:00.003-07:00

Faced with a crisis that threatens to overwhelm the governing body of soccer on the African continent, FIFA is taking the unprecedented step of sending its top administrator, its secretary general Fatma Samoura, to run the stricken organization.

The Cairo-based Confederation of African Football, soccer’s largest regional confederation, has lurched from disaster to disaster in the past few months, and is on the verge of a total meltdown just as the region’s biggest national team competition — the Africa Cup of Nations — prepares to begin in Egypt. On the eve of the tournament, senior officials gathered for an emergency meeting, where they agreed to being led by Samoura, who will hold the title of FIFA High Commissioner for Africa when she assumes the new post later this summer.

The decision comes amid myriad issues faced by CAF, not least an investigation into its Madagascan president, Ahmad Ahmad, by FIFA’s ethics committee amid a torrent of allegations of wrongdoing, ranging from financial mismanagement to sexual harassment. Ahmad, who continues to deny the allegations against him and has claimed to be the victim of a smear campaign, was briefly arrested in Paris earlier this month by the French police, a day after Gianni Infantini was re-elected as FIFA’s president in Paris.

“The rule of the temporary FIFA High Commissioner for Africa would be to conduct a root-and-branch review of governance of the confederation, oversee operational management of the organization, and recommend where needed a series of reform efforts, to be agreed with CAF member associations and with FIFA in order to put CAF itself on a modern and sound footing, improve its image and reputation and thus ensure that CAF is better equipped to face future challenges and to grasp future opportunities,” FIFA said in setting up the arrangement, according to an internal document seen by The New York Times.

Infantino was said to be furious after the arrest of Ahmad, a FIFA vice president, earlier this month, since it came soon after he proclaimed that FIFA was in far better shape than it was when he took over in the aftermath of a sprawling Department of Justice indictment in 2015 that took aim at several high ranking FIFA officials, including the heads of both regional confederations in the Americas.

Though FIFA’s statutes allow it to take control should any of its member national associations run into trouble, they do not allow for it to run any of the sports six regional bodies. That is why it first required CAF’s executive board to agree to the change.

Finances may have played a part in getting a resolution. FIFA, which distributes millions of dollars to the confederations, two days ago suspended payments to CAF.

Neither group has officially commented on the matter.

The crisis at CAF touches all levels of the organization. Ahmad fired its secretary general, Amr Fahmy, during a stormy board meeting in April that followed the leak of internal documents which suggested financial mismanagement on a major scale. On the field,things haven’t been much better.

The second game of the two-match CAF Champions League final — the conclusion of the continent’s top club competition — was abandoned with 30 minutes to play after one of the teams refused to return following a controversial refereeing decision that could not be reviewed because the system put in place to analyze decisions had failed. A decision to replay the game has led to even more fury, with one of the teams, Espérance Sportive de Tunis, vowing to appeal the decision after it was told to return the medals and trophies it already had received.

The imbroglio in Africa is particularly frustrating for Infantino. He campaigned hard on behalf of Ahmad, then a little known figure in soccer circles, when he challenged longtime African soccer titan Issa Hayatou for a post Hayatou had held for almost three decades. While Ahmad will retain the title of president, his day-to-day role will be limited during Samoura’s tenure.

The 2015 crisis that threatened FIFA’s very existence most likely played a role in its decision to step in. The crimes uncovered by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Internal Revenue Service largely occurred at the confederation level in the Americas, leaving Infantino and his inner circle to fret about the consequences of not doing anything about potential problems at CAF. - Tariq Panja

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/19/sports/fifa-takes-control-of-soccer-in-africa-where-the-sport-is-in-chaos.html

Post CHAN Championship: The True State Of Nigeria's Football

2018-02-16T07:12:00.000-08:00

The CHAN competition has come and gone so it is time to reflect on the highs and lows; the positives and the negatives from a Nigerian's perspective. Before I lose you, the full meaning of CHAN is African Nations Championship. This is not to be mixed up with the African Cup of Nations which is the apex competition as far as football in Africa is concerned.

The CHAN competition was set up by the previous CAF administration under Issa Hayatou. The whole idea is to offer a platform for footballers based in Africa to showcase their talents since AFCON is usually dominated by foreign-based players.

... back to CHAN 2018, according to various journalists who monitored the home-based team, they concluded that the preparation was not the best for the team. In addition to this, it was speculated that some of the best home-based players were not selected into the final squad. I can attest to this - I couldn't understand why Sikiru Olatubosun did not make the cut but hey, it coach Salisu Yusuf's call .

Majority of the fans and media alike did not give the team any chance of progressing to the latter stages of the competition even though on paper our group seemed reasonably easy. The team against all odds went all the way to the finals and faced host Morocco (arguably the best team in the competition). It was a given that Morocco would win the game, but what was not anticipated was the score margin. We were walloped by 4 to nil.

Positives

The home-based team showed a lot of courage and fighting spirit which was pivotal to their progress in the competition.

It was clear to all that Nigeria has talents in abundance. It was reflected in some individual display of some players

They got to the finals against all odds. In the quotes of former flying eagles coach Fanny Amun, ''we wobbled and fumbled into the finals''.

Dele Ajiboye who replaced Ikechukwu Ezenwa due to an injury sustained in the semifinals put in some superb saves. He literarily prevented us from being eliminated in the game against Sudan.

Negatives

To be candid, the team were not cohesive. They kept on making errant passes, their decision making was quite pathetic.

The technical crew could not change the game situation particularly when we got a red card in the finals,but they could have changed the game tactics.

It is quite challenging to filter out any outfield player that could really break into the mainstream Super Eagles' team

The overall teams' performance is a true reflection of the Nigeria football league. In my opinion, the Nigeria football federation has not demonstrated its willingness to put the necessary framework in place for football development

Without a proper football system and structure put in place, we will continue to grope in the dark ages of football. On face value, it may seem that the football federation is performing well but their significant milestones is only restricted to the Super Eagles (The National Team). Until we fix our football foundation and put the necessary structure that will aid organic development , we will continue to churn out performances as seen by the Chan Eagles.

The reason why we solicit for foreign-born Nigerians is we don't believe in the players plying their trade in the local league. The Nigeria Football Federation needs to realise that they are the custodians of our football as a whole and not just the national team.

Tribute To Raymond King

2018-01-03T12:48:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!!

I trust this year will be our best year ever.

The Nigerian football world was thrown into mourning on New Year's day. This occurred following the announcement of the former IICC (3SC of Ibadan) and Abiola Babes goalkeeper Raymond King's passing.

On Sunday morning as I was preparing for church, I saw a post on Facebook by former international player Taju Disu. In the post, he made a passionate plea to the members of the public to contribute money to fund Raymond Kings's medical treatment. At that point, he was critically ill, on the verge of death. Unfortunately, he passed away on the 1st of January, 2018.

The first time I ever heard of Raymond King (popularly called Ramoni Oba by IICC shooting fans ) was in 1984 during CAF Champions League ( formerly known as African Cup of Champions Club).

It was the final game between IICC Shooting Stars of Ibadan and Zamalek of Egypt. Shooting Stars had previously lost the first leg of the finals. They had hoped the game will be played in Ibadan but the football body CAF ruled that the stadium was not up to the acceptable standard. The game was therefore moved to the National Stadium in Lagos.

Raymond King was his usual charismatic self and was quite outstanding but an own goal by Ogbein Fawole sealed the fate of the Ibadan team .That final was quite significant as that game also marked the end of Chief Segun Odegbami's football career.

At the time of the game, I was in boarding school. I had monitored the first leg via radio commentary, while I was able to watch the 2nd leg at home during the mid-term break.

Raymond King moved on and featured for Abiola Babes until he faded into oblivion . One of the games I fondly remembered him for was the 1985 Challenge Cup finals - Abiola Babes Vs BCC Lions of Gboko

Raymond was said to have suffered a stroke and his health deteriorated from then on. Prior to this, he was said to have been out of a job for many years after he was relieved from his role as the goalkeeper trainer with Gateway FC.

I pray that God will comfort the hearts of his immediate families everyone connected to him.

ADIEU RAYMOND !!!!

The Fuss About Foreign Born Nigerian

2017-11-25T10:45:00.000-08:00

The dust must have settled now among a cross-section of the Nigerian fans and media following the invitation of Tammy Abraham to the English senior team. Gareth Southgate has always stressed that he will give a lot of young stars a stake to claim the English shirt if they merit it.

The question now is; what is the fuss about foreign-bred Nigerians? The current leadership of the Nigerian Football Federation under Amaju Pinnick has vigorously pursued foreign-born Nigerians such that when he eventually leaves the office, that could be one of his legacies. So after successfully negotiating the switch of players like Alex Iwobi (Arsenal) and Ola Aina (Chelsea - currently on loan to Hull), he decided to pursue Abraham's switch of allegiance to Nigeria. Pinnick had stated in one TV interviews that Tammy's dad was his friend.He believed their friendship could be a factor that would ease the switch.

Some weeks back, the picture of Tammy Abraham, Pinnick and Tammy's dad was seen on social media. Even the NFF twitter handle pasted the picture which somewhat was to validate Abraham's conversion. Later on the same day, Tammy Abraham came out to denounce switching to play for Nigeria. He further reaffirmed his commitment to England. Some are of the opinions that English set up moved swiftly to prevent the player from being hijacked by Nigeria.

Tammy Abraham in the English Shirt

My personal opinion on foreign-bred players:

Nothing wrong with invitation

I do not see anything wrong with foreign-born Nigerians that want to feature in their country of origin. After all, in the 80's Tunji Banjo, John Chiedozie, Emeka Nwajiobi and Reuben Agboola all switched to represent their country of origin. Moreso, we could have benefited from the addition of a player of David Alaba's stature. However, I believe that the invitation of these players should be complimentary and we should not be begging such players to feature for their country of their origin. A story that buttressed this was the recent approach made by Genot Rohr ( Nigeria's Manager),in his quest to add more to the defence department, he sought for German born Nigerian Kevin Akpoguma. The former German under 20 was quoted to have said;

" I feel honoured of couse but i am German. I was born here so i should play for Germany too" .

Ideally, I want to see the NFF exert the same energy in setting up a proper system for football development . There are many players in Nigeria who with proper structure will thrive. I think when we just focus on foreign-born alone we will be jeopardizing the talent within.

What does the future hold for Abraham

Tammy will have to impress Gareth Southgate as he is still behind Jamie Vardy and Harry Kane in the pecking order. Therefore, he will have to seize this opportunity and grab it with both hands. On the other hand, it could go wrong and he may end up looking back with bags of regrets if he gets dumped along the way. There are players who had hoped to tie their aspiration with the English team but fell by the wayside.

John Fashanu - He had only 2 caps for England but got relegated to obscurity, the former Wimbledon striker regrets turning down Nigeria to date. Other players in the same category are John Salako, Chris Armstrong Ugo Ehiogu Gabriel Agbolahan, Carlton Cole, Sydney Sam, Denis Aaogo and Patrick Owoomoyela.

Tales of a local based football player invited to Super Eagles

2017-05-31T15:32:00.003-07:00

The truth is being a local based player was a bad experience in the camp then, the gap in class was just too wide, you have to be very very confident in yourself to even be able to stand up.
I mean these guys stroll into camp in their flashy cars , speaking french and even german language. You cannot even sit in their midst ...for crying out loud they were speaking in french and discussing how they are going to play against Oliver Khan, Vialli or some other widely known stars that you read about or watch on TV. Who born you?
All we do is bunch up together like a bunch of star struck kids...to eavesdrop on the gist where they are generous enough to speak in English.

The youngest ones in the camp then were the richest and the flashiest. JJ was JJ very flashy and naughty...he was not proud or arrogant but he had this way of staying to himself. He was close with Amo (Amokachi)...you are most likely to see the two together.

Ikpeba was flashy, arrogant, brash and loud...he was a typical Bini boy, he speaks English sparingly..the prince of Monaco thingy i think got into his head.

Amo was flash, strange he was trying to put on this image of an ajebota which i find baffling..he speaks with the typical naija posh ajebota accent..a bit of cockiness. But these three were young then and they acted it.

Amuneke was different, even when he signed that mega deal that took him from Zamalek to Portugal, he was still down to earth. I remember my first time in camp he was the one who came to me to ask me if i remember the last time we played against one another.

Finidi was another one, he would float with the foreign crew when he had to, but he would not hesistate to be seen in the midst of the local lads.

I enjoyed the company of Uche Okafor and Iroha more, these two i know very well back in the league having played each other severally in their days as eyimba stars in the lower divisions.

They appear not to be accepted into the clib of the young and rich boys, so they formed themselves into what i would call the elders. Of course the Aba bond was strong as Uche Okey belongs here too. Now talking of Uche Okey, to be honest he was the biggest star in the 90s even money wise, he was a big star in Turkey, but he was a gentle guy...a cool guy whom you will hardly hear speak.

Now talk of Mutiu ....the most humble of them all, he is one lad who loves to be with his buddies we the home lads. As for Yeking...he was another down to earth one, in fact you will have to be reminded he is based abroad. He would have the camp in stiches with his jokes, with Mutiu you know where to find him..in the midst of the talakwas.

Baba Keshi was the boss,the aura around him was unbelievable,i doubt if anyone would ever wield such in the national team again. I was reading Ajibade's story how he used to leave the room for Keshi just because he was too intimidated to be in the same room. It was only when Keshi called him and told him to stop behaving like that he could muster the courage.

Eguavoen was a perfect gentleman, forget his hardman image on the field. If Ikpeba cut the image of a bini guy from Akpakpava area,Egu cuts the image of the bini man from the GRA.

NB : Experience of a locally based Nigeria player invited to Super Eagles

Austrialia's 20 Year Plan for Football ....

2016-08-11T03:06:00.000-07:00

The Whole of Football Plan (WOFP) setting out a 20-year vision for Australian Football was unveiled today after an unprecedented consultation with the Australian Football community and major stakeholders.

More than 20,000 people joined an online survey, hundreds attended 13 community forums and the game’s leaders and key commercial partners provided individual feedback.
Speaking at WOFP launch in Sydney, Football Federation Australia Chairman Frank Lowy AC acclaimed the unity of purpose behind the plan.

“Ten years ago at the outset of Football’s new beginning, publishing a Whole of Football Plan for the decades ahead would have appeared premature and overly optimistic,” said Lowy. “We first had to rebuild the foundations and restore credibility to our game.
“Today, much hard work has brought us to the point where we have the unity and sense of destiny that means the time is right to think big. There are millions whose lives are enriched by Football and we owe it to them to fulfil the game’s great promise.”

FFA CEO David Gallop said the WOFP would provide the landmarks towards the strategic objective of becoming the largest and most popular sport in Australia.

“Football is on a mission to become the largest and most popular sport in Australia,” said Gallop. “It’s a bold idea, but now is the time for the Australian Football community to bring it to life.
“The Whole of Football Plan gives everyone in Football a long-term view of what the game needs to do in order to fulfil its potential and reach its destiny.”

The key long-term projections of the WOFP include;

A 15 million strong Football community by 2035, including 1 million club members .

A distinctive Australian style of playing that puts our National Teams in contention for all FIFA and AFC championships (Playing Philosophy)

Hosting the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup as the driver of women’s Football participation and professionalism

National competitions that attract 75% of participants to support a Top Tier club

A combined pool of 3,000 elite male and female players from 12 to 19 vying for future national selection and professional contracts

Academies that provide world-class coaching so that no Australian youth needs to go overseas to find elite development

A redistribution of resources to community Football

Lower cost and higher quality coach education from the grassroots to professional tier.

Making schools and social Football the focus of an “Anytime, Anyhow, Anywhere” approach to playing the game

Sourcing Football facilities that accommodate the increasing urban density of Australian society

Redefining the role of referees as game facilitators, not just as arbitrators of the Laws of the

Gallop also made the point that in developing this plan, Football has made a decision not to be limited by the game’s resources in 2015. “We have a firm conviction that Football’s best years are ahead of us,” said Gallop. “We know that growth will inevitably bring greater revenues and new incomes streams, enough to fund the future.”

For further details please click on the link below:

http://www.footballaustralia.com.au/article/whole-of-football-plan-sets-out-20-year-vision/1euomwe7dsd6919gb3pxxaxn2m

Social Proprietors or Investors For Our Football Clubs?

2016-07-15T07:06:00.001-07:00

There are outcry for private ownership of football clubs in Nigeria. The reasons for these are justifiable when you take into account that 95% of the clubs are state-owned with the exception of MFM FC, Ikorodu United, Ifeanyi Ubah United and Giwa FC - Expelled from the League)
There have been long-standing issues with state ownership, one of them being welfare challenges - especially of the players and coaches. Majority of the clubs depends on the state government for their funding, and if you are conversant with the trend within Nigeria's state of the economy, you will realise that the state governments are struggling to pay the wages of civil servant .Therefore the players and coaches salaries are probably the least on their minds.

For the average Nigerian League follower, the ideal is for the majority of the clubs to be privately owned for two main reasons; firstly, the private clubs have not had any history of owing their staff and secondly, the state government can focus on other pertinent issues.

Private ownership of clubs is not new to the Nigerian football clubs set up. There were two types of private ownership as identified in the 80's-90's, they are individual and corporate organisation club ownership.

For the individual ownership, we had the likes of Late Chief Moshood Abiola club - Abiola Babes, Sir Dan Osakwe - Flash Flamingoes, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu - Iwuanyanwu Nationale, Late Chief Lekan Salami - IICC Shooting Stars (Now 3SC ), Chief Teluwo Vigilante Insurance Professionals, Late Chief Doyin - Femo Scorpion,Chief Oscar Udoji - Udoji United e.t.c

The corporate organisation ownership had the likes of Leventis United, BCC Lions of Gboko, ACB, Julius Berger, First Bank, IBWA, NNB ( New Nigerian Bank of Benin ) e.t.c. However, the Corporate Organisation clubs were set up as a means of social responsibility rather than being a corporate entity on its own.

When you take a look at the cross section of the names of the former club proprietors, noticeably some of the clubs were named after the owners which leads me to the next point. The spine or the existence of the clubs is solely dependent on the owners, so the owner funds the club directly by providing money for the welfare of players. In some cases, they provide accommodation for the staffs which is a good gesture . However, as it was with the club owners above when they all pulled out the plug, the club dies straight away. The question is -in our quest for private ownership do we want social proprietors or business investors?

I think a club should not just be built around an individual rather it should be set up as a proper organisation with the required structure which I will list below:

Chief Executive Officer
Registered Office
Marketing
Media Department
Human resources

Chief Executive Officer The club owners should engage the services of a CEO with proper pedigree, track record and exposure within the corporate world. Usually, the culture among football club owners is to appoint someone who more or less manages the club rather than add some value to it. For Example, a club owner may put his wife's brother to be the General Manager of the club. As stated above a competent CEO should be employed to set the right structure and a work ethic culture within the club. The CEO should also be able to attract private investors to the club.

Registered Office A club must have a proper office setting that gives it an air of professionalism. The office should be the operational hub of the club.

Marketing This should handle all issues relating to the packaging of the club. This department should be able to source out for investors into the club.

Media Department
The club should have a functioning media department that will take care of all media related issues.

Human resources The HR department should oversee all the various aspect of employment, compliance with labour laws, employment standards, administration of employment standards, administration of employment benefits and a certain aspect of recruitment and dismissal.

The structures above are the minimum that is required to keep a football club going. I have visited 3 top division Swedish Clubs that are quite small in size and the above mentioned structures were all they had to keep the club going. When football proprietors invest in structures and systems, the club will outlive them and peradventure they decide to sell the club, it will be more commercially viable but that depends other variables.

Aliko Dangote - the Nigeria business mogul was criticised for his interest in a particular foreign club and not in a local Nigeria club. Let face it ,he is a businessman and he is looking for investment opportunities and not looking to be a social proprietor. If the Nigerian football environment is viable and enabling, he will show interest and perhaps encourage other businessmen to do likewise. The League board in Nigeria have a responsibility to create a business friendly and conducive environment.

How France Is Helping Mold MLS Academies, Coaches

2016-07-09T08:02:00.001-07:00

As 2016 shapes up to be a pivotal year in player and coaching development in the United States, Planet Fútbol dives into just what American clubs and the federation are doing in their quest to evolve as a soccer nation. This is the second of a three-part series on the subject. The first, on how audit firm Double PASS is bringing its methods to U.S. Soccer, can be read here. As Major League Soccer enters its third decade of existence, league officials continually push youth development as the next big challenge to conquer. Every franchise runs its own fully funded academy at no cost to the players, but to continue raising standards within those academies, MLS entered into a partnership with the French Football Federation in 2013.
The agreement allows MLS academy directors and coaches to complete the Elite Formation Coaching License, administered by the French federation. In 2015, the second cycle of MLS coaches began the licensing process to earn the equivalent of a UEFA Pro License for youth coaches.
“Our owners have done a remarkable job in terms of their commitment and their investment in youth development, but one of the things that we were always thinking about was, how can we connect internationally?” MLS executive vice president Todd Durbin told SI.com. “How can we make sure that what we’re doing is on par or better than our international counterparts? By going through this program, it’s really allowed us to push our coaches to really benchmark themselves against the best development systems in the world.” The MLS course resulted from a trip that Durbin took to France to get some ideas on how MLS could improve its development efforts. He met with French technical director François Blaquart in Paris, and the idea of the partnership came out of their discussions.

The first cycle of the Formation License took two years and involved 320 hours of on-field and classroom instruction spread over eight weeks, two weeks of immersion at an academy in Europe and on-field work in the coach’s home environment. The second cycle has been scaled down to a one-year period, but the intensity remains the same, with coaches alternating weeks of instruction in France and the U.S.

“That course was the single hardest educational thing I’ve done in my life,” former Seattle Sounders academy director Darren Sawatzky said. “It was harder than my college degree.”

Many coaches passed the course, including Sawatzky, but several did not.
“You had five major projects, and your final major project that you had to deliver to them—Powerpoint, Prezi, whatever it was—mine was 46 pages long with embedded video and everything you can think of,” he said. “That course is really about pushing you to the point of what you’re capable of. You’d work 16-hour days and have to stay up until 1 in the morning doing PowerPoint that you’d have to deliver the next morning.”

Instructors expect complete mastery of the principles of play, but not just so candidates can explain the differences between playing 4-4-2 and 4-3-3. Instead, coaches are trained to pass the finer points of the game onto their players, which naturally means the coach must know the game inside and out.
“The first thing is, as an educator and somebody who needs to teach kids to play football, you yourself have to be a master of these principles,” said LA Galaxy academy coach Mike Muñoz, who is currently going through the course. “If you can’t recognize any of those moments [in the game], there’s no way you can teach your kids that. First and foremost, it’s becoming a master of the game. Then the next big piece that they try to get across is how to teach it. You’re the educator, and without telling the players the answers, how do you guide them?”
Self-reflection becomes a natural part of such an intensive and all-encompassing course.

“Essentially, from the first minute, it was the ability to know yourself and this idea that you can’t really do much until you know who you are,” said current Sounders academy director Marc Nicholls, who also passed the course and now mentors three candidates. “That idea of knowing yourself was something that, obviously, you don’t expect on a coaching course.”

As such, the technical and tactical aspects of the game are only a small part of the material covered. Participants are taught to think of themselves as teachers or instructors—not coaches. Much of the terminology used in the course comes out of the classroom rather than off the soccer field.
Candidates are schooled on the difference between pedagogy, or the theory and practice of education, and andragogy, the theory and practice of education in adults specifically.

“It was about your art and the delivery of your message,” Sawatzky said. “It’s maximizing the potential of a child. You don’t talk to an 11-year-old the way you talk to an 18-year-old, and the way you talk to an 11-year-old is now going to dictate whether they can bring information in for themselves.”

In France, every head of a professional academy must hold an Elite Formation Coaching License. In April 2015, U.S. Soccer launched its first Academy Director License course after a pilot the previous year, but directors are not required to hold the license at this point. Both are comprehensive courses that cover every aspect of running an academy, but the French course has years of trial and error to its benefit.

“The idea is just to take over all the sporting issues of the academies of the MLS clubs,” French federation deputy director general Victoriano Melero said. “So I think the idea behind all this is to improve the training of young American players and, at the end, it will benefit of course the MLS but in particular, the national selection.”
Not that the first run of the French federation license with MLS coaches went perfectly. Translation of the material was notably difficult, eventually requiring FIFA translators who would be familiar with soccer terminology but also able to translate in real time, through the use of headsets like at the United Nations or a World Cup press conference.
Current candidates will convene again stateside in early spring, following their first week of instruction at France’s national training center, Clairefontaine, in September 2015 and a second week in Philadelphia two months later. Since then, candidates have also gone through their immersion experiences in Europe.

In the first cycle of the course, Sawatzky visited Athletic Club Bilbao, where he ate breakfast with then-manager Marcelo Bielsa two mornings at his hotel, and Sporting Clube de Portugal.

“The reason I went to Bilbao and I was so excited about it was they only take players from the Basque region,” Sawatzky said. “You cannot have foreign players, which means if you don’t do a good job of development, you’re screwed.”
Nicholls visited Real Sociedad and Lyon, and Muñoz has been to Villarreal so far in the current cycle.

“I had complete access to the sessions, to staff meetings, to anything that you could imagine,” Muñoz said. “They were very friendly, very welcoming. No secrets, and it was good to see because their types of players are pretty similar to the types of players that we have in L.A., in Southern California. A lot of the exercises and sessions that they do were similar as well, and it was good to also kind of assess the talent based on the age groups compared to where we’re at.”
The next step is connecting the material from the Formation course to the coaches’ everyday work at home. As part of the first cycle of the partnership, MLS academies were encouraged to create or modify their current curriculum with the information they gleaned from the course.
French instructors were quick to praise the mentality of American players. Their motivation in training and willingness to listen to the coach—which Nicholls, an Englishman, also noted as a unique aspect of the U.S.’s general reverence for coaches—could be a strong base upon which to build better players.

“I don’t want to lose the American mentality. … We win all the time when we shouldn’t,” Sawatzky said. “Why would you want to train that out of kids? Keep that. You can still deliver the message and put an environment together where they can learn, but also learn to be winners.”
At the same time, Muñoz said his discussions with colleagues on the course since they began last fall have shown a shift in the training culture of MLS academies. As with the focus of the course, the changes are less explicit on game day and more obvious in the way coaches teach their players.

“They have structured their week-to-week, their month-to-month, based off of these principles,” Muñoz said. “For example, Week 1 and Week 2, we’re working on possession for progression. So within that principle, they break down Monday through Thursday or Monday through Friday, different topics within that principle. So I would say [it’s] less about the games, more about the actual week-to-week and what goes into that.”

MLS also hired Frédéric Lipka, former Racing Club de France and Le Havre academy director, to serve as a liaison between the league and the French federation. His job description also includes guiding candidates as they attempt to finish their license and integrate it with their academy curriculum.
A handful of coaches who passed the course during the first cycle, including Nicholls, also returned to mentor the current group of candidates. Nicholls joined the new crop for one week of the course to deliver training sessions, and he speaks frequently with his three mentees as they progress toward their own licenses.

“Part of the course is in between sessions, the coaches have to complete 10 to 15 training blocks, so it’s looking over that with them, speaking to them about their training,” Nicholls said. “Sometimes, they’ll send video of their training. Helping them with the methodology, discussing ideas and then the other parts of their work, helping with that, in terms of other projects that they have to do for the course. Also, sometimes it’s just a case of just being a friendly voice and running ideas and them asking for clarity and discussing our experience.”

For the French federation, having a coach hired by MLS is one benefit that goes the other way in the partnership. Melero said the federation has enjoyed exchanging ideas with MLS and learning about the structure of the league.

The federation has also begun a program to place former French academy players at American colleges if they don’t sign professional contracts.

“It’s a real opportunity to go further in the U.S. soccer market and develop training programs not only dedicated to the MLS clubs but also to the university level,” Melero said. “So that will be our next challenge, and this is also of course an opportunity for us to have French people that are working for MLS clubs.”
In other words, the benefit of globalization and exchange of ideas that Durbin highlighted can go both directions. While the French federation gains a new perspective on the game, MLS and American soccer in general can learn how to build players of global quality from the youngest ages to push onto the first-team level.

“I think the take-on from it, one of the biggest, was that we can all change for the better in spite of this sort of machine that we’ve created here with tournaments and pay-to-play,” Nicholls said. “It can change, and I think it’s gradually starting to, so from a long-term perspective, it’s not just about this lovely certificate.It’s something that we can genuinely influence the game.”

Moving forward, MLS academies have to focus on finding the best players at younger ages and building them into professionals, while not losing sight of the community focus that many of the league’s franchises have taken on board.
In Seattle, for example, the Sounders want to bring players like DeAndre Yedlin and Jordan Morris through their academy from the newly created Under-12 age group through U-18 and to the first team, rather than taking them when they have almost aged out.
“We’ve identified players and taken them for a year or two, exposed them and helped them, but truly develop them?” Nicholls said. “That has to be our goal.”

Curled from Sport Illustrate

http://www.si.com/planet-futbol/2016/02/09/mls-academies-french-football-federation-coaching-development

What Exactly Do You Want Nigeria... Lagaback Phenomenon

2016-07-02T13:48:00.002-07:00

Iceland has taken the football world by storm with their Cinderella experience at the current Euro 2016. The question that could be on everyone lips would be; Did the Viking nation get to this stage accidentally? Was it a fluke? We could ask or speculate on the reason behind Iceland current success but they are actually in the quarter-final at the expense of England. I will give a brief information to illustrate that their performance isn't coincidental or by luck. Before the fall of the Icelandic bank, they had invested in training coaches who trains young talents, they made the best of their adverse weather situation and built indoors stadiums and it is yielding dividends now.

Lagaback in the Nigeria's Colours

I will not dwell much on the developmental aspect of Iceland football but focus on the man that has led Iceland to their most iconic experience ever - He is Lars Lagarback. I need to highlight here that I am not an advocate for a foreign manager far from it, but I just want to highlight what Nigeria might have missed. I have followed Lagaback since his days as a joint manager along side Tommy Soderberg - they were both in charge of Sweden at the time. Lars Lagarback is not your typical tactical genius but he is very organised, methodical and conservative in approach. He also spends a huge amount of time studying his opponents. A case in point that comes to mind was in 2002 after knowing who their World Cup opponents were, he sent scouts to watch Nigeria. They followed all our friendly games, I remember our own legendary Pa Adegboye Onigbinde stating he does not need to scout opponents, that he will just focus on Nigeria playing their game. When Nigeria eventually played Sweden, they won the game by 2-1.
He took over the helms of affairs in 2011 following his short sting with the Nigerian Super Eagles
(Will come back that later?). Largaback has built the Icelandic to become a formidable unit and the succession in their progress is apparent for all to see. He got Iceland to the play off of the World Cup Qualifiers and they were just 2 legs away from Brazil 2014 World Cup, they lost both games to Croatia. Fast-forward two years later he got Iceland to Euro 2016 brushing aside teams like Netherlands home and away, drew with Portugal, Hungary before eventually defeating Austria But the biggest shock was yet to come as they surprised England in the round of 16 with a 2-1 victory. This has earned them a well deserved quarter-final against the host team France. According to reports from Johan Sigurdsson Iceland official reporter the sales figure for Iceland shirt are 1800% higher than anticipated,sold out around the world -this what success can bring you With long term planning success is always inevitable

Now back to Nigeria, I stated all the above to paint a picture of frugal approach to long-term planning. Lagaback was employed close to 5 months before the World Cup, this was following the dismissal of Late Amodu Shaibu. To put in context Amodu had led Nigeria through out the World Cup Qualifiers. Generally, in my own opinion, he did not inspire confidence and the performance of Nigeria at African Cup of Nations 2010 hosted by Angola did not do enough to support his cause. Anyway he was sacked and replaced by the Swedish coach - some Nigeria football observers felt Amodu should have been allowed to continue what he started moreover he earned that right after securing qualification.

The Media felt the money paid for Lagaback was just to much and i agree to this, Lagaback was said to have impressed the NFF board with his power point presentation. Unfortunately Nigeria had a lacklustre performance in South Africa. We lost to Argentina and Greece before securing a score draw against South Korea. Lars Lagaback decline in signing an extension to his deal subsequently he moved on. Lagaback was called all sorts of names from Lagabeer , Lagafront, Lagafraud ,the reality was he did not know his players well to get a good result. Now this the lesson particularly in the wake of Iceland performance, We need to decide weather we want success that is built on long term planning or quick fixes that will get us nowhere.

Our fan and media alike want instant success but we need to decide if we really want success, then we must be ready to invest time and rid ourselves of the instant gratification syndrome.Nigeria could have been where Iceland is today.

The Amodu Shaibu I Know - Former BCC Lions Player

2016-06-27T03:23:00.002-07:00

By A Former BCC Lions of Gboko Player.

I was tired, very tired, this was as a result of the flurry of activities that had taken place in the last 24 hrs. Here was I, it was Christmas season and I was several hundred kilometres away from home, far away in Gboko. I left home in Ilorin on the night of the 26th after coach Kafaru Alabi had turned up at my family residence to inform me that he wanted to take me down to Gboko to sign for BCC. The journey saw us both depart Ilorin in the midnight of the 26th en-route to Kaduna with the aim of signing Ayo Ogunlana, then onto Jos to sign Tunde Adedara, it was the early morning of the 28th that we got to Gboko. By then I was already homesick. I was told by Kafaru that I might be able to return to Ilorin that day as soon as I get the papers sorted were out at the club house.

By 11am, I had signed all the necessary forms and papers, I just wanted to get to the park and hop on a bus back to Ilorin to continue my Christmas celebrations.
Just one more thing Kafaru said, he would like to introduce me to the Head coach of the team, as he would be heading off to Brasil for three months, it would be nice for him to see me. I had no choice and so off to his house we went, he was living in the GRA Gboko at the time. By the time we got to his house he was not in, so we had to wait, so I slumped my 6ft 3inches frame onto his sofa, I was spent, and I was feeling frustrated as it was beginning to dawn on me that I won't be able to return to Ilorin that day. Then around 12 noon, he walked in , he was dressed in jeans and simple short sleeve shirt. One thing that caught my attention was that he was very young, I mean very young. He took one look at me and said:
"This one that is sitting lazily so, Kafaru are you sure this one is strong enough to be a defender".

Kafaru then proceeded to explain to him that I was tired and that I was in a haste to return to Ilorin. The next thing the head coach said was ‘ You better tell him he is not going anywhere today. If he is going to play for us , then he must be prepared to spend at least a night in the town’. I felt crushed, but I was sensible enough to understand where he was coming from and what he meant. So he told Kafaru to take me to my hotel, he talked a bit. He asked me if I played against BCC when they played against Shooting in Ibadan, I told him yes, he said he could only remember there was a defender who gave them a bit of hassle. I did not say anything there was no need to say anything, I always love to do my talking on the field. He wished me well and told me that I won't be seeing him until he returns from Brasil and that I should do everything possible to settle down and enjoy my stay in Gboko. That was my first meeting with the man called Amodu Shuaibu.

He had just won the 1989 FA cup with the BCC Lions of Gboko, a feat that was deemed unique up in the North since it was the first time after 32 years that a team from that part of the country did. This feat was unique on many levels, while politically it had its significance, perhaps what was also unique about it, was the way and manner it was done. Shuaibu was serving as James Peters assistant, he was a nobody at the time really. He had played for a club called Dumez and then Niger Tornadoes, he was in the team that lost to Stationary Stores in the 1980/81- not sure exactly which of these years. It was a rout , it was expected anyway. He was a defender but his career was cut short by a knee injury. Yes, the same knee he went to South Africa to have surgery on.
He had served as an assistant under Alabi Assien when he coached Nasco Jets, and when Alabi was sacked it was said that he had a contract in place which stipulated that the assistant must also be sacked. Let me digress here, it was not unusual this sort of contract, it was one of the ways the head coach ensures that his ambitious assistants do not get too smart and diabolical. It was said that he was jobless in Jos when James Peters went for him, more as doing him a favour. It was said that James Peters undermined him in many ways, even publicly. It was so bad that a number of the players had no respect for him, he was quiet and kept his place. Over time, James Peters got himself into a number of controversial situations with the players, and results were not forthcoming. There were tales of underhand dealings which soon got to the ears of the management. Peters was sacked towards the tail end of the season when it was obvious that the team was out of contention as far as the league was concerned. Although the team was still in the FA cup, the management was not really bothered, the performances had been bad and as such they were not expecting to win it. So they handed the baton to Shuaibu as a caretaker, to see the team to the end of the season when the management would be able to sign another coach. This caretaker went on to win the FA cup and that was the beginning of his journey to the top.

By the time he returned back from Brasil, I had settled into the team, it was 1990, the year Nigerian football league officially went professional. The league that year was delayed, normally the league in Nigeria starts in February and finishes around mid-November. However, because a number of the clubs were struggling to meet up with the requirements to qualify them as professional sides, the kick-off was delayed to allow the teams to accommodate the clubs. As a result of winning the FA cup, BCC had qualified to represent the nation in the 1990 edition of the African Winners Cup competition. It was the year Mandela was released from prison and in his honour, the cup was renamed Mandela cup.

The first match he took charge was a tournament we were invited to in Gambia, it was part of their independence anniversary, the Nigerian national team was invited to take part in the tournament that was to feature two other teams Gambia and Equatorial Guinea. NFA decided that BCC should use the opportunity to have a feel of playing in the preseason tournament. Amodu met up with us in Lagos on the way to Gambia, he did not say much to us before the first match, it was his assistant then Kafaru Alabi who had been in charge while he was away who presided over the first match. I featured in the match and I did my bit, trying extra hard to impress the gaffer. I succeeded in doing that, I am pointing this out because of what happened the next morning when we came out for training, I was already out doing extra - the routine I developed from my time with Shooting Stars FC.
I would normally put in an extra 30 – 45 mins of running before the normal training starts. By the time he came out he saw me running round the track, so he called me aside, he commended me for the game and proceeded to point out one or two flaws that I needed to work on. He then grabbed a ball and he would throw the ball saying he wanted to see how good I was with heading the ball.

Now my greatest asset was heading the ball, I thought I was good in the air, but my short stint with Alabi Assien in NNB made me even deadlier, as Alabi would teach us how to truly head the ball. Listen if you head the ball and you don’t hear a thud..forget it, that was a poor header. I played alongside Sunny Eboigbe and there was an instance when I saw a true header of the ball in action. The ball was in the air, I wanted to go for it, then I heard a voice ‘leave am’..it was a good thing I did, I heard a whooshing sound followed by sickening thud as his head connected with the ball...Jesus the ball went flying. I looked at him and decided that is the way I must head the ball from now on. So I was ready, when he threw the ball I attacked it viciously and the ball came back so hard at him he could not hold it. He looked at me in a funny way, then he threw the ball again and I repeated it . Then he called one of the defenders in the team Felix Pilakya, he threw the ball….. let us just move on. Felix was taller than I am, but he was hopeless in the air. Amodu said …"finally, I have found someone that is good in the air in my defence", it was a comment which meant a lot to me as a player, it meant one thing, I have caught the attention of the gaffer.

While my relationship with him the first time around was simply that of a coach and player, this time around it was more, I had now become the captain of the team. Things did not start smoothly when he resumed back with us for the 1993 season. The team struggled and I could not help but overhear him complain and wonder what had happened to the team he left behind. A number of the players he relied upon had lost form, the likes of Amir, Alum Aule and Aham Nwankwo had lost form. We had lost Moses to injury while some of the players had left because of the poor season we had under Baraje. Those who left felt the team had lost its way and glory as a result left at the end of '92 season. Toyin Ayinla, Samuel Elijah had left for Concorde FC Abeokuta, Ben"Surugede" Ugwu returned to Enugu Rangers with Affiomah Sylvester in tow and Fuludu Edema had left for Julius Berger when Amodu left for El-Kanemi. Simply put, the team was adrift when Amodu came back.

I saw a man who was shaken as a result of what was happening and even appear to have doubts about himself and possibly the decision to return. I saw him loose his cool and would give out to the players perhaps out of frustration. I also saw something else, he probably felt he was going to fail or maybe we were going to let him down. When I could no longer take it, I decided to act, I remember it was one Saturday morning we had a home game, he had given out to the team telling the team we had all become complacent. I knew it was time to speak out, so I went to his house early in the morning, he was not at home. But when he was told that I came calling, he drove down to see me. I asked him a question:
"Coach why are you acting this way, do you no longer believe in yourself. Listen we still believe in you, remember we are the ones who fought and wanted you back. I told coach to please take this as an advice from his captain, you can be sure of one thing we are still 100 percent behind you".
Knowing Amodu, he simply took it on the chin, now whether it meant anything to him or not I would not know, but he was more relaxed thereafter. From then on we would speak more about the team, he would ask me what was going on with the team. He managed to turn that season around and we ended the season lifting the FA cup after defeating Plateau United FC.

Now let me say something about Amodu as a person, he was an Edo man from Auchi, and the in your face type, direct and blunt. He was very intelligent, eloquent with the ability to convey his messages across. He speaks 5 Nigerian languages, Yoruba, his native dialect Ishan, Hausa, some Igbo and Nupe. Apart from the Igbo language, he was fluent in all of the others including the English language. He does not play around with words, he would drop it as it is. If he is wrong he would apologise, he would challenge you openly and he would expect you to voice it out if you have an opinion and he would not harbour a grudge with you. He treated players as matured individuals, you are free to express your mind with him. I have seen him argue and disagree with players but he would still play the same player on merit. If you don’t know him well, you would take offence by his bluntness, BCC camp was one of the most liberal and lively camp you could come into. After the games, we are allowed to let down our hair and party down, but he would remind us that listen no excuses when training resumes on Monday. We worked hard and when it was time for fun, we really knew how to let down our hair. As a coach, he had the habit of just showing up at your house, not to monitor you but as a way of developing a rapport. He does not go overboard in trying to pally with us, he was disciplined enough to keep his distance. At the same he would pick the right time to play or throw banter with the players, he maintained a respectable balance.

When welcoming new players into the club, one of the warnings he would issue is that, the last thing he wants to hear is players fighting over any girl. He would say I would sack you if you fight over any girl, he would proceed to educate the new players on how the girls in the town roll with the players. He was not married at the time, so he would say you might even end up with the girl I am going out with. He would remind the players by saying "you came here to play football, that is what you should concentrate on". He would deliver the message raw, I cannot use the words today…but back then many new players tend to fall victim of the antics of certain group of girls in the town whose hobby was scoring with the new players, we call these girls "The Gboko 11". That is a story for another day.

Talking about being direct, I remember a couple of incidents when I clashed with him. The first was the 93 season, our feeding allowance while on the road was due for review, as the captain the boys had raised this with me, so I walked over to Amodu and presented my case. He gave it to me because we were struggling to get things right at the time..’Instead of telling your boys to play better you are asking me to increase your allowance..stupid captain’. Now this was right in front of the players….I cannot allow that to go unchallenged. I turned to him and said ‘You are free to refuse my request if you have to , but I resent being called stupid’. My reaction caught him off guard because he always saw me as a quiet person, he tried to turn into banter, I ignored it. I knew he was joking, but I needed to make a point in front of the players the last thing I needed was to lose their respect. He apologised right there, but he insisted that I tell the players they must improve. The next morning on our way to Lagos the allowance had been increased, everyone was happy. We played a monster of a game against Stores at Onikan stadium.

Another incident I recollect vividly was his clash with Abdul Sule who was recruited from Stores in the '94 season. Sule was a pacy and power house of a striker, but with limited skills. Sule was strong, strong like an ox. Think of Andy Carol of Westham, but with pace. It was our last training before travelling to play Rangers at Enugu, Sule was struggling, misplacing his passes and making wrong calls. Amodu pointed this out to him while stressing that he should do the simple things instead. Sule took offence, it was a serious argument, so Amodu yanked him off the first team and threw him into the second. We were surprised at the end of the training when Sule was listed among those that would travel. Even more surprising was seeing him on the starting line up..Sule responded by scoring two goals that gave us the 3 points in Enugu. The thing is this, Amodu appreciated players with strong opinion especially the ones who are able to respond to him while not feeling intimidated.

I remember seeing him harass a newly recruited player who was always dressing shabbily, he told him "hey my friend in this club we look sharp, I don’t like players who look shabby, this is a big club and you must look the part". Of course he meant well, he was from a humble beginning himself, he simply believed that players need to have self-dignity and not accept that situation where they were made to feel like drop outs and ruffians. In addition, he changed the way coaches appear on the sideline, he set the trend for coaches dress codes, always appearing on the sideline in trendy suits. He would sit on the bench looking like a young executive, there was a guy Barry we call him, he was his clothier, that guy must have made tonnes of money from Amodu.
As earlier stated, Amodu had a way with us players, one minute you are tempted to say he is aloof, I think this had to do with his young age, some of the players were probably even his age mates if not older, so he had to find some kind of balance to keep contempt away. When he was appointed the Super Eagles Manager in 1994, he was the youngest manager ever, he was 38 at the time. But I remember him introducing himself to the team as 40 years old in his first address to the team. However, he later explained to me that the last thing he wanted was players feeling he was too young to be the coach.

There was something else that I found interesting about him, it was his generosity, he had something akin to I don’t care attitude to money. Truth be told money meant nothing to him. I have lost count of the many occasions he would empty his wallet to people. I remember Kadiri Ikhana complained to me one day saying that someone needs to have a talk with him about the need to look after his money else he would end up broke. He said he had seen him collect his match bonus and he would proceed to hand it out to fans or anyone who shows up in need of money. Amodu had a guy who was like his PA at the time, we call him Ashim, the guy handled all of his finances. He holds onto his cheque book.

There were two incidents that left a big impression upon me with regards to Amodu. A guy showed up in Gboko when the recruitment season was almost over, they brought him to me, he was from Lagos NEPA, normally when a player showed up un-invited it was not the responsibility of the club. I took the guy to Amodu, he explained to the guy that it was too late for him to help out, suddenly he stopped when he saw how desperate the guy was, he told the guy to see him in the office the next day and promised to give him a note to another club. He told me to take the guy to the club’s guest house; he took out money from his wallet and gave to the guy. I have seen coaches simply dismiss players in such a situation; I have found myself in such a situation before.
The second was when the national team came back from the Inter-Continental tournament in Saudi Arabia, he handed his bonuses to his childhood friend, the sum was about 30k usd, he trusted the guy to go and change the money. Well the guy came back with the story he had lost the money, he said that he ran into ***** people or something like that. People pressured Amodu to take action, one of his friend who was a military guy even volunteered to deal with the guy. Amodu flatly refused, he told people it was only money, he said it was God who gave and if it pleases God that the money should be taken off him that would be it. Fast forward a decade or so later, the guy who I happen to know very well, had become big in Nigerian football circle, he is the owner of a thriving company and the one promoting the Super Eagles some years back. The guy would later become one of his major backers, when he got the job the last time, it was the same guy who fought tooth and nail for him. When I called him to congratulate him, he told me how God used the guy to help him land the job.

Amodu was religious and he does not joke with his religion. He was a Muslim, a devout one I would say. He would observe all the Muslim rites and I can remember him going on hajji to Mecca when the Super Eagles went to Saudi Arabia. But more interesting was his openness, he had a small bible, the Gideon’s bible that he carried around and I have spotted him on a number of occasions before a match reading the book of Psalms. He practised his faith true to form. When I joined BCC, one of the stories that used to make rounds with the team was the way he was shabbily treated by James Peters who was his head coach at the time. It was reported that there was a particular match, the team was playing badly, so at half time Peters was very angry and refused to talk to the team. When Amodu tried to talk to some of the boys, not any capacity to undermine Peters, but nonetheless it interpreted as such. It was said that Peters shouted him down and humiliated him in the dressing room. It was therefore interesting when in 1990 we were going to play in Maputo and Iwuayawun the nation’s representative in the Champion’s league had a match to honour in Zambia. The NFA in order to cut cost, chartered the Nigerian Airforce transport/cargo plane the Hercules to ferry the two teams. We (BCC players) were curious how Amodu was going to react to James Peters. Would he ignore him, especially now that he can afford to do that, having accomplished what Peters failed to do with BCC? We were surprised to see him walk over to Peters, he hailed him as boss, Peters was shocked. They both sat down together for the duration of the 8 hrs flight to Zambia..we were stunned. They shared a bottle of wine, talked and joked all through the journey, for me it was a lesson in forgiveness and humility.

When in 1994 he was appointed the manager of Super Eagles after the departure of Westerhoff, it was with mixed feeling that we received the news, we were happy for him alright, but at the same time, we did not want to lose him. Those of us who had seen the effect his leaving had on the team when he left for El – kanemi were apprehensive. Personally, I was not happy that he was leaving, I had become very close and used to him and playing under him had been very rewarding. We were doing well and the team was stable with him around, his leaving was only going to unsettle things and rightly so. I remember the management of the team telling us that he was going to be handling both teams, especially since BCC would be playing in the champions cup the next season. Truth be told, I simply cannot see another coach who can make me enjoy playing football like he did. True to form, we suffered the next season, and that was the situation until I left the team and the game. The team was relegated after the 1996 season, but luckily it was waived, for whatever reason NFA decided to increase the number of clubs in the Premier division, so no team was relegated.

At the time when he was appointed the Super Eagles coach, he was arguably the most successful coach in the land, even amongst the coaches, he was held in high regards. He had an intimidating record at the time. 3 FA cup wins with two different teams, just won the league the year he was appointed, doing a double. He had won the Mandela cup, losing it the second year only in the final, his profile was at an all time high. In 1994 when the noise to go with an indigenous coach was at fever pitch high, he was the obvious choice, and none came close.
His first tenure as the Super Eagles coach was a tumultuous one, although he was eking out results, many were not really happy. His first match was against England at Wembley, a friendly, the team lost 1-0. The next was the Inter-Continental Championship at Riyadh, for a team that was hurriedly put together and with most of the players shuttling between club and national engagements, we did not really do badly coming third or so I think. It was the qualifier for the 1998 WC that really brought him at logger heads with then Sports Minister Jim Nwobodo who was very critical of him while calling for the hire of a foreign coach. While Amodu kept his cool, his wife however did not waste time in coming to his defence, while also suggesting that perhaps the nation should outsource the position of the sports minister to a foreigner as well. He did not complete the 1998 qualifier as he was replaced by the French man Phillip Trousier, the famed White witch doctor.

He returned to the team in 2000 as Bonfere Jo’s assistant for the ANC 80 jointly hosted by Nigeria and Ghana. He was with the team during the 2002 WC qualifiers and after a disastrous campaign that left the nation's hopes at making it to the WC finals in tatters, Bonfere Jo got sacked and Amodu was asked to manage the rest of the campaign. The chances of qualification was bleak at the time, the nation needed to win all of its remaining matches including an away match in Sudan. Many had given up hope, even those who employed him, and even his own players. Amodu waved his magic wand and got the nation the much sought ticket, it was a miracle. He was hailed a messiah, but all of this was soon forgotten as he had to lead the team to the ANC 2002 in Mali, once again the expectation was unreasonably high in the midst of shoddy preparations. The team got to the semi-finals losing to the Senegal who went on to play in the quarter finals of the WC. Amodu was relieved of his job even though the team returned home with a bronze. He was denied the opportunity of taking the team to the WC.

He returned to the local scene, took over the helm of affairs at Sharks FC Port Harcourt, at the time he did, the team was already heading towards relegation. He promised he would get them back the next season, but meanwhile there was the unfinished business of the FA cup, he took the team to the FA cup final that year. True to his words, he brought Sharks back to the Premiership division the next season.

In 2008, he was recalled again to the Super Eagles, once again he qualified the team for the 2010 WC as well as the ANC with hundred percent record. It was as if history was repeating itself again, he came third at the ANC 2010, once again he was relieved of his post, once again denied the joy of seeing his dream of leading the team to the WC realised, a dream he had toiled for and laboured hard for. One cannot tell how hard it must have been for him or what toil the disappointment must have had on his state of mind and body, but he showed resilience through it all. He suffered in silence, twice he labored in hostile situation, in hopeless conditions and with promises not kept, yet meeting every target set before him, only to be denied by the powers that be. If he was not affected by these wicked decisions then he could not have been a mortal like the rest of us.

While he was not appreciated at home, his accomplishments were recognised both at FIFA and CAF where he had been serving as one of the technical instructors and trainers. As at the time of his passing away, he was the Technical Director of the NFF.
On a personal level Amodu remains a hero to me for many reasons. To start with, it was under him that every dream I had about the game of football was realised. The laurels and the call to the national team. There are coaches and there are coaches, Amodu is the only coach I would play for with all my life. The respect he had for me was mutual, he had seen me virtually lay it all down for him and the team. I remember in 1994, we had gathered momentum towards winning the league, we played a match against ACB in Gboko, I sustained a gash just above by eyebrows, it required about 4/5 stiches. We were to travel to Benin the for a mid-week encounter the next week, by Monday evening I was out in training with the team. When Amodu came in he called me aside, and told me to take a rest. I wanted to protest, he shut me down, I would not have you kill yourself he told me. Go home and rest you are not travelling with the team he told me.

There was another instance, we were to travel to Bourkina Fasso for continental engagement, our last match in the league was against ACB again, this time in Lagos, I was elbowed in the face and once again I sustained a cut on my face. It was Amodu’s voice I heard in the background instructing the medical team to take me out, even though I wanted to complete the match. When my father died in 1994, the FA cup zonal competition was about to start, when I told him about this, he dropped me from the team and told me to go and bury my dad. Since the team had to proceed onto the competition, he approved money for me to give my father a befitting burial. I told him I did not want the team to know, I did not want any distraction it was when the team got to Bauchi that they found out why I was missing. And during my wedding, he was there for me as coach and a big brother. He instructed the club to give me everything and anything I needed.

Listen as far as I was concerned, he was a general, a good general, the kind of general soldiers would be proud to follow into battle. I would follow Coach Amodu into any battle, because I have the ultimate confidence in his ability. I played under him for four seasons, and all the seasons I had medals and laurels to show for my efforts. Many do not understand why I am so devoted to him, Amodu was a blessing, I come from the old school where loyalty and gratitude counts. He helped me to fulfil my potentials and to realise my dreams, I don’t care what anyone thinks of me, this is one man that I would cherish until I go to my grave. I am not the only one who feel this way about him, a number of my former colleagues were all united in mourning him.
For me the most painful thing about his passing is that, I saw him last in 1996, I was already injured and I knew I was in trouble with the injury. The team was struggling and as the captain I was sidelined and there was nothing I could do. I was in pain, weeping inside daily seeing the team disintegrate around me. The management asked for his help, so he came down to Gboko with the aim of helping to recruit and restructure the team. When he saw my condition, he was not happy, I told him my fears about my career that looked like it has come to an end. I still remember what he told me…"Wait for me when I next I come to Gboko we will sit down and see how we can rehabilitate you". But I had other plans, I’d had enough of football at the time, especially the way it was being managed. I did not wait for him, I was gone by the time he came calling.

When he was in South Africa and I was in London, I called him, just to wish him well. In 2008 when he was re-appointed the Super Eagles Manager I called him to congratulate him. And every time I visited Nigeria, I would call him, he would either be in a meeting or out of the country. The last time that I was in Nigeria in 2014, for two weeks I kept calling his line, one stupid fella who claimed to be his PA kept answering his phone. It was at the height of the Keshi brouhaha, when NFF sacked him and brought in Amodu as the caretaker. I was so disappointed that I could not see him and even angry that he did not get back. It was last year when Pinnick brought some coaches down to London, my buddy Fuludu Edema was one of the coaches and Amodu was in the entourage. I called Fuludu to chat with him, in the course of the discussion, I told him what happened with futile attempt to reach Amodu when I went to Nigeria. I was surprised the next day when Amodu called, he apologised, he told me the so called PA never told him anything about me calling. He felt really bad about it all. My dream was to see him one day, just to sit with him and reminiscent on old times, this time as a former player with his coach. To appreciate him and to savor the moment that the rules and tension of the game never allow a player and his coach to share together. I have the plans to visit Nigeria next year, this was top on my priority….as I woke up on Saturday to hear his passing, this dream was shattered..alas I would never see Amodu again.

I have been bleeding inside since last Saturday, the last time I shed a tear was when a close aunt of mine died in 2009, I tried to man this one up, but I broke down in the lectures I was attending in Belfast and I had to return home. It is still hard for me to believe that he is gone, at 58, there is no rule about the age of dying, but one thing we cannot debate is, 58 is too young…way too young. Deep down I nursed the conviction that he would take Nigeria to the WC one day and only then would the script about his ordeal would be completed. I nursed the belief that his travails had every mark of great script and story that would teach us all a lesson..alas the evil men had their way. But one thing they cannot take away from you Amodu…your legacy lives on in the lives of the people whom you touched and assisted to fulfil their potentials.
Adieu my Chief Coach, I will miss you but I will forever cherish you. As long as I have breathe in me I will continue to remind all of your greatness.

Honors
1989 FA Cup – BCC lions FC
1990 Mandela Cup – BCC lions FC
1991 Mandela Cup runners up – BCC lions FC
1992 FA Cup – EL-Kanemi FC
1993 FA Cup – BCC lions FC
1994 FA Cup – BCC lions FC
1994 National League – BCC lions FC
1996 Champions cup runners up – Shooting FC
2001 Qualified Nigeria for the 2002 WC – Super Eagles
2002 ANC Bronze – Super Eagles
2009 Qualified Nigeria for the 2010 WC – Super Eagles
2010 ANC Bronze – Super Eagles
The youngest manager to be appointed as the manager of the Super Eagles.
Coached the Super Eagles on 5 different occasions.

Keshi ... Life Lessons From The Legend

2016-06-17T06:32:00.002-07:00

Speechless!!! Shocking!!! Denial!!! Disbelief!!! Think of all the words in the world...those were my state of mind on seeing the news caption by Sahara Reporters that Stephen Okechukwu Keshi has passed on. I am still in a state of bewilderment, hoping that it was a summer April fool prank.
How do I begin to explain someone who lost his wife last December and in less than six months he is no longer with us. Indeed, a legend is gone! Our own Stephen Keshi is no longer with us. The most successful coach Nigeria have had and perhaps one of the most successful Nigerian football players in our generation. I have always known that he was great but what astounded me were the encomiums that flooded the social media from all over the world. Messages poured out from different strata of life - from the corporate world to media personalities, African Football Association, football ex-clubs and more.

A picture of condolences is as follows: Tancredi Palmeri (Italian Journalist), Jonathan Willson, Hon. Dogara (Speaker of the Representative, Nigeria) President Mohamadu Buhari - President of Nigeria, Professor Yemi Oshinbajo - Vice President of Nigeria, Mark Bright (Former Crystal Palace player & BBC Sports Journalist - worked with Keshi at the Cup of Nations 2004), Multichoice, MTN, BBC, The Telegraph, ESPN, Ghanian FA, Uganda FA, Tanzania FA, South Africa FA, Danny Jordan, Gianni Infantino - FIFA President, Issa Hayatou - Confederation of African Football president, Tony Elumelu (Executive in the Nigerian Corporate World), Zambian legend Kalusha Bwalya, Phillippe Auclair -( England's Contributor to France Football), Aisha Buhari - Wife of the Nigeria's president, Guarantee Trust Bank, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, TalkSport UK,Samuel Eto, Didier Drogba,Fredi Kanoute, Anderlecht Football club Belgium, Strasbourg France and the list is endless.
When you consider the list above, you can only conclude that he is such an iconic figure. The Ghanaian Football Association had their flag hoisted at half - mast in honour of Stephen Keshi, they went further by observing a minute silence in honour of the "Big Boss" .

Keshi in action Against Sampdoria in the Club Cup Winners Cup

I have more fond memories of Keshi as a footballer than as a coach/manager. He was so confident and calm with the ball that I always looked forward to seeing him play for Nigeria. I always had this assurance that with him in the team, they appeared organised.

I remember vividly the 1988 Maroc African Cup Of Nations, he had missed the first game against Kenya - a game we won comfortably. Keshi had promised to fly directly in time for the crunchy second game against Cameroon. The game was to start at 4pm, I could remember encouraging my dad's driver to speed up so that I could get home in time to watch the game. I ran into the living room and headed straight for the TV - the game had literally started and within a minute Late Sam Okwaraji unleashed a scorcher of a shot that gave us the lead. All I was interested in was to find out if Keshi was playing, then I saw him give a back pass to Peter Rufai and I was so convinced there was no way Cameroon was winning, the game ended 1-1. Keshi flew out and promised to arrive if we get to the Finals, coincidentally we met Cameroon again and he was immense once again and he even had his effort on goal hit the crossbar. Although we lost the game but Keshi showed his dedication on this occasion again.

The are life lessons one can learn from Stephen Keshi

Leadership
His leadership traits were ever so evident, He leads on and off the field. He earned the respect of his teammates that he was called the "Big Boss". He was known to form the mafia group in the national team. He always fought for the team, confront authorities if/when necessary.

Pathfinder
Keshi opened the door for some Nigerian players in Europe. This was an era when it was pretty tough for African players to breakthrough. Before 1984 the only Nigerian professionals to feature for the country were John Chidioze and Tunji Banjo, every other Nigerian player plied their trade locally. A point of correction, Keshi was not the first home based Nigeria to play in Europe . Silvanus Okpala and Okey Isima were already playing abroad as at 1985. Keshi however led an exodus of other players to the Belgian league - The likes of Austin Eguaveon Samson, Siasia, late Osaro Obobaifo, Etim Esin followed afterwards. Belgium became the Mecca of Nigeria professional players. This was all thanks to Stephen Keshi.

Responsibility
Keshi took some huge responsibility when it matters. I remember the 1984 African Cup of Nations against Egypt, Nigeria was down by 2-0 goals and the Egyptian looked on course to win the game by 2-0, Keshi scored the penalty before Bala Ali equalised to make it 2-2. Nigeria went on to win the game via penalty. He demonstrated such feat again against Cameroon during the 1990 World Cup qualifiers, Keshi scored the winning goal to ensure the game ended 2-0 in favour of Nigeria.
Keshi was a different type of central defender. To be honest I can't think of him having the typical Central Defender trait i.e tackling, heading etc.Sometimes I often wonder he hovers around the goal area. He usually launches the offensive attack from the rear and gets involved in the build-up to a goal that after his defensive partner Sunday Eboigbe must have done the dirty job defensive. Keshi forged a solid partnership with Eboigbe which enabled him to function in the Libero (Sweeper) role . He was a superb organiser of his team both at the club and national team levels and his throws are just as good as crosses into the 18-yard box.

Making the best of situation
In the 80's Keshi ran into trouble with the football administrators and as a result, he alongside some of his teammates were banned from playing in Nigeria. He moved to Ivory Coast where his career continued to progress. Eventually, he moved to Europe where his career continued to blossom.

Giving everyone a chance
At the time Stephen Keshi took over as Super Eagles manager, we were at our lowest ebb, by this time all the Super Eagles were foreign professionals. Keshi decided to give some of the home based players a chance. This resulted in 6 home based players being selected for the South Africa - African Cup of Nation 2013. One of such players - Sunday Mba scored the crucial goals that enabled us to win the Nations Cup after .

Template for football Governance

2016-05-24T03:15:00.002-07:00

Fatma Samba Diouf Samoura

It is no longer news that Senegalese Fatma Samba Diouf Samoura have been appointed as the new Secretary General of FIFA. The president Gianni Infatino made this announcement at the FIFA congress held in Mexico. This is a positive move by the FIFA executive as they have demonstrated their intention to show transparency and enhance good governance. I was particularly thrilled with the appointment for two main reasons; firstly, She is the first African to be appointed to the lofty position. Secondly, she was appointed because of her track records with the United Nation coupled with the fact that she has no background in football. This has always been my belief that you do not have to have any background in football administration to attain such heights. This is what I will like to see happen in Nigeria, it should be more of competence rather the politics and self-interest that have bedevilled our football.

Semoura is currently the resident UN's Resident/Humanitarian Coordinator and UNDP Resident representative in Nigeria. Some qualities are worth highlighting which I believe should be the yardstick for administrators wishing to serve in any capacity. I have witnessed football Chairmen/Presidents right from Late Group Captain Tony Ikhazobor to the present president Amaju Pinnick and I can't recall any seasoned administrator. Now this is not to dismiss their efforts, I believe they did what they could but you simply can not give what you do not have. I have heard of one Mr Sunday Dankaro as being seasoned but I was a toddler when he was the NFA Chairman (1974-1980) so I cannot pass a conclusion on him.

There are certain qualities I addressed below that were highlighted about the new Secretary General, which I think should be the standard for electing/appointing football administrators.

Experience and Track Record - Infatino pointed out that Semoura is a woman with international experience and vision who has worked on some of the most challenging issues of our time. She has a proven ability to build & lead teams and she is known to improve the way organisations perform. She also has a proven track record in governance and compliance. The above statement buttresses the fact that experience is very essential and as stated, any aspiring administrator should be able to bring some to the table which will move the football industry forward.

Competence - The core competence of Semoura are strategic and high impact team building which is highly required for her new role. It just goes to show that she is prepared for the position . She is capable and can handle similar challenges in any global organisation

Capacity - In her current UN role in Nigeria, Ms Samoura has a wide range of responsibilities which includes budgeting, human resources and procurement among others. She also coordinates the activities of approximately 2,000 staff members. She monitors and evaluates the security. It is glaring that she is the right peg in the role. She has developed capacity over time and this will come in handy when managing the affairs of an organisation as large as FIFA.

Character - The FIFA president praised the new Secretary General for her integrity, and that has been a major concern in Nigeria football administrators.

In the light of the above, if we give deep thoughts to our administrators past/present ,It is difficult to ascribe the qualities above to any of them rather some of them see the attainment of positions as a means to an end.

I look forwarded to day when our football would be run by someone proven with the corporate sector and possesses the qualities highlighted above.

Repositioning Football In Nigeria

2016-05-02T13:06:00.001-07:00

It has been over a year now going on two since Amaju Pinnick led board assumed the reign of the football arena. In one of the few interviews he granted, he came across as someone who has a clear picture of where Nigerian football should be heading too. He highlighted the fact that Nigeria football needs to begin to embrace the scientific approach to the game. To this end, the NFF has sent some referees, ex-football players /coaches and FA Congressmen on some capacity building courses in the UK. I think we need to begin to change our parochial orientation and see from a wider perspective. It is not just about qualifying for international competitions alone but we have to put the basics right and then we will enjoy many more international competitions

The problems confronting the football sector are beyond the surface, there are deep-rooted issues that need to be addressed if we are able to move forward. As the good book says "if the foundation is removed what can the righteous do". This phrase clearly stresses the importance of one's foundation as the most important factor in the Christian faith.

If we are to take a cue from the phrase above, Nigeria football needs to deal with the foundational issues before we can attain any significant height in football. The Amaju Pinnick led administration would have done well in my books if their energy is channelled in this direction. Over the years, there has been this subconscious attention to international football competitions to the neglect of administrative, structural and infrastructural development. I think it is high time we organised a football conference and it should be similar to the Nigerian National conference of 2014. It should be an outlet for all football stakeholders, such as football administrators, commentators, administrators, ex-football players, fans, the private sectors (very important), the media etc where they all come together with a cocktail of ideas to help reshape Nigerian football and begin to chart a road map to sustainable football development and culture.

Football Conference

Football Conference

The conference composition should be determined by the football authorities. However, the basis for the conference should be along the following lines Developmental Institute, High Impact Coaching, Football in Schools and Academies, Developing a Football Philosophy (Nigerian Style), The National League (Men & Women). There should be a realistic timeline when we should begin to see results

Development Institute

In other, for Nigeria to evolve to the desired level, a developmental institute needs to be set up. The Football Federation President Amaju Pinnick has expressed that we need to begin to imbibe science into our football which I quite subscribe to. In addition to that, we also need to have a facility with football pitches, sports medicine, rehabilitation and human performance facility which combines up to date technology with elite medical expertise. This should serve as the training camp for all the national teams. The institute should serve as the enter for the high impact coaching (I will talk about this in more detail). The institute should also serve as perfecting the football philosophy of all the national teams and by and large the football clubs should be encouraged to incorporate this philosophy.

High Impact Coaching

Another area that needs critical attention is coaching. I know we emphasize a lot on youth development but I reckon the coaching sector too. At least the FA echelon has demonstrated some sort of support by employing Nigerian managers for the apex national team (Super Eagles) in recent times. I think we need to be deliberate about it because indigenous coaches still have a lot to learn in terms of tactics and coaching without sentiments. We can collaborate with more advanced countries and set up a proper coaching institute with the sole aim of improving and developing local coaches. It is high time we stopped thinking along the foreign coaching line.

Football In Schools and Academies

I recall growing up watching school competitions like the Manuwa Adebajo Cup, Pepsi Higher institution Cup e.t.c a lot of football talents were discovered from those platforms. But with time those competitions fizzled out. I believe if this conference is considered, they will be able to come up with deliberate ways of getting the schools involved in the football fabric. Football Academies also need to be inculcated within the football system, particularly through the football clubs.

Fine tuning a football philosophy

Nigeria as a football nation should be able to have her own identity, in other words, how do Nigeria play, what makes us unique. For example, when you talk about Brazil you think of the Samba style, Italy is known for their defence mechanism, Germany is known for organisation and power and for Spain, the Tiki Taka comes to mind. From my observation over the years, Nigeria tends to be good on flanks with a lot of space. Nigeria has always produced exceptional wingers like Segun Odegbami, Adokie Amasiamka, Finidi George, Emmanuel Amuneke, Friday Elahor, Ahmed Musa to name a few. The conference should be able to put together how to include the philosophy into the fabric of Nigeria football

Football League

The football league is the conveyor belt for Nigerian football players. A country is only as strong as its football league. The Nigerian league has witnessed some improvements. Now the fans are now coming out to watch the games. The League body has just recently signed a pact with the Spanish League, however, we need to look into the structure, infrastructure and welfare for players. The conference should be able to fashion out how to encourage private ownership of clubs, academies, financial viability and much more.

The Australia Football Federation has embarked on they have tagged "We are football" following weeks of deliberation among the stakeholders. They have set up a 20-year plan to make football the largest and the most popular sport. It will be a travesty if Australia surpassed Nigeria in the future but we should not be surprised if they become a force to reckon with in world football.

Iheanacho ...The New prodigy

2016-04-26T02:59:00.001-07:00

Kelechi Iheanacho is setting the English Premier League on fire. You can't ask for more with 8 starts in all games, 11 goals, 4 assists and 15 short on goals in his first full season with Manchester City. Kelechi Iheanacho was part of the victorious Nigeria's team that won the 2013 edition of the Under 17 World Cup in Dubai UAE. Since then, he has grown in leaps and bound in his club career.
Following the World Cup victory, there were tussles from top clubs across Europe but Manchester City eventually secured the services of the 19 years old international player. To be candid, it was not a move I favoured as the top clubs in England has shown records of impatient attitude towards young players coming through the ranks. At the time, I would have preferred he moved to a club that enhances youth development, but he moved along side Chidiebere Nwakali (currently on loan to IK Start - Norway).

Iheanacho rapidly rose and he began to show flashes of promise during the Pre-Season tour with the first team. It was at this point that he began to display some qualities to show he was ready for top flight football. It was no surprise that the Manchester City Manager Manuel Pelegrinni elevated him to the first team in the current season. He has gone to repay the faith shown in him with some crucial performances. He got his debut goal in his first substitute appearance against Crystal Palace, but the performance that has got every football commentator talking was the game against Stoke City where he scored 2 goals. He also got the Man of the match award to cap his memorable performance.

Media attention

Kelechi does not seem to be getting the media attention some of the other young upcoming English counterparts seems to get. A case in point is Marcus Rashford, the young Manchester United teenager. From a statistical point of view, Kelechi comes out on top. According to Manchester Evening News, Kelechi scored 11 goals in 896 minutes while Rashford scored 7 goals in 1,092 minutes.
The question is why is Kelechi not getting the same rave as Rashford. Well, Martin Keown - former Arsenal defender said on BBC Match of the day highlights " Maybe because he is not English, or because he is Nigerian". That comment I think highlights the reason why he is not enjoying the media's attention. But one thing is certain, if he keeps developing and working hard, he will get the attention of the media world. One hopes that he will feature in the plans of Pep Guadiola next season.

In the light of Iheanacho's rise to prominence, it is also important to note that Nigeria's future looks very bright. The Nigeria football is going through some tough patches at the moment considering the ouster from the African cup of Nations in Gabon next year. However, Nigeria have some exciting promising young stars like Kelechi, players like Taiwo Awoniyi (Liverpool), Chidera Ezeh(Porto), Issac Success (Granada), Alex Iwobi (Arsenal) and much more. The future is definitely something to look forward to.

Fall Out After Nigeria's Nations Cup Ouster

2016-04-09T10:17:00.000-07:00

Nigeria has been eliminated from the African Cup of Nations to be hosted in Gabon next year. It was a sad day for millions of the Nigerian football fans after loosing to the Pharaohs of Egypt. The 7 times Champion team who last qualified in 2010.

This is the first time Nigeria will be missing out from the African Cup of Nations in two succession.

Following the team's elimination from the competition, emotions were high from the average football fan to the media community. This situation has put enormous pressure on the Nigerian Football Federation board led by Amaju Pinnick.

Well I will give my personal view on the Super Eagles situation. I start by saying it is very important for us to look at the present state of our football situation within the context we find ourselves.

To begin, Sunday Oliseh resigned from his position due to contractual breaches using his own very words. His resignation left the team in a precarious situation as it was close to the much anticipated back to back qualifiers against Egypt.

Samson Siasia the current under 23 manager along side Emmanuel Amuneke were called to salvage the situation. They were appointed on an interim basis to lead the Super Eagles for the rest of the qualifiers.

The first leg was played in Kaduna on the 25th of March 2016. The game started with both sides playing cautiously and by the end of the first half neither of the team had cancel each other out.

The second half began with Nigeria dominating Egypt (To be honest, the Egyptian team were quite average but they were well drilled and organised). For the first time I was particularly happy with the way we played and I saw signs of improvement.

Eventually Nigeria got the important goal from homed based player Oghenekaro Etebo. We were coasting on to victory until Mohamed Salah grabbed the equaliser at the death of the game. It was heart breaking for Nigerians but I did mention in a chat group that I was very pleased with the way we played against Egypt. I honestly believed that we could get a good result in Egypt considering the way we played in Kaduna.

Now fast forward to the second leg, the Pharaohs of Egypt started the game on a fast tempo. Egypt showed that they wanted to get a lead. The Super Eagles for a large spell dominated the game and the Egyptian looked more like the away team. In the second half, the game remained balanced until Egypt capitalised on the defensive frailties of the Nigerian side to score the only goal. The game remained like that till the end.

Positives

There were signs of a free fluid football that we were used to in the past, particularly the second half performance in Kaduna. I believe with time the team will get better if we continue to build

Alex Iwobi has officially been capped which puts an end to England's interest.

Negatives

Samson Siasia was to quick to bring in his Under 23 players A game of that magnitude should have involved players with big stage experience.

In the game in Kaduna, the technical crew should have switch to a defensive formation rather than the attacking formation since we were leading by a slim margin.Our indigenous manager needs to be tactically evolving during games ( I still prefer an indigenous manager )This have always been a vice of indigenous coaches.

Moving on

I think Samson Siasia and Emmanuel Amuneke should be allowed to manage the team if we to judge by the game against Egypt. One can only imagine how cohesive team could been if Siasia had been in charge for a longer time. I was against his initial removal when he had his first stint . Moreover I believe we should continue to make use our indigenous manager until we become better. However there are news making the rounds that the NFF leadership are opting to go for a foreign manager...Hum I have reservations about this for the following reasons:

The NFF has consistently over time owed salaries to the local coaches. So one wonders how they intend to fund the foreign manager. They said that funds raised from the private sector would be used to prosecute the payments of salaries. Well I would have thought that they could have extended the same gesture to the indigenous managers. The minister for sport has already advised the NFF board to provide a full technical report of why we lost out of the African Cup of Nations . The minister went further to advise that the NFF will have to convince him why they need a foreign manager. What ever the case maybe we need to get things sorted before the World Cup qualifier.

Sunday Oliseh ..... A fresh Start

2015-07-15T15:18:00.001-07:00

Oliseh Emerges As The New Coach

Sunday Oliseh has officially been introduced as the new manager of the Super Eagles of Nigeria following the termination of Stephen Keshi. This makes Oliseh the fourth ex -player to be appointed as head coach from the 1994 golden generation. News broke out on the BBC through Oluwasina Okeleji that the NFF had contacted him and were in discussion with the former international player. The NFF eventually came out with an official statement confirming they have tabled an offer for Oliseh and specified the details of his new role.

The Man - Sunday Oliseh

I remembered many years ago, when I read about a certain 19 year old player already in Belgium in the complete football magazine. At the time, the Super Eagles did not really have the perfect person for their defensive midfielder position. He was eventually invited and debuted against Ethiopia; a game the Super Eagles demolished their opponent by 6 - 1. Personally I had not seen much of him in the local league before then, but he had a very brief stint with Julius Berger of Lagos.

Oliseh was discovered alongside fellow under 23 mate Joseph Dosu from the Lagos State University by Joe Erico the manager of Julius Berger at the time.

Former BCC Lions of Gboko player Bolaji Douglas once said that he remembered the lanky midfielder when his club played a friendly against Julius Berger - he was so slim and came along with his school notes.

He established himself as a top class midfielder playing in some of the best football clubs like Ajax, Juventus, Dortmund e.t.c.

He is famously remembered for his ferocious which goalkeeper Andoni Zubizarreta would not have forgotten in a hurry in the epic game between Nigeria and Spain.

Sunday Oliseh is intelligent, principled, has good leadership qualities and in-tune with modern day football requirements. He can articulate his understanding of a game in clear coherent terms. Sunday Oliseh's potential as a prospective modern day manager did not come to me as a surprise.

During the 2004 African Cup of Nations - He was invited as a guest pundit on BBC highlights of the tournament . The BBC presenters - Mark Bright and Garth Crooks were so carried away by his technical prowess of the game, that they literarily forgot they were anchoring the programme.

I am quite excited at the prospect of Oliseh becoming a successful manager even though there have been divided opinions about his appointment. The major concern of some Nigerians borders on his thin experience as a manager except for his brief spell with a 4th division club in Belgium. Now I am not disputing the importance of track records or experience but we should ask ourselves has an inexperienced manager been employed before? What were the success of the the inexperienced managers?

Oliseh in his Borrusia Dotmund days

Rudi Voller's first experience as a manager was to handle the German senior team and to a very reasonable degree, he succeeded - leading Germany to the 2002 World Cup finals against Brazil but he had some humps along the journey - His team lost to England 5 - 1 in Munich but overall he did well.

Another example that comes to mind is Jurgen Klinsman; he took over from Voller and led Germany to third place at 2006 World Cup.

It is also important to note that it could go bad for a debutant manager - Sabri Lamouchi is a case in point, his managerial career was not particularly a success with the Ivory Coast National team. Although he got them to the 2014 World Cup but they did not go beyond the first round.

Stumbling blocks

Whilst I am quite excited about Oliseh's prospect as a manager,unlike,Voller's and Klinsman's who had some sort of success, his challenge could be with the set structure on ground. The German rookies had a very good support system, good football structure and enabling environment that accommodated their inexperiences. I cannot convincingly say the same for Oliseh especially when you consider the Nigerian football setting. We all witnessed Stephen Keshi tenure how he had to endure certain members of the football federation. Oliseh will not just be managing the Super Eagles but he will have to manage the egos of the men in the Glass House (Nigeria Football Federation Secretariat). Some of the NFF member could start working against him if things do not go their way. He will also have to learn to deal with the shenanigans that goes on within the NFF.

Major Concern

According to the NFF website, Sunday Oliseh alongside his foreign assistant will have their hands full as they will be more involved in other roles. I have highlighted some of their responsibilities below:

Create a five year developmental plan to fashion a unique playing and coaching philosophy for all the national teams and liaise regularly with the coaches

To arrange clinics and seminars periodically for coaches of Clubs in the Nigeria professional Football League

Oliseh's foreign assistant will be more involved in the development of programmes, work with Youth teams and certified academies towards developing the game from the grass roots

Firstly, I think Oliseh and his foreign assistant are being encumbered with too much responsibilities aside of their primary role of managing the Super Eagles. Secondly where does this leave Amodu Shaibu whose role is to enforce the above. I hope this will not be counter productive because Nigerian fans and to some degree a cross section of the media would come hitting hard if all goes wrong.

We can only wish Sunday Oliseh ALL THE BEST!

Twitter - @amoky

Keshi Gone For Good?

2015-07-09T14:31:00.000-07:00

Keshi's Overview

Keshi resigns, Keshi re-appointed, Keshi's contract ended, Keshi sacked, Keshi
re-appointed and now Keshi sacked... those were the headlines that dominated the Nigerian media world at different intervals.

Whilst the football fans were busy watching the Copa America finals or probably the Women's World Cup third place match, news started filtering through the social media platforms that the executive committee of the Nigerian Football Association had sacked the Super Eagles manager Stephen Okechukwu Keshi for allegedly applying for the vacant position to manage the Ivory Coast Well. Within minutes, the official statement was released to confirm the dismissal of the former Nigerian Captain.

The "Big Boss" as he is popularly known by the Nigeria football world is not new to controversies. He was once banned from playing football in Nigeria due to disciplinary issues. With his football career in despair, the former New Nigerian Bank of Benin player decided to determine his destiny - He moved from Ivory Coast where he played for Stade d' Abijan before moving to African Sports - it was there that he caught the eyes of scouts who took him down to Belgium. Of course the rest is history as Keshi opened the door for future and prospective Nigeria professionals moving to Begium which became the Mecca of Nigerian football players.

I have followed Stephen Keshi for about 32 years and from a personal perspective, He was the best Nigerian Central Defender. However, this is subject to debate depending on the generational gaps between fans. Some older football fans will argue that Christian Chukwu is the best but I was not old enough to compare both players. Keshi was so reliable that I always felt so relaxed seeing him marshall the central defence. He was such a leader and I actually knew that he was going to be a coach.

Keshi has shown over the years to be a pacesetter. His entry into Begium paved way for all prospective professionals like Samson Siasia, Augustine Eguavoen, Osaro Obobaifo (RIP) Etim Esin and many more. Stephen Keshi is a hero in his own right.

Keshi and Pinnick

Ivorian Application Trouble

Keshi signed a new 2 year deal to be re-appointed as Super Eagles manager with some clauses in the contract that would almost make it impossible for him to work freely. Now to most football plaudits, the marriage between the NFF and "the big boss" was a forced one (supposedly from above ). It was known to most football observers that all it will take is the right opportunity for the time bomb to explode. News broke out that Keshi was one of the many applicants for the managerial position displayed on the Ivorian Football Federation website.
His agent came out to the defence of his client on social media to deny any application. The NFF made a swift response to the situation by sending Barister Chris Green (Head of the Disciplinary Committee) to Ivory Coast. Based on information gathered, it was discovered that he actually applied for the role via a french agent - Hermann Brice De Souza, but when the news started making the headlines De Souza withdrew the application. The executive committee decided to terminate his appointment because they felt that there was a breach of agreement. They felt they could no longer trust him anymore.
Keshi was sacked and the interim affairs was handed over to Salisu Yusuf and Amodu Shaibu.

Keshi Success Story

Amidst all that is going on, it is very important that we do not loose sight of Keshi's achievements. He took over the Super Eagles role when the team were in an all time low. He took over the role after Samson Siasia led team failed to qualify for the African Cup of Nations 2012. He picked up the pieces that was left and began to rebuild the team.

He was able to integrate some home based players into the national team after a long time. Godfrey Obaobona, Juwon Oshaniwa and Sunday Mba were some fruits of home based project

Certain young players became an integral part of the Super Eagles. Kenneth Omeruo and Onazi Ogenyi were some of the core players in the team.

He gave Nigeria what they have longed for a while which was winning the African Cup of Nations after 19 years. Sunday Mba one of the home based players was the main hero of the tournament.

He secured a World Cup qualification for Nigeria to Brazil and Nigeria progressed to the round of 16 - the first time since 1998

Short Comings

After the Nations Cup success, there appeared to be a gradual downward slop in the team.

Some of his selections were questionable and the team to the World Cup lacked balance on a whole.

The team struggled a great deal against weak opponents like Sudan for example.

Nigeria lost her first ever home defeat since 1981 to Congo.. some will argue that the NFF crises partly contributed to it.

The Super Eagles failed to qualify for the 2015 African Cup of Nations

Stephen Keshi as a coach have his limitations. He does not have his own personal philosophy, His reading of the games on match day situation wasn't the best (a major flaw of Local Coaches). Hardly employ the right tactics and in my opinion - his technical crew did little to help.

My opinion

I do not like the circumstances surrounding his sudden departure . However, I think he should have left after the World Cup when the ovation was at its loudest . Stephen Keshi is a leader and his team plays for him. But as with my stance on our local coaches, I think at the moment he can't offer anything more. He needs to refresh himself and come back stronger. It is time for Super Eagles to get some fresh infusion.

NB : At the time of writing, the Nigerian football body were in talks with Sunday Oliseh with the aim of managing Super Eagles

Twitter - amoky

A Tactical Loss!

2015-06-24T04:49:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone, I believe you have had a very good and fulfilling time so far.

Well for all Nigerian football lovers, fans and followers, we are still probably lamenting on the lacklustre performance of our teams at the just concluded Under 20 World Cup in New Zealand and the ongoing Women's World Cup in Canada.
I was quite disappointed myself because I had so much optimism for the Nigerian teams particularly the Under 20 (Flying Eagles). They lost not because they did not prepare well for the competition but in my opinion - it was a game we gave away from the bench. Once again, this raises the question about the competence of our local coaches.

Move onto the women's team and you will feel a sense of huge despair. The team boasts the likes of BBC footballer of the Year Asisat Oshoala, Desire Oparanozie and Ngozi Okobi. After the game against Sweden where the Super Falcons pulled a surprise 3-3 entertaining draw. We all thought that we will advance to the next stage. However, the girls lost their remaining 2 games. I personally believe that the girls had what it takes to compete with the very best but again the limitation of the technical crew was hugely exposed. Coach Edwin Okon came out publicly to say that he does not need to scout his opponents - That is a cardinal sin in the coaching profession.
I think the coaching issue needs to be addressed by the football authorities.
I picked up a write up that sort of highlights the Nigerian team approach to games, particularly tactical play. Please read on....

Its all about tactics in Modern Football

By T Adeniyi

I am not a football expert, nor do I claim to be one. However from my limited knowledge of the game, this is what I think went wrong...

I don't think that the Flying Eagles team were poor nor overrated. I don't even think it was a question of ability. Some say that Musa Muhammed was not technical enough or this player was not up to it. Frankly I do not buy that. There was ONLY ONE German Player that looked to be heads and shoulders above everyone else on that pitch and that was Oztunali.

So what went wrong?

Some people think this is just age grade footie...who cares, we have Chad coming up etc. The eerie thing about that match against Germany however, is that...it is exactly how the Super Eagles would have executed that match as well!

Nigeria simply does not know how to play compact teams! It is our biggest weakness! Germany were compact for 90 Minutes and Nigeria barely got a shot away! That match was not an accidental loss, it was designed and written by the Germans! We were destined to lose that match, even before the referee blew the whistle.

Nigeria relies on space to play its type of football. We do not dictate matches tactically, instead we have always relied on the breadth of the pitch or the width of the pitch to play our football. Nigeria simply cannot play football without space. Once a team is too compact, we become entirely useless. We might as well be Burundi or Lesotho. The Germans did not give us any space! They crowded every player, including Awoniyi.

And how could they do that? Well they played a high line and had a high fitness level. But wouldn't that bring about weaknesses for them? Yes! The weakness that we could exploit would be the counter. BUT, on this day, our counter-attacking was not efficient. And the only good counter we executed was squandered by the greed of Awoniyi, who refused to pass to a wide open Success Isaac (for his own personal reasons).

Basically I would say the biggest weakness in Nigerian football right now is retaining possession and particularly in the midfield. We need players that can hold the ball in the midfield and also release it.

When I said I wanted Iheanacho and Yahaya in the team..it was not a blind call for a substitution. Nacho is a striker, a cerebral striker and if it was his day, he would have given us more options. Yahaya is also a cerebral player that can deliver more accurate balls than the likes of Godwin and Bulbwa.

Another thing I noticed is that we had a poor wing play. One thing the Nigerian teams often resort to when they cannot address compact team is that we play with width (That is traditional Nigerian football right there). I didn't really see any wing play, apart from Musa Muhammed who was a good wingback. So we had no wing play, our counters were dead on arrival, what was left for us to do? We couldn't hold possession in the midfield so we resorted to police football (Long ball).

Nigeria actually does better in matches where we stretch our opponents. Look at the matches they played against France in the World Cup, although that was a match we lost, still it was NOTHING like the match against Germany, we could definitely have won that match.

Another look at our match against Spain in the Confed Cup, we actually looked quite good, because we stretched them. If the team we are playing plays free flowing football or we can stretch them, then Nigeria's attack is effective. The second they become compact, we look like we have never played football before.

This team may very well have reached the final, if we avoided Germany. I think of all the teams in the World Cup, Germany were probably the most compact.
The reality is our attack was definitely our weakest point against Germany! Even our defence looked quite decent and Enaholo was not bad, three good saves. Although I would argue that the goal he conceded could have been saved.

Is this really far fetched? How can a team whose definition is attacking flair football unable to get even shots on target? It had nothing to do with the players on that day, but their opposition! In other words, it was a tactical loss.

(This was written a day after Nigeria lost to Germany).

please leave your comments

twitter - @amoky

The Second Coming of Keshi

2015-05-08T05:53:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone, Whao!!! It has been such a long time but it's nice to be doing this again.
At last the circumstances surrounding the appointment of the Super Eagles manager has been resolved. The "Big Boss" Stephen Keshi has surmounted all the odds to be reappointed for the second time after his contract ran out at the end of the Super Eagles World Cup campaign.

Following after that came a barrage of internal crisis that rocked the football administration, tranquillity eventually returned to the Football house after Amaju Pinick (Former Delta State Football Association chairman) was elected as the president of the Football Federation.

The Nigeria Football Federation Executive election normally comes on after the World Cup, and there has been battles for the leadership position of the board dating back to three election periods. The result of the board room politics usually have it's effect on the game. At least, part of the reason why Nigeria failed to qualify for the African Cup of Nations in the Equatorial Guinea could be attributed to the in-house squabbles among the football stakeholders.

There were indications that Amaju Pinick led board were going to part ways with Keshi and it was not surprising after the African Cup of Nations qualifiers against Sudan - Keshi was relieved of his duties and replaced temporarily with Amodu Shaibu. However, he was
re-instated after some intervention from higher authorities and was allowed to finish the qualifiers he started. Nigeria eventually crashed out and since then it has been the waiting game. Series of meeting between the Keshi's camp and the NFF resulted in series of deadlocks due to contractual agreement but eventually a 2 year deal was agreed upon.

Moving on now that Keshi has been reappointed, it's time to get behind him and move the national team forward. Keshi would have to get the ball rolling, the honeymoon period is over and Nigerian football fans would not give him the luxury of time he had in his first spell. He would need to step up his game - at least he has his core players that have been together for quite sometime now. He should also work together with the technical study group selected by the Football Executive .The group is expected to provide behind the scene support such as scouting,match analysis etc. to the Super Eagles (Mens National Team), Super Falcon (Female National Team) and all the cadet team (Both Male and Female).

Keshi and Pinnick needs to work together

Stephen Keshi's records and
achievements cannot be overlooked and there is no doubt about that but he would need to correct certain areas that were quite evident in his first tenure.

1. He needs to choose the best players available particularly players in Europe. It does not make sense if certain players in Europe are in form and he decides to go for a player in (with all respect) Vietnam.

2. He needs to betray his loyalty to players that are not in form even if they have been with him from the onset. For example there was no reason why Gabriel Reuben should have been part of the World Cup squad.

3. I will like to see more tactical input from himself and his technical crew - I want to believe the Technical study group would enhance the overall shape of the team.

4. Keshi should work closely with the various cadet coaches (Flying Eagles and Golden Eaglet) in order to have a conveyor belt system of elevating talented players into the senior team.

The football board on the other hand will also have to make the necessary effort to ensure that this marriage works

1. Amaju Pinick led board would have to give him all the necessary support.

2. Stephen Keshi should be allowed to choose his back room staff and players with undue interference from the board.

3 The manager and his crew should be paid their salaries promptly without delays.

The Super Eagles have exciting times ahead of them if all goes well - there are some exciting players coming through the youth ranks - players like Taiwo Awoniyi, Kelechi Iheanacho, Isaac Success, Musa Yahaya e.t.c should be able to join the mix within a year from now. Taiwo Awoniyi in particular has shown great and rapid progress so far. In my opinion he is the best striker since Yekini and probably better. I am of the opinion that he should be fast tracked into the senior team. However, some may argue that he needs to develop, well he featured for Samson Siasia's under 23 team against Zambia and scored 2 goals. Now if you are able to put such a display with the under 23 team, in reality that almost playing in a national team. If you are good enough then you are old enough.

Taiwo Awoniyi

The are also some foreign born who are of Nigerian decent - some of these players have pledged their allegiance to Nigeria. Keshi should invite the likes of Steve Ukoh, Leo Balogun, Kenny Otigba, Jerry Mbakogu and Derrick Osede. The next major assignment comes up in June 2015.

Kenny Otigba - Hereveen FC Holland

Derek Osede Real Madrid

Leon Balogun - Darmsstadt 98 Bundesliga II

Jerry Mbakogu (Carpi FC -promoted to Serie A)

Steve Ukoh Biel Bienne Switzerland

Tactics is Key!

2014-06-17T15:18:00.000-07:00

Finally the Word Cup has started, a breathe of relief for us all. Loads of goals, yellow cards, a lot of fouls, a few surprises from different teams and I bet it - we have not seen anything yet, time will unveil everything to us. This goes to confirm the good old popular saying that football is not mathematics.

I will be looking at an area which has always been a topic of discussion among African football fans and journalists. The issue of local coaches versus the foreign expatriates or to put it in the popular African term "Technical Adviser". I am not opening up a debate of who is better than the other - after all Yeo Martial of Ivory Coast won the 1992 edition of the African Cup of Nations hosted by Senegal against foreign coaches and Stephen Keshi of Nigeria did the same over a year ago in South African.
The issue of success is not in question; but that our African coaches do not pay attention to some details that matter when preparing for games.

When preparing for a major game, things like tactics against specific teams, drills in certain department like set pieces, free kicks and scouting of opponents must be put into play. Now these are the things that give foreign coaches the edge over our local compatriots. I dare even say that some team practice the art of simulating free kicks and penalties - I am not advocating cheating your way to victory but only saying this to illustrate the importance of paying attention to details. This is also not about going for foreign coaches but I am just highlighting the areas that our local coaches needs to improve on.

Free Kick Drills which are quite foreign to our Local Coaches

According to Matthew Rogerson's article in goal.com, Stephen Keshi confessed not knowing about Iran (Nigeria's first opponent at the World Cup). This is a cardinal sin against the coaching profession. In this day and age, when most teams send out scouts to spy on their opponents or at least get video footages to help them to map out a plan against them.
Former Nigerian Veteran Coach Festus Onigbinde made the same statement of not scouting their opponents. This is a trend commonly seen among our local African coaches that could be detrimental to the outcome of games.

I found this article on a forum site that buttress my point about tactics. A case study that was looked into after the Super Eagles of Nigeria played their last friendly game against USA which was put together by a football coach named Anthony K - please read the article below.

How USA won Nigeria - By Anthony K

I am predicting that the way they played Nigeria is how USA is going to play Ghana and this was just a dress rehearsal for that game. Having coached in the USA for 15 years I know them in and out and nothing they did surprised me, they are a mechanical team and everything they did was according to the plan they have to play Ghana. It is the template to play African teams that even Brazil adopted when they beat Ghana 3-0 in the world cup. The world has determined that African teams have yet to grasp the concept of scientific soccer, we still depend on physicality i.e. speed, dribbling skills, endurance, strength, size etc.

Denmark defeated Nigeria, Germany Cameroon, Brazil Ghana, even Sinama Pongolle's France u17 team beat Opabunmi's Nigeria u17 team in the finals after losing badly to them in the first round by employing the same tactics. The reason is that our teams have not incorporated the tactical systems to break down packed defenses, when teams pack a bus in front of their goal and counter fast.

I see people blaming Yobo just like they did Taribo West decades ago and I laugh because even the fans still don't get it. On one on one situations in this day and age, the advantage is with the attacker with the ball, it has been scientifically proven that an isolated defender will be beaten for a shot 80 to 90% of the time by employing certain movements that even a journey man sucky player like Altidore can pull off. In that sequence in which he beat Yobo, his cut back was conservative so if Yobo had anticipated it he would have cut back in and try to penetrate and if Yobo had recovered and denied him the penetration then he would have pulled the ball back and laid it off for a shot for one of the marauding midfielders bombing forward to give support, most likely Bradley. It would have been the job of Bradley to vary his run to get open for the shot and if the shot wasn't there then Dempsey should have made himself available for the pass off and Altidore would have had to make a diagonal run to the strong side and Bradley make a varying run to the weak side with other players showing up in supporting positions.

These are the types of tactical patterns that saw the US get shot opportunities on about 75% of their counter attacks while their packed defence yielded nothing to a tactically inept team that had more possession but no idea what to do with it.

I sat there recognizing everything the US was doing and it was right out of the training pitch, all their runs ( certain players bomb forward into predetermined positions and Dempsey time and time again drifted wide when the full backs overlapped to stretch the defence to create gaps, even the pass down to the touch line for a cross to the weak side of the goal for Altidore's tap in, is a designed play and an old one at that).

This is the reason why Brazil when playing England in a previous world cup with two wide defenders notorious for their going forward adjusted their tactics with Scolari instructing Cafu and Roberto Carlos to alternate their overlapping, when one goes the other stays so that the defence will not be stretched.

This US team sucks and this is the only way they can hope to advance so I hope Ghana watched and make the necessary adjustments. The key to beating this formation is to increase your speed of play moving the ball very fast and switching fields from side to side. Switching fields will allow you to catch the team on their weak side and penetrate from the wings essentially going around the horn as they say in the profession, the zone or block defence has a varying horn that moves to the ball depending on the position of the ball and the key its to get around that horn which is the strong side and attack the weak side. Switching also makes the team tired and it creates holes to be penetrated by quick predetermined passing patterns that should have been developed on the training pitch.

The USA also took chances by seating deeper than usual to prevent balls being played behind their defence and the reason for that is that they do not respect Nigeria's outside shooting. Another way of breaking down a packed defence after quick movements of the ball and penetrating down the wings is to send in quality crosses with predetermined runs by forwards and midfielders getting into the box for the finish but Moses was just bent on dribbling, and there were very few crosses into the box from Nigeria.

If Ghana figures out this US strategy they can beat them by 5 goals but if they fail to make the adjustments they can lose by 5 goals simple as that. Africa has to enter the realm of SCIENTIFIC SOCCER.

NB: Ghana unfortunately fell for the same tactical trap in their first game against USA

The Super Eagles So Far.....

2014-06-12T12:39:00.001-07:00

The final list to Brazil is now out so we are all aware of the players that are representing us in this years' World Cup. Never have there been so much anxiety with regards to the release of the final cut. Quite a number of journalists kept vigils in other to get the breaking news. Before the official release, there have been different versions flying around the various social media outlets. I can tell there was a list with my name on it as well (Joke).

Within the last few days, a particular person who I follow on twitter gave clues at different times of those likely to make the final list. Amidst all the doubt and suspense, the person proved too right when the list eventually came out. The final squad was announced after the training session, as stated by the chief coach Stephen Keshi, it was a tough call to come up with the final shortlist. However, making hard decisions come with the role Stephen Keshi has been entrusted with.

Stephen Keshi pointing toward Brazil

When the list came out it was with mixed emotions, surprises and shock. While some of the players were certainly assured, Keshi made some controversial and perhaps some questionable selections.

Goalkeepers

There was not much to debate about, it was always going to be the same old story - Vincent Enyeama the first choice, ably assisted by Austin Ejide and of course Chigozie Agbim who has been with the Keshi's project from inception.

Defenders

Keshi decided to take all the defenders to the World Cup. This first choice back four without any doubt would be Efe Ambrose on the right side, Godfrey Oboagbona and Ken Omeruo in the heart of the defence while Elderson Ejiejiele will be playing on the left side. Joseph Yobo, Azubike Egwueke, Juwon Oshniwa and surprise debut Kunle Odunlami who I believe his exploits at the African Nations Championship earned him the spot. So all Keshi's defenders have received their ticket to Brazil.

Midfielders

This section of the team raises some concern because of the similarity of some of the players. It looks more defensive inclined and void of creativity. Nosa Igiebor who turned the game around was surprisingly dropped from the team. The players selected are Gabriel Reuben who has played just about 5 games in 2 years coupled with an unsuccessful spell with Scotish top club Kilmanock, John Obi Mikel, Ramon Azeez, Ogenyi Onazi, and surprisingly Michael Uchebo was drafted into this position.

Attackers

If you were surprised by the the selection of the midfielder, the strikers department offers more. The list includes African Cup Of Nations' highest goal scorer Emanuel Emenike, this goes without any dispute. Others include returnee Osaze Odemwingie, Dutch based Victor Nwofor, Shola Ameobi and believe it or not legendary Michael Babatunde...yes I call him a legend. How did he arrive at this legendary status - For a player that has played as many as 23 club games and scored 3 career goals and he was able to sneak into the final list, it can only be a legend that can attain such status. Michael Babatunde came to the radars of Keshi shortly before the Confederation Cup. He made a cameo appearance against Uruguay at the Confederation Cup and as far as I am concerned he was just a pedestrian. He did not prove to me that he merited his selection either when Nigeria played against Scotland.
In my previous preview I predicted that he was not going to make the cut but I was proven wrong as "The Big Boss" Stephen Keshi showed he could be very unpredictable at times. I gathered reliably that Keshi's decision include the Ukrainian based player was due to his hard work in the training session - a trait Keshi strongly advocate in his team.

Legendary Michael Babatunde

The Friendly Games and Injuries

Preparation began in earnest in the United State with intense training sessions and friendly games. The first game against Greece ended in a goalless draw with the Greek team having the better part of the first half. The Super Eagles were quite disjointed and would have conceded goals but thanks to the ever reliable Vincent Enyeama. The second half was better as we began to show dominance in possession but we lacked the necessary bite in the final third, the only set back was that Elderson Echiejile picked up an injury that will sideline him for 3 weeks, this automatically ended his World Cup dreams. Other injury concerns are Ahmed Musa, Victor Nwofor and Kenneth Omeruo. As at the time of this write up, it is not clear of what Kenneth's present state is. Nigeria cannot afford to loose him as he looks almost irreplaceable.

Super Eagles Before Facing Greece

The Reality Check

The next friendly game raised a lot of scepticisms, Nigeria played the last friendly game against the USA in Jacksonville, Florida. The game was a complete sell out as the Americans' came to bid their players farewell. The game started with Nigeria dominating possession, but the well drilled Jurgen Klinsman's team were content with keeping their lines compact and relied on the fast break. Eventually they broke the deadlock as Jose Altidore ended his goal draught of over 2 years. Altidore added the second one after shoving Joseph Yobo aside before slamming a cracker which Enyeama had no answers for. It was apparent that Yobo has lost a ounce of pace - He was not quite the same Yobo we knew years back. Victor Moses consolatory goal was not enough to salvage the game. The game ended Stephen Keshi's unbeaten spell, It was obvious that:

The resilience was not reflected in this game

Joseph Yobo has gone past his prime

Victor Moses needs to be told he is no Lionel Messi (with all respect to him)

With Echiejile gone due to injury, we cannot afford to loose Kenneth Omeruo

No balance in the selection as further injuries could mean players being played out of position

With the defeat, a cross section of Nigerian fans, twitter and Facebook media men began to express their pessimisms and rightly so. I would be hypocritical to say that I did not feel the same way though. But if I have to make reference to antecedents in past;Nigeria has not been known to win preparatory games with the exception of 2002 when we defeated Republic of Ireland and Scotland. Let us look back at our preparation matches:

1994
Lost to Romania 2-0

Lost to Sweden 3-1

1998

Lost to Germany 1-0

Lost to Yugoslavia 3-0

Lost to Netherlands 5-1 (about a week to the World Cup)

The similarities to the preparation before the 1994 & 1998 World Cup was that we lost all our major friendly games but we reached our peak when the competition commenced. Nigeria defeated Bulgaria and Greece in the preliminary rounds and we proceeded to the second round where we could have caused an upset against Italy. Subsequently in 1998, we lost all our friendlies, a prelude to France 1998 - in fact some cross section of Nigerians didn't have too much hope in the team, yet when the competition commenced we defeated Spain that had not lost a single game since 1994 and Bulgaria. We can see that loosing friendly games do have less relevance when competition starts. Friendlies are used to assess the areas that needs improvement, unfortunately, friendly games are gradually becoming competitive these days since FIFA uses it for the ranking of the national teams.

Way forward

Victor Moses and Mikel Obi with a Brazilian Fan

As it is with Nigeria, some still remain hopeful that they might turn up when it matters while some have adopted the "siddon look" syndrome (meaning - let's wait and see). The team arrived in Brazil late on Tuesday evening and I am sure they are aware that over 160million Nigerians would be rooting for them.

Tactic would be very key to Nigeria campaign, personally I think one major weakness of Stephen Keshi is the ability to use the right tactics
when confronted with certain teams. Determination, hard work are very important, but the use of the right tactics has been one of the best traits of great managers.

NB: Home based player Ejike Uzoenyi would be replacing injured Elderson Echejiele

Please your comment would be hugely appreciated

Super Eagles Provisional List For The World Cup - Part 2

2014-05-20T12:29:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone, I believe we are all rearing to go now. Believe it or not the World Cup is getting closer, it seems just like yesterday when Spain created history 4 years ago. That is why we have to do or carry out our personal plans within a reasonable time frame. A verse I like in the bible clearly illustrates this and I quote "Teach us to number our days".

Anyway back to the real issue, every team's list have been submitted to meet FIFA's deadline of the 16th of May 2014 .This week, I will continue with the breakdown of the Nigerian National Provisional Team List. Last week we looked at the Goalkeepers and Defenders. We will look at the Midfield Department now.

John Mikel Obi (Chelsea)England

The most high profiled Nigerian player in the entire squad. He has always been in the limelight since his controversial move to Chelsea. A very good central midfield, with good vision and crisp passes. Mikel has endured a torrid time among the Nigerian football fans and journalists due to their perception on his lack of dedication when he wears the green shirt - but all that changed when Keshi took over.
He missed the last World Cup due to an injury but he will relish the opportunity this time around. He would most likely be playing the advance midfield role which defer from his primary position with Chelsea. He started most of this season games from the bench. Fear were that when the mundial begins he would show sign of match rustiness but if his performance against Atletico Madrid is anything to go by, he seems sharp and there shouldn't be any worries.

Verdict : Definitely in Brazil.

Ramon Azeez (Almeria)Spain

One of the success stories of the under 17 team of 2009; his manner of progression has been very stead and rapid. He was the captain of the Flying Eagles (Under 20 team) at the under 17 World Cup in 2011. He is a very effective and hardworking midfielder. He was promoted to the senior team in the Spanish club Almeria and started virtually most of the games this season, scoring 3 goals in the process. His effort helped his club from the brink of relegation. His club form prompted his invitation to the Super Eagles, He featured at the friendly game against Mexico last March.

Verdict: He would have to put in 200% to upstage the established stars in his position, though his mates at the under 17 (Ogenyi Onazi and Kenneth Omeruo) have already established themselves, he would be good for the future but I doubt if he would make the cut.

Ogenyi Onazi (Lazio)Italy

Another product of the under 17 that featured in 2009, Onazi has become one of Keshi's greatest revelation - His opportunity came when Fengor Ogudor got suspended during the African Cup of Nations in South Africa. He took his chance and has not looked back, very mobile, good on the attack and generally in the mould of box to box midfielder. Since coming on the scene, our midfield has suddenly become a joy to watch. He can be described as the engine room of the midfield. His presence has given Mikel the freedom to roam upfront. His scintillating form for his club has not gone unnoticed as Liverpool have been keeping an eye on the 21 year old player. The World Cup could not have come at a better time as he is destined to move to a top club after the World Cup.

Verdict: Nigerians should pray he does not get injured as it would be a massive blow to the team. Definitely in Brazil.

Joel Obi (Parma)Italy

Made his debut for the national team against Sierra Leone under Samson Siasia. Very Hard working and a good tackler. His impact would be felt when he is fit. Injury has been his short coming and he was sideline for some months. Currently on loan from Inter Milan to Parma. His invitation was quite a surprise having been off the National team radars for over 2 years. A fully fit Joel Obi will fight for his team, the sort of players Keshi wants.

Verdict : If he re-enact his previous performance of the past, he might just nick into the final 23.

Nnamdi Oduamadi (Varese) Italy

The AC Milan player forced his way courtesy a very important equaliser against Kenya, since then he has been constantly invited to the national team. He became the first African player to score a hat trick during the Confederation Cup. Very slick with good dribbling attributes. Many have frowned at his invitation - with a string of poor performances coupled with injuries have not done enough to enhance his cause. He went on loan twice this season, He would have to fight hard by the skin of his teeth to get on the plane to Brazil

Verdict : As much as I like him as a person, I am not too sure he will make the final cut.

Ejike Uzoenyi (Enugu Rangers) Nigeria

This diminutive left winger has been part of Keshi's set up. He was on loan to top French club Rennes for 6 months after the African Cup Of Nations but he could not secure a permanent deal. Very fast and tricky - He reinvented himself at the last African Nations Championship (Chan - Competition designed for local based players in Africa), voted the best player of the tournament. His superlative performance earned him the invitation for the World Cup.

Verdict: if there is any home based player that would be part of the squad, it should be Ejike. His blistering pace would an addendum to the team. Will make the cut.

Nosa Igiebor (Real Betis) Spain

Nosa is a very valuable option as a play-maker. His creative capability and power could be important offensive weapons for the team. Nosa would need to justify his inclusion in the team as memories of his lackluster performance at the last African Cup Of Nations will ring in the minds of the technical crew. He played more than 26 games for his relegated club scoring 2 goals in the process. He has had his own fare share of injuries as well - fitness might be a major concern.

Verdict: On this day he should make the squad but his fitness will play a crucial role in deciding whether he makes the team or not.

Sunday Mba (Bastia) France

The story of Nigeria's African Cup Of Nations conquest would not be complete without the Sunday Mba, His goals against Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso proved to be crucial to Nigeria's campaign in South Africa. Quite skillful with dribbling abilities but porous passes lets him down occasionally. His landmark performance at the African Cup Of Nations caused a major ownership tussle between Warri Wolves and Enugu Ranger. Both clubs were concerned about the financial remuneration that would result from his sale to an European club. He joined French second division club Bastia and was able to manage 4 goals even though the club still got relegated.

Verdict: His 2 goals at the African Cup Of Nations seem to be the leverage he is riding on as he has had strings of poor of performances for Nigeria afterwards. He is most likely going to Brazil as the Big boss - Stephen Keshi would always stick with players that fights for him.

Reuben Gabriel (Waasland-Beveren) Belgium

A talented box to box midfielder who is yet to realise his full potential. He was in Kano Pillars when Keshi first invited him to the national team set up. He is quite powerful in the middle and could be a huge presence in the front of back four. He was an unused substitute during the last African Cup Of Nations. Unfortunately for the dark complexioned midfielder; He has been plagued with injuries in recent past, coupled with his unsuccessful spell with top Scottish side Kilmarnock. Much cannot be made of his current form since moving to Belgium.

Verdict : Would be quite surprised if makes the team.

Michael Babatunde (Volyn Lutsk) Ukraine

Another midfielder who came to the limelight shortly before the Confederation Cup last year. He was a surprise inclusion to the 30 man list. Judging by his game at the Confederation Cup, he was quite pedestrian on the pitch and frankly he is not yet ready for top flight international games. However Stephen Keshi must be seeing what most football fans cannot see.

Verdict: Am not too sure he will make the team but an invitation to the national team prior to the a major competition will be a major boost to his CV

NB : Nigeria V/S Scotland @ Craven Cottage London. Date:28th May 2014. Kick off Time: 8.00pm

Twitter - @amoky

Super Eagles Provisional List for the World Cup - Part 1

2014-05-12T14:33:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone,I have not posted for while but I am back now with a bang. After the twist and turn witnessed in the tops leagues in Europe, attention would now shift turned to World Cup,which is one of the biggest Sporting event in the World.All the national teams are expected to submit there provisional list by the 16th of May,2014 - some teams have already put their provisional list forward - the 2 other teams in Nigeria's group have put their provisional list together i.e Iran and Bosnia & Herzegovina.

In fact Brazil has made the boldest move by name their 23 squad to the World Cup which they will be host in less than a month time.But back to what concern me and majority of Nigerians,the Super Eagles Manager Stephen Okechukwu Keshi has named 30 provisional squad which would be trimmed down to the final 23 to be submitted to FIFA by 2nd of June 2014. As usual, there were several deliberations between Keshi's technical crew and the Technical Committee of the Nigerian Football Federation before the list was published last week.The list when eventually released was with mixed reactions due to some names either included or omitted.

For the benefits of some of my friend who are not to conversant with the present Super Eagles i will attempt to give a comprehensive break of the 30 member provisional list . This week I would look at goalkeepers and defenders.

Goalkeepers

Vincent Enyeama Lille (France)

Vincent has been the best thing to happen to Nigeria since Peter Rufai retired,Since his debut against England 2002, the former Eyimba of Aba golie has not looked back.He has grown in leaps and bound.He had a very successful spell at Isreal, winning the best player of the year while at Hopoel Tel Aviv. He joined the French outfit Lille in 2011 but was confined to the bench.The exit of Rudi Garcia (now at Roma) and former legendary goalkeeper Mickael Landreau opened the door for Vincent this season and it would be fair to conclude that the success of Lille this season would not be complete with Vincent Enyeama - Keeping a clean sheet for 1060 minutes,2nd best goalkeeper in the French league and winning Marc Vivien Foe award (Best African in the French League) are all testament to Vincent's immense quality.His superlative form would be an additional boost to Nigeria's aspiration in Brazil

Verdict : To say he will make the squad is an understatement,He is already in Brazil

Austin Ejide Hapoel Be'er Sheva (Isreal)

Austin Ejide has been with Super Eagles as long as Vincent Enyeama has been. Another top quality goal keeper who ply his trade in Isreal. I dare say that Ejide is equally as good as Vincent, in fact he has more physical presence in goal than Vincent. He has been in the shadows of Vincent not because he is not good enough, but simply Vincent is just there at moment.God forbid in the case Vincent sustains an injury, he would not be missed as he would get adequate cover in Austin. However he has had his fair share of injuries but hopefully he would be free from injuries.

Verdict : He is definitely in Brazil

Chigozie Agbim Gombe United (Nigeria)

He is one of the home based players invited to the squad,He was the third goalkeeper during the African Cup of Nation and Confederation Cup respectively. He finally had the chance to showcase himself during the African Championship Cup (Competition hosted for locally based players in African) and he was not to convincing in goal.This raised a lot question among football followers. Many called for him never to be invited again. However Chigozie hardly had any playing time for his club - Ranger FC last season,this led to some rising to his defence that he was match rusty. Some Nigerian journalist who follows the Nigerian league feels that if Keshi should take any home based goalkeeper,it shouldn't be Agbim as there are more capable hands Okemute Odah of Warri Wolves and Femi Thomas of Eyimba.Well Keshi will always stick to his faithful lieutenants. However Agbim seems to have got his grove back courtesy of a regular playing time with his new club Gombe United.

Verdict : Will be in Brazil not necessarily based on his ability or prowess but because he is on the "Big Boss" good books.

Dan Akpeyi - Hertland (Owerri)

The fourth Goalkeeper who plays for Heartland of Owerri, unless one of the goalkeepers above gets injured, i believe he would only benefit form the privilege of a national call up, He was an unused substitute during the African Nations Championship hosted in South Africa earlier this year.

Verdict : Would be content with the call up,unless there is injury concern to any of the above.He won't make the cut

Defenders

Elderson Echiejile Monaco (France )

He has been Keshi's first choice in the Left Back position,He was previously in the shadows of Taiye Taiwo who has been ostracised since Keshi arrived.The former FC Braga player has grown in confidence and occasionally supports the attack. His move to Monaco in the January transfer window seems to have stalled his progress as he had to be contend with seating on the bench.He played some games here and there toward the end of the season. One can only hope that he would not be match rusty when it matters most.

Verdict : Definitely in Brazil

Efe Ambrose Celtic (Scotland )

From a shaky start under Samson Siasia (former Super Eagles manger),He has grown in confidence and his move to Celtic increased his profile,playing in the Champions League further gave him the top class exposure.Ambrose is a versatile player and can play in the central defence,defensive Midfield and the Right Back position which has been his position under Keshi. Quite comfortable on the ball,very good advancing forward but tend to loose concentration and does leave his position exposed at times .

Verdict : No competition at the moment,a sure starter and would most like play all the games.

Godfrey Oboabona Rizespor (Turkey)

The former Sunshine of Akure's captain was one of Keshi's recruitment from the local league. He formed a formidable partnership with Kenneth Omeruo at the last African Cup of Nations. After a nervy start in the national team he has grown to be a fortress in the heart of the defence. His performance for the national team and his local club (Sunshine Stars of Akure) earned him a move to the Turkish league. He has shown that he is not intimidated to contend against the super stars as he clearly asserted himself against the likes Didier Drogba Luis Suarez etc.He would want to use the World Cup to increase his stock as a top class defender

Verdict : going by precedence,he would most like play all the games in Brazil

Azubuike Egwuekwe Warri Wolves (Nigeria)

Another home based lad who has been one of Keshi's faithful.He played some important games particularly in the absence Kenneth Omeruo who got injured in the last game of the Confederation Cup. Strong and could be imposing. However his mobility and judgement gives cause for concern. The Warri Wolves Captain would most likely be an additional cover if he makes the final cut.

Verdict: Part of Keshi's set up,he stands a 70% chance of securing a seat to Brazil,He would need to proof himself this time around.

Kenneth Omeruo Chelsea (England)

At 21 the former Under 17 international is already showing the traits of a world class defender,very composed on and off the ball, and quite quick,the Chelsea man was sent on loan to Middlesbrough FC and he was a huge success under Aitor Karanka. Such was his success that some of the fans want him back.While he is already back with his parent Club-Chelsea,He would be using the World Cup to convince Jose Murinho that he is ready for the first team shirt in the central defence position or sell himself to other top clubs within the English Premiership or top clubs in Europe. He s most likely to be paired with his regular partner Godfrey Oboabona.

Verdict : Starting 11 guaranteed.

Juwon Oshaniwa Ashdod (Isreal)

He was part of Stephen Keshi's home base project.He played for Sharks of Port Harcourt before moving to Asdod of Isreal. He plays the left back position and would most probably be an additional cover in the defence line. He was on the bench for the most part of the African Cup of Nations until Elderson Echiejile got injured in the finals against Burkina Faso.Good going forward and a hard tackler but often loose concentration when it matters.

Verdict: Would be quite a challenge to make the final list. Would have to fight extra hard.

Joseph Yobo Norwich(England)

The most capped Super Eagles player- has been a regular since 2001 when he made his debut for the national team. He has been at the heart of the central defence position after the retirement of Taribo West. Very quick and got good positioning however he tends to loose concentration at crucial moment. He lost his place to Kenneth Omeruo after picking up an injury against Burkina Faso in the first game. After the African Cup he was snubbed by Keshi... after strings of poor performance at his Turkish club Fernabache, he was relegated to the bench.In bid to save his international career he sealed a loan move to Norwich.He seems to be more comfortable in the English Premiership as he settle in quickly. He would most like be on the bench if selected and would make the few cameo appearances .

Verdict : Having capped two World Cup appearances, His experience could be of valuable asset.In my opinion,his selection in the final 23 would be more honorary rather than his present form suggest

Kunle Odunlami Sunshine Star (Nigeria)

The Sunshine Stars of Akure Central Defender was a revelation at the African Nations Champions (CHAN). He is very strong, good positional attributes and very confident in the middle.He looks to me more comfortable on the ball. If Egwuekwe misses out on the final cut, it would be because of this man who would look to force his way into the team

Verdict : He stand a good chance if takes his opportunity. Would have to put in a more convincing performance to force his way into the squad.

Follow me Twitter - @amoky

Super Eagles of Nigeria ..... Keshi so far

2012-12-31T10:29:00.000-08:00

It has be over a year now when emotions of the Nigeria football fraternity boiled, raged over the non qualification of the Super Eagles of Nigeria to the 2012 African Cup of Nations hosted in Gabon/Equatorial Guinea. Samson Siasia had to pay the price with his job... There were mixed feeling, some wanted him to stay while other wanted him shown the way out . Personally I would have loved if he was retained as l liked the brand of football he displayed while coaching the under 20 and the Olympic team respectively. I am sure he will do things differently now if given another crack at the national team.

Now back to Super Eagles, Stephen Keshi was appointed to restore the National team to the glory days,football commentators, fans, journalist all agree that the national team is in an all time low, there is point deceiving ourselves over this, the team has constantly declined over the year due various behind the scene reason ranging administration, coaching and dedication from the some section of the players .Our performance at the World Cup 2010 was abysmal and loosing to Guinea was just the time bomb that exposed our years of decline. Keshi came in amidst all this debacles and he knew he had his work cut out for him.

Stephen Okechukwu Keshi have being around the Nigerian football setting for a very long time, since his days as football player, I have exceptional admiration for the Big Boss as he is know from his football days, His charisma and leadership qualities were so evident in his playing, personally he is by my own estimation the best Centre back Nigeria have ever had, now other would mention Christian Chukwu but I only saw few clips of him as i was still very young to comprehended him so i cannot compare.But Keshi was an awesome sight at the rear, I remember Maroc 88 when Keshi could only play 2 important games for Nigeria because of his indispensable importance to his club - Anderlecht Belgium. It was pretty obvious that his post football years lies within the coaching line. Keshi had previous coached Nigeria before now- firstly - was in charge of the under 20 Flying Eagles team , then he assisted Jo Bonfere and Amodu Shaibu . His first crack as the first team coach came when he was appointed to manage the Togolese National team, this is still the major highlight of Keshi's coaching career, having qualfiying the soccer minors for the 2006 World Cup, coaching a malian team that boasted the likes Mohamodou Diarra, Lamine Sisoko, Saydou Kaita and Fredric Kanoute. So he came with some sort experience at top flight level.

Let the Building process Start.

On arrival Keshi he made the bold move of inviting some home based players, camped them and began the rebuilding process. this turn of event was welcomed as we have depended on the foreign based players for over 10 years. The task looks daunting as the players were still in their raw state. Though you cannot question the talent of this players, but they lacked the basic rudiments of the game like ball trapping, position, movement off the ball and so on,this obviously reflect the state of our local league. However Keshi was still able to bring out the best in what was available. Playing Series of friendlies against Egypt Peru Angola began to expose this boy to international and top flight at least. The building process brought about some discoveries like Ejike Uzonyi, Godfrey Obabuona, Azubike Eguweke, Papa Idris, Jowon Oshanewa, Sunday Uba, Gabriel Reuben, Henry Uche, Uche Kalu Izu Azuka and Solomon Kwambe.

The performance at some of the friendlies began to show some glimpse of hope, however the feeling was that there was still a long way to go and it was glaring that the homebased need to be blended with the foreign players.

The Real test....

The African cup of nations qualifiers began and the game was going to be against Rwanda, Unlike in previous past, the foreign basesd player were invited to complement the homebased. This game saw the return of Yakubu Dickson Etuhu Ozaze Odemwingie and Taiye Taiwo, by now Victor Moses had being cleared to play for Nigeria..The game ended in a draw and again the commitment of some of the foreign pro was question. and that problably marked the end for the likes of Yakubu Taiwo Etuhu and Odemwingie. The positive on the other hand were the capping of Victor Moses and a certain Ejike Uzonyi asserted himself and it looked like the sort of natural left wingers we have craved for since the days of Emmanuel Amuneke. Several other games were played and eventually Nigeria qualified for the African Cup of Nations billed for South Africa in 2013.

Keshi shortlist 32

Keshi has shortlisted 32 players for the African Cup of Nations and the list seems quite balanced but the selection of the player got into the media for the wrong reasons.First Osaze Odemwingie took to the twitter pages to express his displeasure at being left out of the squad,lambasting the Keshi, the football authorities and the team captain - Joseph Yobo. Different journalist,commentators felt Ozaze has gone to far in how he has handled the situation,moreso he has had histories with previous national team mangers in time past. In my opinion,while i think Osaze took the wrong approach and he could have handled the situation a lot better,our managers/administrators needs to imbibe the aspect human relations and communication,from all indications,Keshi has been talking to Odemwingie before the final selection- but he was not informed before the list came out.Now you may ask,does Keshi needs to inform every player not shorlisted? No, However certain senior players who has being part of the mix for a while should be treated with some degree of mutual respect.

Finally my expectation for the Super Eagles is to have a very good tournament, quoting a friend of mine i am managing my expectations judiciously. I am more particular in seeing an improved team synergy, and hopefully that home based player that would be selected would have good tournament exposure, personally i don't think Nigeria will win the tournament,however i will celebrate a Semi Final qualification. For me this would be my main form of acessement for Keshi .

I wish the team a good success and HAPPY NEW YEAR IN ADVANCE.

Follow me on twitter @ amoky