Eagles should avoid embarrassment –Kaave
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- Category: Sports
- Written by David Ngobua
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My active participation in football activities in Nigeria began in the late eighties when I was privileged to start working with BCC Lions football club of Gboko, then hundred percent owned by the parent company, Benue Cement Company PLC. First of all, I joined the Club as a board member where I rose to become the chairman. After serving BCC Lions for over a decade, I was elected a board member of the then Nigeria Football Association. I served in various committees of the NFA, some of them ad hoc. But I remember very well that at one time, I was the chairman of the marketing committee. I was also the chairman of Pro. League committee. I was also at one time Chairman of referees appointment committee. I led several national teams as leader of delegation to international competitions. When I was leaving the board of the NFA, I was the 2nd vice-chairman of the board. At that level, I served Nigerian football to the best of my abilities.
Let’s talk about the Super Eagles. What is your assessment of the team’s performance at the just concluded 27th Africa Cup of Nations in Angola?
The Super Eagles were at a point a big scare to so many teams on the African continent and indeed beyond. Each time any team was to play the Eagles, they were always jittery but the story is no longer the same. It is so bad that the once dreaded Eagles are now ridiculed and called all sorts of names like ‘chicken Eagles’. From the qualifying matches to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa to the just concluded 2010 Africa Cup of Nations in Angola, Eagles did not perform up to expectations. A good team is assessed based on three main areas, the attack, mid-field and defence. If you look at our national team over the years, they have been very low on scoring and our mid-field too has never been as good as it used to be. The worst is that our defence too has been remarkably very weak. Putting all these into perspective, it will be very difficult to find where to score the team high. A compact and good team should have a good defence, solid mid-field and very sharp attack but the Eagles lack all these. The absence of two of these characteristics I have mentioned can make a team about average and the absence of the three makes a team below average. In addition, during the tournament in Angola, it was extremely difficult to say this is the match maker for the Super Eagles. In a single championship, Eagles made use of three captains. We had Joseph Yobo, Yakubu Aiyegbeni and Osaze Odemwingie and the surprising thing is that most of them did not complete a ninety minutes match. So in every single match, the team had more than one captain, meaning more than one leadership. It was a major problem because on the field of play, the Eagles were like sheep without a shepherd because there was nobody to propel the other players. Furthermore, no player clearly distinguished himself and deserved to be tagged Eagles player of the tournament.
Beyond lack of leadership on the field of play, will you say the Eagles enjoyed sufficient technical support from the bench?
You are essentially asking me for an appraisal of the team’s coaching crew. You will agree with me that modern football has a lot to do with showmanship and drama. If you watch Coach Shaibu Amodu through out the tournament, most of the time, he remained glued to the bench with his hand on his cheek. And for players who must find inspiration in their coach, that position was not sufficiently encouraging. Each time he stood up in such a way that the players would see him and gain inspiration, he would lean against the bench. That position also has its negative effect on the players. I am assessing the coach as one who has managed football at the top level and somebody with basic psychology of what football management is all about. Another issue that was also worrisome is the bitter fact that each time he made a substitution, it produced negative result.
One other issue that was a source of concern to most Nigerian football fans was the target set for the coach before the Nations Cup in Angola. He was to ensure that Nigeria reached the last eight. Would you say the target was good for a World Cup team?
How a World Cup could bound team playing a continental tournament position itself to get only to the semi-finals? The higher targets you set for yourself, the likely your chances of getting there. I will say that Amodu did not set high enough target for himself and his team. Even if NFF is to share in the blame, I do not believe the process of target setting is not one person’s arrangement. As coach of the National team, Amodu should have aimed at something higher having won the bronze medal before.
We are looking forward to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Can you point the way out of these short comings about the Super Eagles which you have enumerated?
The team must sharpen its attack. We must find mid-fielders in the mould and caliber of Jay-Jay Okocha, and Sunday Oliseh. We must find solid defenders like Taribo West and Uche Okechukwu. In addition, we must build an attack of the caliber and quality of Emmanuel Amunike, Rashidi Yekini, Dan Amokachie, Mutiu Adepoju and Finidi George. These are the players who made the Super Eagles a dreaded team. At this point in time, it is very difficult to name their replacements.
Nigeria is once again in search of a foreign technical adviser but supporters of indigenous coaches are not favourably disposed to the move. Where do you stand as the debate continues?
It appears the experiment to localize and indigenize the technical crew has been on for so long without commensurate result. It is good that we set out to give a challenge to our local coaches. Chief Adegboye Oningbinde, Christain Chukwu, Shaibu Amodu, Austin Eguaveon, Samson Siasia and a host of others have enjoyed such privilege. They can not say the opportunity has not been availed them. Unfortunately, they have not been able to give that kind of confidence and satisfaction that Nigerian fans across the world have come to expect of the Super Eagles. It is high time we re-considered that experiment which has gone on for too long and too many times but has produced about the same result.
Are you not worried that your position will bring you in conflict with indigenous coaches?
This opinion I have expressed several times over and sometimes I incurred the wrath of some indigenous coaches who think that I have no confidence in them. I do have but that is the international stage. Football is like religion. Football is diplomacy. Football is big time business and only the best can give you the best result. So we have an array of talents who are doing remarkably well in Europe. What remains is for us to have a technical adviser who will command the respect of these celebrities who are talented, exposed, wealthy and who will only respect somebody whose background, intellect and whose confidence will inspire respect from them. I don’t think presently there is any indigenous coach who can command the respect of these stars.
By all standards, the six African representatives in the forth coming FIFA World Cup in South Africa did not do well in Angola. What does this portend for the continent?
Let me say that it is good that Angola 2010 took place at least five months before the World Cup in South Africa. The six countries, Nigeria, Cameroun, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Algeria and the host nation South Africa are supposed to be the best on the continent and so the minimum requirement was for at least one of them to lift the trophy. But the closest was Ghana that took the second place. The Ghanaian team is grossly inexperienced. It is made up of youngsters who are yet to acquire the experience required of a World Cup team. The team lacks experience and pedigree. At the World Cup proper, two things could happen. African representatives could very easily be knocked out in the first round if they failed to sit down and do their homework properly. But if they sit up, they would save Africa a lot of embarrassment. However, if they refused to buckle up, for Nigeria particularly, to work on its striking force, defence and mid-field, it will be another ‘Chile 87 disaster’. It takes a lot to build a team and this is my major fear. Nigeria has less than four months to assemble a formidable squad for South Africa 2010. Our concentration should not be on winning the World Cup but how to escape international embarrassment, for we are a highly rated nation in world football. If we are lucky to escape embarrassment in South Africa, we must sit back and plan towards the 2012 Nations Cup and 2014 World Cup.
Articles
Eagles should avoid embarrassment –Kaave
Category: Sports Written by David Ngobua Hits: 563
You rose to the position of 2nd vice-chairman of the then Nigeria Football Association, NFA. How did it all start?My active participation in football activities in Nigeria began in the late eighties when I was privileged to start working with BCC Lions football club of Gboko, then hundred percent owned by the parent company, Benue Cement Company PLC. First of all, I joined the Club as a board member where I rose to become the chairman. After serving BCC Lions for over a decade, I was elected a board member of the then Nigeria Football Association. I served in various committees of the NFA, some of them ad hoc. But I remember very well that at one time, I was the chairman of the marketing committee. I was also the chairman of Pro. League committee. I was also at one time Chairman of referees appointment committee. I led several national teams as leader of delegation to international competitions. When I was leaving the board of the NFA, I was the 2nd vice-chairman of the board. At that level, I served Nigerian football to the best of my abilities.
Let’s talk about the Super Eagles. What is your assessment of the team’s performance at the just concluded 27th Africa Cup of Nations in Angola?
The Super Eagles were at a point a big scare to so many teams on the African continent and indeed beyond. Each time any team was to play the Eagles, they were always jittery but the story is no longer the same. It is so bad that the once dreaded Eagles are now ridiculed and called all sorts of names like ‘chicken Eagles’. From the qualifying matches to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa to the just concluded 2010 Africa Cup of Nations in Angola, Eagles did not perform up to expectations. A good team is assessed based on three main areas, the attack, mid-field and defence. If you look at our national team over the years, they have been very low on scoring and our mid-field too has never been as good as it used to be. The worst is that our defence too has been remarkably very weak. Putting all these into perspective, it will be very difficult to find where to score the team high. A compact and good team should have a good defence, solid mid-field and very sharp attack but the Eagles lack all these. The absence of two of these characteristics I have mentioned can make a team about average and the absence of the three makes a team below average. In addition, during the tournament in Angola, it was extremely difficult to say this is the match maker for the Super Eagles. In a single championship, Eagles made use of three captains. We had Joseph Yobo, Yakubu Aiyegbeni and Osaze Odemwingie and the surprising thing is that most of them did not complete a ninety minutes match. So in every single match, the team had more than one captain, meaning more than one leadership. It was a major problem because on the field of play, the Eagles were like sheep without a shepherd because there was nobody to propel the other players. Furthermore, no player clearly distinguished himself and deserved to be tagged Eagles player of the tournament.
Beyond lack of leadership on the field of play, will you say the Eagles enjoyed sufficient technical support from the bench?
You are essentially asking me for an appraisal of the team’s coaching crew. You will agree with me that modern football has a lot to do with showmanship and drama. If you watch Coach Shaibu Amodu through out the tournament, most of the time, he remained glued to the bench with his hand on his cheek. And for players who must find inspiration in their coach, that position was not sufficiently encouraging. Each time he stood up in such a way that the players would see him and gain inspiration, he would lean against the bench. That position also has its negative effect on the players. I am assessing the coach as one who has managed football at the top level and somebody with basic psychology of what football management is all about. Another issue that was also worrisome is the bitter fact that each time he made a substitution, it produced negative result.
One other issue that was a source of concern to most Nigerian football fans was the target set for the coach before the Nations Cup in Angola. He was to ensure that Nigeria reached the last eight. Would you say the target was good for a World Cup team?
How a World Cup could bound team playing a continental tournament position itself to get only to the semi-finals? The higher targets you set for yourself, the likely your chances of getting there. I will say that Amodu did not set high enough target for himself and his team. Even if NFF is to share in the blame, I do not believe the process of target setting is not one person’s arrangement. As coach of the National team, Amodu should have aimed at something higher having won the bronze medal before.
We are looking forward to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Can you point the way out of these short comings about the Super Eagles which you have enumerated?
The team must sharpen its attack. We must find mid-fielders in the mould and caliber of Jay-Jay Okocha, and Sunday Oliseh. We must find solid defenders like Taribo West and Uche Okechukwu. In addition, we must build an attack of the caliber and quality of Emmanuel Amunike, Rashidi Yekini, Dan Amokachie, Mutiu Adepoju and Finidi George. These are the players who made the Super Eagles a dreaded team. At this point in time, it is very difficult to name their replacements.
Nigeria is once again in search of a foreign technical adviser but supporters of indigenous coaches are not favourably disposed to the move. Where do you stand as the debate continues?
It appears the experiment to localize and indigenize the technical crew has been on for so long without commensurate result. It is good that we set out to give a challenge to our local coaches. Chief Adegboye Oningbinde, Christain Chukwu, Shaibu Amodu, Austin Eguaveon, Samson Siasia and a host of others have enjoyed such privilege. They can not say the opportunity has not been availed them. Unfortunately, they have not been able to give that kind of confidence and satisfaction that Nigerian fans across the world have come to expect of the Super Eagles. It is high time we re-considered that experiment which has gone on for too long and too many times but has produced about the same result.
Are you not worried that your position will bring you in conflict with indigenous coaches?
This opinion I have expressed several times over and sometimes I incurred the wrath of some indigenous coaches who think that I have no confidence in them. I do have but that is the international stage. Football is like religion. Football is diplomacy. Football is big time business and only the best can give you the best result. So we have an array of talents who are doing remarkably well in Europe. What remains is for us to have a technical adviser who will command the respect of these celebrities who are talented, exposed, wealthy and who will only respect somebody whose background, intellect and whose confidence will inspire respect from them. I don’t think presently there is any indigenous coach who can command the respect of these stars.
By all standards, the six African representatives in the forth coming FIFA World Cup in South Africa did not do well in Angola. What does this portend for the continent?
Let me say that it is good that Angola 2010 took place at least five months before the World Cup in South Africa. The six countries, Nigeria, Cameroun, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Algeria and the host nation South Africa are supposed to be the best on the continent and so the minimum requirement was for at least one of them to lift the trophy. But the closest was Ghana that took the second place. The Ghanaian team is grossly inexperienced. It is made up of youngsters who are yet to acquire the experience required of a World Cup team. The team lacks experience and pedigree. At the World Cup proper, two things could happen. African representatives could very easily be knocked out in the first round if they failed to sit down and do their homework properly. But if they sit up, they would save Africa a lot of embarrassment. However, if they refused to buckle up, for Nigeria particularly, to work on its striking force, defence and mid-field, it will be another ‘Chile 87 disaster’. It takes a lot to build a team and this is my major fear. Nigeria has less than four months to assemble a formidable squad for South Africa 2010. Our concentration should not be on winning the World Cup but how to escape international embarrassment, for we are a highly rated nation in world football. If we are lucky to escape embarrassment in South Africa, we must sit back and plan towards the 2012 Nations Cup and 2014 World Cup.