After close to ten months of uncertainty, the Amaju Pinnick led Nigeria Football Federation board finally failed Nigerians and posited the next phase of plunge for our football by handing former Coach, Stephen Keshi a two year contract with expected results leading up to the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations.
Its been a long battle for Keshi who has been given a vote of no confidence as his technical limitations have exposed him as a manager who does not have the content and character to mould new players and manage success.
The battle to dump Keshi may have been lost by football stakeholders and passionate fans who long saw the flaws in him, but we must come to terms and accept with faint hopes the decision of the football body to re-employ this ego centred manager as we hope for the best for our senior national team in the next two years.
It may be difficult watching the Super Eagles anymore with much passion as the calibre of players now in the national team are far below average playing for medium scaled clubs and being tinkered as it is with the national team with a manager whose obsolete ideas have plunged our boys to mere pushovers even on the continent.
It is obvious that the football body had delayed with a strong belief that it will escape the Keshi hook well coordinated by the Presidency as they played for time expecting that whatever distractions of the transition would lead to the swearing of General Buhari, but the pressure and wave of sacks in the last few days as the present administration winds down, may have forced the choice on Amaju Pinnick and his board as they must pray with faith that this decision will bring fruitful results.
It has been one decision that may even leave the board of the NFF divided all through the tenure as the trade blames and already existing vote of no confidence by some members of the board have been established and may create a new and deeper animosity between Keshi and some members of the board.
Already, reactions have trailed the new contract of Stephen keshi, while some have coaches have commended the NFF for taking a stand on continuity, others have out rightly dismissed Keshi expressing little or no hope of his chances of getting the job done with his second coming.
Jonathan Akpoborie a former international and sports pundit has described the re-absorption of Keshi as a waste of tax payers money as he does not deserve it wondering if he was the only qualified coach that could tinker the country at that level.
He criticised the NFF for being out muscled in giving Keshi the job at the expense of better coaches even on the home front as he reaffirmed that Keshi will not bring any fresh ideas into the national team.
While the debate on Keshi’s second coming echoes with divergent views, I am more concerned on the need to ensure that we have a quality team in the nearest future as the fans are now impatient that their team gets to the summit of African football once again.
Unfortunately, Keshi has not seen the new set of Eagles being branded today with regards to their last match in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State against Uganda which was so dismal. He has not met them on a one on one basis yet and may not have contacted them yet to relate with them.
I further expected that after ten months out of any coaching contract that Keshi should have used the period to undertake a comprehensive programme to enhance his technical capacity and update his technical competence. Rather, it is the NFF who are still going to use tax payers money to fund a coaching programme for the returnee coach.
The NFF is obviously pampering this gaffer as it stands and it is our expected wish that with the new contract and other juicy allowances, he must sit up if he expects that it will be a jolly coaster ride as his sponsors may long be gone from power by the time he begins to fumble with the national team again.
He should be ready for the banana peels kept on his path as there are certain clauses that may get him sacked even before he dreams of taking the team to the 2018 World Cup in Russia. The tricky tie against Chad in June in a 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in a group that consists of five times African Champions Egypt should be a firm beginning for the rebuilding process for the senior national team.
It is not a qualifier where the Eagles must play second fiddle as the group winner get the automatic slot for the championship slated for Gabon while the second placed team can only hope for a best placed spot on the best losers slot and we have walked that rope under Keshi before during the qualifiers for the Equatorial Guinea Championship.
It is even more interesting for Keshi who has to lead the home based Eagles for the CHAN Championship next year with a semi final mandate given to him as any result below that woul see the end of his career with the senior national team and thereafter will there be hope to lead the team to the World Cup in Russia in 2018.
As such, he needs to hit the ground running and make sure his results speak for him and if I were him avoid the media for now hoping to warm my way back with the fans with impressive results soonest. I have read his recent comments that he has no team so far and we need to let him know that we are already aware of this that is why he must begin his new programme that will reposition the national team for greater successes.
He needs to watch more of our local leagues urgently to raise a formidable home based squad for the challenge next year while looking beyond some of the already established stars he used during his first stint as they have in recent matches been out of form.
It is very disheartening to note that Keshi is not eager to have Daniel Amokachi, Ike Shorunmu assist him anymore after their loyalty and higher technical inputs with the senior national team. This may be a case of some silent rivalry with his technical crew and I believe that whoever steps into their shoes will also face the same challenge from this man who claims to know it all and may deepen the crisis with the future national team.
We must appeal to Keshi that now that the NFF has given you a second chance and after your public apology that you would be submissive to constituted authority, you will also be objective in the selection of your players this time around and avoid those initial scheming of below average players you called to the senior national team just to advertise them and sell them to other clubs.
You are not a players’ manager as coach of the Super Eagles and you must give our players the best opportunity both home and abroad to make our team a very potent side and that is why you must pay more attention to the present crop of Flying Eagles who hold the brightest prospects of a successful succession into the senior national team.
You should sit down with the Coaches of the Flying Eagles led by Manu Garba and Dream Team led by Samson Siasia in identifying new talents for the Eagles with long term projections for the next World Cup and give already identified youngsters like Kelechi Iheanacho the deserved exposure to adorn the national team colours.
This is the period where Keshi’s human relationship skills will come to play in guiding the younger players to become world beaters and he should lead as a father, former international and national hero in bringing creativity and potency to the Eagles.
I keep recalling the Westerhoff years as the national team coach who got all the support he needed from the then Federal Government and changed the face of Nigerian football from 1989 to 1994. Good enough, Keshi was part of that golden era of our football leading up to the USA 94 World Cup and he should be visionary in discovering new stars in the mould of himself who motivated his team mates on the pitch, the likes of Samson Siasia, Rashidi Yekini, Finidi George, Peter Rufai, Daniel Amokachi, Austin Eguavoen, Uche Okechukwu, Emeka Ezeugo, Sunday Oliseh, Emmanuel Amunike and Austin Okocha just to mention a few.
Its all about the commitment and passion to execute the job, accept faults and address the challenges that would make your players stand out to excel because the blame will not lie with the players all the time, the bulk stops at your desk and what you tell your players is what they execute.
Modern day coaches put in extra efforts even beyond the pitch to know the character of his players, mood swings , nutrition and even assist in family issues all in the bid to get the best from his players and I believe sincerely that Keshi is coming back with a stronger content that will give new quality to the Super Eagles.
It is also sincerely believed that the NFF especially the technical committee will have a sustained and a stronger working relationship with Keshi this time around and avoid all necessary pitfalls and public spat putting each side into order as we look forward to better days with cautioned expectations for our Senior national team once again.
We can only pray that our football will hopefully get better in the next two years and if things get worse, the blame will not be farfetched. Good luck Keshi.
No comments:
Post a Comment