Mexico and Cameroon have shown how to act

By Ayo Akinfe

Over the last week, Mexico and Cameroon have parted ways with their national team football coaches after poor results that threatened their appearance in the 2010 World Cup. Both teams lost important qualifying matches with Les Lions Indomitable going down 0-1 away to Togo, while the Mexicans lost 1-3 to Honduras.

I suspect that there will be several more casualties in the coming weeks as the latest round of qualifiers has put several nations’ appearance at the Mundial in jeopardy. As is the case with any other business in life, one cannot afford to be sentimental. If things are going wrong, drastic action needs to be taken if that is what is required.

In the case of Mexico and Cameroon, it was not just the fact that they lost that cost the coaches their jobs but the manner in which they lost. Neither teams showed any of their past promise and both were just as casual, pedestrian, lackadaisical and disjointed as our own Super Eagles were in Maputo.

In the case of Mexico, Sven Goran-Erickson’s loss to Honduras was their second in three qualifying matches and left them fourth in their six-team group. If they stay fourth they will face the fifth-placed team from South America for a place in the World Cup, which really means they are staring down the barrel.

Otto Pfister had a much better record than Erickson but the Cameroonian authorities were simply not prepared to take any risks with him. In Nigeria, however, we appear incapable of cutting out cancerous cells as soon as they appear. We wait for them to infect an entire organ before taking action. On many occasions, this has proven to be too late.

In the case of our Eagles, I for one believe that what was most disastrous about our outing in Maputo was the woeful performance we put in. Yes, it is results that count in football but performance by and large tends to influence results. Teams that play well win and those that play badly lose.

We got a draw in Maputo but more by good fortune than by merit. We played just as badly as we did in the six matches in the previous round but because the gods were smiling on us then, we managed to get away with undeserved victories.

In Maputo, a lot of our luck ran out. Who knows if we have used up everything in the tank and by the time we come round to playing Tunisia, our weaknesses my well and truly be exposed.

Since Amodu Shaibu took over as manager of the Super Eagles, the team has been an eyesore. That cannot string six decent passes together and it may interest you to know that for the last three games, we have not scored one goal.

Yes, we have not scored a goal in 270 minutes despite the plethora of strikers at our disposal. It is no surprise to me as to score goals, you need to win the ball in midfield and your attackers need to be fed. None of this is happening under Amodu Shaibu.

For those of us for whom football is more than just a game, we look at good passing sides like Arsenal, Barcelona, Manchester United, England, AZ Alkmaar, Brazil and Spain and ask Why Not Us? We know a good side when we see one and even if results do not go their way, no one will blame the coach under such circumstances.

Some less enthusiastic fans blame the players when things go wrong. Some even go as far as suggesting that the calibre of footballers at the coach’s disposal were not good enough. I ask them if Mozambique had better talent on show than us or if Togo had 11 Emmanuel Adebayor’s on show against Cameroon.

Anyone who has watched AZ Alkmaar will see how Van Gaal has got hold of a group of average players and through his total football philosophy turned them into a team that make you think you are watching Brazil. It is no surprise that they are currently toping the Dutch league and are winning more fans by the day.

If we are serious about not only going to South Africa but actually aim to win it or at least go far in the tournament, this is the kind of coach we need. Looking for short cuts or “managing” with a lesser being simply will not cut it. To win the World Cup, you need a world class coach.

As we say in Nigeria, Good soup na money make am. We have to decide if winning is our priority or just putting in an appearance for the sake of it is OK. If the latter is our goal, then we need not bother but if we aspire to win silverware, we need to follow the examples of Cameroon and Mexico immediately.

As far as I am concerned, Nigeria has a large enough talent pool to pick 11 players who can do the nation proud on the green grass. What we do not have is a team with the necessary chemistry, cohesion and collectivism to function as a competent unit. Only a coach who knows what he is doing can deliver that.

If Amodu Shaibu were given 11 Ronaldinho’s tomorrow, I believe his team would be just as disjointed as it is today and all we would have is 11 superstars strutting around the pitch, playing like individuals. Until that aspect of the team is sorted out, no amount of talent will deliver us from evil.

It is all now down to the board of the Nigerian Football Federation. Are they going to follow the examples of Cameroon and Mexico or continue to gamble with our appearance at South Africa 2010? Whatever they do, we must make sure we hold them to account.

Ayo Akinfe

aakinfe@aol.com

Robot  # 1 | 04.04.2009 08:42

If Amodu Shaibu were given 11 Ronaldinho’s tomorrow, I believe his team would be just as disjointed as it is today and all we would have is 11 superstars strutting around the pitch, playing like individuals. Until that aspect of the team is sorted out, no amount of talent will deliver us from evil....Read the full article.

Anioma777  # 2 | 04.04.2009 13:29

@Ayo Akinfe You deserve to be taken to Eagle square or your village square, stripped naked and flogged. Then taken to one of these new age 419 churches and have the demons cast out from you. Nigeria has "drawn" not "lost" their first match. Your knee jerk reactions stike me as someone who is very "unpatriotic" and with a hidden agenda. Do you work for some European sporting recruitment agency or what? No one was happy with the result but it could have been worse besides, history has shown that chopping and changing the super eagles manager hardly ever pays dividend. This same Amodu you say is not competent, unless you have a memory lapse or selective memory, was he not the same man who guided Nigeria to WC2002 and then only to be sacked for some bizarre reason a few months before the tournament and Festus Onigbinde took over and Nigeria for the first time was knocked out in the group stages. What business you have with Cameroon and Mexico sacking their coaches is mind boggling and even more comical as to why you feel NFF should follow suit. YOU NEED TO SUPPORT AND ENCOURAGE AMODU AND THE PLAYERS. YOUR UTTERANCES ARE A SAD REFLECTION ON HOW MOST NIGERIANS LOVE TO JUMP TO CONCLUSIONS!!!! I admire skillful and flamboyant football like you, but WINNING OR AVOIDING DEFEAT IS WHAT MATTERS NOT HOW YOU ARCHIEVE IT!!!!!!!!:sad:

Bill Carson  # 3 | 04.04.2009 14:02

=Anioma777;343286>@Ayo Akinfe YOU NEED TO SUPPORT AND ENCOURAGE AMODU AND THE PLAYERS. YOUR UTTERANCES ARE A SAD REFLECTION ON HOW MOST NIGERIANS LOVE TO JUMP TO CONCLUSIONS!!!! I admire skillful and flamboyant football like you, but WINNING OR AVOIDING DEFEAT IS WHAT MATTERS NOT HOW YOU ARCHIEVE IT!!!!!!!!:sad: Anioma777, Ayo Is right to draw our attention to the under achieving Eagles Manager. I don’t know about you, but I want to see Eagle In South Africa next year and frankly the sooner we get Frank Rajkaard ( I have a right to dream), Tigana or big Phil Scolari the better for us. The current crop of Eagle players are the least talented In the last twenty years and we can’t afford to allow the large ego among the players deny us the long suffering fans the only opportunity In our lifetime see a 9ja team participate In an Africa hosted World Cup. Only a world Class Manager can tame that ego and Amodu Is not one..

Anioma777  # 4 | 05.04.2009 03:35

@Bill Carson Ayo Is right to draw our attention to the under achieving Eagles Manager. I don’t know about you, but I want to see Eagle In South Africa next year and frankly the sooner we get Frank Rajkaard ( I have a right to dream), Tigana or big Phil Scolari the better for us. The current crop of Eagle players are the least talented In the last twenty years and we can’t afford to allow the large ego among the players deny us the long suffering fans the only opportunity In our lifetime see a 9ja team participate In an Africa hosted World Cup. Only a world Class Manager can tame that ego and Amodu Is not one.. I want to see the Super Eagles there too. But constant negative comments about Amodu is not going to get us there. Not that he really needs our advice. It is quite sad you think a "foreign" coach is the answer. We should be promoting "OUR OWN" and not looking to others to do our jobs. Football management is not exactly SPACE TECHNOLOGY!! Amodu will get the job done I have faith in him. Also no matter who the coach is THE PLAYERS MUST BE WILLING TO DIE FOR THEIR COUNTRY AND PUT EGOS ASIDE. Ah I forgot I am talking about Nigerians. We must hold the world record for SABOTAGING EACHOTHER. Also all the the nations that have won the world cup have done so with an INDIGENOUS COACH.

Na lie  # 5 | 05.04.2009 06:20

Haba Ogbuefi Anioma, why do you allways face where everybody turn their back? Nnaa, Amodu na your inlaw, we all know that he's got no control over the players and somebody like Siasia or Keshi will do a better, a far better job than your inlaw. Nigeria need a manager who is big enough to tell those spoilt and big headed brat what he feels about then to their faces.

Godwin  # 6 | 06.04.2009 09:18

=Anioma777;343286>@Ayo Akinfe You deserve to be taken to Eagle square or your village square, stripped naked and flogged. Then taken to one of these new age 419 churches and have the demons cast out from you. Nigeria has "drawn" not "lost" their first match. Your knee jerk reactions stike me as someone who is very "unpatriotic" and with a hidden agenda. Do you work for some European sporting recruitment agency or what? No one was happy with the result but it could have been worse besides, history has shown that chopping and changing the super eagles manager hardly ever pays dividend. This same Amodu you say is not competent, unless you have a memory lapse or selective memory, was he not the same man who guided Nigeria to WC2002 and then only to be sacked for some bizarre reason a few months before the tournament and Festus Onigbinde took over and Nigeria for the first time was knocked out in the group stages. What business you have with Cameroon and Mexico sacking their coaches is mind boggling and even more comical as to why you feel NFF should follow suit. YOU NEED TO SUPPORT AND ENCOURAGE AMODU AND THE PLAYERS. YOUR UTTERANCES ARE A SAD REFLECTION ON HOW MOST NIGERIANS LOVE TO JUMP TO CONCLUSIONS!!!! I admire skillful and flamboyant football like you, but WINNING OR AVOIDING DEFEAT IS WHAT MATTERS NOT HOW YOU ARCHIEVE IT!!!!!!!!:sad: wAyo Akinfe actually works/alligns with some European sporting recruitment agency and had a hand in the ultimately unsuccessful hiring of Bryan Robson as Super Eagles coach some years back.

Anioma777  # 7 | 06.04.2009 12:32

@Godwin Ayo Akinfe actually works/alligns with some European sporting recruitment agency and had a hand in the ultimately unsuccessful hiring of Bryan Robson as Super Eagles coach some years back. If the above statement is true God help us. Bryan Robson? Nigeria and Nigerians never cease to amaze me!!!!

Godwin  # 8 | 06.04.2009 13:08

@ Anioma777 Very True.

tonsoyo  # 9 | 06.04.2009 13:47

Anioma777 is trying "to move Nigeria forward" again a la Eze Iwuruwuru elections of 2007. I say fire the Coach like yesterday. We do not want efforts, we want result. We do not need anybody living in past glory either. I don close my eyes... dem don sack am?

cuteajax  # 10 | 06.04.2009 14:39

Mr Angloma77 Are you somewhat related to Shaibu Amodu? Or why is it so difficult for you to come to terms with the guy’s incompetence and incapacity to handle the eagles? You just keep on hammering on the need to “promote our own” by continuing with an inept local coach but you have to realize one thing; you cannot eat your cake and have it. If you will leave the senior national team at the mercy of some incompetent nincompoop all for the sake of “promoting your own”, then please don’t wish for success for that team any time soon. I find it appalling that Nigerian can’t just judge issues on its merit without adding some tinge of sentiments to it. Fine I agree there are some potentially good coaches in Nigeria. Siasia & Keshi come to mind. They have displayed the zeal, commitment and passion to make a name for themselves in coaching and seem not to associate with corrupt practices that is typical of public office holders in the country but will your administrators give them the chance to prove themselves over the long haul? They don’t want someone like Siasia or Keshi who is financially well-off and who are immuned to been pushed around. They would rather give the job to some idiots who will in a bid to keeping his job, sacrifice performance (that he doesn’t even have in the first place) and field inept players that are imposed on him by senators and football administrators alike. I have said it earlier, though the coach shouldn’t be spared the axe, the first people I recommend for a sack are the NFA chairman and all his officials. They know nothing about soccer administration and are too self-seeking to be effective. If they remain, they will only replace Amodu with another inept figurehead. You make me laugh whenever you mention the fact that all the former world cup winners were coached by local coaches. Were these local coaches in the caliber of Amodu? Is it Marcelo Lippi you want to be comparing Amodu with? Lippi was a multiple winner of the Italian league with Juventus and he also won the European Champions’ League. Perhaps, Amodu should try and handle a European clubside (if he will ever get one) so that there will be a strong basis for comparison. We can then use his performance to ascertain his level of competence to handle Eagles. If he is that good as you keep touting him, some European club would have contracted him. Amodu is simply too inept to bring out the best in the Eagles. Its like expecting a secondary school teacher with probably an NCE to successfully lecture 500-level students in the Univeristy. Chances are that he is not even as knowledgeable as these guys. Many Eagles players have worked with world class coaches and they know better not to rely on Amodu’s petty tactics. I can bet that Amodu is not even abreast of latest trends in coaching. He still wants to use his petty tactics that could only win him a Mandela cup just once way back in 1990. I wish him luck. And who told you the eagles are not committed? If they see a world class coach that can instill tactically discipline into their game and mould them into a formidable fighting force, you will see commitment from them. It is hard to give in your best and perform well under a leader you don’t believe in.

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