This team has no business at the World Cup

Ayo Akinfe

Now that the dust has settled after the barren draw in Rades, we can now sit back and soberly reflect. To the casual eye, a draw away to our toughest opponent in the group is not a bad result but can we please honestly ask ourselves what we really made out of the Super Eagles during the game.

After watching the team huff and puff during the last three World Cup qualifiers in which we have played some of the most drab football ever seen and only managed to average goal a game, how content are we with the current Super Eagles? Does anyone is Nigeria really believe that we have a championship-winning team on our hands?

I for one do not believe that there is one person among Nigeria’s 140m football fans who believes that we have a hope in hell of winning the 2010 African Cup of Nations at the moment. With a bit of luck, we may qualify for the World Cup but any talk of winning it is simply comical.

As a team we lack the coherence, fluency, togetherness and chemistry, which Nigerian fans have taken for granted in the past and I can confidently say that this is one of the most disjointed Super Eagles teams I have ever seen before. Simply put, we suck.

If we were playing well but not just getting the results, I for one would have been content to hang on in there until our luck changes but as we are playing at the moment, we are an eyesore and a terrible bore. Had that match in Rades continued for a week, we would not have scored.

As was the case against Mozambique and Kenya, our boys were chasing shadows for 90 minutes, were over-run by our opponents and showed no sign of being ready to put up a fight. We lost more than our fair share of 50:50 balls, were out-physicalled and still struggle to string six decent passes together.

For now, the only bright spot is that we are yet to concede any goals. We are defending well but that is where our good play stops. Nothing else about the team indicates that we are really interested in going to the World Cup.

Have Nigerian footballers suddenly lost the ability to pass the ball around? How come we do not know how to make use of the counter-attack any more?

Once upon a time, we could get the ball from box to box under a minute, devastating the opposition with the pace of our breaks but today, we are so pedestrian that our opponents have regrouped before we have even crossed the halfway line. Against Tunisia, we showed no enthusiasm whatsoever for scoring, with their goalkeeper having one of the easiest days at the office in his entire career.

Throughout the game, I kept asking myself at what stage Amodu Shaibu would ask our boys to up the tempo and take the game to the Tunisians. However, deep down, I had the feeling that this was never going to happen as he simply was not interested in winning the match and that negativity infected the players too.

Amodu went to Tunis in search of a point and got it. Now contrast that to the positive stances of Ghana and Ivory Coast who went to Sudan and Burkina Faso respectively in search of victories and came back with three points apiece.

Those are teams that really mean business and take their responsibilities towards South Africa 2010 seriously. For once, I cannot fault the government or our administrators in this, as the technical crew was provided with all the resources and support it needed. Our problem is that our coaching crew is simply not good enough.

Any amateur football pundit would have told Amodu Shaibu that in a match of this nature he needed to play a target-man upfront to hold the ball up. Why he did not start with either Michael Eneramo or Joseph Akpala is beyond me, when in these two we have two players tailor-made for that role.

It is no surprise that the ball did not stick when we pumped it upfront and our midfield was under constant pressure. A target-man would not only have given the Tunisian centrebacks something to think about but would have brought Ike Uche and Osaze Odemwingie into the game a lot more.

Out wide, why Amodu decided to drop Chidi Odiah and blunt our ability to forage forward on the right is another mystery only he has the answer to. Olubayo Adefemi simply does not have the attacking thrust or crossing ability of the modern fullback that would have provided us with the width on the right that Taiye Taiwo so aptly provided on the left.

While he explains that, Amodu should also tell us why Yusuf Ayila was dropped from the squad. By all accounts, he is our best anchorman and playing him would have given us more possession in midfield.

Sometimes I wonder if Amodu understands the role midfield plays in modern football. I cannot think of a coach who would have the likes of Yusuf Ayila, Chris Obodo, Lukman Haruna and Rabiu Ibrahim at his disposal and not take them with him to Rades.

I can go on and on all day but I get the impression that I will be wasting my time. Amodu Shaibu is simply out of his depth and no amount of lamentation will alter that fact. What you do not have, you cannot give. Football has long left Amodu Shaibu behind.

Anyone who thinks this current team will win anything while Amodu Shaibu is at the helm is living in Cloud Cuckoo Land. How long it takes that message to get through to the powers-that-be will be the key determinant of whether we present a team that will do us proud in South Africa or not.

In the past, we have changed coaches before World Cups but generally, we have left it too late for such changes to have their maximum effect. Our next game is in September. If we want to get serious, now is the time to make the change, so that at least start the process of building a decent squad.

What we cannot do is have it both ways. We cannot stick with the hapless Amodu Shaibu and then also expect to do well and win silverware at the same time. Anyone who watched Ghana, Ivory Coast or Algeria over the weekend will realise how far behind we have fallen.

Apart from maybe Ivory Coast, none of the other teams can match us in terms of talented personnel but as teams, they are light years ahead of us. Why our powers-that-be cannot figure out that coaching is the primary problem of the Eagles is beyond me.

With some luck, we may win our remaining three games and just about scrape through to South Africa. However, championship-winning teams do not scrape wins, they waltz through in style with panache, class and confidence, the way we did between 1994 and 1998.

Our current team is playing nowhere near this good. I hope everyone realises that all we need to do to drop out of the running for South Africa 2010 is draw one game. If we fail to win one of our remaining games, we will hand the ticket in our group to Tunisia. I believe Amodu Shaibu is perfectly capable of presenting the Tunisians with this gift.

The last time I cried myself hoarse in this manner was in 2005 when we were about to play Angola in Kano. I made it clear that the then coach Christian Chukwu did not have what it took to beat Palancas Negras and history proved that I was right.

This is not the time to gamble. If we want to secure our ticket to South Africa 2010, win the African Cup of Nations and then proceed to the World Cup with aim of winning it, now is the time to replace our technical crew. We need a proven coach with the know-how, tactics, creativity, initiative and capability to get the Eagles playing like a championship-winning team. Amodu certainly ain’t that!

Robot  # 1 | 22.06.2009 00:45

Anyone who thinks this current team will win anything while Amodu Shaibu is at the helm is living in Cloud Cuckoo Land. How long it takes that message to get through to the powers-that-be will be the key determinant of whether we present a team that will do us proud in South Africa or not. ...Read the full article.

Law Mefor  # 2 | 22.06.2009 04:26

It is not Amodu’s problem. He has been there three times and posted the same poor result. Someone said that one good definition of madness is doing something the 21st time and hoping to arrive at a different result. If you watch the Eagles train before a match in recent times all you will see is physical exercise and no tactics, compared to what obtains even with club sides overseas. Again, you cannot blame Amodu. One does not give what he/she doesn’t have, for Amodu is no where near today’s football that has gone so scientific and Aandoaker and others who imposed him knew it. And I still do not see the Eagles in South Africa though we, as usual, will hope the ragtag team comes up with a miracle to displace Tunisia. Many are already praying the other teams in our group beat Tunisia (for us to come up), forgetting the Tunisians are also praying – and to the same God!

Bannister  # 3 | 22.06.2009 06:22

Yeah we shall go to the world cup but it will take a miracle for us to survive the first round. That will not surprise any one of your so called "140 million fans". Our football is like our politics which is like our pot hole filled roads which is like our PHCN which is like our Nitel which is like our schools which is like our hospitals. Nothing good is going to come out of our sports until we fix other crucial aspects of our national life. See you in South Africa.

Simbili  # 4 | 22.06.2009 14:43

Like everything else about Nigeria. . .don't hold your breath. But it would be a good opportunity for some of those guys who rarely/never get out of Nigeria to see another African country. The concept of 'true' professionalism is absent in all works the Nigerian/African life for the most part.

Anioma777  # 5 | 22.06.2009 17:07

Surprise Surprise AYO AKINFE circus show is back in town.......:clap: This may make you have a split second mild heart beat loss or at worst you my faint. I must admit over the recent months some comments attributed to Shaibu Amodu left me wondering damn I might have to eat humble pie if Ayo Akinfe posts another anti-Amodu or damn right UNPATRIOTIC appointment of a foreigh coach, becase some of stements and decisions baffled me. Anyway wins against France and Kenya soon spared my blushes. Ok back to this game. I may concern was why the overly defensive and lack lustre performance. Oh well we have the return again in Abuja which will be our FINAL working backwards to meet Mozambique and Kenya. The reason being is that even if we beat Tunisia which I know our Superior Eagles will do there could still be possible banana skin slip ups away and home to these two other countries. Ayo don't die yet but I am beginning to see some of what you have said about Amodu might be true, but I will never condone getting A FOREIGN COACH!!!! We are not out of SA 2010 yet.

10Kobo  # 6 | 22.06.2009 19:23

AYO AKINFE, I am just curious about your positions concerning AMODU's job? Happens that l keep tabs on issues concerning the National Team and since day one, even before Amodu got his letter of appointment, it has been criticisms galore for the man, from YOU?????? Maybe l am the only one who is making these observations but what exactly have you got against this man that you pull him down every time you have time to do an article? Where are your "other opinions" on other issues, aside "Amodu must go"? We have had a host of foreign coaches foisted on us by the "Na only foreign coach sabi" people like you, the last one being that German without a clue about African or Nigerian football, at great emotional stress and financial loss to the country and its people. What exactly is your beef with this man, if its personal, then PLEASE stop using this forum to fight that battle and if you or one of your cronies is in a position to benefit from his sack, at least, play the man and stop hiding under some excuzes! Two win and two draws in his last four games, if achieved by the last foreign coach you guys brought, would have probably got us to the final of the last African Nations cup! From Bora to Berti, from Bonfere to his dutch partner, we have had enough of foreign coaches. (Am not saying some of them did not try their best under the circumstance, considering the thieves in the Glass house and nay-sayers who benefit from the foreign coach scam) If Amodu is not good enough (the best Nigerian coach at the moment, by statistical records) in his second coming, what have people like you, done to IMPROVE HIM or any Nigerian coach for that matter, between his first coming and now?......except to keep using the same worn-out line: he can not succeed, he is not good, e.t.c With missing allocations here and there, engineered by those who criticize the loudest, non-payment of player-allowances on time, non-release of training allocations on time, (rather to be "kept" inside an office drawer so it can be stolen) what miracle can you or any of the foreigners you are recommending, achieve? Abeegi, enough of this P.H.D (Pull Him Down) syndrome. Lets hear your contribution on other current matters, like we've seen others done. Yeye dey smell. :sick: 10Kobo

Ochi Dabari  # 7 | 22.06.2009 23:59

Amodu is not the problem. He is probably the best Nigerian coach around, save possibly Keshi. The problem is with the players. Watch any of the Nigerian players play for their clubs and then watch them when they play for Nigeria. The only two players that go anywhere close to replicating their form for club and country are Odemingie and Kanu (getting rather old and ineffective). A lot of the other players, notably Mikel Obi, respond to call up only to ensure that they can renew their work permits overseas. I do not blame the players. Many of them do not owe the country anything. My only grouse with them is the greed they display - they still go to get the extra $$$ being paid as bonuses when they play for Nigeria. Like a lot of Nigerians based overseas most of hose boys do not feel like working for Nigeria, as it is a thankless job. When they get injured, Nigeria leaves them for their clubs or themselves to treat. But if they do not like to play for Nigeria, they should stay away, for goodness sake. Do not raise the expectations of Nigerians who have nothing else but soccer to cheer them up. Stay away. If ever Amodu reads us here, here is a piece of advice for him: Create a team from the home-based players. There are lots of good hungry players based at home. Look at Egypt, just one of them plays in Europe, and see how they played against Brazil and Italy (never mind they lost to the USA). If Nigeria faces Brazil today, it would look like a rugby score. Mind you though, the home-based players are not more patriotic than the overseas-based players; they just need to shine, to sign up with overseas clubs, at which point they lose interest in Nigeria! That's the way it works. Amodu has no control over the overseas based players - they actually love to see him fail and be sacked. Home-based players will respect him, as they need to be fielded, to be seen by the scouts. Not so the millionaires already playing in Europe, regardless of whether they are in Div 4. I still have my doubts that Nigeria will qualify for World Cup 2010, if the trend is not changed. Tunisia will beat Kenya at home and will be able to beat Mozambique away; they could draw with Nigeria in Abuja, and regardless of what Nigeria does, it is irrelevant. The way the team currently plays, it will be another miracle if they beat Kenya in Nairobi - if they draw, it still favours Tunisia, who have already won away in Kenya. Let's stop wasting money. Use the resources to develop the country. There was a time that the Eagles made us forget our misfortune at home; this is not the same set of players - these ones are mercenaries, devils that cannot be appeased in any way. ochi

Auspicious  # 8 | 23.06.2009 00:21

My only prayer is that they fail.. Yes, that they crash out WOEFULLY! That way, we don't get caught-up in another fake euphoria of Nigeria being a giant because we are everything but a giant. Let the failure and backwardness of our nation stare us in the face well, especially in this Era of Yaradomama. Perhaps we might find the anger to free us from the bondage of failure to which our elite has chained us for all these years. Giant of Africa wey nor fit count eimsef. Giant of Africa wey nor fit hold simple election. Giant of Africa wey nor fit refine eim own Petirol. "Great Nation", eh? Dem dey light us, we sef dey Glow. Axe Ghana. Git ya hand out of your Pants, enough with the mastabashion already! Giant of Africa Ko, 1-800-GIANT ni. :rolleyes: Auspicious.

Shoko Loko Bangoshe  # 9 | 23.06.2009 00:41

=Auspicious;365776>My only prayer is that they fail.. Yes, that they crash out WOEFULLY! That way, we don't get caught-up in another fake euphoria of Nigeria being a giant because we are everything but a giant. Let the failure and backwardness of our nation stare us in the face well, especially in this Era of Yaradomama. Perhaps we might find the anger to free us from the bondage of failure to which our elite has chained us for all these years. Giant of Africa wey nor fit count eimsef. Giant of Africa wey nor fit hold simple election. Giant of Africa wey nor fit refine eim own Petirol. "Great Nation", eh? Dem dey light us, we sef dey Glow. Axe Ghana. Git ya hand out of your Pants, enough with the mastabashion already! Giant of Africa Ko, 1-800-GIANT ni. :rolleyes: Auspicious. Auspicious, I couldn't have put it better myself. What we really, REALLY need is a cleansing, therapeutic 9-0 massacre... ...playing against of Sao Tome... ...at the hands of their third eleven... ...with the match in Abuja Stadium.

Auspicious  # 10 | 23.06.2009 01:03

=Shoko Loko Bangoshe;365780>Auspicious, I couldn't have put it better myself. What we really, REALLY need is a cleansing, therapeutic 9-0 massacre... ...playing against of Sao Tome... ...at the hands of their third eleven... ...with the match in Abuja Stadium. EXACTLY! Thank you, Shoko. But you wicked small sha. Ah, Sao Tome? LOL! But, hey, who knows: maybe, just maybe, we'd finally take the anger (of our defeat) out on the status-quo, and effect some possible change. Still, we are a stubbornly resilient, suffering and smiling people. Auspicious.

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