by Akan Ido
Super Eagles coach, Stephen Keshi has expressed his displeasure at the performance of the team during yesterday’s match against Congo. Nigeria lost 3-2 against our Group A opponent in the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier at the U.J Esuene Stadium, Calabar, Cross River State.
Keshi, who coached the Eagles at the recently concluded World Cup in Brazil, said he was particularly unhappy about the way the team played saying he saw the loss to Congo coming.
“I’m very disappointed. It was not just the result but the way we played in the first half. I was like a soothsayer because I saw it coming and I talked to the boys that they had to be aggressive and first to the ball.
“I’ve played against the Congolese team before and I know they play tip-tap football. We scored the first goal and that was it. It’s a shame that we had opportunities, mostly in the second half, but we could not score,” Keshi said after the game.
Keshi, popularly known as the Big Boss, said he charged the players in the dressing room to go back on the pitch and contest every ball in a bid to restore the country’s pride but that was not to be.
He added, “I told them (players) they were not playing their game. They were not themselves, they were not playing, they were second to the ball and they needed to change the mentality. They came back in the second half and you could see the difference. But if you are playing a team like this, they are going to come hard and park the bus. And that’s what they did in the second half. Who won’t do it?
“I can understand the frustration, the Congolese team delaying the game, killing the game. It became an anger problem and its part of the game.
“It’s football. Brazil lost 7-1 and we lost today (Saturday). Everybody is going to lose someday. We cannot win all the games all the time. This is where we need the media and Nigerians. They have to be behind the team, so that we can go to South Africa and win.”
Keshi represents everything that is wrong with Nigeria.Namely,intellectual pride paradoxically arising from ignorance.How does a coach say he was like a prophet? That he saw the loss coming?This same man told us not to expect miracles in brazil.Yet,he remains the coach.
It’s quite disheartening to be beaten by Congolese team right on our soil. I strongly believe the eagles were not psychologically fit for the game. I could sense Ebola traumatized
mentality among the eagles in their approach to the game. Well, the shame is on the eagles,
which somehow has caused soccer loving Nigerians a reproach. It has gone down in history
that Congolese team beat this unserious set of eagles on their soil. By God’s grace we can
beat the Congolese on their soil as well. If only Kechi can do away with unserious players and
make use of better and hungry players irrespective of where such player(s)trading his
football. I think it’s high time we got rid of this Europe based professionals are the best
mentality. We can get very good footballers around Nigeria. Not even the players in our local
league. I’ve been into the game back home and I know the sentiments in picking players by
so many coaches in our local football. Kechi, organize football talent workshop in all LGAs around Nigeria! you’ll discover raw talents and you will be amazed. I will suggest that you build
a team of coaches which will comprise You, Siasia, Oliseh, Taribo, Okocha and Kanu Nwakwo.
I urge Kechi to be present at every workshop alongside the team members. I was at John Fashanu football talent hunt at Ogwachuku, and I saw a lot of fowl plays in selecting players
by some of the coaches Fashanu worked with. Besides, John Fashanu was not present at all
the screening sections. He only came once out of the days the talent hunt lasted. Besides, a
lot of the coaches Fashanu worked with were not as established and not as rich. So, elements
of bottle necked played a major role in the selection of players. Sentiments and kick back and
fronts inducing cut corners have been the bane of our problems. We should start doing the right thing now! by so doing we’ll be having better results yielding ending. Kechi, please, listen to the voices of the people(Nigerian soccer lovers and eagles fans all over the World) whom you serve. Make your name by scouting for raw helpless football talented players and bring them to lime light whereby our Eagles will become as formidable as in the days of Westerhof.
You can even surpass Westerhof’s record if only you keep sentiments away. Together We Can Do It Better!.