The truth about Amodu and his journeymen

Naija is a tragicomedy.

for years I did not want to bother about Nigerian issues but I cannot but find myself taken in by activities in motherland, Nnamdi good piece of work, NFF is no different from other aspects of Nigeria as a country, its mediocrity all the way, with 150 million human capital, we can achieve more than countries with 3million population, it’s a shame!!!! God help us as the situation looks hopeless we can not but turn God to father Christmas again by praying for basic things or importing a white man and paying him billions. Anyway Nigeria is a system that relegates hard work and promotes mediocre.

Nnamdi!You said it all.Nothing else to say.The so called Super Eagles has no business going to the World Cup.Amodu,please do the country a favour and resign.It is very comical,to read that some Nigerians are praying for God to help the Eagles qualify for the World Cup.Please pray for better governance in Nigeria.Religion has nothing to do with soccer.

there are 3 men in that glass house that must either must leave, be removed or sacked which ever one we chose to use in effecting the moving them out of that house. And the men are, Sani Lulu, Taiwo Ogunjobi and Bolaji Ojo- oba. Why Shaibu will of course be protected by these comedians because they make a lot of money from his failures. If Amodu had been winning his matches, will the president set up any task force to take us to South Africa? that means they will have to use the lost $234000 stolen to fund all the matches, since the Super Eagles are not performing, Nigerians are apprehensive, the task force came up, provided funds for everything, lost money is forgotten, those that stole it are enjoying their loot, if we, in this tight situation still qualify, we will be so happy that if anyone raises any questions about the lost money, Lulu will tell you, we should thank God we have qualified, after all that was what the money was meant for so no problems, lets forgive and forget.

Let's hire Ghanaians to play for us. After all, Leotis Boateng & Co made us proud once.Do we have to carry placards before the travellers in the'Glass House' agree that Amodu is not a 21st century coach? Somebody take responsibility clean up the slate pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeese!

NONSENSE! One of Nigeria's biggest problems is not only incompetence among the leadership, but apparently functional illiteracy in public discourse and commentary and/or the dogged pursuit of hidden agendas, as epitomized in this article. For starters, the comparison to the Sven Erickson situation in Mexico is quite obtuse, since (unlike Erickson) Amodu actually started with an excellent 100% record (6 wins in 6 games, in the second round of the WCQs), until things went a bit pear-shaped only recently against Tunisia. Replacing Amodu at that point and bringing in a brand new coach with barely 2 games left and still with a shot (albeit slim) at qualification would have been rather redundant and likely counter-productive, if not just dumb. Furthermore, it smacks of either stark ignorance or arrogance to dumb a coach such as Humberto Coelho of Nigeria's principal rival in our qualify group Tunisia, who had once coached the Portuguese national team to the semi-finals of the Euro Championships as a "middle of the road" coach, and yet over the course of two games, Mr. Coelho has not bested Mr. Amodu. And finally, if Nigeria lacks players of the purported quality of Ghanaian or Ivoirien players, exactly what is Amodu supposed to do about that? Impregnate his wife to birth more qualitative players? A principal problem with much of Nigerian public commentary and analyses is that it is regularly obsessed with symptoms instead of underlying causation, often leaving us chasing shadows in derogation of substance. Along that same vein, the principal problem with Nigerian football has little to do with the quality of its coach (whose output has far out-distanced the likes of ex- German national team coach Bert Vogts and ex-Dutch national team coach Thijs Libregts, in their respective Nigerian stints). Accordingly, dismissing Amodu is merely a short- term palliative (and I think he should be dismissed if Nigeria fails to qualify), but does nothing to address the structural and institutional problems dragging Nigerian football to the underachieving levels of the rest of our national enterprise.

@RWS,you are sprouting rubbish!! The reason Amodu is in the job is because there are those in the Glass House Abuja who are sharing in his income!! You certainly know that. Yes the team did win their matches at the start of the first group stages but who did they play? Even in this later group, Tunisia apart who have they played? We certainly should have lost in Mozambique - that referee should never be allowed near a football pitch again for the two goals he disallowed against the home side!! Against Kenya in Abuja we were flattered by that ridiculous scoreline as the Kenyans had enough chances to escape with at least a point. Amodu is an analogue coach in this digital age. To make stuff worse, he has no respect whatsoever from those morons who masquerade in our national shirt. I only agree that we certainly do lack talent now. Only Osaze would have made the '94 squad from these overpaid fellows we have these days. Still, a better coach would have organised them better. Imagine playing Tunisia in a game we needed to win and he starts the match with THREE defensive midfielders! Kalu Uche/Seyi Olofinjana/Mikel Obi, the latter the most overrated footballer ever to play for Nigeria since Etim Esin. Amodu has no redeeming feature. Berti Vogts and Libregts were not given time to perform because they did not tow the party line of sharing revenue so please leave them out.

.....Read my lips Nigeria.....u have qualified 4 world Cup South Africa coming next, this is a divine consolation from the almighty God Most High......but so long the present technical crew remains, u will be disgraced in this tournament, u still haven't got a what-look-like World Cup Team, the present Tunisia Team is better but u are favoured by God, go look for a better technical crew....ur present NFF could simply be described as APOLOGY..... Its no joke read my lips...To God be the Glory....

How hard can it be to use common sense and organize a football team? It has been done severally before and it was right here in this country. We won the Nations Cup in 1980 and 1994 with well-organized teams; we qualified for the World Cup and played brilliantly with a well-organized team; we won the Atlanta gold medal with a well-organized team. In the world of football, after you are done talking big, you should be able to sensibly put a team together to ensure that you didn't just talk to make news...but that you can actually make news by your flawless achievements (on the pitch). In my own personal view, common sense is simply lacking in the NFF, the coaching crew and the players themselves...

@ heroiceagles, the Eagles played the teams that FIFA placed in front of them during those WCQ games. Or did you expect them to play France and Ireland (whom btw, they did not do so badly against...LOL!)? Nevertheless, if you contend that both Berti Vogts (whose team lost to the likes of Uganda, which is a far worse team than Mozambique) and Thijs Libregts, each of whom spent about a year on the job, were not "were not given time to perform" one is completely baffled as to why you would be so anxious to get rid of Amodu (who has been on the job for about a year and a half), rather than grant him the so-called "time to perform"? Does that mean that we Nigerians are incapable of learning from the past? Or does it (Lord forbid) has to do with Amodu's skin color? Frankly, I would be contended to see Amodu's relieved at the end of the WCQs if Nigeria falls short, but to change horses in the middle of the race with the finishing line fast approaching is (with all due respect) quite dumb.

@RWS ""A principal problem with much of Nigerian public commentary and analyses is that it is regularly obsessed with symptoms instead of underlying causation, often leaving us chasing shadows in derogation of substance."" Very true...so many people who think they know when they they dont know they dont know!!? ""Impregnate his wife to birth more qualitative players?"" haha That might work!lol!

For Gods sake, leave Shaibu alone. If you think its easy try coachin.

Bring back Austin Eguavoen, the best coach the Eagles have had in the past 4 years, statistically speaking!

It quite comical to read some Nigerian football bufoon fans think that because coach A in Europe can guide a team to qualification or winning a tournament he can do the same with Nigeria. I think the name Berti Vogts and ANC 2008 is a lesson that best decribes my point. The Nigerian players just don't have the will to win matches for their country. Even if God was our caoch they will stil struggle. Amodu has tried his best, but if he is to be removed we should not go back to another foreign coach. As RWS said we have this madness of always looking for a quick fix and cure rather than looking at the root causes.It will be interesting if Nigeria can still qualify....will the imbeciles now parading as NFF sack Amodu as they did in 2002 when he qualified Nigeria for the WC and with 2 months to go for no apparent genuine reason decided to unleash ankara wearing Festus Onigbinde on us. We are extraordinary people!!!!

Mr okosieme, your views are most respected and very well noted. Lets not mix the short sight administrators and I still do not understand and cannot understand why some people call themselves power brokers and hole themselves up in a 5* hotel and talk "nonsense" rather than allow the decicated ones play soccer, yet even the so called big fatherism in football does not and will not allow our ffotball thrive. Or else how do you explain why footback journalist and ex players like the ones feyi ogunduyile had with him when nigeria played Germany (U20 1/4) i cannot imagine that they still believe in something called the Nigerian spirit when cleary bigger and more dedicated teams spend years getting these boys prepared for these comptition, yet we are comfortable sacking coaches for failing to win competitions, the writing has always been on the wall yet we are still happy talking to useless old age pensioners called young players who have no inkling about patriotism and no sense or connection to the phrase national duty(maybe they should talk to the european players about what it feels like to represent your country) lets not get carried away - we will never win anything(not even wafu- if it still exists) until the mentality changes that when you on the green/white/green - you play like enyimba of 2003(caf champions winners). we are never going to fulfil our potentials - imagine Ghana with 20 million people qualify for the world cup - yet Naija.........

RWS, I am sure that if you are not Shuaibu Amodu, you would be either Ogunjobi or Lulu. You are talking like someone that has just dropped from the moon. have you not been in this country all these years or have you not been following events? You said Amodu started well and then things went pear-shaped or corn shaped, whichever and whatever, and that he had 100 per cent record-agreed. the question si whewre has that landed us? I'll tell you:it has left us hanging precariously and waiting and hoping like we did three years ago, that the other team fails so that we'll qualify. Now, whether that is the fault of public commentators or administrators who don't learn from the past is left for the public to judge. as for Coelho not besting Amodu over two games; the answer is simple. He is not a world class coach. he maanged to take Portugal to the semi-final of Euro 200 because he had quality players in Figo,Joao Pinto, Nuno Gomes, Abel Xavier and the rest of them. Now, he is with Tunisia and there are no quality players and so he is struggling. If Amodu were a good coach and the Eagles had good players, Tunisia couldn't hold a candle to us. As for whether Amodu will impregnate his wife to get good players, well, if he thinks its necessary he can do it. But seriously, it is Amodu's failing as coach that he cannot assemble quality players from the Nigeria league and elsewhere. They are there but he failed to look for them because he wanted quick fixes. Are players like Obiora Nwankwo, Edet Ibok and Orelesi of Siasia's U-20 team not Nigerians. Why didn't Amodu look for them? Let's face it the man doesn't have it and so can't give it. we should learn to say the truth in this country and stop crucifying those who do so.

We need World Class administrators in the Glass House too and I am surprised no one has postulated that we hire expartriates for the job. As for our Super Eagles, all we need is a Coach that will bring back the hunger to play and instil tactical discipline in the players. Westerhof did this and he is still in Nigeria

In all sincerity,and without being negatively sentimental, Amodu has proved to Nigerians that he lacked the modern techniques that a national team CHIEF coach should possess. The teams he has consistently presented in SA 2010 are the worst SE teams we have seen in several generations: no result-oriented pattern and no push. Amodu should be told that Nigerians are not abandoning the present SE because they are not winning enough points but because the squad has not been impressive in all the matches they have played so far - they have played very badly, and they lack the technicality and mentality of winners . We are still in contention for SA 2010 because the teams in the same group with the SE are just as average as the SE, otherwise the case would have been determined against the SE long before the match against Mozambique. I would have advised NFF officials to look for a good coach whether we make it to SA 2010 or not, but the composition of the Federation cannot give what they don't have. Because if they they have, they would not have chosen Amodu in the first instance, since he came fourth in the interview. I will rather call on the National Assembly to involve the Presidency in purifying the glass house of its lack-of-vision occupants, otherwise Nigerian football will continue to swim in sub-standard and failure.

The writer of this article is just plain crazy. First off.. shame on you, Nigeria did qualify for the world cup in spite of your "informed opinion". Name me one coach in the last 10 odd years who has been as sucessful with the Super Eagles as Amodu has been (foreign and local). Abeg is you dont know what to write, go and find a rock to crawl under. "They lack the commitment of the 1980 squad, the quality of the 1994 set and the verve and finesse of the Atlanta 1996 squad". Indeed. Im sure you can name one Nigerian (senior) team that has embodied all those qualities under any Nigerian manager. All these teams you mentioned took years to build. Amodu, till date holds the record for most unbeaten competitive matches played as manager of the Nigerian senior national team. He may play defensive football, but so do some of the most highly decorated managers in the global game. I hope NFF sack Amodu, we hire whoever we need to hire, fail woefully at the World cup and fail to qualify for the next 2 or 3 world cups. Maybe then you and your kind might learn to appreciate a good thing when you see one. Informed decision my backside.