It is only true to say that now-sacked coach of the Super Eagles Shuaibu Amodu was under immense pressure for the larger part of his times on that job. Indeed the job of the super Eagles Chief Handler is a hot job, and even hotter to keep. Even despite arguably enviable results (going a whole year of at least 10 competitive games without a single loss), the man was highly criticized, and was never able to convince the larger (or perhaps louder) sections of Nigeria’s football community and press who kept screaming “Sack him, Sack him”.
Indeed Amodu did set at least three (3) records:
• He is the only indigenous coach to ever qualify Nigeria for the World Cup
• He is the only coach (indigenous or foreign) to have done it twice
• He is the only coach who went a whole year of competitive games (at least 10 of them) without a loss
But some sections of Nigeria’s sporting press and community (who actually seem to be louder) adamantly felt unconvinced.
With this background in mind, there is a level of awareness I expected Amodu to have had. Yours sincerely actually wrote an open letter to Shuaibu in December 2009, he actually fell into some of the dangers I warned him about. Amodu should have known that with the level of success (so to say) he attained, and that his critics were never convinced, and kept calling for his sack (which they didn’t get because he had good results on his side), he should have known that anything less would actually result in those critics having their way and having him sacked, that any show of failure would make the “sack him” voices overwhelming strong, and that indeed he would be sacked! So he should have done all not even to keep that level of seeming success but to improve on it. That was the only thing that would silence his critics. But did he do enough to improve on his then level of success?
Amodu Is The Architect Of His Own Fortune
Indeed your sincerely was among the very few Nigerians and writers who openly spok and wrote that Shuaibu Amodu should be left on that job to take the Super Eagles both to the Nations and World Cups. And I strongly and straightly charged Amodu to take and do his job PROFESSIONALLY. With the appropriate level of professionalism, I was sure he could succeed. But did Shuaibu Amodu follow that wise counsel?
Honestly, and for the first time, I’ll say this: I wasn’t impressed by the way Amodu executed the Nations Cup. He made and had obvious errors and flaws, in fact, things I didn’t expect from a coach of his stature by virtue of his long years on this job both locally and outside (at least 20 years). Indeed, it seemed like he didn’t know the job, or that I hugely overrated him.
For example:
• Why does it take Amodu well over 70 minutes to make a substitution when it had become obvious that things weren’t going his team’s way from the first minute of the 2nd half (as was clearly seen in the Egypt game).
• Why does Amodu keep starting Yakubu Aiyegbeni despite the guy’s obvious lack of form?
• Why does Amodu find it had to substitute Yakubu or keep him on the bench? Was he afraid of the guy as was his predecessor, Christian Chukwu?
Let me say this (and that on record) that Yakubu Aiyegbeni is a big waste of space and resource in and to the super Eagles. That guy doesn’t deserve even an invitation to the team, or being on the substitute bench. (it is on record that well before the Nations Cup, in December, I had written the same thing about Yakubu). It is a big insult to this country whenever Yakubu starts in the Super Eagles line-up. The impression is that he is the best we have got. The question we are to ask ourselves and Amodu should ask himself is this: Is Yakubu the best striker (or is he even among the best strikers) we have now? It will be a great shame to this country if he is. I’m not being critical or negative, but I can fairly say that Yakubu was useless whenever he was on the pitch at Angola 2010. Yet Amodu kept using him like a man without initiative or alternative, I am surprised.
Amodu’s Shocking Statement On the Local-based Players
I was amazed when I heard the statement Amodu made on local-based players on the eve of camp opening en route Angola. Amodu blatantly said, the local-based players were merely training materials, that they couldn’t be good enough to make his team, or match the foreign-based ones. I was in a state of shock and bewilderment for 2 reasons:
1. I had already spoken, written and published articles about him (i.e. Amodu) that he was good enough, and that he should be left to do his job.
2. The second and stronger reason was that Amodu’s own success started in the local scene with BCC Lions of Gboko in 1989.
So how can a local coach who started here at the local scene come to be making such a claim that local players are not good enough to make his team, and that they are only training materials. Some of these players have played and won the African Champions League, some of them have been runners-up, some of them were silver medalist at the Beijing 2008 Olympic football even. Are those the players an indigenous coach (for that matter) should talk low upon like that? Moses Kpakor (player of Shuaibu Amodu’s BCC Lions in 1989-91 was part of Westerhof’s Super Eagles at the time). Obviously, most of these guys would have made far better contribution to the team that the likes of Amodu’s Yakubu and Nwaneri!
Yet Amodu’s foreign legion were humbled and hammered by a largely home-based Egyptian team. Egypt’s starting line-up of eleven against Nigeria had nine out of the eleven as local-based players in Al-Ahly, Zamalek, Ismaila, only 2 of their starting line-up (Mohammed Zidan and one other) were Europe-based.
Amodu Shouldn’t Pass The Buck
Amodu as the Chief coach and Team Manager is absolutely responsible for the Super Eagle’s poor showing at the Angola 2010. he shouldn’t pass the buck elsewhere, not to the players (it is his duty to field the best and the best only), or the F.F. or whoever. He had everything in resources, players and motivation for them to have made the best, but didn’t.
But should Shuaibu Amodu have been sacked after the Nations Cup, and at such a time as this? This may yet surprise some, but my firm answer is NO! (That is a story for another day)! But have you noticed how the touted replacements are distancing themselves from the job? The Louis Van Gaals, Guus Hiddinks, Pete Taylors, Giovanni Trapatonis have all blatantly rejected the job, some of them have even gone to pick other jobs, what does that tell you?
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