NO PROCRASTINATION

Moments after Lagerback was appointed by Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, to lead the Super Eagles to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, Trustsports sought to know the expectations of some former members of the national team and they unanimously agreed that there is no time to waste again. With one voice, they urged the […]

Moments after Lagerback was appointed by Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, to lead the Super Eagles to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, Trustsports sought to know the expectations of some former members of the national team and they unanimously agreed that there is no time to waste again. With one voice, they urged the coach to swing into action.

Thompson Oliha

With less than four months to the global event in South Africa, it is hard to say what the coach will achieve. There is no miracle he can do to succeed. Had it been he was appointed earlier than now, maybe he would have overhauled the team and then injected fresh legs who are eager to do the country proud. Be that as it may, I know it will take him time to understand the team because he will have to look at both the old players and new ones who are scattered across the globe. It is a challenging responsibility but since he has accepted the assignment, he must get up and do something fast.

What I want him to do is to charge up the players. They must be made to play faster and with greater commitment. The team we all saw in Angola lacked speed and total commitment. He has been handed a semi-final target by NFF but if Lagerback does not tinker with the present squad, he will not fare better than his predecessor.

Nigerians must be patient with the coach but I must say here that the performance of the team in South Africa will determine whether or not he remains in charge of the team. My advice is that he should commence work immediately because even if he listens to this advice, it will still be late.

Emmanuel Amunike

He has been appointed to lead the team to South Africa 2010. What is left for him to do is to assess the magnitude of work on ground and know what to do. He is a professional with several years of experience so there is nothing much one can tell him.

However, my advice to the coach is that he should begin early preparations. What I mean is that even before he was handed the job, he must have drawn a programme in anticipation of the job. Now that he has clinched the position, I don’t think he should waste too much time carrying out feasibility studies. According to the coach, since 2002, he has been following the progress of the team and he should be in a very good position to proffer solutions to the problems he must have identified.

Every coach likes to succeed and the only way he can succeed with Super Eagles is to inject new players into the team. Although he lacks time, he should be able to look beyond and within the country for few players that he can add to what is on ground for him. The idea of taking players to the World Cup on sentiments will not do him any good.

He may not be the best coach but like you journalists claim, Mourinho was a nobody. You people say he was an interpreter but through hard work and dedication, he is today one of the best coaches in the world. The same applies to Lagerback. If he believes he can achieve something with Eagles, he will be able to do so. It has to do with self belief.

Lagerback will succeed, if we give him the maximum support. We need to bring back the lost glory of Nigerian football. It is a collective responsibility. It is not about the coach but all of us whether we are inside or outside. Whether directly or indirectly, we must render every necessary assistance for the team to succeed.

Garba Lawal

There isn’t much to talk about because Lagerback knows what is good for him. What I think he should do is to commence preparations immediately. There is no time to spare so everything is in his hands. If he wants to retain his good reputation, he should bring together his team and begin to inject into them his philosophy and tactics.

I am talking about decisions but not just decisions. They must be quick ones. He has to play as many friendly matches as possible. It is only when the team play quality friendly matches that he will be able to build a team using the time left for him to take the team to South Africa. If he plays matches between now and the time for the 2010 World Cup, it will be good for him.

As soon as he resumes, he should open his eyes and look around for new players. He should watch the local players and those unknown stars elsewhere in the world. You never can tell where a great player can be found. Coaches know what they want and I am sure that even if the former technical crew did not see any good player in the domestic league, Lagerback may be able to find one.

I repeat there is no time but quick decisions will save the day for us. The coach has an impressive C.V and he did very well when he was in charge of the Swedish national team. If he commits himself to his present responsibility, he will not fail.

Joe Erico

Frankly speaking everything has been messed up. It is only the NFF and Lagerback that can say what they want. We have been doing this for years but no positive result. Everybody is talking about new players but where are they?. Moreover is the World Cup an exhibition ground for inexperienced players?. No, it is a stage to display four years of conscientious planning. It is a stage for the ultimate players. Chief Onigbinde attempted the same thing in 2002 but where are the players he threw onto the stage. They are all gone because it was not yet time for them to appear on the big stage.

In the end, we are going to depend on the players we took to Angola. There is no time for changes. He cannot run away from the players he is going to meet on ground.

Mutiu Adepoju

Going by his rich C.V, I don’t think Lagerback needs much suggestion on how he should handle his present assignment. Before he was appointed, he must have drawn his programme. All he need do is to commence preparation immediately and in line with his already drawn programme.

Although there is no time, he must look at the players. He will have to take a closer look at both the old and new players. He shouldn’t close the gate yet. He should bring them together and try to build a formidable team that can represent us credibly in the World Cup. He has an impressive C.V and would want to succeed with Nigeria. Our role is to give him all the necessary support.