Why a Nigerian coach is best suited to coach the SuperEagles…

[TonyTheTigerKiller]

The argument has been raging on for a long time about who’s best suited to handle the SuperEagles. Many, without any real proof, have decided that either Nigerians don’t have the technical expertise to manage the SuperEagles or that those who possess any modicum of competence will ultimate be hampered by corruption. For such people, it is a forgone conclusion that foreign coaches are the only ones worth any consideration. Names like Guardiola, Klopp, Mourinho and even Renard have been put forward as the would be messiahs of Nigerian football. I would like to explain, once and for all, why relying on a foreign coach, irrespective of pedigree, to lead Nigeria to the promised land is merely an exercise in futility.

The ultimate and all encompassing goal of all footballing nations is to win the World Cup at some point. From the very inception of the World Cup about 100 years ago, no foreigner has ever coached a team to the ultimate victory in the World Cup. The primary reason for that isn’t all that far fetched, if people were to be totally honest and sincere. Football is a cultural sport which different nations approach with a unique vibe all their own. Why is it then so difficult to see that only an indigenous coach who is innately familiar with the peculiarities and psyche of indigenous footballers can get them to perform to the very best of their abilities? The simple answer to that is that it shouldn’t be.

I posed a question, several times mind you, to one of the most notorious and unapologetic protagonists of foreign coaches for the SuperEagles, a question that, needless to say, went unanswered. The incontrovertible fact is that neither one of Guardiola, Klopp or Mourinho has ever coached a national football team or ever qualified one for the World Cup. Am I suggesting that, perhaps, they don’t have what it takes to accomplish a relatively simple feat compared to winning multiple titles in the best leagues in the world? Well, a closer examination of that could prove to be really illuminating. The club teams coached by the aforementioned guys are all essentially All Star teams composed of the very best players the entire world has to offer. No national team in the world fits that description, least of all, the SuperEagles. In fact, I am willing to bet the very last dollar in my possession that if Augustine Eguavoen were to be allowed to coach either one of those club teams, he would fare no worse than any of the supposedly esteemed white gentlemen.

Now, let’s focus on the primary subject of our discussion, Nigeria. Many of you will put forth the argument that on two of the three occasions we won AFCON, we were led to victory with a foreigner at the helm. Let’s dive a little deeper into that. First, there was Brazilian Otto Gloria who came to coach Nigeria at a time when the federal government of Nigeria was deeply committed to football development. They built a sparkling new stadium in which we hosted Africa and provide the required resources to enable us win the tournament. It wasn’t so much what Gloria did as it is the fact that Christian Chukwu, Segun Odegbami and Mudashiru Lawal were all willing to lay down their lives on the pitch in order for us to win. It took 14 years after that and a succession of foreign coaches before we tasted AFCON victory once again. Clemens Westerhoff came to Nigeria in 1989 but it took him all of five years to raise a team that was barely able to defeat “minnows” Zambia in the final. Then followed a drought of almost 20 years and a succession of foreign coaches who accomplished nothing except earn themselves massive retirement incomes. In 2013, along came Stephen Keshi and his mostly unheralded bunch of “Hey Yous” to show everyone how it’s supposed to be done. Most of you will recall that during this period of drought, a certain gentleman by the name of Shuaibu Amodu qualified Nigeria twice for the World Cup but was sidestepped on both occasions. In 2014, the NFF had no choice, due to public sentiments, but to allow Stephen Keshi to take Nigeria to the World Cup and he performed creditably in spite of all the stumbling blocks that were thrown at him.

If you’ve been paying attention, you would know without an iota of doubt that Nigeria’s football fortunes lie entirely with Nigeria. We must bite the bullet now, rather than later, in order to be successful in the near future


Cheers.

[vancity eagle]

The argument that no foreign coach has ever won the world cup is a really dumb one for a number of reasons.

1. Only the top teams have won world cups and the top teams have TOP COACHES. It's an exclusive club.

You act as if they won the world cup simply because they are coached by their own and that is just an asinine argument.

Will India or China win the world cup simply because they are coached by their own ?

I could also say

No African team has won the world cup (so your logic is we shouldn't try because we are African)

I'll do you one better according to your warped logic.

No African coach has ever won a WC.

Many teams who are FAR MORE successful than us have foreign coaches, or have had foreign coaches.

Including teams like England,

Belgium, Portugal, Turkey (WC semi finalists) Uruguay, currently have a foreign coach.

But you think we are too big for that ?

The record of our last few local coaches have been horrific.

I see you have already forgotten the Qatar debacle and are looking forward to a new one, just so you can stroke your ego.

[ahidjo2]

The argument has been raging on for a long time about who’s best suited to handle the SuperEagles. Many, without any real proof, have decided that either Nigerians don’t have the technical expertise to manage the SuperEagles or that those who possess any modicum of competence will ultimate be hampered by corruption. For such people, it is a forgone conclusion that foreign coaches are the only one worth any consideration. Names like Guardiola, Klopp, Mourinho and even Renard have been put forward as the would be messiahs of Nigerian football. I would like to explain, once and for all, why relying on a foreign coach irrespective of pedigree, to lead Nigeria to the promised land is merely an exercise in futility.

The ultimate and all encompassing goal of all footballing nations is to win the World Cup at some point. From the very inception of the World Cup about 100 years ago, no foreigner has ever coached to victory in the World Cup. The primary reason for that isn’t all that far fetched, if people were to be totally honest and sincere. Football is a cultural sport which different nations approach with a unique vibe all their own. Why is it then so difficult to see that only an indigenous coach who is innately familiar with the peculiarities and psyche of indigenous footballers can get them to perform to the very best of their abilities? The simple answer to that is that it shouldn’t be.

I posed a question, several times mind you, to one of the most notorious and unapologetic protagonists of foreign coaches for the SuperEagles, a question that, needless to say, went unanswered. The incontrovertible fact is that neither one of Guardiola, Klopp or Mourinho has ever coached a national football team or ever qualified one for the World Cup. Am I suggesting that, perhaps, they don’t have what it takes to accomplish a relatively simple feat compared to winning multiple titles in the best leagues in the world? Well, a closer examination of that could prove to be really illuminating. The club teams coached by the aforementioned guys are all essentially All Star teams composed of the very best players the entire world has to offer. No national team in the world fits that description, least of all, the SuperEagles. In fact, I am willing to bet the very last dollar in my possession that if Augustine Eguavoen were to be allowed to coach either one of those club teams, he would fare no worse than any of the supposedly esteemed white gentlemen.

Now, let’s focus on the primary subject of our discussion, Nigeria. Many of you will put forth the argument that on the three occasions we won AFCON, we were led to victory with a foreigner at the helm. Let’s dive a little deeper into that. First, there was Brazilian Otto Gloria who came to coach Nigeria at a time when the federal government of Nigeria was deeply committed to football development. They built a sparkling new stadium in which we hosted Africa and provide the required resources to enable us win the tournament. It wasn’t so much what Gloria did as it is the fact that Christian Chukwu, Segun Odegbami and Mudashiru Lawal were all willing to lay down thier lives on the pitch in order for us to win. It took 14 years after that and a succession of foreign coaches before we tasted AFCON victory once again. Clemens Westerhoff came to Nigeria in 1989 but it took him all of five years to raise a team that was barely able to defeat “minnows” Zambia in the final. Then followed a drought of almost 20 years ansa succession of foreign coaches who accomplished nothing except earn themselves massive retirement incomes. In 2013, along came Stephen Keshi and his mostly unheralded bunch of “Hey Yous” to show everyone how it’s supposed to be done. Most of you will recall that during this period of drought, a certain gentleman by the name of Shuaibu Amodu qualified Nigeria twice for the World Cup but was sidestepped on both occasions. In 2014, the NFF had no choice but to allow Stephen Keshi to take Nigeria to the World Cup and he performed creditably in spite of all the stumbling blocks that were thrown at him.

If you’ve been paying attention, you would know without an iota of doubt that Nigeria’s football fortunes lie entirely with Nigeria. We must bite the bullet now, rather than later, in order to be successful in the near future


Cheers.

The quality of the coaches is all that matters. When we talk about quality, we talk about coaches where have been privileged to coach in an environment where the resources and tools are readily available and applied. Quality means having the right intelligence to read games, adapt and adopt effective game tactics and strategies to maintain good results and overcome unfavorable results. Quality means super man-management skills to manage players of different backgrounds and cultures without feeling intimidated or overwhelmed. Quality means being a critical and fast thinker, analyst and planner. Quality means the ability to find and use MODERN coaching techniques and strategies to navigate through different game and pre-game scenarios. Quality means surrounding oneself with equally quality assistants to help one when one truly needs help. Quality, in this instance means having the experience to effectively solve all manner of footballing problems. Quality means having plans A, B, C... for every game and use those plans effectively when the need arises. Quality means being an effective communicator. Quality means having integrity and keeping to your principles. Quality means commanding the respect of the players that you are coaching. Quality means the ability to think fast and do the right things, including inviting the right players all the time...

The point is that the evidence you cited about no foreign coach ever winning the world cup should not be merely attributed to the nationality of such coaches. Those coaches were able to achieve those feats because they were quality coaches, had the right environment, with quality players. No country has ever won the world cup without quality coaches and quality players! It was never a function of where the coach came from.

Limiting our discussion to the African continent and Nigeria in particular, evidence points to the fact that foreign coaches have done significantly better than the local coaches since our first AFCON triumph in 1980. We failed to qualify for AFCON four times since that time and all four times, the local coaches were in charge. No foreign coach has ever failed to qualify us for AFCON since then. Since 2000, we have failed to qualify for the world cup twice, on both occasions, we had local coaches. No foreign coach has ever failed to qualify us for the world cup since then. So I do not see the basis for saying that a Nigerian coach is best suited to coach SE at this time, except perhaps for primordial sentimental reasons. If we have any local coach that meets the requirements of a quality international coach especially one that has the experience of coaching in Europe, or America, such a coach is welcome. You cannot have a coach (irrespective of his status as a former SE player) who has coached all his life in Nigeria or some African countries without the tools and resources for modern coaching to coach players that are used to these international set ups. It will never work.

[TonyTheTigerKiller]

The argument has been raging on for a long time about who’s best suited to handle the SuperEagles. Many, without any real proof, have decided that either Nigerians don’t have the technical expertise to manage the SuperEagles or that those who possess any modicum of competence will ultimate be hampered by corruption. For such people, it is a forgone conclusion that foreign coaches are the only one worth any consideration. Names like Guardiola, Klopp, Mourinho and even Renard have been put forward as the would be messiahs of Nigerian football. I would like to explain, once and for all, why relying on a foreign coach irrespective of pedigree, to lead Nigeria to the promised land is merely an exercise in futility.

The ultimate and all encompassing goal of all footballing nations is to win the World Cup at some point. From the very inception of the World Cup about 100 years ago, no foreigner has ever coached to victory in the World Cup. The primary reason for that isn’t all that far fetched, if people were to be totally honest and sincere. Football is a cultural sport which different nations approach with a unique vibe all their own. Why is it then so difficult to see that only an indigenous coach who is innately familiar with the peculiarities and psyche of indigenous footballers can get them to perform to the very best of their abilities? The simple answer to that is that it shouldn’t be.

I posed a question, several times mind you, to one of the most notorious and unapologetic protagonists of foreign coaches for the SuperEagles, a question that, needless to say, went unanswered. The incontrovertible fact is that neither one of Guardiola, Klopp or Mourinho has ever coached a national football team or ever qualified one for the World Cup. Am I suggesting that, perhaps, they don’t have what it takes to accomplish a relatively simple feat compared to winning multiple titles in the best leagues in the world? Well, a closer examination of that could prove to be really illuminating. The club teams coached by the aforementioned guys are all essentially All Star teams composed of the very best players the entire world has to offer. No national team in the world fits that description, least of all, the SuperEagles. In fact, I am willing to bet the very last dollar in my possession that if Augustine Eguavoen were to be allowed to coach either one of those club teams, he would fare no worse than any of the supposedly esteemed white gentlemen.

Now, let’s focus on the primary subject of our discussion, Nigeria. Many of you will put forth the argument that on the three occasions we won AFCON, we were led to victory with a foreigner at the helm. Let’s dive a little deeper into that. First, there was Brazilian Otto Gloria who came to coach Nigeria at a time when the federal government of Nigeria was deeply committed to football development. They built a sparkling new stadium in which we hosted Africa and provide the required resources to enable us win the tournament. It wasn’t so much what Gloria did as it is the fact that Christian Chukwu, Segun Odegbami and Mudashiru Lawal were all willing to lay down thier lives on the pitch in order for us to win. It took 14 years after that and a succession of foreign coaches before we tasted AFCON victory once again. Clemens Westerhoff came to Nigeria in 1989 but it took him all of five years to raise a team that was barely able to defeat “minnows” Zambia in the final. Then followed a drought of almost 20 years ansa succession of foreign coaches who accomplished nothing except earn themselves massive retirement incomes. In 2013, along came Stephen Keshi and his mostly unheralded bunch of “Hey Yous” to show everyone how it’s supposed to be done. Most of you will recall that during this period of drought, a certain gentleman by the name of Shuaibu Amodu qualified Nigeria twice for the World Cup but was sidestepped on both occasions. In 2014, the NFF had no choice but to allow Stephen Keshi to take Nigeria to the World Cup and he performed creditably in spite of all the stumbling blocks that were thrown at him.

If you’ve been paying attention, you would know without an iota of doubt that Nigeria’s football fortunes lie entirely with Nigeria. We must bite the bullet now, rather than later, in order to be successful in the near future


Cheers.

The quality of the coaches is all that matters. When we talk about quality, we talk about coaches where have been privileged to coach in an environment where the resources and tools are readily available and applied. Quality means having the right intelligence to read games, adapt and adopt effective game tactics and strategies to maintain good results and overcome unfavorable results. Quality means super man-management skills to manage players of different backgrounds and cultures without feeling intimidated or overwhelmed. Quality means being a critical and fast thinker, analyst and planner. Quality means the ability to find and use MODERN coaching techniques and strategies to navigate through different game and pre-game scenarios. Quality means surrounding oneself with equally quality assistants to help one when one truly needs help. Quality, in this instance means having the experience to effectively solve all manner of footballing problems. Quality means having plans A, B, C... for every game and use those plans effectively when the need arises. Quality means being an effective communicator. Quality means having integrity and keeping to your principles. Quality means commanding the respect of the players that you are coaching. Quality means the ability to think fast and do the right things, including inviting the right players all the time... The point is that the evidence you cited about no foreign coach ever winning the world cup should not be merely attributed to the nationality of such coaches. Those coaches were able to achieve those feats because they were quality coaches, had the right environment, with quality players. No country has ever won the world cup without quality coaches and quality players! It was never a function of where the coach came from. Limiting our discussion to the African continent and Nigeria in particular, evidence points to the fact that foreign coaches have done significantly better than the local coaches since our first AFCON triumph in 1980. We failed to qualify for AFCON four times since that time and all four times, the local coaches were in charge. No foreign coach has ever failed to qualify us for AFCON since then. Since 2000, we have failed to qualify for the world cup twice, on both occasions, we had local coaches. No foreign coach has ever failed to qualify us for the world cup since then. So I do not see the basis for saying that a Nigerian coach is best suited to coach SE at this time, except perhaps for primordial sentimental reasons. If we have any local coach that meets the requirements of a quality international coach especially one that has the experience of coaching in Europe, or America, such a coach is welcome. You cannot have a coach (irrespective of his status as a former SE player) who has coached all his life in Nigeria or some African countries without the tools and resources for modern coaching to coach players that are used to these international set ups. It will never work.

I won’t engage in a needless argument with someone who doesn’t have their facts straight. Foreign coaches did not qualify us for the 2010 and 2014 World Cups. It was Shuaibu Amodu and Stephen Keshi


Cheers.

[ohenhen1]

We remember when Nigeria was beaten by the dutch by 5 goals just before the WC 94. You can't judge a coach technical capacity from two friendly games. If I were coach. I wouldn't read any game or make tactical adjustments in a friendly. I would do exactly what Finidi did. Work on passing, keeping defensive shape, set pieces and trying to win the ball back. The only thing I didn't like is he didn't make a lot of substitutes. He did change 5 players that started against Ghana and his bench option was limited. The only players that didn't play were Tella, Sadiq, Uzoho, Ojo, Bashiru and Yusuf. 2 were goalkeepers . 15 out of 21 players in camp, played. Two didn't play because of Ramadan. 4 outfield players and 2 goalkeepers didn't play. But he saw them in training.

[ahidjo2]

The argument has been raging on for a long time about who’s best suited to handle the SuperEagles. Many, without any real proof, have decided that either Nigerians don’t have the technical expertise to manage the SuperEagles or that those who possess any modicum of competence will ultimate be hampered by corruption. For such people, it is a forgone conclusion that foreign coaches are the only one worth any consideration. Names like Guardiola, Klopp, Mourinho and even Renard have been put forward as the would be messiahs of Nigerian football. I would like to explain, once and for all, why relying on a foreign coach irrespective of pedigree, to lead Nigeria to the promised land is merely an exercise in futility.

The ultimate and all encompassing goal of all footballing nations is to win the World Cup at some point. From the very inception of the World Cup about 100 years ago, no foreigner has ever coached to victory in the World Cup. The primary reason for that isn’t all that far fetched, if people were to be totally honest and sincere. Football is a cultural sport which different nations approach with a unique vibe all their own. Why is it then so difficult to see that only an indigenous coach who is innately familiar with the peculiarities and psyche of indigenous footballers can get them to perform to the very best of their abilities? The simple answer to that is that it shouldn’t be.

I posed a question, several times mind you, to one of the most notorious and unapologetic protagonists of foreign coaches for the SuperEagles, a question that, needless to say, went unanswered. The incontrovertible fact is that neither one of Guardiola, Klopp or Mourinho has ever coached a national football team or ever qualified one for the World Cup. Am I suggesting that, perhaps, they don’t have what it takes to accomplish a relatively simple feat compared to winning multiple titles in the best leagues in the world? Well, a closer examination of that could prove to be really illuminating. The club teams coached by the aforementioned guys are all essentially All Star teams composed of the very best players the entire world has to offer. No national team in the world fits that description, least of all, the SuperEagles. In fact, I am willing to bet the very last dollar in my possession that if Augustine Eguavoen were to be allowed to coach either one of those club teams, he would fare no worse than any of the supposedly esteemed white gentlemen.

Now, let’s focus on the primary subject of our discussion, Nigeria. Many of you will put forth the argument that on the three occasions we won AFCON, we were led to victory with a foreigner at the helm. Let’s dive a little deeper into that. First, there was Brazilian Otto Gloria who came to coach Nigeria at a time when the federal government of Nigeria was deeply committed to football development. They built a sparkling new stadium in which we hosted Africa and provide the required resources to enable us win the tournament. It wasn’t so much what Gloria did as it is the fact that Christian Chukwu, Segun Odegbami and Mudashiru Lawal were all willing to lay down thier lives on the pitch in order for us to win. It took 14 years after that and a succession of foreign coaches before we tasted AFCON victory once again. Clemens Westerhoff came to Nigeria in 1989 but it took him all of five years to raise a team that was barely able to defeat “minnows” Zambia in the final. Then followed a drought of almost 20 years ansa succession of foreign coaches who accomplished nothing except earn themselves massive retirement incomes. In 2013, along came Stephen Keshi and his mostly unheralded bunch of “Hey Yous” to show everyone how it’s supposed to be done. Most of you will recall that during this period of drought, a certain gentleman by the name of Shuaibu Amodu qualified Nigeria twice for the World Cup but was sidestepped on both occasions. In 2014, the NFF had no choice but to allow Stephen Keshi to take Nigeria to the World Cup and he performed creditably in spite of all the stumbling blocks that were thrown at him.

If you’ve been paying attention, you would know without an iota of doubt that Nigeria’s football fortunes lie entirely with Nigeria. We must bite the bullet now, rather than later, in order to be successful in the near future


Cheers.

The quality of the coaches is all that matters. When we talk about quality, we talk about coaches where have been privileged to coach in an environment where the resources and tools are readily available and applied. Quality means having the right intelligence to read games, adapt and adopt effective game tactics and strategies to maintain good results and overcome unfavorable results. Quality means super man-management skills to manage players of different backgrounds and cultures without feeling intimidated or overwhelmed. Quality means being a critical and fast thinker, analyst and planner. Quality means the ability to find and use MODERN coaching techniques and strategies to navigate through different game and pre-game scenarios. Quality means surrounding oneself with equally quality assistants to help one when one truly needs help. Quality, in this instance means having the experience to effectively solve all manner of footballing problems. Quality means having plans A, B, C... for every game and use those plans effectively when the need arises. Quality means being an effective communicator. Quality means having integrity and keeping to your principles. Quality means commanding the respect of the players that you are coaching. Quality means the ability to think fast and do the right things, including inviting the right players all the time... The point is that the evidence you cited about no foreign coach ever winning the world cup should not be merely attributed to the nationality of such coaches. Those coaches were able to achieve those feats because they were quality coaches, had the right environment, with quality players. No country has ever won the world cup without quality coaches and quality players! It was never a function of where the coach came from. Limiting our discussion to the African continent and Nigeria in particular, evidence points to the fact that foreign coaches have done significantly better than the local coaches since our first AFCON triumph in 1980. We failed to qualify for AFCON four times since that time and all four times, the local coaches were in charge. No foreign coach has ever failed to qualify us for AFCON since then. Since 2000, we have failed to qualify for the world cup twice, on both occasions, we had local coaches. No foreign coach has ever failed to qualify us for the world cup since then. So I do not see the basis for saying that a Nigerian coach is best suited to coach SE at this time, except perhaps for primordial sentimental reasons. If we have any local coach that meets the requirements of a quality international coach especially one that has the experience of coaching in Europe, or America, such a coach is welcome. You cannot have a coach (irrespective of his status as a former SE player) who has coached all his life in Nigeria or some African countries without the tools and resources for modern coaching to coach players that are used to these international set ups. It will never work.

I won’t engage in a needless argument with someone who doesn’t have their facts straight. Foreign coaches did not qualify us for the 2010 and 2014 World Cups. It was Shuaibu Amodu and Stephen Keshi


Cheers.

Read to understand sir. No where in my write-up did I say that they didn't

[ohenhen1]

We remember when Nigeria was beaten by the dutch by 5 goals just before the WC 94. You can't judge a coach technical capacity from two friendly games. If I were coach. I wouldn't read any game or make tactical adjustments in a friendly. I would do exactly what Finidi did. Work on passing, keeping defensive shape, set pieces and trying to win the ball back. The only thing I didn't like is he didn't make a lot of substitutes. He did change 5 players that started against Ghana and his bench option was limited. The only players that didn't play were Tella, Sadiq, Uzoho, Ojo, Bashiru and Yusuf. 2 were goalkeepers . 15 out of 21 players in camp, played. Two didn't play because of Ramadan. 4 outfield players and 2 goalkeepers didn't play. But he saw them in training. Friendlies are mean't to test new players. It is not entirely Finidi fault. He didn't select the squad. The NFF technical committee selected the squad. He also didn't have assistants.

[vancity eagle]

The argument has been raging on for a long time about who’s best suited to handle the SuperEagles. Many, without any real proof, have decided that either Nigerians don’t have the technical expertise to manage the SuperEagles or that those who possess any modicum of competence will ultimate be hampered by corruption. For such people, it is a forgone conclusion that foreign coaches are the only one worth any consideration. Names like Guardiola, Klopp, Mourinho and even Renard have been put forward as the would be messiahs of Nigerian football. I would like to explain, once and for all, why relying on a foreign coach irrespective of pedigree, to lead Nigeria to the promised land is merely an exercise in futility.

The ultimate and all encompassing goal of all footballing nations is to win the World Cup at some point. From the very inception of the World Cup about 100 years ago, no foreigner has ever coached to victory in the World Cup. The primary reason for that isn’t all that far fetched, if people were to be totally honest and sincere. Football is a cultural sport which different nations approach with a unique vibe all their own. Why is it then so difficult to see that only an indigenous coach who is innately familiar with the peculiarities and psyche of indigenous footballers can get them to perform to the very best of their abilities? The simple answer to that is that it shouldn’t be.

I posed a question, several times mind you, to one of the most notorious and unapologetic protagonists of foreign coaches for the SuperEagles, a question that, needless to say, went unanswered. The incontrovertible fact is that neither one of Guardiola, Klopp or Mourinho has ever coached a national football team or ever qualified one for the World Cup. Am I suggesting that, perhaps, they don’t have what it takes to accomplish a relatively simple feat compared to winning multiple titles in the best leagues in the world? Well, a closer examination of that could prove to be really illuminating. The club teams coached by the aforementioned guys are all essentially All Star teams composed of the very best players the entire world has to offer. No national team in the world fits that description, least of all, the SuperEagles. In fact, I am willing to bet the very last dollar in my possession that if Augustine Eguavoen were to be allowed to coach either one of those club teams, he would fare no worse than any of the supposedly esteemed white gentlemen.

Now, let’s focus on the primary subject of our discussion, Nigeria. Many of you will put forth the argument that on the three occasions we won AFCON, we were led to victory with a foreigner at the helm. Let’s dive a little deeper into that. First, there was Brazilian Otto Gloria who came to coach Nigeria at a time when the federal government of Nigeria was deeply committed to football development. They built a sparkling new stadium in which we hosted Africa and provide the required resources to enable us win the tournament. It wasn’t so much what Gloria did as it is the fact that Christian Chukwu, Segun Odegbami and Mudashiru Lawal were all willing to lay down thier lives on the pitch in order for us to win. It took 14 years after that and a succession of foreign coaches before we tasted AFCON victory once again. Clemens Westerhoff came to Nigeria in 1989 but it took him all of five years to raise a team that was barely able to defeat “minnows” Zambia in the final. Then followed a drought of almost 20 years ansa succession of foreign coaches who accomplished nothing except earn themselves massive retirement incomes. In 2013, along came Stephen Keshi and his mostly unheralded bunch of “Hey Yous” to show everyone how it’s supposed to be done. Most of you will recall that during this period of drought, a certain gentleman by the name of Shuaibu Amodu qualified Nigeria twice for the World Cup but was sidestepped on both occasions. In 2014, the NFF had no choice but to allow Stephen Keshi to take Nigeria to the World Cup and he performed creditably in spite of all the stumbling blocks that were thrown at him.

If you’ve been paying attention, you would know without an iota of doubt that Nigeria’s football fortunes lie entirely with Nigeria. We must bite the bullet now, rather than later, in order to be successful in the near future


Cheers.

The quality of the coaches is all that matters. When we talk about quality, we talk about coaches where have been privileged to coach in an environment where the resources and tools are readily available and applied. Quality means having the right intelligence to read games, adapt and adopt effective game tactics and strategies to maintain good results and overcome unfavorable results. Quality means super man-management skills to manage players of different backgrounds and cultures without feeling intimidated or overwhelmed. Quality means being a critical and fast thinker, analyst and planner. Quality means the ability to find and use MODERN coaching techniques and strategies to navigate through different game and pre-game scenarios. Quality means surrounding oneself with equally quality assistants to help one when one truly needs help. Quality, in this instance means having the experience to effectively solve all manner of footballing problems. Quality means having plans A, B, C... for every game and use those plans effectively when the need arises. Quality means being an effective communicator. Quality means having integrity and keeping to your principles. Quality means commanding the respect of the players that you are coaching. Quality means the ability to think fast and do the right things, including inviting the right players all the time...

The point is that the evidence you cited about no foreign coach ever winning the world cup should not be merely attributed to the nationality of such coaches. Those coaches were able to achieve those feats because they were quality coaches, had the right environment, with quality players. No country has ever won the world cup without quality coaches and quality players! It was never a function of where the coach came from.

Limiting our discussion to the African continent and Nigeria in particular, evidence points to the fact that foreign coaches have done significantly better than the local coaches since our first AFCON triumph in 1980. We failed to qualify for AFCON four times since that time and all four times, the local coaches were in charge. No foreign coach has ever failed to qualify us for AFCON since then. Since 2000, we have failed to qualify for the world cup twice, on both occasions, we had local coaches. No foreign coach has ever failed to qualify us for the world cup since then. So I do not see the basis for saying that a Nigerian coach is best suited to coach SE at this time, except perhaps for primordial sentimental reasons. If we have any local coach that meets the requirements of a quality international coach especially one that has the experience of coaching in Europe, or America, such a coach is welcome. You cannot have a coach (irrespective of his status as a former SE player) who has coached all his life in Nigeria or some African countries without the tools and resources for modern coaching to coach players that are used to these international set ups. It will never work.

KPOM × 1000

[TonyTheTigerKiller]

The argument has been raging on for a long time about who’s best suited to handle the SuperEagles. Many, without any real proof, have decided that either Nigerians don’t have the technical expertise to manage the SuperEagles or that those who possess any modicum of competence will ultimate be hampered by corruption. For such people, it is a forgone conclusion that foreign coaches are the only one worth any consideration. Names like Guardiola, Klopp, Mourinho and even Renard have been put forward as the would be messiahs of Nigerian football. I would like to explain, once and for all, why relying on a foreign coach irrespective of pedigree, to lead Nigeria to the promised land is merely an exercise in futility.

The ultimate and all encompassing goal of all footballing nations is to win the World Cup at some point. From the very inception of the World Cup about 100 years ago, no foreigner has ever coached to victory in the World Cup. The primary reason for that isn’t all that far fetched, if people were to be totally honest and sincere. Football is a cultural sport which different nations approach with a unique vibe all their own. Why is it then so difficult to see that only an indigenous coach who is innately familiar with the peculiarities and psyche of indigenous footballers can get them to perform to the very best of their abilities? The simple answer to that is that it shouldn’t be.

I posed a question, several times mind you, to one of the most notorious and unapologetic protagonists of foreign coaches for the SuperEagles, a question that, needless to say, went unanswered. The incontrovertible fact is that neither one of Guardiola, Klopp or Mourinho has ever coached a national football team or ever qualified one for the World Cup. Am I suggesting that, perhaps, they don’t have what it takes to accomplish a relatively simple feat compared to winning multiple titles in the best leagues in the world? Well, a closer examination of that could prove to be really illuminating. The club teams coached by the aforementioned guys are all essentially All Star teams composed of the very best players the entire world has to offer. No national team in the world fits that description, least of all, the SuperEagles. In fact, I am willing to bet the very last dollar in my possession that if Augustine Eguavoen were to be allowed to coach either one of those club teams, he would fare no worse than any of the supposedly esteemed white gentlemen.

Now, let’s focus on the primary subject of our discussion, Nigeria. Many of you will put forth the argument that on the three occasions we won AFCON, we were led to victory with a foreigner at the helm. Let’s dive a little deeper into that. First, there was Brazilian Otto Gloria who came to coach Nigeria at a time when the federal government of Nigeria was deeply committed to football development. They built a sparkling new stadium in which we hosted Africa and provide the required resources to enable us win the tournament. It wasn’t so much what Gloria did as it is the fact that Christian Chukwu, Segun Odegbami and Mudashiru Lawal were all willing to lay down thier lives on the pitch in order for us to win. It took 14 years after that and a succession of foreign coaches before we tasted AFCON victory once again. Clemens Westerhoff came to Nigeria in 1989 but it took him all of five years to raise a team that was barely able to defeat “minnows” Zambia in the final. Then followed a drought of almost 20 years ansa succession of foreign coaches who accomplished nothing except earn themselves massive retirement incomes. In 2013, along came Stephen Keshi and his mostly unheralded bunch of “Hey Yous” to show everyone how it’s supposed to be done. Most of you will recall that during this period of drought, a certain gentleman by the name of Shuaibu Amodu qualified Nigeria twice for the World Cup but was sidestepped on both occasions. In 2014, the NFF had no choice but to allow Stephen Keshi to take Nigeria to the World Cup and he performed creditably in spite of all the stumbling blocks that were thrown at him.

If you’ve been paying attention, you would know without an iota of doubt that Nigeria’s football fortunes lie entirely with Nigeria. We must bite the bullet now, rather than later, in order to be successful in the near future


Cheers.

The quality of the coaches is all that matters. When we talk about quality, we talk about coaches where have been privileged to coach in an environment where the resources and tools are readily available and applied. Quality means having the right intelligence to read games, adapt and adopt effective game tactics and strategies to maintain good results and overcome unfavorable results. Quality means super man-management skills to manage players of different backgrounds and cultures without feeling intimidated or overwhelmed. Quality means being a critical and fast thinker, analyst and planner. Quality means the ability to find and use MODERN coaching techniques and strategies to navigate through different game and pre-game scenarios. Quality means surrounding oneself with equally quality assistants to help one when one truly needs help. Quality, in this instance means having the experience to effectively solve all manner of footballing problems. Quality means having plans A, B, C... for every game and use those plans effectively when the need arises. Quality means being an effective communicator. Quality means having integrity and keeping to your principles. Quality means commanding the respect of the players that you are coaching. Quality means the ability to think fast and do the right things, including inviting the right players all the time... The point is that the evidence you cited about no foreign coach ever winning the world cup should not be merely attributed to the nationality of such coaches. Those coaches were able to achieve those feats because they were quality coaches, had the right environment, with quality players. No country has ever won the world cup without quality coaches and quality players! It was never a function of where the coach came from. Limiting our discussion to the African continent and Nigeria in particular, evidence points to the fact that foreign coaches have done significantly better than the local coaches since our first AFCON triumph in 1980. We failed to qualify for AFCON four times since that time and all four times, the local coaches were in charge. No foreign coach has ever failed to qualify us for AFCON since then. Since 2000, we have failed to qualify for the world cup twice, on both occasions, we had local coaches. No foreign coach has ever failed to qualify us for the world cup since then. So I do not see the basis for saying that a Nigerian coach is best suited to coach SE at this time, except perhaps for primordial sentimental reasons. If we have any local coach that meets the requirements of a quality international coach especially one that has the experience of coaching in Europe, or America, such a coach is welcome. You cannot have a coach (irrespective of his status as a former SE player) who has coached all his life in Nigeria or some African countries without the tools and resources for modern coaching to coach players that are used to these international set ups. It will never work.

I won’t engage in a needless argument with someone who doesn’t have their facts straight. Foreign coaches did not qualify us for the 2010 and 2014 World Cups. It was Shuaibu Amodu and Stephen Keshi


Cheers.

Read to understand sir. No where in my write-up did I say that they didn't

Now you want to insult me by implying a falsehood. Only one foreign coach has qualified Nigeria for the World Cup since 2000. On the other hand, 2 Nigerians have qualified the SuperEagles for the World Cup in that period. You, my friend, are being extremely fraudulent


Cheers.

[Lolly]

The argument has been raging on for a long time about who’s best suited to handle the SuperEagles. Many, without any real proof, have decided that either Nigerians don’t have the technical expertise to manage the SuperEagles or that those who possess any modicum of competence will ultimate be hampered by corruption. For such people, it is a forgone conclusion that foreign coaches are the only one worth any consideration. Names like Guardiola, Klopp, Mourinho and even Renard have been put forward as the would be messiahs of Nigerian football. I would like to explain, once and for all, why relying on a foreign coach irrespective of pedigree, to lead Nigeria to the promised land is merely an exercise in futility.

The ultimate and all encompassing goal of all footballing nations is to win the World Cup at some point. From the very inception of the World Cup about 100 years ago, no foreigner has ever coached to victory in the World Cup. The primary reason for that isn’t all that far fetched, if people were to be totally honest and sincere. Football is a cultural sport which different nations approach with a unique vibe all their own. Why is it then so difficult to see that only an indigenous coach who is innately familiar with the peculiarities and psyche of indigenous footballers can get them to perform to the very best of their abilities? The simple answer to that is that it shouldn’t be.

I posed a question, several times mind you, to one of the most notorious and unapologetic protagonists of foreign coaches for the SuperEagles, a question that, needless to say, went unanswered. The incontrovertible fact is that neither one of Guardiola, Klopp or Mourinho has ever coached a national football team or ever qualified one for the World Cup. Am I suggesting that, perhaps, they don’t have what it takes to accomplish a relatively simple feat compared to winning multiple titles in the best leagues in the world? Well, a closer examination of that could prove to be really illuminating. The club teams coached by the aforementioned guys are all essentially All Star teams composed of the very best players the entire world has to offer. No national team in the world fits that description, least of all, the SuperEagles. In fact, I am willing to bet the very last dollar in my possession that if Augustine Eguavoen were to be allowed to coach either one of those club teams, he would fare no worse than any of the supposedly esteemed white gentlemen.

Now, let’s focus on the primary subject of our discussion, Nigeria. Many of you will put forth the argument that on the three occasions we won AFCON, we were led to victory with a foreigner at the helm. Let’s dive a little deeper into that. First, there was Brazilian Otto Gloria who came to coach Nigeria at a time when the federal government of Nigeria was deeply committed to football development. They built a sparkling new stadium in which we hosted Africa and provide the required resources to enable us win the tournament. It wasn’t so much what Gloria did as it is the fact that Christian Chukwu, Segun Odegbami and Mudashiru Lawal were all willing to lay down thier lives on the pitch in order for us to win. It took 14 years after that and a succession of foreign coaches before we tasted AFCON victory once again. Clemens Westerhoff came to Nigeria in 1989 but it took him all of five years to raise a team that was barely able to defeat “minnows” Zambia in the final. Then followed a drought of almost 20 years ansa succession of foreign coaches who accomplished nothing except earn themselves massive retirement incomes. In 2013, along came Stephen Keshi and his mostly unheralded bunch of “Hey Yous” to show everyone how it’s supposed to be done. Most of you will recall that during this period of drought, a certain gentleman by the name of Shuaibu Amodu qualified Nigeria twice for the World Cup but was sidestepped on both occasions. In 2014, the NFF had no choice but to allow Stephen Keshi to take Nigeria to the World Cup and he performed creditably in spite of all the stumbling blocks that were thrown at him.

If you’ve been paying attention, you would know without an iota of doubt that Nigeria’s football fortunes lie entirely with Nigeria. We must bite the bullet now, rather than later, in order to be successful in the near future


Cheers.

The quality of the coaches is all that matters. When we talk about quality, we talk about coaches where have been privileged to coach in an environment where the resources and tools are readily available and applied. Quality means having the right intelligence to read games, adapt and adopt effective game tactics and strategies to maintain good results and overcome unfavorable results. Quality means super man-management skills to manage players of different backgrounds and cultures without feeling intimidated or overwhelmed. Quality means being a critical and fast thinker, analyst and planner. Quality means the ability to find and use MODERN coaching techniques and strategies to navigate through different game and pre-game scenarios. Quality means surrounding oneself with equally quality assistants to help one when one truly needs help. Quality, in this instance means having the experience to effectively solve all manner of footballing problems. Quality means having plans A, B, C... for every game and use those plans effectively when the need arises. Quality means being an effective communicator. Quality means having integrity and keeping to your principles. Quality means commanding the respect of the players that you are coaching. Quality means the ability to think fast and do the right things, including inviting the right players all the time... The point is that the evidence you cited about no foreign coach ever winning the world cup should not be merely attributed to the nationality of such coaches. Those coaches were able to achieve those feats because they were quality coaches, had the right environment, with quality players. No country has ever won the world cup without quality coaches and quality players! It was never a function of where the coach came from. Limiting our discussion to the African continent and Nigeria in particular, evidence points to the fact that foreign coaches have done significantly better than the local coaches since our first AFCON triumph in 1980. We failed to qualify for AFCON four times since that time and all four times, the local coaches were in charge. No foreign coach has ever failed to qualify us for AFCON since then. Since 2000, we have failed to qualify for the world cup twice, on both occasions, we had local coaches. No foreign coach has ever failed to qualify us for the world cup since then. So I do not see the basis for saying that a Nigerian coach is best suited to coach SE at this time, except perhaps for primordial sentimental reasons. If we have any local coach that meets the requirements of a quality international coach especially one that has the experience of coaching in Europe, or America, such a coach is welcome. You cannot have a coach (irrespective of his status as a former SE player) who has coached all his life in Nigeria or some African countries without the tools and resources for modern coaching to coach players that are used to these international set ups. It will never work.

I won’t engage in a needless argument with someone who doesn’t have their facts straight. Foreign coaches did not qualify us for the 2010 and 2014 World Cups. It was Shuaibu Amodu and Stephen Keshi


Cheers.

Is that all you picked up from his comprehensive response to your post?

Meanwhile, he never said foreign coaches qualified us for the World Cup in 2010 and 2014. He said the two times we have failed to qualify since 2000, it was local coaches in charge. I believe that was Eguavoen on both occasions.

[TonyTheTigerKiller]

The argument has been raging on for a long time about who’s best suited to handle the SuperEagles. Many, without any real proof, have decided that either Nigerians don’t have the technical expertise to manage the SuperEagles or that those who possess any modicum of competence will ultimate be hampered by corruption. For such people, it is a forgone conclusion that foreign coaches are the only one worth any consideration. Names like Guardiola, Klopp, Mourinho and even Renard have been put forward as the would be messiahs of Nigerian football. I would like to explain, once and for all, why relying on a foreign coach irrespective of pedigree, to lead Nigeria to the promised land is merely an exercise in futility.

The ultimate and all encompassing goal of all footballing nations is to win the World Cup at some point. From the very inception of the World Cup about 100 years ago, no foreigner has ever coached to victory in the World Cup. The primary reason for that isn’t all that far fetched, if people were to be totally honest and sincere. Football is a cultural sport which different nations approach with a unique vibe all their own. Why is it then so difficult to see that only an indigenous coach who is innately familiar with the peculiarities and psyche of indigenous footballers can get them to perform to the very best of their abilities? The simple answer to that is that it shouldn’t be.

I posed a question, several times mind you, to one of the most notorious and unapologetic protagonists of foreign coaches for the SuperEagles, a question that, needless to say, went unanswered. The incontrovertible fact is that neither one of Guardiola, Klopp or Mourinho has ever coached a national football team or ever qualified one for the World Cup. Am I suggesting that, perhaps, they don’t have what it takes to accomplish a relatively simple feat compared to winning multiple titles in the best leagues in the world? Well, a closer examination of that could prove to be really illuminating. The club teams coached by the aforementioned guys are all essentially All Star teams composed of the very best players the entire world has to offer. No national team in the world fits that description, least of all, the SuperEagles. In fact, I am willing to bet the very last dollar in my possession that if Augustine Eguavoen were to be allowed to coach either one of those club teams, he would fare no worse than any of the supposedly esteemed white gentlemen.

Now, let’s focus on the primary subject of our discussion, Nigeria. Many of you will put forth the argument that on the three occasions we won AFCON, we were led to victory with a foreigner at the helm. Let’s dive a little deeper into that. First, there was Brazilian Otto Gloria who came to coach Nigeria at a time when the federal government of Nigeria was deeply committed to football development. They built a sparkling new stadium in which we hosted Africa and provide the required resources to enable us win the tournament. It wasn’t so much what Gloria did as it is the fact that Christian Chukwu, Segun Odegbami and Mudashiru Lawal were all willing to lay down thier lives on the pitch in order for us to win. It took 14 years after that and a succession of foreign coaches before we tasted AFCON victory once again. Clemens Westerhoff came to Nigeria in 1989 but it took him all of five years to raise a team that was barely able to defeat “minnows” Zambia in the final. Then followed a drought of almost 20 years ansa succession of foreign coaches who accomplished nothing except earn themselves massive retirement incomes. In 2013, along came Stephen Keshi and his mostly unheralded bunch of “Hey Yous” to show everyone how it’s supposed to be done. Most of you will recall that during this period of drought, a certain gentleman by the name of Shuaibu Amodu qualified Nigeria twice for the World Cup but was sidestepped on both occasions. In 2014, the NFF had no choice but to allow Stephen Keshi to take Nigeria to the World Cup and he performed creditably in spite of all the stumbling blocks that were thrown at him.

If you’ve been paying attention, you would know without an iota of doubt that Nigeria’s football fortunes lie entirely with Nigeria. We must bite the bullet now, rather than later, in order to be successful in the near future


Cheers.

The quality of the coaches is all that matters. When we talk about quality, we talk about coaches where have been privileged to coach in an environment where the resources and tools are readily available and applied. Quality means having the right intelligence to read games, adapt and adopt effective game tactics and strategies to maintain good results and overcome unfavorable results. Quality means super man-management skills to manage players of different backgrounds and cultures without feeling intimidated or overwhelmed. Quality means being a critical and fast thinker, analyst and planner. Quality means the ability to find and use MODERN coaching techniques and strategies to navigate through different game and pre-game scenarios. Quality means surrounding oneself with equally quality assistants to help one when one truly needs help. Quality, in this instance means having the experience to effectively solve all manner of footballing problems. Quality means having plans A, B, C... for every game and use those plans effectively when the need arises. Quality means being an effective communicator. Quality means having integrity and keeping to your principles. Quality means commanding the respect of the players that you are coaching. Quality means the ability to think fast and do the right things, including inviting the right players all the time... The point is that the evidence you cited about no foreign coach ever winning the world cup should not be merely attributed to the nationality of such coaches. Those coaches were able to achieve those feats because they were quality coaches, had the right environment, with quality players. No country has ever won the world cup without quality coaches and quality players! It was never a function of where the coach came from. Limiting our discussion to the African continent and Nigeria in particular, evidence points to the fact that foreign coaches have done significantly better than the local coaches since our first AFCON triumph in 1980. We failed to qualify for AFCON four times since that time and all four times, the local coaches were in charge. No foreign coach has ever failed to qualify us for AFCON since then. Since 2000, we have failed to qualify for the world cup twice, on both occasions, we had local coaches. No foreign coach has ever failed to qualify us for the world cup since then. So I do not see the basis for saying that a Nigerian coach is best suited to coach SE at this time, except perhaps for primordial sentimental reasons. If we have any local coach that meets the requirements of a quality international coach especially one that has the experience of coaching in Europe, or America, such a coach is welcome. You cannot have a coach (irrespective of his status as a former SE player) who has coached all his life in Nigeria or some African countries without the tools and resources for modern coaching to coach players that are used to these international set ups. It will never work.

I won’t engage in a needless argument with someone who doesn’t have their facts straight. Foreign coaches did not qualify us for the 2010 and 2014 World Cups. It was Shuaibu Amodu and Stephen Keshi


Cheers.

Is that all you picked up from his comprehensive response to your post?

Meanwhile, he never said foreign coaches qualified us for the World Cup in 2010 and 2014. He said the two times we have failed to qualify since 2000, it was local coaches in charge. I believe that was Eguavoen on both occasions.

Not surprised you’d be running interference for ahijo since birds of the same feather always flock together. Ahijo made the intentionally misleading statement that “No foreign coach has ever failed to qualify us for the world cup since then”. His clear intention was to imply that foreign coaches have been more successful than indigenous coaches in that regard, which is patently untrue. Of the six times we’ve qualified for the World Cup, we’ve been led by an indigenous coach 3 times. In fact, all three of Karl-Heinz Marotzke (1974), Tiko Jelisavčić (1978) and Otto Gloria (1982) failed to qualify Nigeria for the World Cup. There were, of course, others prior to 1974 who failed woefully to make any kind of impression on our World Cup aspirations but you would have us believe that foreign coaches have served us immeasurably well. All you deceivers should go and rest


Cheers.

[Enugu II]

The argument has been raging on for a long time about who’s best suited to handle the SuperEagles. Many, without any real proof, have decided that either Nigerians don’t have the technical expertise to manage the SuperEagles or that those who possess any modicum of competence will ultimate be hampered by corruption. For such people, it is a forgone conclusion that foreign coaches are the only one worth any consideration. Names like Guardiola, Klopp, Mourinho and even Renard have been put forward as the would be messiahs of Nigerian football. I would like to explain, once and for all, why relying on a foreign coach irrespective of pedigree, to lead Nigeria to the promised land is merely an exercise in futility.

The ultimate and all encompassing goal of all footballing nations is to win the World Cup at some point. From the very inception of the World Cup about 100 years ago, no foreigner has ever coached to victory in the World Cup. The primary reason for that isn’t all that far fetched, if people were to be totally honest and sincere. Football is a cultural sport which different nations approach with a unique vibe all their own. Why is it then so difficult to see that only an indigenous coach who is innately familiar with the peculiarities and psyche of indigenous footballers can get them to perform to the very best of their abilities? The simple answer to that is that it shouldn’t be.

I posed a question, several times mind you, to one of the most notorious and unapologetic protagonists of foreign coaches for the SuperEagles, a question that, needless to say, went unanswered. The incontrovertible fact is that neither one of Guardiola, Klopp or Mourinho has ever coached a national football team or ever qualified one for the World Cup. Am I suggesting that, perhaps, they don’t have what it takes to accomplish a relatively simple feat compared to winning multiple titles in the best leagues in the world? Well, a closer examination of that could prove to be really illuminating. The club teams coached by the aforementioned guys are all essentially All Star teams composed of the very best players the entire world has to offer. No national team in the world fits that description, least of all, the SuperEagles. In fact, I am willing to bet the very last dollar in my possession that if Augustine Eguavoen were to be allowed to coach either one of those club teams, he would fare no worse than any of the supposedly esteemed white gentlemen.

Now, let’s focus on the primary subject of our discussion, Nigeria. Many of you will put forth the argument that on the three occasions we won AFCON, we were led to victory with a foreigner at the helm. Let’s dive a little deeper into that. First, there was Brazilian Otto Gloria who came to coach Nigeria at a time when the federal government of Nigeria was deeply committed to football development. They built a sparkling new stadium in which we hosted Africa and provide the required resources to enable us win the tournament. It wasn’t so much what Gloria did as it is the fact that Christian Chukwu, Segun Odegbami and Mudashiru Lawal were all willing to lay down thier lives on the pitch in order for us to win. It took 14 years after that and a succession of foreign coaches before we tasted AFCON victory once again. Clemens Westerhoff came to Nigeria in 1989 but it took him all of five years to raise a team that was barely able to defeat “minnows” Zambia in the final. Then followed a drought of almost 20 years ansa succession of foreign coaches who accomplished nothing except earn themselves massive retirement incomes. In 2013, along came Stephen Keshi and his mostly unheralded bunch of “Hey Yous” to show everyone how it’s supposed to be done. Most of you will recall that during this period of drought, a certain gentleman by the name of Shuaibu Amodu qualified Nigeria twice for the World Cup but was sidestepped on both occasions. In 2014, the NFF had no choice but to allow Stephen Keshi to take Nigeria to the World Cup and he performed creditably in spite of all the stumbling blocks that were thrown at him.

If you’ve been paying attention, you would know without an iota of doubt that Nigeria’s football fortunes lie entirely with Nigeria. We must bite the bullet now, rather than later, in order to be successful in the near future


Cheers.

The quality of the coaches is all that matters. When we talk about quality, we talk about coaches where have been privileged to coach in an environment where the resources and tools are readily available and applied. Quality means having the right intelligence to read games, adapt and adopt effective game tactics and strategies to maintain good results and overcome unfavorable results. Quality means super man-management skills to manage players of different backgrounds and cultures without feeling intimidated or overwhelmed. Quality means being a critical and fast thinker, analyst and planner. Quality means the ability to find and use MODERN coaching techniques and strategies to navigate through different game and pre-game scenarios. Quality means surrounding oneself with equally quality assistants to help one when one truly needs help. Quality, in this instance means having the experience to effectively solve all manner of footballing problems. Quality means having plans A, B, C... for every game and use those plans effectively when the need arises. Quality means being an effective communicator. Quality means having integrity and keeping to your principles. Quality means commanding the respect of the players that you are coaching. Quality means the ability to think fast and do the right things, including inviting the right players all the time...

The point is that the evidence you cited about no foreign coach ever winning the world cup should not be merely attributed to the nationality of such coaches. Those coaches were able to achieve those feats because they were quality coaches, had the right environment, with quality players. No country has ever won the world cup without quality coaches and quality players! It was never a function of where the coach came from.

Limiting our discussion to the African continent and Nigeria in particular, evidence points to the fact that foreign coaches have done significantly better than the local coaches since our first AFCON triumph in 1980. We failed to qualify for AFCON four times since that time and all four times, the local coaches were in charge. No foreign coach has ever failed to qualify us for AFCON since then. Since 2000, we have failed to qualify for the world cup twice, on both occasions, we had local coaches. No foreign coach has ever failed to qualify us for the world cup since then. So I do not see the basis for saying that a Nigerian coach is best suited to coach SE at this time, except perhaps for primordial sentimental reasons. If we have any local coach that meets the requirements of a quality international coach especially one that has the experience of coaching in Europe, or America, such a coach is welcome. You cannot have a coach (irrespective of his status as a former SE player) who has coached all his life in Nigeria or some African countries without the tools and resources for modern coaching to coach players that are used to these international set ups. It will never work.

Ahidjo2

All you listed as QUALITY has never been defined by each nor has it ever been determined by location. It is based on individual intelligence which is Aldo not determined by location. You mat want to read how intelligence is acquired and I am certain that geographical location has never been a determinant of that.

[Lolly]

The argument has been raging on for a long time about who’s best suited to handle the SuperEagles. Many, without any real proof, have decided that either Nigerians don’t have the technical expertise to manage the SuperEagles or that those who possess any modicum of competence will ultimate be hampered by corruption. For such people, it is a forgone conclusion that foreign coaches are the only one worth any consideration. Names like Guardiola, Klopp, Mourinho and even Renard have been put forward as the would be messiahs of Nigerian football. I would like to explain, once and for all, why relying on a foreign coach irrespective of pedigree, to lead Nigeria to the promised land is merely an exercise in futility.

The ultimate and all encompassing goal of all footballing nations is to win the World Cup at some point. From the very inception of the World Cup about 100 years ago, no foreigner has ever coached to victory in the World Cup. The primary reason for that isn’t all that far fetched, if people were to be totally honest and sincere. Football is a cultural sport which different nations approach with a unique vibe all their own. Why is it then so difficult to see that only an indigenous coach who is innately familiar with the peculiarities and psyche of indigenous footballers can get them to perform to the very best of their abilities? The simple answer to that is that it shouldn’t be.

I posed a question, several times mind you, to one of the most notorious and unapologetic protagonists of foreign coaches for the SuperEagles, a question that, needless to say, went unanswered. The incontrovertible fact is that neither one of Guardiola, Klopp or Mourinho has ever coached a national football team or ever qualified one for the World Cup. Am I suggesting that, perhaps, they don’t have what it takes to accomplish a relatively simple feat compared to winning multiple titles in the best leagues in the world? Well, a closer examination of that could prove to be really illuminating. The club teams coached by the aforementioned guys are all essentially All Star teams composed of the very best players the entire world has to offer. No national team in the world fits that description, least of all, the SuperEagles. In fact, I am willing to bet the very last dollar in my possession that if Augustine Eguavoen were to be allowed to coach either one of those club teams, he would fare no worse than any of the supposedly esteemed white gentlemen.

Now, let’s focus on the primary subject of our discussion, Nigeria. Many of you will put forth the argument that on the three occasions we won AFCON, we were led to victory with a foreigner at the helm. Let’s dive a little deeper into that. First, there was Brazilian Otto Gloria who came to coach Nigeria at a time when the federal government of Nigeria was deeply committed to football development. They built a sparkling new stadium in which we hosted Africa and provide the required resources to enable us win the tournament. It wasn’t so much what Gloria did as it is the fact that Christian Chukwu, Segun Odegbami and Mudashiru Lawal were all willing to lay down thier lives on the pitch in order for us to win. It took 14 years after that and a succession of foreign coaches before we tasted AFCON victory once again. Clemens Westerhoff came to Nigeria in 1989 but it took him all of five years to raise a team that was barely able to defeat “minnows” Zambia in the final. Then followed a drought of almost 20 years ansa succession of foreign coaches who accomplished nothing except earn themselves massive retirement incomes. In 2013, along came Stephen Keshi and his mostly unheralded bunch of “Hey Yous” to show everyone how it’s supposed to be done. Most of you will recall that during this period of drought, a certain gentleman by the name of Shuaibu Amodu qualified Nigeria twice for the World Cup but was sidestepped on both occasions. In 2014, the NFF had no choice but to allow Stephen Keshi to take Nigeria to the World Cup and he performed creditably in spite of all the stumbling blocks that were thrown at him.

If you’ve been paying attention, you would know without an iota of doubt that Nigeria’s football fortunes lie entirely with Nigeria. We must bite the bullet now, rather than later, in order to be successful in the near future


Cheers.

The quality of the coaches is all that matters. When we talk about quality, we talk about coaches where have been privileged to coach in an environment where the resources and tools are readily available and applied. Quality means having the right intelligence to read games, adapt and adopt effective game tactics and strategies to maintain good results and overcome unfavorable results. Quality means super man-management skills to manage players of different backgrounds and cultures without feeling intimidated or overwhelmed. Quality means being a critical and fast thinker, analyst and planner. Quality means the ability to find and use MODERN coaching techniques and strategies to navigate through different game and pre-game scenarios. Quality means surrounding oneself with equally quality assistants to help one when one truly needs help. Quality, in this instance means having the experience to effectively solve all manner of footballing problems. Quality means having plans A, B, C... for every game and use those plans effectively when the need arises. Quality means being an effective communicator. Quality means having integrity and keeping to your principles. Quality means commanding the respect of the players that you are coaching. Quality means the ability to think fast and do the right things, including inviting the right players all the time... The point is that the evidence you cited about no foreign coach ever winning the world cup should not be merely attributed to the nationality of such coaches. Those coaches were able to achieve those feats because they were quality coaches, had the right environment, with quality players. No country has ever won the world cup without quality coaches and quality players! It was never a function of where the coach came from. Limiting our discussion to the African continent and Nigeria in particular, evidence points to the fact that foreign coaches have done significantly better than the local coaches since our first AFCON triumph in 1980. We failed to qualify for AFCON four times since that time and all four times, the local coaches were in charge. No foreign coach has ever failed to qualify us for AFCON since then. Since 2000, we have failed to qualify for the world cup twice, on both occasions, we had local coaches. No foreign coach has ever failed to qualify us for the world cup since then. So I do not see the basis for saying that a Nigerian coach is best suited to coach SE at this time, except perhaps for primordial sentimental reasons. If we have any local coach that meets the requirements of a quality international coach especially one that has the experience of coaching in Europe, or America, such a coach is welcome. You cannot have a coach (irrespective of his status as a former SE player) who has coached all his life in Nigeria or some African countries without the tools and resources for modern coaching to coach players that are used to these international set ups. It will never work.

I won’t engage in a needless argument with someone who doesn’t have their facts straight. Foreign coaches did not qualify us for the 2010 and 2014 World Cups. It was Shuaibu Amodu and Stephen Keshi


Cheers.

Is that all you picked up from his comprehensive response to your post?

Meanwhile, he never said foreign coaches qualified us for the World Cup in 2010 and 2014. He said the two times we have failed to qualify since 2000, it was local coaches in charge. I believe that was Eguavoen on both occasions.

Not surprised you’d be running interference for ahijo since birds of the same feather always flock together. Ahijo made the intentionally misleading statement that “No foreign coach has ever failed to qualify us for the world cup since then”. His clear intention was to imply that foreign coaches have been more successful than indigenous coaches in that regard, which is patently untrue. Of the six times we’ve qualified for the World Cup, we’ve been led by an indigenous coach 3 times. In fact, all three of Karl-Heinz Marotzke (1974), Tiko Jelisavčić (1978) and Otto Gloria (1982) failed to qualify Nigeria for the World Cup. There were, of course, others prior to 1974 who failed woefully to make any kind of impression on our World Cup aspirations but you would have us believe that foreign coaches have served us immeasurably well. All you deceivers should go and rest


Cheers.

You are the real deceiver. He qualified his statement with the prior statement where he stated the “then”, year 2000. So whatever you wrote here does not render his statement false. His statement is a fact. What you should have said before is what you are saying here now, which is that why did he ignore the period before year 2000.

[TonyTheTigerKiller]

The argument has been raging on for a long time about who’s best suited to handle the SuperEagles. Many, without any real proof, have decided that either Nigerians don’t have the technical expertise to manage the SuperEagles or that those who possess any modicum of competence will ultimate be hampered by corruption. For such people, it is a forgone conclusion that foreign coaches are the only one worth any consideration. Names like Guardiola, Klopp, Mourinho and even Renard have been put forward as the would be messiahs of Nigerian football. I would like to explain, once and for all, why relying on a foreign coach irrespective of pedigree, to lead Nigeria to the promised land is merely an exercise in futility.

The ultimate and all encompassing goal of all footballing nations is to win the World Cup at some point. From the very inception of the World Cup about 100 years ago, no foreigner has ever coached to victory in the World Cup. The primary reason for that isn’t all that far fetched, if people were to be totally honest and sincere. Football is a cultural sport which different nations approach with a unique vibe all their own. Why is it then so difficult to see that only an indigenous coach who is innately familiar with the peculiarities and psyche of indigenous footballers can get them to perform to the very best of their abilities? The simple answer to that is that it shouldn’t be.

I posed a question, several times mind you, to one of the most notorious and unapologetic protagonists of foreign coaches for the SuperEagles, a question that, needless to say, went unanswered. The incontrovertible fact is that neither one of Guardiola, Klopp or Mourinho has ever coached a national football team or ever qualified one for the World Cup. Am I suggesting that, perhaps, they don’t have what it takes to accomplish a relatively simple feat compared to winning multiple titles in the best leagues in the world? Well, a closer examination of that could prove to be really illuminating. The club teams coached by the aforementioned guys are all essentially All Star teams composed of the very best players the entire world has to offer. No national team in the world fits that description, least of all, the SuperEagles. In fact, I am willing to bet the very last dollar in my possession that if Augustine Eguavoen were to be allowed to coach either one of those club teams, he would fare no worse than any of the supposedly esteemed white gentlemen.

Now, let’s focus on the primary subject of our discussion, Nigeria. Many of you will put forth the argument that on the three occasions we won AFCON, we were led to victory with a foreigner at the helm. Let’s dive a little deeper into that. First, there was Brazilian Otto Gloria who came to coach Nigeria at a time when the federal government of Nigeria was deeply committed to football development. They built a sparkling new stadium in which we hosted Africa and provide the required resources to enable us win the tournament. It wasn’t so much what Gloria did as it is the fact that Christian Chukwu, Segun Odegbami and Mudashiru Lawal were all willing to lay down thier lives on the pitch in order for us to win. It took 14 years after that and a succession of foreign coaches before we tasted AFCON victory once again. Clemens Westerhoff came to Nigeria in 1989 but it took him all of five years to raise a team that was barely able to defeat “minnows” Zambia in the final. Then followed a drought of almost 20 years ansa succession of foreign coaches who accomplished nothing except earn themselves massive retirement incomes. In 2013, along came Stephen Keshi and his mostly unheralded bunch of “Hey Yous” to show everyone how it’s supposed to be done. Most of you will recall that during this period of drought, a certain gentleman by the name of Shuaibu Amodu qualified Nigeria twice for the World Cup but was sidestepped on both occasions. In 2014, the NFF had no choice but to allow Stephen Keshi to take Nigeria to the World Cup and he performed creditably in spite of all the stumbling blocks that were thrown at him.

If you’ve been paying attention, you would know without an iota of doubt that Nigeria’s football fortunes lie entirely with Nigeria. We must bite the bullet now, rather than later, in order to be successful in the near future


Cheers.

The quality of the coaches is all that matters. When we talk about quality, we talk about coaches where have been privileged to coach in an environment where the resources and tools are readily available and applied. Quality means having the right intelligence to read games, adapt and adopt effective game tactics and strategies to maintain good results and overcome unfavorable results. Quality means super man-management skills to manage players of different backgrounds and cultures without feeling intimidated or overwhelmed. Quality means being a critical and fast thinker, analyst and planner. Quality means the ability to find and use MODERN coaching techniques and strategies to navigate through different game and pre-game scenarios. Quality means surrounding oneself with equally quality assistants to help one when one truly needs help. Quality, in this instance means having the experience to effectively solve all manner of footballing problems. Quality means having plans A, B, C... for every game and use those plans effectively when the need arises. Quality means being an effective communicator. Quality means having integrity and keeping to your principles. Quality means commanding the respect of the players that you are coaching. Quality means the ability to think fast and do the right things, including inviting the right players all the time... The point is that the evidence you cited about no foreign coach ever winning the world cup should not be merely attributed to the nationality of such coaches. Those coaches were able to achieve those feats because they were quality coaches, had the right environment, with quality players. No country has ever won the world cup without quality coaches and quality players! It was never a function of where the coach came from. Limiting our discussion to the African continent and Nigeria in particular, evidence points to the fact that foreign coaches have done significantly better than the local coaches since our first AFCON triumph in 1980. We failed to qualify for AFCON four times since that time and all four times, the local coaches were in charge. No foreign coach has ever failed to qualify us for AFCON since then. Since 2000, we have failed to qualify for the world cup twice, on both occasions, we had local coaches. No foreign coach has ever failed to qualify us for the world cup since then. So I do not see the basis for saying that a Nigerian coach is best suited to coach SE at this time, except perhaps for primordial sentimental reasons. If we have any local coach that meets the requirements of a quality international coach especially one that has the experience of coaching in Europe, or America, such a coach is welcome. You cannot have a coach (irrespective of his status as a former SE player) who has coached all his life in Nigeria or some African countries without the tools and resources for modern coaching to coach players that are used to these international set ups. It will never work.

I won’t engage in a needless argument with someone who doesn’t have their facts straight. Foreign coaches did not qualify us for the 2010 and 2014 World Cups. It was Shuaibu Amodu and Stephen Keshi


Cheers.

Is that all you picked up from his comprehensive response to your post?

Meanwhile, he never said foreign coaches qualified us for the World Cup in 2010 and 2014. He said the two times we have failed to qualify since 2000, it was local coaches in charge. I believe that was Eguavoen on both occasions.

Not surprised you’d be running interference for ahijo since birds of the same feather always flock together. Ahijo made the intentionally misleading statement that “No foreign coach has ever failed to qualify us for the world cup since then”. His clear intention was to imply that foreign coaches have been more successful than indigenous coaches in that regard, which is patently untrue. Of the six times we’ve qualified for the World Cup, we’ve been led by an indigenous coach 3 times. In fact, all three of Karl-Heinz Marotzke (1974), Tiko Jelisavčić (1978) and Otto Gloria (1982) failed to qualify Nigeria for the World Cup. There were, of course, others prior to 1974 who failed woefully to make any kind of impression on our World Cup aspirations but you would have us believe that foreign coaches have served us immeasurably well. All you deceivers should go and rest


Cheers.

You are the real deceiver. He qualified his statement with the prior statement where he stated the “then”, year 2000. So whatever you wrote here does not render his statement false. His statement is a fact. What you should have said before is what you are saying here now, which is that why did he ignore the period before year 2000.

Why start at 2000? Wasn't Nigeria playing football way before 2000? Yeah, you think you’re so clever


Cheers.

[Enugu II]

Can someone tell me how Nigerian managers- foreign and local -- did in the qualifying run for the 2002 World Cup? This is a selective look at the data as we have thus far witnessed in other posts.

Just a question.

[ahidjo2]

The argument has been raging on for a long time about who’s best suited to handle the SuperEagles. Many, without any real proof, have decided that either Nigerians don’t have the technical expertise to manage the SuperEagles or that those who possess any modicum of competence will ultimate be hampered by corruption. For such people, it is a forgone conclusion that foreign coaches are the only one worth any consideration. Names like Guardiola, Klopp, Mourinho and even Renard have been put forward as the would be messiahs of Nigerian football. I would like to explain, once and for all, why relying on a foreign coach irrespective of pedigree, to lead Nigeria to the promised land is merely an exercise in futility.

The ultimate and all encompassing goal of all footballing nations is to win the World Cup at some point. From the very inception of the World Cup about 100 years ago, no foreigner has ever coached to victory in the World Cup. The primary reason for that isn’t all that far fetched, if people were to be totally honest and sincere. Football is a cultural sport which different nations approach with a unique vibe all their own. Why is it then so difficult to see that only an indigenous coach who is innately familiar with the peculiarities and psyche of indigenous footballers can get them to perform to the very best of their abilities? The simple answer to that is that it shouldn’t be.

I posed a question, several times mind you, to one of the most notorious and unapologetic protagonists of foreign coaches for the SuperEagles, a question that, needless to say, went unanswered. The incontrovertible fact is that neither one of Guardiola, Klopp or Mourinho has ever coached a national football team or ever qualified one for the World Cup. Am I suggesting that, perhaps, they don’t have what it takes to accomplish a relatively simple feat compared to winning multiple titles in the best leagues in the world? Well, a closer examination of that could prove to be really illuminating. The club teams coached by the aforementioned guys are all essentially All Star teams composed of the very best players the entire world has to offer. No national team in the world fits that description, least of all, the SuperEagles. In fact, I am willing to bet the very last dollar in my possession that if Augustine Eguavoen were to be allowed to coach either one of those club teams, he would fare no worse than any of the supposedly esteemed white gentlemen.

Now, let’s focus on the primary subject of our discussion, Nigeria. Many of you will put forth the argument that on the three occasions we won AFCON, we were led to victory with a foreigner at the helm. Let’s dive a little deeper into that. First, there was Brazilian Otto Gloria who came to coach Nigeria at a time when the federal government of Nigeria was deeply committed to football development. They built a sparkling new stadium in which we hosted Africa and provide the required resources to enable us win the tournament. It wasn’t so much what Gloria did as it is the fact that Christian Chukwu, Segun Odegbami and Mudashiru Lawal were all willing to lay down thier lives on the pitch in order for us to win. It took 14 years after that and a succession of foreign coaches before we tasted AFCON victory once again. Clemens Westerhoff came to Nigeria in 1989 but it took him all of five years to raise a team that was barely able to defeat “minnows” Zambia in the final. Then followed a drought of almost 20 years ansa succession of foreign coaches who accomplished nothing except earn themselves massive retirement incomes. In 2013, along came Stephen Keshi and his mostly unheralded bunch of “Hey Yous” to show everyone how it’s supposed to be done. Most of you will recall that during this period of drought, a certain gentleman by the name of Shuaibu Amodu qualified Nigeria twice for the World Cup but was sidestepped on both occasions. In 2014, the NFF had no choice but to allow Stephen Keshi to take Nigeria to the World Cup and he performed creditably in spite of all the stumbling blocks that were thrown at him.

If you’ve been paying attention, you would know without an iota of doubt that Nigeria’s football fortunes lie entirely with Nigeria. We must bite the bullet now, rather than later, in order to be successful in the near future


Cheers.

The quality of the coaches is all that matters. When we talk about quality, we talk about coaches where have been privileged to coach in an environment where the resources and tools are readily available and applied. Quality means having the right intelligence to read games, adapt and adopt effective game tactics and strategies to maintain good results and overcome unfavorable results. Quality means super man-management skills to manage players of different backgrounds and cultures without feeling intimidated or overwhelmed. Quality means being a critical and fast thinker, analyst and planner. Quality means the ability to find and use MODERN coaching techniques and strategies to navigate through different game and pre-game scenarios. Quality means surrounding oneself with equally quality assistants to help one when one truly needs help. Quality, in this instance means having the experience to effectively solve all manner of footballing problems. Quality means having plans A, B, C... for every game and use those plans effectively when the need arises. Quality means being an effective communicator. Quality means having integrity and keeping to your principles. Quality means commanding the respect of the players that you are coaching. Quality means the ability to think fast and do the right things, including inviting the right players all the time... The point is that the evidence you cited about no foreign coach ever winning the world cup should not be merely attributed to the nationality of such coaches. Those coaches were able to achieve those feats because they were quality coaches, had the right environment, with quality players. No country has ever won the world cup without quality coaches and quality players! It was never a function of where the coach came from. Limiting our discussion to the African continent and Nigeria in particular, evidence points to the fact that foreign coaches have done significantly better than the local coaches since our first AFCON triumph in 1980. We failed to qualify for AFCON four times since that time and all four times, the local coaches were in charge. No foreign coach has ever failed to qualify us for AFCON since then. Since 2000, we have failed to qualify for the world cup twice, on both occasions, we had local coaches. No foreign coach has ever failed to qualify us for the world cup since then. So I do not see the basis for saying that a Nigerian coach is best suited to coach SE at this time, except perhaps for primordial sentimental reasons. If we have any local coach that meets the requirements of a quality international coach especially one that has the experience of coaching in Europe, or America, such a coach is welcome. You cannot have a coach (irrespective of his status as a former SE player) who has coached all his life in Nigeria or some African countries without the tools and resources for modern coaching to coach players that are used to these international set ups. It will never work.

I won’t engage in a needless argument with someone who doesn’t have their facts straight. Foreign coaches did not qualify us for the 2010 and 2014 World Cups. It was Shuaibu Amodu and Stephen Keshi


Cheers.

Is that all you picked up from his comprehensive response to your post?

Meanwhile, he never said foreign coaches qualified us for the World Cup in 2010 and 2014. He said the two times we have failed to qualify since 2000, it was local coaches in charge. I believe that was Eguavoen on both occasions.

Not surprised you’d be running interference for ahijo since birds of the same feather always flock together. Ahijo made the intentionally misleading statement that “No foreign coach has ever failed to qualify us for the world cup since then”. His clear intention was to imply that foreign coaches have been more successful than indigenous coaches in that regard, which is patently untrue. Of the six times we’ve qualified for the World Cup, we’ve been led by an indigenous coach 3 times. In fact, all three of Karl-Heinz Marotzke (1974), Tiko Jelisavčić (1978) and Otto Gloria (1982) failed to qualify Nigeria for the World Cup. There were, of course, others prior to 1974 who failed woefully to make any kind of impression on our World Cup aspirations but you would have us believe that foreign coaches have served us immeasurably well. All you deceivers should go and rest


Cheers.

Enugu II,
You have complained endlessly about the start date of the analysis previously run. I have made it clear that you can go and do yours starting from when soccer started. I chose year 1980 for AFCON because that year marked a turning point in Nigeria's soccer history. Nothing you said above or previously counters or negates the fact that for AFCON, since 1980, foreign coaches have done significantly better than local coaches and local coaches have done significantly WORSE than the foreign coaches. We missed AFCON in 1986, 2012, 2015 and 2017 and we had local coaches at the helm and no foreign coach has ever failed to qualify for AFCON since 1980. These are sacred and incontrovertible facts that you and your likes have failed to counter but instead chose to dwell on starting dates of analysis, rather arrogantly. If you are interested in giving us the analysis that includes prior years, please give us. We are waiting but as things are, those facts remain. For the world cup, since 1994 (another turning point), we have missed it twice in 2006 and 2023 and you know who was in charge? Local coaches. Since that year, no foreign coach has failed to qualify us for the world cup (1998, 2018). These are facts and I believe that we are hear to exchange ideas on how to move Nigeria soccer forward and nobody (not me) should arrogate to himself the monopoly of knowledge. This idea that people who prefer foreign coaches love Nigeria less is lame and baseless, Circumstances have led lots of Nigerians to prefer foreign coaches and justifiably so. We were just recovering from our worst AFCON finish (second round) in almost 40 years and world cup non qualification. We can not afford to gamble given the limited time that we have.

[Enugu II]

The argument has been raging on for a long time about who’s best suited to handle the SuperEagles. Many, without any real proof, have decided that either Nigerians don’t have the technical expertise to manage the SuperEagles or that those who possess any modicum of competence will ultimate be hampered by corruption. For such people, it is a forgone conclusion that foreign coaches are the only one worth any consideration. Names like Guardiola, Klopp, Mourinho and even Renard have been put forward as the would be messiahs of Nigerian football. I would like to explain, once and for all, why relying on a foreign coach irrespective of pedigree, to lead Nigeria to the promised land is merely an exercise in futility.

The ultimate and all encompassing goal of all footballing nations is to win the World Cup at some point. From the very inception of the World Cup about 100 years ago, no foreigner has ever coached to victory in the World Cup. The primary reason for that isn’t all that far fetched, if people were to be totally honest and sincere. Football is a cultural sport which different nations approach with a unique vibe all their own. Why is it then so difficult to see that only an indigenous coach who is innately familiar with the peculiarities and psyche of indigenous footballers can get them to perform to the very best of their abilities? The simple answer to that is that it shouldn’t be.

I posed a question, several times mind you, to one of the most notorious and unapologetic protagonists of foreign coaches for the SuperEagles, a question that, needless to say, went unanswered. The incontrovertible fact is that neither one of Guardiola, Klopp or Mourinho has ever coached a national football team or ever qualified one for the World Cup. Am I suggesting that, perhaps, they don’t have what it takes to accomplish a relatively simple feat compared to winning multiple titles in the best leagues in the world? Well, a closer examination of that could prove to be really illuminating. The club teams coached by the aforementioned guys are all essentially All Star teams composed of the very best players the entire world has to offer. No national team in the world fits that description, least of all, the SuperEagles. In fact, I am willing to bet the very last dollar in my possession that if Augustine Eguavoen were to be allowed to coach either one of those club teams, he would fare no worse than any of the supposedly esteemed white gentlemen.

Now, let’s focus on the primary subject of our discussion, Nigeria. Many of you will put forth the argument that on the three occasions we won AFCON, we were led to victory with a foreigner at the helm. Let’s dive a little deeper into that. First, there was Brazilian Otto Gloria who came to coach Nigeria at a time when the federal government of Nigeria was deeply committed to football development. They built a sparkling new stadium in which we hosted Africa and provide the required resources to enable us win the tournament. It wasn’t so much what Gloria did as it is the fact that Christian Chukwu, Segun Odegbami and Mudashiru Lawal were all willing to lay down thier lives on the pitch in order for us to win. It took 14 years after that and a succession of foreign coaches before we tasted AFCON victory once again. Clemens Westerhoff came to Nigeria in 1989 but it took him all of five years to raise a team that was barely able to defeat “minnows” Zambia in the final. Then followed a drought of almost 20 years ansa succession of foreign coaches who accomplished nothing except earn themselves massive retirement incomes. In 2013, along came Stephen Keshi and his mostly unheralded bunch of “Hey Yous” to show everyone how it’s supposed to be done. Most of you will recall that during this period of drought, a certain gentleman by the name of Shuaibu Amodu qualified Nigeria twice for the World Cup but was sidestepped on both occasions. In 2014, the NFF had no choice but to allow Stephen Keshi to take Nigeria to the World Cup and he performed creditably in spite of all the stumbling blocks that were thrown at him.

If you’ve been paying attention, you would know without an iota of doubt that Nigeria’s football fortunes lie entirely with Nigeria. We must bite the bullet now, rather than later, in order to be successful in the near future


Cheers.

The quality of the coaches is all that matters. When we talk about quality, we talk about coaches where have been privileged to coach in an environment where the resources and tools are readily available and applied. Quality means having the right intelligence to read games, adapt and adopt effective game tactics and strategies to maintain good results and overcome unfavorable results. Quality means super man-management skills to manage players of different backgrounds and cultures without feeling intimidated or overwhelmed. Quality means being a critical and fast thinker, analyst and planner. Quality means the ability to find and use MODERN coaching techniques and strategies to navigate through different game and pre-game scenarios. Quality means surrounding oneself with equally quality assistants to help one when one truly needs help. Quality, in this instance means having the experience to effectively solve all manner of footballing problems. Quality means having plans A, B, C... for every game and use those plans effectively when the need arises. Quality means being an effective communicator. Quality means having integrity and keeping to your principles. Quality means commanding the respect of the players that you are coaching. Quality means the ability to think fast and do the right things, including inviting the right players all the time... The point is that the evidence you cited about no foreign coach ever winning the world cup should not be merely attributed to the nationality of such coaches. Those coaches were able to achieve those feats because they were quality coaches, had the right environment, with quality players. No country has ever won the world cup without quality coaches and quality players! It was never a function of where the coach came from. Limiting our discussion to the African continent and Nigeria in particular, evidence points to the fact that foreign coaches have done significantly better than the local coaches since our first AFCON triumph in 1980. We failed to qualify for AFCON four times since that time and all four times, the local coaches were in charge. No foreign coach has ever failed to qualify us for AFCON since then. Since 2000, we have failed to qualify for the world cup twice, on both occasions, we had local coaches. No foreign coach has ever failed to qualify us for the world cup since then. So I do not see the basis for saying that a Nigerian coach is best suited to coach SE at this time, except perhaps for primordial sentimental reasons. If we have any local coach that meets the requirements of a quality international coach especially one that has the experience of coaching in Europe, or America, such a coach is welcome. You cannot have a coach (irrespective of his status as a former SE player) who has coached all his life in Nigeria or some African countries without the tools and resources for modern coaching to coach players that are used to these international set ups. It will never work.

I won’t engage in a needless argument with someone who doesn’t have their facts straight. Foreign coaches did not qualify us for the 2010 and 2014 World Cups. It was Shuaibu Amodu and Stephen Keshi


Cheers.

Is that all you picked up from his comprehensive response to your post?

Meanwhile, he never said foreign coaches qualified us for the World Cup in 2010 and 2014. He said the two times we have failed to qualify since 2000, it was local coaches in charge. I believe that was Eguavoen on both occasions.

Not surprised you’d be running interference for ahijo since birds of the same feather always flock together. Ahijo made the intentionally misleading statement that “No foreign coach has ever failed to qualify us for the world cup since then”. His clear intention was to imply that foreign coaches have been more successful than indigenous coaches in that regard, which is patently untrue. Of the six times we’ve qualified for the World Cup, we’ve been led by an indigenous coach 3 times. In fact, all three of Karl-Heinz Marotzke (1974), Tiko Jelisavčić (1978) and Otto Gloria (1982) failed to qualify Nigeria for the World Cup. There were, of course, others prior to 1974 who failed woefully to make any kind of impression on our World Cup aspirations but you would have us believe that foreign coaches have served us immeasurably well. All you deceivers should go and rest


Cheers.

Enugu II,
You have complained endlessly about the start date of the analysis previously run. I have made it clear that you can go and do yours starting from when soccer started. I chose year 1980 for AFCON because that year marked a turning point in Nigeria's soccer history. Nothing you said above or previously counters or negates the fact that for AFCON, since 1980, foreign coaches have done significantly better than local coaches and local coaches have done significantly WORSE than the foreign coaches. We missed AFCON in 1986, 2012, 2015 and 2017 and we had local coaches at the helm and no foreign coach has ever failed to qualify for AFCON since 1980. These are sacred and incontrovertible facts that you and your likes have failed to counter but instead chose to dwell on starting dates of analysis, rather arrogantly. If you are interested in giving us the analysis that includes prior years, please give us. We are waiting but as things are, those facts remain. For the world cup, since 1994 (another turning point), we have missed it twice in 2006 and 2023 and you know who was in charge? Local coaches. Since that year, no foreign coach has failed to qualify us for the world cup (1998, 2018). These are facts and I believe that we are hear to exchange ideas on how to move Nigeria soccer forward and nobody (not me) should arrogate to himself the monopoly of knowledge. This idea that people who prefer foreign coaches love Nigeria less is lame and baseless, Circumstances have led lots of Nigerians to prefer foreign coaches and justifiably so. We were just recovering from our worst AFCON finish (second round) in almost 40 years and world cup non qualification. We can not afford to gamble given the limited time that we have.

Ahidjo

Dates for data are not selected subjectively. There is nothing about 1980, for instance, that differentiates it from 1978. You have selected 1980 because it is a date that you hope prevents a discovery that foreign coaches for Nigeria have failed to qualify Nigeria for AFCON.

Nigeria has used a foreign manager since the formation of Nigeria's first national team in the late 1940s. Nigeria's first national coach was Finch who took Nigeria on the first tour to the UK.

You again put up a supposedly WC data here but forgot, conveniently, that it was a Nigerian who took Nigeria the furthest in Women's World Cup. How in the world should you forget such a landmark in your supposedly objective data analysis? How?

The issues above lay your analysis open to questions. It is obviously subjective with a clear goal in mind inspite of the attempt to camouflage them as objective. Remember always that there are people here, including myself, who maintain elaborate data on these matters.

[TonyTheTigerKiller]

Enugu II,
You have complained endlessly about the start date of the analysis previously run. I have made it clear that you can go and do yours starting from when soccer started. I chose year 1980 for AFCON because that year marked a turning point in Nigeria's soccer history. Nothing you said above or previously counters or negates the fact that for AFCON, since 1980, foreign coaches have done significantly better than local coaches and local coaches have done significantly WORSE than the foreign coaches. We missed AFCON in 1986, 2012, 2015 and 2017 and we had local coaches at the helm and no foreign coach has ever failed to qualify for AFCON since 1980. These are sacred and incontrovertible facts that you and your likes have failed to counter but instead chose to dwell on starting dates of analysis, rather arrogantly. If you are interested in giving us the analysis that includes prior years, please give us. We are waiting but as things are, those facts remain. For the world cup, since 1994 (another turning point), we have missed it twice in 2006 and 2023 and you know who was in charge? Local coaches. Since that year, no foreign coach has failed to qualify us for the world cup (1998, 2018). These are facts and I believe that we are hear to exchange ideas on how to move Nigeria soccer forward and nobody (not me) should arrogate to himself the monopoly of knowledge. This idea that people who prefer foreign coaches love Nigeria less is lame and baseless, Circumstances have led lots of Nigerians to prefer foreign coaches and justifiably so. We were just recovering from our worst AFCON finish (second round) in almost 40 years and world cup non qualification. We can not afford to gamble given the limited time that we have.

Ahidjo

Dates for data are not selected subjectively. There is nothing about 1980, for instance, that differentiates it from 1978. You have selected 1980 because it is a date that you hope prevents a discovery that foreign coaches for Nigeria have failed to qualify Nigeria for AFCON.

Nigeria has used a foreign manager since the formation of Nigeria's first national team in the late 1940s. Nigeria's first national coach was Finch who took Nigeria on the first tour to the UK.

You again put up a supposedly WC data here but forgot, conveniently, that it was a Nigerian who took Nigeria the furthest in Women's World Cup. How in the world should you forget such a landmark in your supposedly objective data analysis? How?

The issues above lay your analysis open to questions. It is obviously subjective with a clear goal in mind inspite of the attempt to camouflage them as objective. Remember always that there are people here, including myself, who maintain elaborate data on these matters.

EII,

Don’t mind Ahijo and Lolly. They’re just being clever by half. Ahijo knew exactly what he tried to do. He thought he could skew the narrative in favor of foreign coaches by starting in 1980… but the records speak for themselves. In any case, neither one of them has tried to counter my argument that coaching an all-star Man City team is not nearly the same as coaching any national team. The primary key to being successful with a national team is understanding the personnel in-depth in order to bring out the best in them; just like Keshi and Amodu before him


Cheers.

[highbury]

The argument that no foreign coach has ever won the world cup is a really dumb one for a number of reasons.

1. Only the top teams have won world cups and the top teams have TOP COACHES. It's an exclusive club.

You act as if they won the world cup simply because they are coached by their own and that is just an asinine argument.

Will India or China win the world cup simply because they are coached by their own ?

I could also say

No African team has won the world cup (so your logic is we shouldn't try because we are African)

I'll do you one better according to your warped logic.

No African coach has ever won a WC.

Many teams who are FAR MORE successful than us have foreign coaches, or have had foreign coaches.

Including teams like England,

Belgium, Portugal, Turkey (WC semi finalists) Uruguay, currently have a foreign coach.

But you think we are too big for that ?

The record of our last few local coaches have been horrific.

I see you have already forgotten the Qatar debacle and are looking forward to a new one, just so you can stroke your ego.

Vancity Eagle, clearly your aim isn't to engage in debate but to aggressively assert your point. How does sharing one's perspective warrant being labeled as dumb? Does this approach encourage meaningful discussion? As I've mentioned before, you might not be Nigerian, but I'm entirely convinced you benefit financially from hiring foreign coaches. It seems the only logical explanation. Even when faced with arguments superior to yours, you remain dogmatically attached to your viewpoint. I must ask, are you ethnically Nigerian? It's a serious question.

[ANC]

should go for the best coach that NFF can afford and without regard to race/nationality.

[TonyTheTigerKiller]

should go for the best coach that NFF can afford and without regard to race/nationality.

Yours is the typical argument of one who has been brainwashed by neocolonialism. Do you think Chelsea would ever hire a Finidi George to manage their team? I think you know the answer to that. A better question yet is why did they hire Lampard, other than the fact that he’s one of theirs? Lampard isn’t superior to Finidi as a professional in any way shape or form. If you bother to ask Chelsea, they’ll probably tell you that it was because Lampard knew their system inside out. That factor is especially critical when it comes to a national team. In a sane society, you would only hire a foreigner to coach your national team as a last resort, not as the status quo


Cheers.

[ANC]

should go for the best coach that NFF can afford and without regard to race/nationality.

Yours is the typical argument of one who has been brainwashed by neocolonialism. Do you think Chelsea would ever hire a Finidi George to manage their team? I think you know the answer to that. A better question yet is why did they hire Lampard, other than the fact that he’s one of theirs? Lampard isn’t superior to Finidi as a professional in any way shape or form. If you bother to ask Chelsea, they’ll probably tell you that it was because Lampard knew their system inside out. That factor is especially critical when it comes to a national team. In a sane society, you would only hire a foreigner to coach your national team as a last resort, not as the status quo


Cheers.

Mike Emenalo says hello.
SE deserves the best fit coach.
If a Finidi is good enough to compete with a Lampard, he should be good enough for SE too.

[Babadee]

The argument that no foreign coach has ever won the world cup is a really dumb one for a number of reasons.

1. Only the top teams have won world cups and the top teams have TOP COACHES. It's an exclusive club.

You act as if they won the world cup simply because they are coached by their own and that is just an asinine argument.

Will India or China win the world cup simply because they are coached by their own ?

I could also say

No African team has won the world cup (so your logic is we shouldn't try because we are African)

I'll do you one better according to your warped logic.

No African coach has ever won a WC.

Many teams who are FAR MORE successful than us have foreign coaches, or have had foreign coaches.

Including teams like England,

Belgium, Portugal, Turkey (WC semi finalists) Uruguay, currently have a foreign coach.

But you think we are too big for that ?

The record of our last few local coaches have been horrific.

I see you have already forgotten the Qatar debacle and are looking forward to a new one, just so you can stroke your ego.

Belgium, Portugal Uruguay and Turkey what did they win with there foreign coach?

Nothing

I think give Finidi a try let see if he can’t get some local talent from the Nigerian leagues.