Randy Waldrum Live Interview with Eaglestracker

[Damunk]

Great viewing.



Hmmmm….
“I was also being forced to put a player on the (World Cup) roster I’d never seen. And I wasn’t gonna do that”.

[jette1]

Nigeria the biggest island in the world

[txj]

Gotti to the defence of NFF...

in 1,2,3....

[highbury]

Great viewing.



Hmmmm….
“I was also being forced to put a player on the (World Cup) roster I’d never seen. And I wasn’t gonna do that”.

This is one of the arguments often made by proponents of foreign coaches—and to be fair, I do see their point. However, my counterpoint is that everything depends on who we are hiring as our coach.

For instance, I applaud a coach who is able to resist undue influence. On the other hand, we saw how a foreign coach like Gernot Rohr gave in to pressure from figures like Amaju Pinnick, who insisted on the inclusion of Musa in the squad—regardless of his form or contribution during the World Cup.

In contrast, someone like Sunday Oliseh, a local coach, would never tolerate that kind of interference. That said, not all home-based coaches are immune—some unfortunately allow themselves to be influenced by those in power.

It’s no secret that I personally prefer a Nigerian as head coach of our national team. Still, I want the best Nigerian available. We can always bring in foreign experts to support our coach with specialized skills, but the leadership should remain Nigerian.

Ultimately, the decline we’re witnessing in Nigerian football rests squarely at the feet of the NFF. They bear the responsibility for the structure, the decisions, and the culture that have allowed this rot to persist.

[Dammy]

Great viewing.



Hmmmm….
“I was also being forced to put a player on the (World Cup) roster I’d never seen. And I wasn’t gonna do that”.

This is one of the arguments often made by proponents of foreign coaches—and to be fair, I do see their point. However, my counterpoint is that everything depends on who we are hiring as our coach.

For instance, I applaud a coach who is able to resist undue influence. On the other hand, we saw how a foreign coach like Gernot Rohr gave in to pressure from figures like Amaju Pinnick, who insisted on the inclusion of Musa in the squad—regardless of his form or contribution during the World Cup.

In contrast, someone like Sunday Oliseh, a local coach, would never tolerate that kind of interference. That said, not all home-based coaches are immune—some unfortunately allow themselves to be influenced by those in power.

It’s no secret that I personally prefer a Nigerian as head coach of our national team. Still, I want the best Nigerian available. We can always bring in foreign experts to support our coach with specialized skills, but the leadership should remain Nigerian.

Ultimately, the decline we’re witnessing in Nigerian football rests squarely at the feet of the NFF. They bear the responsibility for the structure, the decisions, and the culture that have allowed this rot to persist.

Don’t take everything Pinnick says seriously! Musa was an integral part of the squad going to the 2018 World Cup,
He had moved on loan to CSKA Moscow in January after not getting playing time at Leicester, and was banging in goals for his club, so nobody influenced his selection.
Pinnick just wanted to take credit for Musa’s performance in the World Cup, as there were initial concerns about Musa not playing regularly at Leicester but his place in the squad was never in doubt

[bret- hart]

Great viewing.



Hmmmm….
“I was also being forced to put a player on the (World Cup) roster I’d never seen. And I wasn’t gonna do that”.

This is one of the arguments often made by proponents of foreign coaches—and to be fair, I do see their point. However, my counterpoint is that everything depends on who we are hiring as our coach.

For instance, I applaud a coach who is able to resist undue influence. On the other hand, we saw how a foreign coach like Gernot Rohr gave in to pressure from figures like Amaju Pinnick, who insisted on the inclusion of Musa in the squad—regardless of his form or contribution during the World Cup.

In contrast, someone like Sunday Oliseh, a local coach, would never tolerate that kind of interference. That said, not all home-based coaches are immune—some unfortunately allow themselves to be influenced by those in power.

It’s no secret that I personally prefer a Nigerian as head coach of our national team. Still, I want the best Nigerian available. We can always bring in foreign experts to support our coach with specialized skills, but the leadership should remain Nigerian.

Ultimately, the decline we’re witnessing in Nigerian football rests squarely at the feet of the NFF. They bear the responsibility for the structure, the decisions, and the culture that have allowed this rot to persist.

Highbury you are so full of sh%t I can smell it from my PC. Most local coaches 99.99% give in to agents, NFF etc. Was it not Stephen Keshi that took unfit players like Gabriel Ruben and co to the 2014 world cup? What about Eguaveon that will pick Musa and Ihenacho regardless of form and then turn around and lie that he does not know who Dessers is. Then you have our Youth Coaches who are under the pay roll of unscrupulous agents. My Fren sharrrap. I will sheath my sword for now and see how Justin Madugu does at the WAFCON but if he flops best believe his job is gone and most likely an experinced FC will take over because the next WAFCON after this will determine who qualifies for the World Cup.

[iworo]

Great viewing.



Hmmmm….
“I was also being forced to put a player on the (World Cup) roster I’d never seen. And I wasn’t gonna do that”.

This is one of the arguments often made by proponents of foreign coaches—and to be fair, I do see their point. However, my counterpoint is that everything depends on who we are hiring as our coach.

For instance, I applaud a coach who is able to resist undue influence. On the other hand, we saw how a foreign coach like Gernot Rohr gave in to pressure from figures like Amaju Pinnick, who insisted on the inclusion of Musa in the squad—regardless of his form or contribution during the World Cup.

In contrast, someone like Sunday Oliseh, a local coach, would never tolerate that kind of interference. That said, not all home-based coaches are immune—some unfortunately allow themselves to be influenced by those in power.

It’s no secret that I personally prefer a Nigerian as head coach of our national team. Still, I want the best Nigerian available. We can always bring in foreign experts to support our coach with specialized skills, but the leadership should remain Nigerian.

Ultimately, the decline we’re witnessing in Nigerian football rests squarely at the feet of the NFF. They bear the responsibility for the structure, the decisions, and the culture that have allowed this rot to persist.

Highbury you are so full of sh%t I can smell it from my PC. Most local coaches 99.99% give in to agents, NFF etc. Was it not Stephen Keshi that took unfit players like Gabriel Ruben and co to the 2014 world cup? What about Eguaveon that will pick Musa and Ihenacho regardless of form and then turn around and lie that he does not know who Dessers is. Then you have our Youth Coaches who are under the pay roll of unscrupulous agents. My Fren sharrrap. I will sheath my sword for now and see how Justin Madugu does at the WAFCON but if he flops best believe his job is gone and most likely an experinced FC will take over because the next WAFCON after this will determine who qualifies for the World Cup.

[highbury]

Great viewing.



Hmmmm….
“I was also being forced to put a player on the (World Cup) roster I’d never seen. And I wasn’t gonna do that”.

This is one of the arguments often made by proponents of foreign coaches—and to be fair, I do see their point. However, my counterpoint is that everything depends on who we are hiring as our coach.

For instance, I applaud a coach who is able to resist undue influence. On the other hand, we saw how a foreign coach like Gernot Rohr gave in to pressure from figures like Amaju Pinnick, who insisted on the inclusion of Musa in the squad—regardless of his form or contribution during the World Cup.

In contrast, someone like Sunday Oliseh, a local coach, would never tolerate that kind of interference. That said, not all home-based coaches are immune—some unfortunately allow themselves to be influenced by those in power.

It’s no secret that I personally prefer a Nigerian as head coach of our national team. Still, I want the best Nigerian available. We can always bring in foreign experts to support our coach with specialized skills, but the leadership should remain Nigerian.

Ultimately, the decline we’re witnessing in Nigerian football rests squarely at the feet of the NFF. They bear the responsibility for the structure, the decisions, and the culture that have allowed this rot to persist.

Highbury you are so full of sh%t I can smell it from my PC. Most local coaches 99.99% give in to agents, NFF etc. Was it not Stephen Keshi that took unfit players like Gabriel Ruben and co to the 2014 world cup? What about Eguaveon that will pick Musa and Ihenacho regardless of form and then turn around and lie that he does not know who Dessers is. Then you have our Youth Coaches who are under the pay roll of unscrupulous agents. My Fren sharrrap. I will sheath my sword for now and see how Justin Madugu does at the WAFCON but if he flops best believe his job is gone and most likely an experinced FC will take over because the next WAFCON after this will determine who qualifies for the World Cup.

Dude, you can make your point without resorting to insults. I shared my opinion, and you're absolutely free to share yours—but let’s keep it respectful. It's Ok to disagree. That's fine. No stress

Thank you, and I hope you have a great evening.

[iworo]

“No pay” – Randy Waldrum blasts NFF for lack of financial support towards Super Falcons

Former Head Coach of the Super Falcons of Nigeria, Randy Marlon Waldrum, has revealed that the NFF were poor in handling finances during his four-year tenure, Soccernet.ng reports.

The 68-year-old took charge of the Nigerian senior women's team in October 2020 after initially declining to take on the role three years prior.

In his time as the Super Falcons' head coach, Waldrum helped Nigeria qualify for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup and for the 2024 Olympic Tournament in Paris last year. He stepped down to look after his wife, Dianna, who had an open heart surgery last year.



During Waldrum's tenure, Nigeria experienced a significant influx of foreign-born talent returning home to represent the country, largely due to his connections in the United States, as he worked simultaneously as the coach of the University of Pittsburgh Panthers women's football team.

In an interview with Eagles tracker, the former Trinidad and Tobago coach revealed the long-term plans he had in the works for the Super Falcons.

“There's so much potential to do great things on both the men and women's side in Nigeria, and my hope when I took the job was that I could bring some new ideas and thought process, especially with our women being the best in the World here in the United States.

“I thought I could bring some of the organizational ideas, the long-term planning. I had developed a ten-year plan for Nigeria, for youth football and how it would translate into winning a World Cup within the next ten years and I hoped I could influence it that way because I knew they had great players.

“That's why I took on the project, but I enjoyed my four years there. I also had some difficult time there, but we had a lot of great success, but I loved my time there.”

While many raised eyebrows about the American coach working multiple jobs whilst he was in charge of the Super Falcons, he admitted his scepticism about how the NFF had handled the salaries of previous coaches caused him to seek more security.

“I'd also read in the media, all of the stories of the men's team and their coaches not getting paid or not getting paid on time, and it's a little different in the US than it is in Nigeria.

“Here, every month, you have a house payment, a car payment, and you have bills to pay, and if you don't pay those bills, you lose your home after a few months, so, I was a little reluctant being worried that I would be paid on time.

“I also had to consider medical insurance and other things, and in all fairness, without a disrespect to the federation (NFF), it was the best decision, as there were times that I wasn't paid for fourteen months, and If I wasn't working at Pittsburgh, I would've lost my home here, so I needed the security.

“I was willing to step down if I got there and everything was the way it should've worked with the payments, but it wasn't the same.

“It probably worked for the Federation as well because that was when COVID hit and from a financial view, they didn't have to pay me a full-time wage which is what they'd normally do if they had a coach on ground.

“I never downplayed Nigeria. They were never second to Pittsburgh in the four years that I was there. I fully committed my time and energy to helping the team qualify for the World Cup and the Olympics,” Coach Waldrum continued.

While he's no longer Nigeria's coach, Randy Waldrum remains a fan, and he sent out a strong note of warning to the NFF about their lack of investment in football, stating that it'll be tougher to compete without these things in place.
“It's easier to dispose coaches if they don't win, but with what's going on in Africa, it's going to be difficult to continue winning if the Federation doesn't start to support things better.

“If you go to Morocco and look at their National training centre, it's one of the best in the World, and I've been everywhere. Compared to what the United States have, what Morocco has is immaculate, pristine, and it's everything you can think of.

“They've invested in their football and you saw it in their men's team at the last World Cup, and even with how their Women's team have grown in the last five years. Same with South Africa and Ivory Coast.

“Nigeria almost feel like it's a birthright to win the WAFCON, to win it because they've done so many times, but it won't continue that way, and a day will come where they won't qualify for the World Cup if they're not careful.

“Other countries are beginning to invest and put more into football and eventually, it will catch up with Nigeria. That will be my concern moving forward for them. Too many people think it will happen just because you're Nigeria, but it doesn't happen that way,” the American coach concluded.

Now under Justin Madugu, the Super Falcons are hungry to win again. Their WAFCON journey begins with a fascinating clash against Tunisia on the 6th of July before they take on Botswana in Casablanca four days later. Their final group game will be on the 13th of July against Algeria.

https://soccernet.ng/2025/06/waldrum-nf ... lcons.html

[deanotito]

Great viewing.



Hmmmm….
“I was also being forced to put a player on the (World Cup) roster I’d never seen. And I wasn’t gonna do that”.

This is one of the arguments often made by proponents of foreign coaches—and to be fair, I do see their point. However, my counterpoint is that everything depends on who we are hiring as our coach.

For instance, I applaud a coach who is able to resist undue influence. On the other hand, we saw how a foreign coach like Gernot Rohr gave in to pressure from figures like Amaju Pinnick, who insisted on the inclusion of Musa in the squad—regardless of his form or contribution during the World Cup.

In contrast, someone like Sunday Oliseh, a local coach, would never tolerate that kind of interference. That said, not all home-based coaches are immune—some unfortunately allow themselves to be influenced by those in power.

It’s no secret that I personally prefer a Nigerian as head coach of our national team. Still, I want the best Nigerian available. We can always bring in foreign experts to support our coach with specialized skills, but the leadership should remain Nigerian.

Ultimately, the decline we’re witnessing in Nigerian football rests squarely at the feet of the NFF. They bear the responsibility for the structure, the decisions, and the culture that have allowed this rot to persist.

This is a tricky issue. I can safely say that there is no work of life that is based 100% on merit. In every industry, you will face situations where you are forced to do things for political reasons.

Recently Team USA decided not to take Jalen Brown to the Olympics. That’s was an incredulous decision that was not based on merit IMO.

I don’t know for sure but I think that Amaju felt that for political reasons, the super eagles needed a representative Northern contingent and that simply assembling a team of the best - if those best are 100% southern - wouldn’t go down well with a Northern-dominated government, like Buhari’s.

I used to hate such things but perhaps with age, I’ve mellowed. These things happen everywhere. You just have to make sure you keep it to a minimum when you can

[Lolly]

Great viewing.



Hmmmm….
“I was also being forced to put a player on the (World Cup) roster I’d never seen. And I wasn’t gonna do that”.

Aka Slot business.

[Lolly]

Great viewing.



Hmmmm….
“I was also being forced to put a player on the (World Cup) roster I’d never seen. And I wasn’t gonna do that”.

This is one of the arguments often made by proponents of foreign coaches—and to be fair, I do see their point. However, my counterpoint is that everything depends on who we are hiring as our coach.

For instance, I applaud a coach who is able to resist undue influence. On the other hand, we saw how a foreign coach like Gernot Rohr gave in to pressure from figures like Amaju Pinnick, who insisted on the inclusion of Musa in the squad—regardless of his form or contribution during the World Cup.

In contrast, someone like Sunday Oliseh, a local coach, would never tolerate that kind of interference. That said, not all home-based coaches are immune—some unfortunately allow themselves to be influenced by those in power.

It’s no secret that I personally prefer a Nigerian as head coach of our national team. Still, I want the best Nigerian available. We can always bring in foreign experts to support our coach with specialized skills, but the leadership should remain Nigerian.

Ultimately, the decline we’re witnessing in Nigerian football rests squarely at the feet of the NFF. They bear the responsibility for the structure, the decisions, and the culture that have allowed this rot to persist.

Highbury you are so full of sh%t I can smell it from my PC. Most local coaches 99.99% give in to agents, NFF etc. Was it not Stephen Keshi that took unfit players like Gabriel Ruben and co to the 2014 world cup? What about Eguaveon that will pick Musa and Ihenacho regardless of form and then turn around and lie that he does not know who Dessers is. Then you have our Youth Coaches who are under the pay roll of unscrupulous agents. My Fren sharrrap. I will sheath my sword for now and see how Justin Madugu does at the WAFCON but if he flops best believe his job is gone and most likely an experinced FC will take over because the next WAFCON after this will determine who qualifies for the World Cup.

Dude, you can make your point without resorting to insults. I shared my opinion, and you're absolutely free to share yours—but let’s keep it respectful. It's Ok to disagree. That's fine. No stress

Thank you, and I hope you have a great evening.

Well done bro. That is how you deal with a riffraff.

[amafolas]

Great viewing.



Hmmmm….
“I was also being forced to put a player on the (World Cup) roster I’d never seen. And I wasn’t gonna do that”.

This is one of the arguments often made by proponents of foreign coaches—and to be fair, I do see their point. However, my counterpoint is that everything depends on who we are hiring as our coach.

For instance, I applaud a coach who is able to resist undue influence. On the other hand, we saw how a foreign coach like Gernot Rohr gave in to pressure from figures like Amaju Pinnick, who insisted on the inclusion of Musa in the squad—regardless of his form or contribution during the World Cup.

In contrast, someone like Sunday Oliseh, a local coach, would never tolerate that kind of interference. That said, not all home-based coaches are immune—some unfortunately allow themselves to be influenced by those in power.

It’s no secret that I personally prefer a Nigerian as head coach of our national team. Still, I want the best Nigerian available. We can always bring in foreign experts to support our coach with specialized skills, but the leadership should remain Nigerian.

Ultimately, the decline we’re witnessing in Nigerian football rests squarely at the feet of the NFF. They bear the responsibility for the structure, the decisions, and the culture that have allowed this rot to persist.

This is a tricky issue. I can safely say that there is no work of life that is based 100% on merit. In every industry, you will face situations where you are forced to do things for political reasons.

Recently Team USA decided not to take Jalen Brown to the Olympics. That’s was an incredulous decision that was not based on merit IMO.

I don’t know for sure but I think that Amaju felt that for political reasons, the super eagles needed a representative Northern contingent and that simply assembling a team of the best - if those best are 100% southern - wouldn’t go down well with a Northern-dominated government, like Buhari’s.

I used to hate such things but perhaps with age, I’ve mellowed. These things happen everywhere. You just have to make sure you keep it to a minimum when you can

correct. gettin full national support is important to winning, sometimes you just have to play a little politics to increase your chances of getting to you true goal. Being unable to understand those flexibilities and nuances is how you end up like Oliseh. Standing on right & wrong all the way to failure.

[TonyTheTigerKiller]

Great viewing.



Hmmmm….
“I was also being forced to put a player on the (World Cup) roster I’d never seen. And I wasn’t gonna do that”.

It is hard to disagree with anything that Randy Waldrum said in this interview. Building a good, stable team is a long, deliberate process of painstaking preparations. Everything does not have to be perfect but, at a minimum, the things that need to be in place should be in place; long term planning in full collaboration with the coach must take place, player allowances and staff salaries should be paid; fully exploit the training opportunities presented by FIFA breaks, etc… and for heaven’s sake, let the coach do his job unemcumbered by overbearing officials. No coach, foreign or local has a decent chance of success otherwise


Cheers.

[jette1]

The scary point is that if NFF fails a guy like this then forget it. In the remainder of anyone of our life time unless of course the revolution comes early trust no one up there to navigate any thing productive. Because no one of Randy’s caliber/status would ever bend that backwards to accommodate these idiots that would continue to occupy the glass house or whatever they call that criminal enclave

[packerland]

Great viewing.



Hmmmm….
“I was also being forced to put a player on the (World Cup) roster I’d never seen. And I wasn’t gonna do that”.

This is one of the arguments often made by proponents of foreign coaches—and to be fair, I do see their point. However, my counterpoint is that everything depends on who we are hiring as our coach.

For instance, I applaud a coach who is able to resist undue influence. On the other hand, we saw how a foreign coach like Gernot Rohr gave in to pressure from figures like Amaju Pinnick, who insisted on the inclusion of Musa in the squad—regardless of his form or contribution during the World Cup.

In contrast, someone like Sunday Oliseh, a local coach, would never tolerate that kind of interference. That said, not all home-based coaches are immune—some unfortunately allow themselves to be influenced by those in power.

It’s no secret that I personally prefer a Nigerian as head coach of our national team. Still, I want the best Nigerian available. We can always bring in foreign experts to support our coach with specialized skills, but the leadership should remain Nigerian.

Ultimately, the decline we’re witnessing in Nigerian football rests squarely at the feet of the NFF. They bear the responsibility for the structure, the decisions, and the culture that have allowed this rot to persist.

Highbury you are so full of sh%t I can smell it from my PC. Most local coaches 99.99% give in to agents, NFF etc. Was it not Stephen Keshi that took unfit players like Gabriel Ruben and co to the 2014 world cup? What about Eguaveon that will pick Musa and Ihenacho regardless of form and then turn around and lie that he does not know who Dessers is. Then you have our Youth Coaches who are under the pay roll of unscrupulous agents. My Fren sharrrap. I will sheath my sword for now and see how Justin Madugu does at the WAFCON but if he flops best believe his job is gone and most likely an experinced FC will take over because the next WAFCON after this will determine who qualifies for the World Cup.

God bless you bro! You say it like it is. I like keshi(RIP) but his squad selection was down right criminal. He won AFCON because of Mikel, Moses & Sunday Mbah that caught lightning in a bottle. Keshi was also a leader of men and could get guys to run through a wall for him. There is so far that can take you.

@ Highbury we’ve told you that we currently don’t have local coaches who are qualified in terms of having a badge or having a knowledge of the modern game, or one that is not corrupt and you said that you don’t care. So stop saying you want the best Nigerian available. Now I like that local coach that took those boys to that tournament in Italy. Since we don’t appoint people based on merit, people with less qualification will get coaching positions before him.

[bret- hart]

Great viewing.



Hmmmm….
“I was also being forced to put a player on the (World Cup) roster I’d never seen. And I wasn’t gonna do that”.

This is one of the arguments often made by proponents of foreign coaches—and to be fair, I do see their point. However, my counterpoint is that everything depends on who we are hiring as our coach.

For instance, I applaud a coach who is able to resist undue influence. On the other hand, we saw how a foreign coach like Gernot Rohr gave in to pressure from figures like Amaju Pinnick, who insisted on the inclusion of Musa in the squad—regardless of his form or contribution during the World Cup.

In contrast, someone like Sunday Oliseh, a local coach, would never tolerate that kind of interference. That said, not all home-based coaches are immune—some unfortunately allow themselves to be influenced by those in power.

It’s no secret that I personally prefer a Nigerian as head coach of our national team. Still, I want the best Nigerian available. We can always bring in foreign experts to support our coach with specialized skills, but the leadership should remain Nigerian.

Ultimately, the decline we’re witnessing in Nigerian football rests squarely at the feet of the NFF. They bear the responsibility for the structure, the decisions, and the culture that have allowed this rot to persist.

Highbury you are so full of sh%t I can smell it from my PC. Most local coaches 99.99% give in to agents, NFF etc. Was it not Stephen Keshi that took unfit players like Gabriel Ruben and co to the 2014 world cup? What about Eguaveon that will pick Musa and Ihenacho regardless of form and then turn around and lie that he does not know who Dessers is. Then you have our Youth Coaches who are under the pay roll of unscrupulous agents. My Fren sharrrap. I will sheath my sword for now and see how Justin Madugu does at the WAFCON but if he flops best believe his job is gone and most likely an experinced FC will take over because the next WAFCON after this will determine who qualifies for the World Cup.

God bless you bro! You say it like it is. I like keshi(RIP) but his squad selection was down right criminal. He won AFCON because of Mikel, Moses & Sunday Mbah that caught lightning in a bottle. Keshi was also a leader of men and could get guys to run through a wall for him. There is so far that can take you.

@ Highbury we’ve told you that we currently don’t have local coaches who are qualified in terms of having a badge or having a knowledge of the modern game, or one that is not corrupt and you said that you don’t care. So stop saying you want the best Nigerian available. Now I like that local coach that took those boys to that tournament in Italy. Since we don’t appoint people based on merit, people with less qualification will get coaching positions before him.

Highbury is so dishonest. So because Rhor allowed Pinnick to impose Musa now all FC can be influenced? Whereas Local coaches are known to be puppets and toys for the NFF. Oliseh may have been different but he had so many other flaws that ruined his ability as coach