What if Eguavoen wins Afcon?

[EMIR KONGI JAFFI JOFFA]

Emir,

If that happens there will be Katakata everywhere. You and I know that. It is plausible but for Pinnick's sake, it better don't. It is that simple.

The fact that we haven't heard a word from Peseiro makes me suspicious of the hiring. Is there a quote of him acknowledging his appointment as manager?

When you get a job like like that usually the coach will release a statement of confirmation. Nothing so far. This has arranged written all over it.

Emir

I thought the NFF claimed he will be arriving Nigeria for 'unveiling'.. whatever th a t means? Or maybe, I am wrong on this but I thought I read it somewhere.

Yes they did! Have you read or heard of Peseiro's acknowledgement of the job? Has he said anything at all? It's unusual.

[Enugu II]

Emir,

If that happens there will be Katakata everywhere. You and I know that. It is plausible but for Pinnick's sake, it better don't. It is that simple.

The fact that we haven't heard a word from Peseiro makes me suspicious of the hiring. Is there a quote of him acknowledging his appointment as manager?

When you get a job like like that usually the coach will release a statement of confirmation. Nothing so far. This has arranged written all over it.

Emir

I thought the NFF claimed he will be arriving Nigeria for 'unveiling'.. whatever th a t means? Or maybe, I am wrong on this but I thought I read it somewhere.

Agreed. I will not be shocked to learn that there is no contract with Peseiro as we write.
Yes they did! Have you read or heard of Peseiro's acknowledgement of the job? Has he said anything at all? It's unusual.

[maceo4]

Yep from that last interview sounds like no papers have been signed, Picnic just likes announcing things before they are actually done and dusted…

[wanaj0]

I know it's a long shot due to the fake crisis created by Pinnick but it's a possibility nonetheless. The same set of players that were deemed good enough to win weeks ago are still the ones going to Afcon. Even without Osihmen the SE are still contenders, other teams have won Afcon with much less firepower that we currently have.

Will the Nff actually give the job to a new coach if Eguavoen wins? Will the Nff be able to stand the pressure to keep Eguavoen if he wins? Hmmmm...it's not as unlikely as we might think that SE win with Eguavoen.

I'd even suggest that all he has to do is get to the finals with a markedly improved SE to put Peakmilk in an untenable position.

Pesiero might be the first coach to be hired and to never coach. Siddonlook mode activated.

Hiring a new coach, that will not be involved with AFCON shows the thinking process of
NFF management. We can simply imagine how things will look if Eguavoen wins AFCON, and the
new coach fails to qualify the SE for the World Cup. That will surely expose Pinnick and fellow
'stake holders' to ridicule.

Knowing the mentality of some of us, I hope that when things start going well at AFCON, evil minds
don't try to sabotage the team for personal interests.

Pinnick and co. will sabotage Eguavoen to make sure he does not succeed. Eguavoen has been at AFCON many times as a player and once as a Manager, so he has tournament experience. Hopefully he can pull a 'Keshi' on them , just not sure he is as mentally strong as the late Keshi.
If he wins AFCON, NFF cannot justify this new Oyibo

I'm sorry, this is all conjecture and I don't buy it.
We need more then conspiracy theories to make a convincing case on this.
Moreover', the argument is predicated on the assumption that Eguavon is just plain stupid, which he is not. Same with this 'mentally weak' presumption.

It is quite disrespectful of Eguavon to presume that he is the stupid one here that can't see what you all are seeing so clearly, whilst portraying Pinnick as some kind of evil genius with a master plan.
Really?

It just does not add up and "won't stand up in court".

Well, we have history of what they did to sabotage Keshi at the AFCON! He disgraced them by winning the tournament.

I will not be surprised IF they are already working against Eguavoen!

[greg]

I know it's a long shot due to the fake crisis created by Pinnick but it's a possibility nonetheless. The same set of players that were deemed good enough to win weeks ago are still the ones going to Afcon. Even without Osihmen the SE are still contenders, other teams have won Afcon with much less firepower that we currently have.

Will the Nff actually give the job to a new coach if Eguavoen wins? Will the Nff be able to stand the pressure to keep Eguavoen if he wins? Hmmmm...it's not as unlikely as we might think that SE win with Eguavoen.

I'd even suggest that all he has to do is get to the finals with a markedly improved SE to put Peakmilk in an untenable position.

Pesiero might be the first coach to be hired and to never coach. Siddonlook mode activated.

If Egu wins, he joins Pesiero's team as co-manager or 1st Assistant......Pesiero already has a contract...

the other question is if Egu gets smashed in the 1st two games and just about makes it to the second round.....do we strip him of the post and let Pesiero take over early?

we will see.... dont think either will happen

Carlos Queiroz will give us the usual tactical lesson with his Egyptian side, which could smash our morale for the next game. So getting smashed in the 1st 2 games is more likely.

[Damunk]

I know it's a long shot due to the fake crisis created by Pinnick but it's a possibility nonetheless. The same set of players that were deemed good enough to win weeks ago are still the ones going to Afcon. Even without Osihmen the SE are still contenders, other teams have won Afcon with much less firepower that we currently have.

Will the Nff actually give the job to a new coach if Eguavoen wins? Will the Nff be able to stand the pressure to keep Eguavoen if he wins? Hmmmm...it's not as unlikely as we might think that SE win with Eguavoen.

I'd even suggest that all he has to do is get to the finals with a markedly improved SE to put Peakmilk in an untenable position.

Pesiero might be the first coach to be hired and to never coach. Siddonlook mode activated.

Hiring a new coach, that will not be involved with AFCON shows the thinking process of
NFF management. We can simply imagine how things will look if Eguavoen wins AFCON, and the
new coach fails to qualify the SE for the World Cup. That will surely expose Pinnick and fellow
'stake holders' to ridicule.

Knowing the mentality of some of us, I hope that when things start going well at AFCON, evil minds
don't try to sabotage the team for personal interests.

Pinnick and co. will sabotage Eguavoen to make sure he does not succeed. Eguavoen has been at AFCON many times as a player and once as a Manager, so he has tournament experience. Hopefully he can pull a 'Keshi' on them , just not sure he is as mentally strong as the late Keshi.
If he wins AFCON, NFF cannot justify this new Oyibo

I'm sorry, this is all conjecture and I don't buy it.
We need more then conspiracy theories to make a convincing case on this.
Moreover', the argument is predicated on the assumption that Eguavon is just plain stupid, which he is not. Same with this 'mentally weak' presumption.

It is quite disrespectful of Eguavon to presume that he is the stupid one here that can't see what you all are seeing so clearly, whilst portraying Pinnick as some kind of evil genius with a master plan.
Really?

It just does not add up and "won't stand up in court".

Well, we have history of what they did to sabotage Keshi at the AFCON! He disgraced them by winning the tournament.

I will not be surprised IF they are already working against Eguavoen!

It might help if we had some idea of the personal relationships that exist between Eguavon and some of the key NFF people.
There is no evidence that it is anything but good.
Keshi on the other hand was different and the rift was public.

[Damunk]

I know it's a long shot due to the fake crisis created by Pinnick but it's a possibility nonetheless. The same set of players that were deemed good enough to win weeks ago are still the ones going to Afcon. Even without Osihmen the SE are still contenders, other teams have won Afcon with much less firepower that we currently have.

Will the Nff actually give the job to a new coach if Eguavoen wins? Will the Nff be able to stand the pressure to keep Eguavoen if he wins? Hmmmm...it's not as unlikely as we might think that SE win with Eguavoen.

I'd even suggest that all he has to do is get to the finals with a markedly improved SE to put Peakmilk in an untenable position.

Pesiero might be the first coach to be hired and to never coach. Siddonlook mode activated.

If Egu wins, he joins Pesiero's team as co-manager or 1st Assistant......Pesiero already has a contract...

the other question is if Egu gets smashed in the 1st two games and just about makes it to the second round.....do we strip him of the post and let Pesiero take over early?

we will see.... dont think either will happen

Carlos Queiroz will give us the usual tactical lesson with his Egyptian side, which could smash our morale for the next game. So getting smashed in the 1st 2 games is more likely.

Anxiety management.

[Enyi]

I know it's a long shot due to the fake crisis created by Pinnick but it's a possibility nonetheless. The same set of players that were deemed good enough to win weeks ago are still the ones going to Afcon. Even without Osihmen the SE are still contenders, other teams have won Afcon with much less firepower that we currently have.

Will the Nff actually give the job to a new coach if Eguavoen wins? Will the Nff be able to stand the pressure to keep Eguavoen if he wins? Hmmmm...it's not as unlikely as we might think that SE win with Eguavoen.

I'd even suggest that all he has to do is get to the finals with a markedly improved SE to put Peakmilk in an untenable position.

Pesiero might be the first coach to be hired and to never coach. Siddonlook mode activated.

If Egu wins, he joins Pesiero's team as co-manager or 1st Assistant......Pesiero already has a contract...

the other question is if Egu gets smashed in the 1st two games and just about makes it to the second round.....do we strip him of the post and let Pesiero take over early?

we will see.... dont think either will happen

Carlos Queiroz will give us the usual tactical lesson with his Egyptian side, which could smash our morale for the next game. So getting smashed in the 1st 2 games is more likely.

so then should we prepare to handover to Peseiro after that?

[maceo4]

If Egu wins, he joins Pesiero's team as co-manager or 1st Assistant......Pesiero already has a contract...

I really hope you guys realize going from Technical Director to coach is actually a step down? To now say he will now become the 1st assistant is simply asinine. The technical assistant (Paseiro) and head coach (Salisu) actually answer to the Technical Director (Egu) of the Federation, and I’m sure even if he wins the ANC in his interim role he will not want the headache associated with coaching on a full time basis, talk less of taking such a demotion.

[Enugu II]

If Egu wins, he joins Pesiero's team as co-manager or 1st Assistant......Pesiero already has a contract...

I really hope you guys realize going from Technical Director to coach is actually a step down? To now say he will now become the 1st assistant is simply asinine. The technical assistant (Paseiro) and head coach (Salisu) actually answer to the Technical Director (Egu) of the Federation, and I’m sure even if he wins the ANC in his interim role he will not want the headache associated with coaching on a full time basis, talk less of taking such a demotion.

Mace

Thank you. But why on earth should he accept to be assistant? What an insult! If he wins AFCON, there could be katakata. Make no mistake about it.

[Robbynice]

Imagine winning the AFCON and then becoming the assistant coach afterwards...

[seyiblack]

It is not out of the realm of possibility.

Here are some factors to consider.
1) Nigeria always plays to the strength of the opposition, it is actually against better sides that you see Nigeria's best, NOT against weaker sides. Although we may not necessarily win the encounter, Nigeria ALWAYS packs a punch against competitive sides.
2) This AFCON is a wildcard due to COVID, all the permutations and rules have to be thrown out of the proverbial window.
3) Eguavoen's record is damn good, in fact I said the NFF should hire him, weeks before they did, based on that.
4) Our talent pool is better than most African countries, injuries or no injuries, COVID or no COVID. We have been freezing out in form players like Awoniyi, Moffi, Sadiq, at one point or another. In fact, I am not so sure there is a clear pecking order. So we cannot say for sure that we have suffered. It may very well be that many of the guys in camp are going to end up being better than the guys like Emmanuel Dennis.
5) We do have some experience in the side, so it is not a crazy experiment.
6) Proximity to Cameroon is a massive boost, even the Naija factor will not derail this benefit. We are at a massive advantage here. As we can essentially be isolated and comfortable, before embarking on the short journey.

We know the negatives, but many of the negatives may be offset by the wildcard nature of the tournament.

Do not be surprised if we do win the whole thing.

Talent pool? What talent pool? I think Nigerians are just delusional. I am looking at the list of players and the teams they ply their trades, it doesn't ooze of anything above and beyond what most countries would present. We need to calm down

[Robbynice]

It is not out of the realm of possibility.

Here are some factors to consider.
1) Nigeria always plays to the strength of the opposition, it is actually against better sides that you see Nigeria's best, NOT against weaker sides. Although we may not necessarily win the encounter, Nigeria ALWAYS packs a punch against competitive sides.
2) This AFCON is a wildcard due to COVID, all the permutations and rules have to be thrown out of the proverbial window.
3) Eguavoen's record is damn good, in fact I said the NFF should hire him, weeks before they did, based on that.
4) Our talent pool is better than most African countries, injuries or no injuries, COVID or no COVID. We have been freezing out in form players like Awoniyi, Moffi, Sadiq, at one point or another. In fact, I am not so sure there is a clear pecking order. So we cannot say for sure that we have suffered. It may very well be that many of the guys in camp are going to end up being better than the guys like Emmanuel Dennis.
5) We do have some experience in the side, so it is not a crazy experiment.
6) Proximity to Cameroon is a massive boost, even the Naija factor will not derail this benefit. We are at a massive advantage here. As we can essentially be isolated and comfortable, before embarking on the short journey.

We know the negatives, but many of the negatives may be offset by the wildcard nature of the tournament.

Do not be surprised if we do win the whole thing.

Talent pool? What talent pool? I think Nigerians are just delusional. I am looking at the list of players and the teams they ply their trades, it doesn't ooze of anything above and beyond what most countries would present. We need to calm down

Fact not feelings!

[Enugu II]

It is not out of the realm of possibility.

Here are some factors to consider.
1) Nigeria always plays to the strength of the opposition, it is actually against better sides that you see Nigeria's best, NOT against weaker sides. Although we may not necessarily win the encounter, Nigeria ALWAYS packs a punch against competitive sides.
2) This AFCON is a wildcard due to COVID, all the permutations and rules have to be thrown out of the proverbial window.
3) Eguavoen's record is damn good, in fact I said the NFF should hire him, weeks before they did, based on that.
4) Our talent pool is better than most African countries, injuries or no injuries, COVID or no COVID. We have been freezing out in form players like Awoniyi, Moffi, Sadiq, at one point or another. In fact, I am not so sure there is a clear pecking order. So we cannot say for sure that we have suffered. It may very well be that many of the guys in camp are going to end up being better than the guys like Emmanuel Dennis.
5) We do have some experience in the side, so it is not a crazy experiment.
6) Proximity to Cameroon is a massive boost, even the Naija factor will not derail this benefit. We are at a massive advantage here. As we can essentially be isolated and comfortable, before embarking on the short journey.

We know the negatives, but many of the negatives may be offset by the wildcard nature of the tournament.

Do not be surprised if we do win the whole thing.

Talent pool? What talent pool? I think Nigerians are just delusional. I am looking at the list of players and the teams they ply their trades, it doesn't ooze of anything above and beyond what most countries would present. We need to calm down

Seyi

But your analysis of talent pool exposes the problem. In youth view, the club or country where a Nigerian player plays his trade demonstrates level of the player's talent. That, my friend, is full of error for several reasons.

1. Clubs do not demonstrate, accurately, the level of a player's talent and neither is talent static. It changes. Why fir instance does a club recruit a player from lower division and suddenly the player stars after just a few weeks? Why does it happen if we go by your initial supposition?
2. Because of economic issues , Nigerian players do not necessarily seek to join or play for a club that supposedly matches their talent. Basically, the economic problems means players first and foremost seek for who will pay for their labor and it matters little whether the club is in India, England, Malawi, or China. It is about the money.

Now the above does not mean that Nigeria has the best footballing talent. It simply points to the fact that measuring talent by how many players play in this or that league is grossly erroneously and particularly for Nigerian players.

[Enugu II]

It is not out of the realm of possibility.

Here are some factors to consider.
1) Nigeria always plays to the strength of the opposition, it is actually against better sides that you see Nigeria's best, NOT against weaker sides. Although we may not necessarily win the encounter, Nigeria ALWAYS packs a punch against competitive sides.
2) This AFCON is a wildcard due to COVID, all the permutations and rules have to be thrown out of the proverbial window.
3) Eguavoen's record is damn good, in fact I said the NFF should hire him, weeks before they did, based on that.
4) Our talent pool is better than most African countries, injuries or no injuries, COVID or no COVID. We have been freezing out in form players like Awoniyi, Moffi, Sadiq, at one point or another. In fact, I am not so sure there is a clear pecking order. So we cannot say for sure that we have suffered. It may very well be that many of the guys in camp are going to end up being better than the guys like Emmanuel Dennis.
5) We do have some experience in the side, so it is not a crazy experiment.
6) Proximity to Cameroon is a massive boost, even the Naija factor will not derail this benefit. We are at a massive advantage here. As we can essentially be isolated and comfortable, before embarking on the short journey.

We know the negatives, but many of the negatives may be offset by the wildcard nature of the tournament.

Do not be surprised if we do win the whole thing.

Talent pool? What talent pool? I think Nigerians are just delusional. I am looking at the list of players and the teams they ply their trades, it doesn't ooze of anything above and beyond what most countries would present. We need to calm down

Seyi

But your analysis of talent pool exposes the problem. In youth view, the club or country where a Nigerian player plays his trade demonstrates level of the player's talent. That, my friend, is full of error for several reasons.

1. Clubs do not demonstrate, accurately, the level of a player's talent and neither is talent static. It changes. Why fir instance does a club recruit a player from lower division and suddenly the player stars after just a few weeks? Why does it happen if we go by your initial supposition?
2. Because of economic issues , Nigerian players do not necessarily seek to join or play for a club that supposedly matches their talent. Basically, the economic problems means players first and foremost seek for who will pay for their labor and it matters little whether the club is in India, England, Malawi, or China. It is about the money.

Let me think, where does Ejuke play compared to Iwobi? Are we to conclude that Iwobi is far better player than Ejuke?

Now the above does not mean that Nigeria has the best footballing talent. It simply points to the fact that measuring talent by how many players play in this or that league is grossly erroneously and particularly for Nigerian players.

Also ask why is it that we are not able to throttle the likes of Sierra Leone or CAR regularly given our players and their players as per club or league pedigree? That should warn you about the errors of using leagues to definitely gage the strength of African teams where the primary goal of players is not to play in the best leagues but to earn a living.

[Tbite]

The idea that our talent is not better than most African countries is laughable. In terms of performance. Let me show you something interesting.

Do you realise that only Mohammed Salah has more goal contributions than Emmanuel Dennis? Then Osimhen prior to Injury would ordinarily be a top 5 striker in Serie A. Awoniyi is a top 5 striker in the Bundesliga! Terem Moffi is a top 5 striker in Ligue 1. Nigerian strikers do not rank well compared to African strikers, but compared to the ENTIRE world.

So we lost some of these players, but then as you mention we still have capable players like Ejuke, Chukwueze, Aribo etc.

I haven't tabulated our transfer values relative to CIV, Senegal etc. because it seems transfermkt are using the current squad? But even then, I think our squad is much more valuable than it would appear. Onuachu is worth much more (I gather he is injured), Aribo is significantly undervalued, Terem Moffi is significantly undervalued, Awoniyi's value will increase etc.

Kessie, Zaha, Pepe, Haller...that is the strongest collection of players to compare to Nigeria.

but I didn't say we had THE strongest pool, just better than most. Algeria's and Egypt's pool are beneath us. We should be ahead of these sides easily if Rohr had been a reasonable coach.

Algeria have not improved their squad from when we manhandled them three or so years ago (Feghouli, Brahimi are past their prime). The AFCON loss was mostly down to the individual brilliance of Mahrez and the relative poor performance of Ndidi.

Nigeria should be in a position of strength in Africa right now. Our federation have let us down.

I see no reason why Nigeria should not be THE most valued squad in Africa in the next 1-2 years, with some reasonable transfer window actions.

[Enyi]

If Egu wins, he joins Pesiero's team as co-manager or 1st Assistant......Pesiero already has a contract...

I really hope you guys realize going from Technical Director to coach is actually a step down? To now say he will now become the 1st assistant is simply asinine. The technical assistant (Paseiro) and head coach (Salisu) actually answer to the Technical Director (Egu) of the Federation, and I’m sure even if he wins the ANC in his interim role he will not want the headache associated with coaching on a full time basis, talk less of taking such a demotion.

Mace04, you are right but......the way Nigerian football is setup, The technical Director is not that appetizing compared to the assistant. I believe from what heard - (note: this is rumour)..Salisu is getting paid better than Egu even now and so will the incumbent coach and his assistants....

BTW.....The technical director, has no say on the football matters on the pitch but on the general organization of the team.

[seyiblack]

This is the delusion I speak about. Not to nitpick but you just indicated that Terem Moffi is a top 5 striker in Ligue 1. I immediately check the current season stats and Terem has 2 goals and 3 assists in 17 appearances. I'm sure there would also be an explanation for it. The plain fact is that you cannot conceal talent. If our squad was as talented as many here portray, our boys will generally be plying their trades at higher ranked teams and/or would be registering outstanding numbers on the stats sheet on a consistent basis. The truth is we are slightly above average at best. We do have a couple of great players but nothing to the extent that we should be dominating Africa. I do not say all these to indicate other teams are better but just that we do not stand out of the pack. Nigerians should relax!

[Enugu II]

The idea that our talent is not better than most African countries is laughable. In terms of performance. Let me show you something interesting.

Do you realise that only Mohammed Salah has more goal contributions than Emmanuel Dennis? Then Osimhen prior to Injury would ordinarily be a top 5 striker in Serie A. Awoniyi is a top 5 striker in the Bundesliga! Terem Moffi is a top 5 striker in Ligue 1. Nigerian strikers do not rank well compared to African strikers, but compared to the ENTIRE world.

So we lost some of these players, but then as you mention we still have capable players like Ejuke, Chukwueze, Aribo etc.

I haven't tabulated our transfer values relative to CIV, Senegal etc. because it seems transfermkt are using the current squad? But even then, I think our squad is much more valuable than it would appear. Onuachu is worth much more (I gather he is injured), Aribo is significantly undervalued, Terem Moffi is significantly undervalued, Awoniyi's value will increase etc.

Kessie, Zaha, Pepe, Haller...that is the strongest collection of players to compare to Nigeria.

but I didn't say we had THE strongest pool, just better than most. Algeria's and Egypt's pool are beneath us. We should be ahead of these sides easily if Rohr had been a reasonable coach.

Algeria have not improved their squad from when we manhandled them three or so years ago (Feghouli, Brahimi are past their prime). The AFCON loss was mostly down to the individual brilliance of Mahrez and the relative poor performance of Ndidi.

Nigeria should be in a position of strength in Africa right now. Our federation have let us down.

I see no reason why Nigeria should not be THE most valued squad in Africa in the next 1-2 years, with some reasonable transfer window actions.

Tbite

No one says that Nigerian talent is not better than some African countries. That is not the point at all. The point however is that you cannot assess African talent by churning out who plays for Top 5 league or whatever given the economic realities. This simply citing stats from Euro league mean diddly. What exactly do those stats mean in terms of contests between the countries in African competition? That is the crux of the matter.

[maceo4]

If Egu wins, he joins Pesiero's team as co-manager or 1st Assistant......Pesiero already has a contract...

I really hope you guys realize going from Technical Director to coach is actually a step down? To now say he will now become the 1st assistant is simply asinine. The technical assistant (Paseiro) and head coach (Salisu) actually answer to the Technical Director (Egu) of the Federation, and I’m sure even if he wins the ANC in his interim role he will not want the headache associated with coaching on a full time basis, talk less of taking such a demotion.

Mace04, you are right but......the way Nigerian football is setup, The technical Director is not that appetizing compared to the assistant. I believe from what heard - (note: this is rumour)..Salisu is getting paid better than Egu even now and so will the incumbent coach and his assistants....

BTW.....The technical director, has no say on the football matters on the pitch but on the general organization of the team.

I don’t know about pay amount, but I know Egu gets his pay on time while the coaches are consistently being owed for months at a time. Would he want that headache?

Also, as TD he has a lot of say on what goes on and the TA/Coach do run their plans and lists through him and he does give his technical input regarding on field matters. The coach is not autonomous or above their employers, it’s still a collaborative effort with the Federation. But there is so much of a headache that comes with coaching from pressure from all sorts of agents to people wanting favors, to answering for poor performances, that as TD he’s isolated from this and can be in the background blameless and with less pressure.

But that said, it would be such a slap in the face to suggest he become an assistant to Paseiro regardless of pay, like come on…

[greg]

How many years of Sierra Leone and CAR-like results will it take for CE to realize that it's not about talent or where you ply your trade?

[vancity eagle]

Egu has said he wanted about 4 or 5 homebased players in the squad, but was constrained by time.

So I wonder which 4 or 5 players would he have replaced, and with who ?

These reasons I am glad Peseiro will be taking over. Quota systems are not an effective way to run your national team.

[seyiblack]

How many years of Sierra Leone and CAR-like results will it take for CE to realize that it's not about talent or where you ply your trade?

That is why it is best to just understand that CE folks are just optimistic and/or delusional . There isn't much empirical evidence or base for expecting the Nigerian team to be dominant in Africa. No team is consistently dominant.
We are just where we should be...within the pack of top teams in Africa.