The Amaju Pinnick Rhapsody

[The YeyeMan]

A disaster in preparation, yes.

An overall disaster - no, I disagree. Had we been knocked out in the first round then yes but we won three games on the bounce including one against one of the favourites. So the current situation does offer some hope for the WCQ but doesn't put us on a sure footing given the recent changes in management.

Let me as you this then.

If Rohr were the coach in the tournament, would 9pts in group games and a 2nd round exist be a disaster to you or not?

Given the amount of time and prep he's had on the job, and the team's recent form that outcome wouldn't have surprised me. It's a disaster in terms of where Nigeria thinks it ought to be on the African stage.

In effect the only thing that makes it 'not a disaster' is the coach that achieves the result, NOT the result by itself?

Interesting...

Context bro. And not so much the coach, but the time he had to prepare to mitigate the poor outcome. Eguavoen was thrown in at the deep end. Rohr achieving the same results as Eguavoen at AFCON would largely be a poor reflection on Rohr.


Obviously, the common thread through this is Pinnick whose lacklustre timing has left us in this situation.

[txj]

A disaster in preparation, yes.

An overall disaster - no, I disagree. Had we been knocked out in the first round then yes but we won three games on the bounce including one against one of the favourites. So the current situation does offer some hope for the WCQ but doesn't put us on a sure footing given the recent changes in management.

Let me as you this then.

If Rohr were the coach in the tournament, would 9pts in group games and a 2nd round exist be a disaster to you or not?

Given the amount of time and prep he's had on the job, and the team's recent form that outcome wouldn't have surprised me. It's a disaster in terms of where Nigeria thinks it ought to be on the African stage.

In effect the only thing that makes it 'not a disaster' is the coach that achieves the result, NOT the result by itself?

Interesting...

Context bro. And not so much the coach, but the time he had to prepare to mitigate the poor outcome. Eguavoen was thrown in at the deep end. Rohr achieving the same results as Eguavoen at AFCON would largely be a poor reflection on Rohr.


Obviously, the common thread through this is Pinnick whose lacklustre timing has left us in this situation.

Irrespective of the context, the ultimate issue is outcome.

There is sufficient basis (time to prepare) to have expected a better outcome than we got with Rohr continuing, which is why you would consider a 2nd round exit under him a disaster.

And this is my point.

Irrespective of the lackluster performance his team showed in last 1yr or so, nearly everybody on CE expected a target of AFCON final or bust for Rohr had he continued.

With the same team.
With the same players...

One cannot expect this outcome and then consider the team's 2nd round ouster anything but a disaster. A self inflicted disaster...

You cannot reasonably evaluate the interim arrangement in isolation. There is always a comparative opportunity cost.

[Cellular]

Irrespective of the lackluster performance his team showed, nearly everybody on CE expected a target of final or bust for Rohr had he continued.

With the same team.
With the same players...

He wasn't capable of doing that despite the expectations.

And yes, fans would expect him to win the cup after 5+ years on the job.

But the trend of the team showed he had peaked during the 2018 WCQ.

Were you waiting until the other wheel falls off completely to make the change?

[txj]

Irrespective of the lackluster performance his team showed, nearly everybody on CE expected a target of final or bust for Rohr had he continued.

With the same team.
With the same players...

He wasn't capable of doing that despite the expectations.

And yes, fans would expect him to win the cup after 5+ years on the job.

But the trend of the team showed he had peaked during the 2018 WCQ.

Were you waiting until the other wheel falls off completely to make the change?

The wheels fell of in the 2nd round!!!!

So what did we achieve?

[Cellular]

Irrespective of the lackluster performance his team showed, nearly everybody on CE expected a target of final or bust for Rohr had he continued.

With the same team.
With the same players...

He wasn't capable of doing that despite the expectations.

And yes, fans would expect him to win the cup after 5+ years on the job.

But the trend of the team showed he had peaked during the 2018 WCQ.

Were you waiting until the other wheel falls off completely to make the change?

The wheels fell of in the 2nd round!!!!

So what did we achieve?

We should've waited after the AFCON.

[Lolly]

Irrespective of the lackluster performance his team showed, nearly everybody on CE expected a target of final or bust for Rohr had he continued.

With the same team.
With the same players...

He wasn't capable of doing that despite the expectations.

And yes, fans would expect him to win the cup after 5+ years on the job.

But the trend of the team showed he had peaked during the 2018 WCQ.

Were you waiting until the other wheel falls off completely to make the change?

The wheels fell of in the 2nd round!!!!

So what did we achieve?

We should've waited after the AFCON.

Maybe we appointed the wrong coach to take over?

[The YeyeMan]

Your question is a legit one though - I'm not so interested in Rohr getting fired, more the clear lack of a succession plan - even with Peseiro - I'm not convinced it's the done deal that Pinnick seems to think it is.

Knew it.

Not surprised.

[txj]

The Amaju Pinnick Rhapsody continues....

Nigerian football, like a troubadour continues to traverse the football landscape, but unlike a Dennis Brutus poetry, with neither rhyme nor reason.

https://africanfutbol.blogspot.com/

[megapro]

If we fail to qualify for the WC
Will you blame the 'trend' or will you blame Rohr

With Rohr in Charge WCq with the boys would have looked easier

Irrespective of the lackluster performance his team showed, nearly everybody on CE expected a target of final or bust for Rohr had he continued.

With the same team.
With the same players...

He wasn't capable of doing that despite the expectations.

And yes, fans would expect him to win the cup after 5+ years on the job.

But the trend of the team showed he had peaked during the 2018 WCQ.

Were you waiting until the other wheel falls off completely to make the change?

[Damunk]

Irrespective of the lackluster performance his team showed, nearly everybody on CE expected a target of final or bust for Rohr had he continued.

With the same team.
With the same players...

He wasn't capable of doing that despite the expectations.

And yes, fans would expect him to win the cup after 5+ years on the job.

But the trend of the team showed he had peaked during the 2018 WCQ.

Were you waiting until the other wheel falls off completely to make the change?

The wheels fell of in the 2nd round!!!!

So what did we achieve?

And the axle sef collapsed.

All this ‘long explanation’ from the Rohrprobates is an attempt to distance themselves from what was obviously, predictably and demonstrably a most stupid decision which they were fully in support of.

We are all terribly pained from this AFCON exit, but The Usual Suspects are ‘chesting’ it, fooling nobody but themselves.
If the 2019 AFCON ‘golden bronze’ was a stain as they made it out to be, then this performance is a ragged rip in our proud football history. No amount of chesting can erase it.
But we move.

[Cellular]

If we fail to qualify for the WC
Will you blame the 'trend' or will you blame Rohr

With Rohr in Charge WCq with the boys would have looked easier

Irrespective of the lackluster performance his team showed, nearly everybody on CE expected a target of final or bust for Rohr had he continued.

With the same team.
With the same players...

He wasn't capable of doing that despite the expectations.

And yes, fans would expect him to win the cup after 5+ years on the job.

But the trend of the team showed he had peaked during the 2018 WCQ.

Were you waiting until the other wheel falls off completely to make the change?

Until then...

[Cellular]

Irrespective of the lackluster performance his team showed, nearly everybody on CE expected a target of final or bust for Rohr had he continued.

With the same team.
With the same players...

He wasn't capable of doing that despite the expectations.

And yes, fans would expect him to win the cup after 5+ years on the job.

But the trend of the team showed he had peaked during the 2018 WCQ.

Were you waiting until the other wheel falls off completely to make the change?

The wheels fell of in the 2nd round!!!!

So what did we achieve?

And the axle sef collapsed.

All this ‘long explanation’ from the Rohrprobates is an attempt to distance themselves from what was obviously, predictably and demonstrably a most stupid decision which they were fully in support of.

We are all terribly pained from this AFCON exit, but The Usual Suspects are ‘chesting’ it, fooling nobody but themselves.
If the 2019 AFCON ‘golden bronze’ was a stain as they made it out to be, then this performance is a ragged rip in our proud football history. No amount of chesting can erase it.
But we move.

You ****bots are the ones who won't let it rest.

He was a below-average coach. And was rightfully relieved of his job.

Eguavoen couldn't have gone from giving us one of the best CE performances against Egypt to being a bad coach.

Eguavoen is also a Bronze-winning coach in his first try. He failed in his second try... but I like his brand of football over ****.

Now, you all can keep bringing **** who in 6 years brought the same Golden Bronze that Eguavoen brought. But with more time, maybe 2 more years he would've finished learning so that when you play the likes of CAR you will be able to watch the games without trepidation.

[Damunk]

Irrespective of the lackluster performance his team showed, nearly everybody on CE expected a target of final or bust for Rohr had he continued.

With the same team.
With the same players...

He wasn't capable of doing that despite the expectations.

And yes, fans would expect him to win the cup after 5+ years on the job.

But the trend of the team showed he had peaked during the 2018 WCQ.

Were you waiting until the other wheel falls off completely to make the change?

The wheels fell of in the 2nd round!!!!

So what did we achieve?

And the axle sef collapsed.

All this ‘long explanation’ from the Rohrprobates is an attempt to distance themselves from what was obviously, predictably and demonstrably a most stupid decision which they were fully in support of.

We are all terribly pained from this AFCON exit, but The Usual Suspects are ‘chesting’ it, fooling nobody but themselves.
If the 2019 AFCON ‘golden bronze’ was a stain as they made it out to be, then this performance is a ragged rip in our proud football history. No amount of chesting can erase it.
But we move.

You ****bots are the ones who won't let it rest.

He was a below-average coach. And was rightfully relieved of his job.

Eguavoen couldn't have gone from giving us one of the best CE performances against Egypt to being a bad coach.

Eguavoen is also a Bronze-winning coach in his first try. He failed in his second try... but I like his brand of football over ****.

Now, you all can keep bringing **** who in 6 years brought the same Golden Bronze that Eguavoen brought. But with more time, maybe 2 more years he would've finished learning so that when you play the likes of CAR you will be able to watch the games without trepidation.

Chesting.
We get it.

[Cellular]

Chesting.
We get it.

Yes o!

[txj]

Nigeria working harder and harder towards snatching defeat from the jaws of WC qualification.
The Amaju Pinnick rhapsody continues...

[The YeyeMan]

This was an unmitigated disaster in management decision making...

And Pinnick must fall for this.

[charlie]

This was an unmitigated disaster in management decision making...

And Pinnick must fall for this.

Are you not ashamed of yourself?! You were one of the people supporting this unmitigated disaster, even cheering it on as it happened.

If Pinnick must fail, then so must you.

[charlie]

This was an unmitigated disaster in management decision making...

And Pinnick must fall for this.

Are you not ashamed of yourself?! You were one of the people supporting this unmitigated disaster, even cheering it on as it happened.

If Pinnick must fail, then so must you.

I see the celebrations here and realize,....Nigerians are dumb.

Be very careful what you wish for....that is all I will say.

We wish for a better team, a team that Rohr can't produce. Nothing to be careful about.

Actually you wish for Rohr to get sacked with the hope you get a better team.
The problem is,...wishing is not a plan!

People like you are a parody of the clueless wishing for what they do not understand.
As I always said, it is very easy to destroy or dismantle, but building takes much more than wishes and mob justice.

If Nigeria fail to qualify for the WC because we messed up the team dynamics and stability by changing the coach at a crucial juncture,...look in a mirror because you and others like you are part of the reason.

I'm a fan, I'm not supposed to have a plan - don't be dense.

The people who ARE supposed to have a plan - people like Rohr - have shown themselves up to be clueless. Rohr is lost and out of time - another opportunity has arisen for him to be put out of his and our misery. I hope the NFF takes it this time.

[The YeyeMan]

Charlie. Everything I said about Rohr is correct. He was a man out of time. Understand and accept this. It's simplistic to say if Rohr was still here then we'd have qualified. We don't know. Maybe so. We'll never know.

I'm a fan. I'm a constant. I'll always be here. I can't fall. I'm not a decision-maker. And I'm not ashamed.

Pinnick is the architect of Nigeria's failure. More so than Rohr and Eguavoen combined. And he will fall.

[elhadji]

Nigerian football has been in a state of decay for quite some time. Our club football is in shambles, with the best team, Enyimba, ranked 20th in Africa, and no notable runs in the African club competitions in almost 2 decades. At the youth level we are no longer automatic qualifiers for the youth world cups. And grassroots football is almost non existent. We no longer produce top level players. With the exception of Victor Osimhen and perhaps Ndidi, I can't think of any top level players in the Nigeria squad.

There is no blueprint to reverse this. “In 2004, German football was down,” said coach Joachim Löw. “We took decisive steps. We said, ‘We have to invest more in education so we are technically better.’”
Investment at grassroots level is exactly what they did. The coaching network was vastly expanded and all Bundesliga sides were required to have their own academies.This formed the basis of a 10-year plan that would get the Germans back to where they believed they belong. Almost exactly 10 years later, Germany lifted the World Cup in Rio de Janeiro."

Nigeria does not have long term planning. This is on the NFA, NFF and Pinnick.

In spite of this we still ought to have qualified but for a number of dodgy decisions.

1) Pinnick's timing for replacing Rohr was awful. He should have and could have changed direction in 2018, after the previous World Cup, in order to get the right man in there and give him sufficient runway to build his team. As other folks have pointed out, waiting until right before AFCON, and changing plans multiple times along the way, is indicative of short term, reactive, opportunistic thinking rather than executing against a coherent strategy.

2) A number of players in the squad perhaps should not have been in the squad. Onazi had just returned to football after a long lay off and was not fit. Musa is past it, and has had a mediocre record in Turkish football this season. Shehu Abdullahi....I don't understand how he makes the 1st 22 let alone gets on the pitch. He was poor in this match, passing the ball on numerous occasions out of bounds. Etebo has barely played a match this season due to injury, and is not match fit. Ighalo was brought out of retirement. This is on Eguavoen and Pinnick+NFA. Is the coach really the one picking these players? Do we have no other midfielders that we could have picked?

3) Eguavoen's game management in his last three games have been all over the place with ineffective substitutions. We started the match well, and had possession because we were energetic, had players who could possess the ball and take people on (Lukman and Dennis), and a solid midfield anchored by Onyeka. Every single change Eguavoen made, made Nigeria weaker in possession and like the Tunis game, he could not make the tactical adjustment to deal with Ghana's defensive structure in the 2nd half. Our football was incoherent, unstructured and disorganized.

I don't blame any of the players who went out on the field. They did the best they could. They put themselves out there. It is the footballing leaders / hierarchy who continually let them down.

If you want to be successful in this sport, you have to match what successful teams are doing. Nigeria can continue to get by with talent, but we will not produce consistent results until we approach this sport with integrity, and proper long term planning......produce a pipeline of solid, technical players, pick the best ones, and surround them with professionals with the highest integrity.