Some football enthusiasts
in Awka, Anambra, on Thursday expressed mixed reactions on the future of Super
Eagles coach, Gernot Rohr with the team.
The News Agency of Nigeria,
NAN, reports that Rohr had led the team to a third-place finish at the 2019
Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Egypt.
The Eagles won the bronze
medals on Wednesday after beating Tunisia by a lone goal scored by Odion Ighalo
in the third minute of the game.
The football enthusiasts
told NAN that the team would have made it to the final if the coaching crew had
made better selection and had better tactical approach.
Emeka Okeke, a sports
presenter, said Rohr lacked the technical know-how and made bad selection of
players.
Okeke said that most of the
players he took to Egypt were less than average and were not doing well in
their various clubs.
He said Rohr experimented
with the players from the day he took charge of the team, adding that he should
be shown the way out.
“We cannot be playing games
at competitions with our hearts in our mouths, no confidence in both the
players, the technical crew and the bench,” Okeke said.
Ikem Asika, a sports
analyst, said Rohr showed he was not in firm control of his team and expressed
worries that the domestic league has not attracted him since he was employee.
Asika alleged that most
players fielded by Rohr were foisted on him by “jobbers in the Glass House”,
adding that no coach would do well under such condition.
“Any coach that knows his
onions must insist on his players and game plan and not be pushed around on who
should play or not,” he said.
Asia added that it was not
proper for Daniel Akpeyi to play ahead of Francis Uzoho or Okechukwu Ezenwa if
not by “special selection”.
Jude Atupulazi, a
journalist, said while the team might not have met the expectations of their
teeming fans, the players still deserve some accolade.
Atupulazi said Rohr should
be given more time as there were chances he would do better with the team in
the future.
“The team tried, coming
third out of 24 nations. It isn’t easy. So, we may have to manage Rohr in order
to sustain the progress being made.
“Look at the average age of
our players. They are very young, and it means the future is bright. So,
instead of starting afresh with a new gaffer let Rhor continue,” he said.
Victor Nwangwu, a veteran
football administrator, said Rohr has met and surpassed the target set for him
by his employers in line with the contract.
Nwangwu said the
performance of the Super Eagles in Egypt was not bad as teams that had better
chances to win the cup exited much earlier in the competition
“He qualified Nigeria for
the World Cup, qualified Nigeria for AFCON, got a third position in the
competition proper, a step more than his contractual target, and this is with
the youngest Super Eagles team ever assembled by a coach.
“Ghana, Cameroon and Egypt
hold superior AFCON records than Nigeria, yet they got eliminated much earlier
than we were.
“What else can we say of
Rohr, other than he did not win the cup? He deserves to be appreciated and of
course respected,” he said.
Anthony Udennaka, a retired
football referee, warned against incessant sacking and hiring of coaches to
ensure sustainable progress.
Udennaka said the Super
Eagles under Rohr did well but lost due to ill-luck, noting that football was an
open game which any side playing could win.
“I am of the opinion that
the man should be allowed to continue with his good job. Hiring and firing of
coaches has never done us any good.
“Many world class coaches
lose matches. So, Nigeria’s case should not be an exception,” he said.
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