By James Ojo, UNN
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| credits: bbc.co.uk |
Call him the 'BIG BOSS', he is Stephen Keshi - the out-of-favour,
out-of-contract and most controversial Nigerian Super Eagles Coach.
He is best Known for two major exploits- winning the African Cup of
Nations and and taking Nigeria's Team B to a third place at CHAN for
the first time in Nigeria's history. A feat achieved only by Clemens
Westerhof, whom many believed to be Nigeria's most prolific football
manager.
Born on May 3, 1940, in Beek, Gelderland, Westerhof took
Nigeria to African Cup of Nations glory in 1994 and qualified Nigeria
for the second round of the FIFA world Cup that same year. He also
worked in various football positions on the African Continent since
1989.
Undoubtedly, his sprit has reincarnated into Stepnen Keshi, the
Westerhof of our time.
However, those are past glories. A refined and complete man should
never live on past glories. Many have lashed out at Stephen Keshi
particularly after failing to qualify the defending champions for the
most prestigious football showpiece in the continent.
After taking Nigeria to an enduring Brazil 2014, Nigerians trust in
the Eagles handler suffered a big blow.
If there is something to know about football fans in Nigeria, then it
is nothing more than getting results. Nigerian football fans are
pragmatists who believes in the dictum - "the end justifies the means".
They believe not just in theories but workable theories. Perhaps, it
is because Nigerians are no failures. Should they lash out at Keshi's
incompetency to qualify Nigeria for AFCON, it means Keshi has proved
'a failure' in that regard.
While Keshi seems unperturbed by these criticisms, Nigerians never
mind expressing their dissapointments in him.
Former Super Eagles Coach, Shaibu Amodu has advised Keshi following
his shortfallings to stop begging for the job like a 'beggar'.
According to him:
"Stephen Keshi alone will decide if he has a reputation or not. If he
has a reputation he will walk out of the job, if he does not have, he
should stay like a beggar."
Similarly, Ex-Nigerian forward, Victor Ikpeba has rubbished Keshi's
ideology of escaping blames and "building-the- team-mentality".
“For how long will Keshi build the Eagles?,” Ikpeba who won the
African Player of the Year award in 1997 asked in a Vanguard
interview.
“He has been building this team since 2012 and still wants to continue
building in 2014. No. What type of builder is he? His success in South
Africa where he won the Nations Cup was a collective effort.
“He has placed us on the hard corner of qualification for the Nations
Cup in Morocco. While Nigerians are gritting about their chances, he
has invited rookies for the must win matches against Sudan. Keshi
needs to ask himself questions. He should be a critic unto himself.
“He is either blaming the players or attacking even ex-internationals
who criticize him.
"He has invited rookies to the national team. He is busy excluding the
best players because of his personal interest. My brother, Keshi has
lost it,” Ikpeba said.
Among his greatest critics was a former Nigerian international and
Super Eagles Team Coordinator, Garbal Lawal. The list continues to
infinity. Has Keshi really lost it? Should he call time on his career
as the Super Eagles handler? What is next for Stephen Keshi?...?
These are questions in search of answers. As the case may be, the
out-of-contract and out-of-favour coach should not only reignite his
lost tactics should he continues as the Super Eagles manager but also
restore Nigerians trust and confidence he was once awashed with.
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