A former board member of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Christopher Green has called on the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to save the Super Eagles ship from sinking under Gernot Rohr before it’s too late.
In an interview with ESPN, Green said that for the first time the majority of journalists, commentators and a cross section of Nigerians agreed that the Super Eagles have not improved over five years with Rohr in the saddle.
He also stated that Nigerians deserve better performance from the Super Eagles and warned that the signs are there if drastic change is not made.
“To most Nigerians, to continue to see the Eagles perform this way gives a lot of heartache.
“Our football is suffering. Rohr has done a lot of damage to our game because the Super Eagles is Nigeria’s flagship in world football.
“We need the best for our team at every time, no sentiments. For the first time we can see the majority of journalists, commentators and a cross section of Nigerians agreeing that the Super Eagles have not improved over five years with Rohr in the saddle.
“Can’t our football administrators in the NFF see that the ship is sinking? The signs are ominous and the air is delicate. It is not late to change.”
Rohr remains under pressure, despite qualifying the Super Eagles for the 2022 World Cup playoffs. Nigeria played out an uninspiring 1-1 draw with Cape Verde at home to progress into the third round of qualifying.
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COMMENTS
This has been the opportunity they have waited for all these years to pour their anger on a coach that refuse to allow them bring their players to swell theirs pockets..
A coach that has always meet his targets. Rohn will continue to silence his doubters
Are you happy with the kind of play we are getting from Super Eagles? Watching Super Eagles play with our hearts in our mouth is not the best we deserve. Rohr is not a good Coach and should be eased out before he does more damage to the team. Emotions and sentiments can’t get us anywhere.
Mr. Green. You are not objective at all. May be you forgot, I will remind you sir how the Super Eagle did not qualify for the Nations cup and one World Cup under other coaches before Rhor came. Even the well advertised Sunday Olise eventually failed woefully. If you tell me that we can have a better coach in Rhor by encouraging him, I will gladly clap for you because the best coach in the world still needs continuous Improvement. But saying Rhor is sinking the ship/boat of Super Eagle which they were calling Super chicken few years ago is a blathered lie sir.
Please let’s be objective. This man has been working but NFA is owning him many months and I know if it were to be one of the indigenous coaches that will never want to coach Flying/Golden Eagle or even a local club in Nigeria to prove their worth before aspiring to coach Super Eagle, the whole world would have heard and that would have been a good reason to be taking money from player before they get invitation even if they are playing in Cambodia.
Many Nigeria have short memory. Have you forgotten that Eagle was absolutely not existing when this man came? You want to chase him away and turn us back to fasting and praying to defeat Togo?
You should also remember that there is no minus again in football. It is Serbia that stop the Almighty Ronaldo, Fernando and the likes from straight qualification for this world cup. the world did not collapse. Italy that won the last European Nations Cup also did not secure their world cup ticket. They are not crucifying their coach.
If you have an ideal of what should be done better please tell us but if you don’t have any, Please keep shut sir and look for other things to do. We are tired of those that complain without telling us how to get better. Thanks.
Bro leave them.It is clear they have connived together to lay off that man and we can only wish them good luck. You need to see how Peterside Idah talk on soccer show on dstv yesterday I watched the program live ” He said Rohr has to go he doesn’t want to know how NFF will do it even if they are going to contribute to get another coach,also he said Nigeria is the worst playing nations in the qualifier, the 3 wise men now as asked him “how did you qualify for the next stage if that is true he said they managed” you can imagine the gang up against a man who has done everything even without payment he worked without showing any sign. Rohr has already bade farewell to his players according to a report in aclsoccer. He can never remain SE coach till eternity though.
It is just a pity how rohr allow fear to cast a shadow on whatever he has achieved with super eagles.
It is always a fear factor to try new ideas and new way of doing things. Rohr consider everything too risky hence his rigidity about using new players,using new tactics both in training and in the course of a game.
Wants to stick to old players and old tactics.
If you have players that have done well for you in the past and no more in good form, get them off the team.
Make use of fresh blood and study them well to know the style that will suite them.
Rather than panicking all the time whereby you decided to go for old players like musa and ighalo, try something something new.
Rohr sometime is a problem of Himself. Go and ask siasia how if froze mikel obi out of Olympic team and yet the man still reach final. Keshi froze out ikechwuku from the afcon 2013 even in the course of the tournament yet the team made to final and win.
Why are you always afraid to drop some of your old players that are not doing well or useless.
Drop players like musa,onuachu,ighalo,simon, ekong and anyone find in this same net.
Terrific contribution. Rohr seems to have been playing with fear as he has stuck to players who have lost form, especially when there are proven or potential replacements – Musa, Troots Ekong, Simon to name worst cases.
Every fair minded person would agree that Rohr improved the Eagles when he started. Lost the momentum just before the 2018 WC. Regaining some improvement leading up to the 2019 Africa Nations. Has been poor since then, despite an abundance of good individuals eligible and available to play for Nigeria.
Now, all the parts of the team seem weak – goalkeeping isn’t good, central defence isn’t good, we play with a DMer and a box to box as Ndidi cannot cover well on his own, no wingers although we have 2 – 3 skillful players who can be coached to press, move and pass, the offensive MF is understaffed and plays with insufficient energy. Striker is good, plays with energy and presses. However, the combination play with others is usually non existent, and the goals co version ratio needs to improve.
Conclusion: Congrats on getting to AFCON and final round of WC Qualifiers.
Team not good enough. Serious improvement needed.
@Yinkus ; Your contributions are quite great, that Rohr made a sign of improvement before going to WC and then nosed dived ever since then is true and I agree with you but , the point of correction is those phoney signs of achievements were clearly determination and efforts of the combination of the veterans Mikel, Victor Moses , Musa and to some extent Igahalo; the aforementioned players having worked under great coaches back in their various club and well established in the super eagles, particularly Mikel as captain can afford to take their destiny into their hands without needing to follow dogmatically Rohr’s outdated games plan , hence the flashy average achievements ; which by Nigerian known standard and by extension Algerian standard of achievement that were in the same circumstances with eagles before Rohr and Belmadi took over as coaches of Nig and Algeria respectively ( the two countries failed to qualify for the previous Afcon ).
Keshi of blessed memory and Algeria Belmadi have been able to prove to any sensible football loving and technocrats that failure to qualify for a tournament is far beyond non availability of good players (human materials) but many other factors ( go and check all our past tournaments we failed qualified after Westerhof / 94 golden team era were majorly indiscipline of many of our players not been able to manage average success unlike their counterparts ; while the likes of Drogbas of this world , Etos of this world strived to represent their countries, with the likes of Messi shuttling between Argentina U23 team – National team and Barcelona club for qualifiers; our players like the Mike of this world would be dictating matches to honour while they will all be waiting for the tournament proper, JJ Okocha himself cannot be spared ; it was as a result of that bad precedence that the likes of Obafemi Martins who was the best strikers then also failed to honour some of the qualifying matches( but go and check any Afcon we qualified, bronze was never celebrated)
To prove that failure to qualify for a major tournament is definitely not dearth of good players; Late Keshi took a team that failed to qualify for the previous Afcon and beat all to win Afcon under 1 year and then equal Westerhof record of reaching 2nd round , all this with backlog of unpaid salary ; now compare to Rohr’s of same circumstances with steady salary but was bundled out by Algeria team handled by a local coach that took over a team that couldn’t qualified for Afcon and under 1 year came up with a brilliant coaching technical skills to tutored our own supposed Foreign technical adviser the rudiments of coaching skills and then won Afcon ; till date Belmadi have not lost a single match ; and when he met Rohr again after beaten him 3 years ago ; he equally tutored Rohr again ; just to prove that Rohr did not make any attempt to improve himself. Going by the two analyses of Keshi a local coach and Belmadi Algeria local coach; the Rohr’s Bronze achievements and being bundled out in the first round of WC can never be regarded as achievements but failure ( Rohr’s business partner NFF were aware that Rohr was a failure despite increasing his salary by 99% for a coach that won shameful bronze , while a local coach that won Afcon in the same tournament was not paid his salary let alone , having 1% increment ; that is part of corruption that , NFF ought to have be a guest to EFCC; If NFF didn’t believe Rohr was a failure ; why did it recommend Rohr to immediately go for refresher course, which up till date Rohr never bothered.
As for being owned 8months backlog salary without complaining ; it is never a plus for Rohr , instead , it is part of reasons Rohr should go because, he is desperate and doesn’t believe he can prove himself elsewhere ( Tell me an employee that is constant on his duty without salary, and he continue without complaining ? that employee must be stealing ) ; the effect of unpaid salary is what we are seeing lately in SE with the invitation of clearly unmerited players like a retired flopped Igahalo who could pay their way into the SE …. Rohr must survive and pay his bills back home )
@Olujimi you are absolutely correct in your brilliant submission, just as Barrister Green has said above ; almost years of Rohr in SE ; he has succeeded in destroying SE without pattern, without ideology and basics improvement , compounded with corrupt invitation of undeserved players .
These are facts that cannot be contested by the few Rohr’s blinds supporters left :
1. Almost 6years in SE , No pattern of play ;
2. Almost 6 years , No dependable goalkeeper; where it took less than 2 months for a local coach Chief Onigbinde to discover Enyema ; less than 1 month for Oliseh to discover Cal Ikpeme;
3. Almost 6 years; No creative midfielder unlike in the past ;
4. Almost 6 years , No free kick players in the team , unlike in the past coaches ; JJ Okocha , Taye Taiwo of Siasia , Ohenhen etc ;
5. Almost 6 years , No team .
Rohr cannot give what he does not have , his employment was a product of corruption as he never had a pedigree to handle SE , a coach that was adjudged not technically sounds to handle a tiny countries as low as Gabon , Niger as he was sacked in his one year on the job , a coach that was evaluated not competent to handle a local club as Enyiba ( Rohr employment is part of the main reason , we need to kill corruption, before corruption kill our football and Nigeria nation in general)
If not for his fraudulent $2m severance package; he should be sacked ; but as it is since he refused to resign as advised, they should demote him and frustrate him with unpaid salary until he do the needful; give him additional one decade , a coach that has never won a tea cup in his entire coaching career does not have anything to offer SE ….. he can’t give what he does not have.
A team that beat us at home does not have a single stadium let alone a single star , same as Liberia war ravaged country without a single star , without a single stadium but we can only labour to beat with penalties
Super Eagles problem is not the Technical coach Rohr but lack of understanding among the players as a result of not frequently playing together as a team.I assure the entire country that if the team can play two or three friendlies before the world cup play off commences,we will be sure of a ticket to the world cup finals.Substituting Rohr with another coach will not allow concentration in respect of the team,it will also result into distraction from focus,moreover no time now,rather let that ample time and energy be poured in ensuring total commitment and concentration in seeing us make it through to the world cup finals.The NFA should also look in wards to know the challenges of the players,like paying their allowances and the likes.Rohr is not a magician or God to know all the Technical know how to win always.Remember the same cape Verde the Super Eagles defeated on their own soil.The technical crew of the Super Eagles must all come to the drawing board and take stock,work hard to correct the weak areas, especially the defence,our goal keeper need to improve,so are the defenders,our forwarders need to be more goal hungry by trying as much as possible to convert any slight opportunity gotten at goal mouth.Above all our players must show dedication, discipline and committement when on a national assignment.A word is enough for the wise.
@Nicholas Rohr also has his fair share of the blame with his substitutions and first 11 selections