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Former Super Eagles coach, Gernot Rohr has revealed that he turned down suggestions and advises from the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) when it comes to players selection because he trusted his technical team.
Rohr, who was sacked on Sunday by the NFF for his poor performance with the Super Eagles during the 2022 World Cup qualifiers, told ESPN that he has no regret for his decision.
He said, “I know Nigerians are passionate about football and everyone has their own favorites and I understand that everybody wants to see some players and we discussed it,”
“Perhaps I didn’t follow some of the suggestions and the advice of the officials; that is possible because I wanted to make the choice (selections) with my technical staff and not with people from outside the team.”
“I had a lot of suggestions. I understand that officials want us to do well, everyone wants to bring in their advice and opinion but it was too much.”
Rohr has been in charge of the three –time African champions for the past 64 months, and is Nigeria’s longest-serving manager.
36 Comments
Thank you GENRERAL ROHR for never giving in to their dictation/Godfatherism Control and opinion that is filled with so much sentiment and favouritism.
You will forever be remembered as a principled man..
But in as much as we all love and will greatly miss GENERAL ROHR can CSN stop giving us news about him. He is gone, he is gone. Stop making us engulf with emotions and feel like crying anytime we get an update on him…
Let’s focus on “Their own” Eguavon. He is the new coach. And Afcon is just days away.
A very Mediocre of a general u mean… Hahahahaha.
A general that is afraid of taking risk and making those big calls??
A general that looks at his boys and tells them “U are no match for the battle ahead”? Is that one a general??
A general that cannot hold his own against d smallest of opposition is that one a general???
A general that cannot inspire his boys to success and did completely lost his voice in the dressing room?
The only generals i know are the players that despite d neglect fron that slowpoke still hold there own in their respective club sides waiting for when they ll be given the chance by a TRUE GENERAL to go fight for their Country…
Let Grandpa Rohr rest abeg.
@Obong_Ben, please say what you know. Explain to us how Rohr lost his voice in the dressing room. It’s better we are informed than making rash statements. Loosing your voice in the dressing room is different from interference o. But please, explain. Let us know.
My name sake @Ben what i said is not what we haven’t heard. I mean that very statement came out directly from the football power house of the Nation, the NFF, as one of d reasons they gave for terminating his contract. Just tty and read up on that bro. Thanks
So you are now referring to interference from NFF, not that he lost his voice in the dressing room as you implied in your statement. Loosing your voice in the dressing room means players no longer listen to instructions. This is a different scenario that when someone says players talk back at you. After all, it’s not a military camp. This idea that we have that we equate discipline with people not talking back at a situation will not get us anywhere in Football. It is a team sport, that means people. Not a military regiment.
I like using Chelseafc as an example, because am a great follower of that club. Do you know that their first champions league victory with the team of Lampard, Drogba and Torres, that it was the players that selected who to play. That is John Terry, Drogba and Lampard. The coach then, can’t remember his name now, had little input in the player selection.it was the likes of Drogba and Lampard that fought for the inclusion of John Mikel Obi in the team. Thats how they won. Team sport, not military regiment.
We really don’t know where our focus should be in terms of Sports Administration in this country.
Na water plenty for your eye o Monkey Post, nonsense and ingredients. Emotions ko… emoji ni
I used to think some the call ups towards the end of Rorh’s tenure is influenced by NFF but according to Mr Rohr in this post, he didn’t listen to them, he called players he wished to call…and baba was calling Ighalo and Musa plus Shehu while there are more productive players uncalled. I used to pity Rorh since all these while thinking they have been imposing players on him but turned out it wasn’t the case…lol… That baba sef …so for hin eye ..Musa and Ighalo etc are better than the likes of Awoniyi, Dennis, Amoo …. This man couldn’t realize that those guys are now old and are less productive unlike innrhe past.. Lol.. Better as dem sack am
This Monkey post just dey wait make Eguavon fail..God pass una
This guy, you just can’t stop to amaze me, only you feel like crying pls stop generalizing .
no wonder you made dumb selections.oga Rohr if you are a good coach go and find a better team than SE than busy granting every interview.we have moved on from you, do the same
It was too much, exactly what I was saying that we Nigerians always want to see our favourites at any cost necessary. Not allowing the coach to function sef. See it now, every Tom, Dick and Harry na football scout and wants a player featured. If daily basis, people are mentioning this or that their favourite player, I wonder what will the situation be at NFF glasshouse. Thats a chaotic situation, no coach can thrive there. Anyway now that the mantle has fallen to Eguavoen, I wish him all the success he can get.
The battles are far from over. It is not yet Uhuru for him.
Exactly man! Is Rohr not a tactically sound coach?? He should have been snapped up by now na… Should have gotten a job with a big African team na…Iranu
@Patrator, I see you are confused. I meant it is not Uhuru for Eguavoen rather than Rohr. See how your “Iranu”, has returned to you. Lol
Relax he was just been sacked not less than a week ago even when mourhino was sacked by Tottenham e no get job immediately o so relax the lord will lift him right in ur presence
Dumb domb
You want him to make selection based on outsiders selection? That are not in even part of the technical crew or his coaching staff? Won’t that be too much of interference from people who may have collected bribe and are not even football inclined and want him to select their favorite players? Or Maybe even politicians like orji kalu came here ranting the other day…
If you have given somebody a job why not give him the free hand to do the job?? Why the interference from NFF?? What he said is deeper that what you thought!!
Well said @Marvelous
Even victors ‘by the manner and approach’ of prior victories are eventually undone by their unwillingness to deviate from the blueprints of prior successes.
Rhor was listening to his coaching crew who are even worst…….I knew it all along that Rhor can never make some dumb decision I see him make in SE…….He allowed the Nigerian demons around him make the calls and now he is the casualty…….The whole crew should be disbanded immediately to allow fresh ideas.
That’s why they planted their own people around him and sent his own crew packing. This is a great lesson for those who want to be leaders, no be everything people talk person go listen to. He took a soft approach to his management style, at the end. He bears the consequences. That’s why the best people to coach Super Eagles should adopt a stubborn approach if they want to succeed. Only a few Nigerians have that trait.
@Ben U r getting it all wrong Man! What do u mean by “they planted their own people around him”? He had the right to turn down the offer being that his own people like u put it, will not be working with him. I think you are only making excuses for Grandpa Rohr. Perhaps u are the only one who didn’t see or noted that his decision making process especially in open play was always poor.
See ehn, i am not holding brief for anyone alrite. He took the job of managing a football loving people like Nigeria where everyone seems to want to make input in the starting eleven but unfortunately he didn’t take hold of the stirring wheel. He said it himself that he had a free hand to work.
He should stop crying like a spoit little baby. He had his chance for good 5years. I mean thst is a record on its own. If for that long a time you didn’t have the free hands to work why didn’t u quit the job? The dollar rain was too good to quit on. Let him rest already.
Am not looking forward to the Nigerian team at the Final of the Afcon but hey if it happens i ll enjoy watching that match.
And let’s be Clear, Grandpa Rohr cannot take us to any final whatsoever give him 20years with the Nigeria team.
@Obong Ben, why are you guys always speaking from 2 sides of your mouth. He has only been to 1 AFCON and 1 World Cup tournament in 5 years. Abi has FIFA and CAF make their tournaments to be every 2 years. At his first attempt, he delivered a bronze that some Nigerian coaches can not even win. Only Eguavoen meets up to that.
Nigerians have just done what they know how to do best. Monkey day work, babboon day chop. That’s all.
There is no justification under the Sun to sack him. No matter how you say it. After all, he was hired to perform and qualify us for AFCON and World Cup, which he did. If your judgement of his work is what you say it is. Just pray that such things don’t happen to you anywhere, even if you are a contractor. Am sure you will be far bitter than he is, especially when you knew you performed.
Continue. Its all life Abi???
That is not true @Ben. Don’t spoil our own pls. So of all the Foreign coaches we have had, how many of them hv won Bronze let alone Gold. Put them side by side with the number of indigenous coaches thst have coached the SE and let’s see who fared better…
It will interest u to know that this so called foreign pros get to work on better conditions than our own people yet how much benefit do with get from them?
Grandpa Rohr is a stack Failure.
Guy forget all that “Monkey dey work Baboon dey chop” talk. Same fate happened to Amodu Shuaibu hv u forgotten?? He qualified us for a tournament and he was sacked. A foreign coach was brough in to lead the team. Did the world end??
Ask yourself one question…………Why is it that the only coach after 1980 that survived with resounding success in SE was Westerhof and how? (Never mind Bonfre as he only rode on Westerhof’s team)
The answer was simply because he found away to sideline the NFF to have a direct access to the VP Augustus Aikhomu
The NFF were always unto no good with our teams, they are only interested in their pockets and anyone that stands in their way will be given the boot
Keshi was the only other success story which was largely due to his strong personality and received enough tutelage from Westerhof himself and garnered so much coaching experience with Shaibu, Bonfre, Chuckwu, and coached 2 different teams to AFCON.
Let’s all rally round to reject NFF and Pinnick’s corruption and high-handedness in the administration of our soccer
You guys don’t still know why Rohr was sacked at the dying minutes after everything was settled and he was asked to continue. You feel is because of what NFF said that they want to save us from disaster? Oh no you must joking if you believe that political statement. I heard somewhere that NFF wanted to impose equavon on him as part of the crew on bench during AFCON so that equavon will detect who is substituted or not, the NFF wanted to have a hand in 60% of the players going to AFCON finally. That was too much for Rohr so he disagred.
That is truly sad. Na wa
@Marvelous Did he have to wait 5years plus before disagreeing with the NFF? He was a collaborator in the shenanigans the transpired with our sport. I mean for years people no longer celebrate wins by the Super Eagles. All u hear is at least we don qualify… Imagine. The NFF has the mandate to see through our sports. If he didn’t like the interference he should have quit long ago.
Have u guys not realized that it was when it became obvious that Grandpa Rohr was sending us to the eighteen centuries style of football that our darling NFF woke up from their slumber?? Thank God they did because it was at the very right time.
Make my word, this chrismas will be very sweet with Grandpa Rohr out.
@Marvelous Did he have to wait 5years plus before disagreeing with the NFF? He was a collaborator in the shenanigans that transpired with our sport. I mean for years people no longer celebrate wins by the Super Eagles. All u hear is at least we don qualify… Imagine. The NFF has the mandate to see through our sports. If he didn’t like the interference he should have quit long ago.
Have u guys not realized that it was when it became obvious that Grandpa Rohr was sending us to the eighteen centuries style of football that our darling NFF woke up from their slumber?? Thank God they did because it was at the very right time.
Mark my word, this chrismas will be very sweet with Grandpa Rohr out.
So @Obong Ben, you weren’t happy that Super Eagles were qualifying for tournaments because there was nothing to make Gernot Rohr look inefficient??? You see when I say some Nigerians are evil to the rest of us. You are happy if we dont qualify and you have something to rubbish someone about. Your kind can never know the joys of success and accolades. That is why we term the likes of you as haters and backward people. Very evil in their thoughts and doings.
@Ben, i think ur definition of “EVIL” and “HATE” should be evaluated. U seem to be so myopic in ur focus. Go and read the bible story of the “Talent” then come back and let’s talk.
Its a shame that u would think that 200 million Nigerians will use ur Myopic lens to view Success.
U pride urself as a Chelsea supporter and yet u have not learnt anything from the owner of Chelsea, Roman Ibrahamovic. Ok so why was Lampard fired? Why was Jose and Conte fired?
My brother get a bigger viewing lens. U need to see the world and the way things works clearly.
@Obong_Ben. I have a better view of where things are. At Chelsea you are paid for performance and fired for lack of performance. The 2 go together. Not one of that equation is missing. Plus the facilities are there for the performance, no bad pitches, no government institution like the Ministry of Sports interfering in your contract. Nothing like that.
Now ask yourself this, is this the same situation with Gernot Rohr’s appointment???
I want an honest answer from you. Yes or No. No long story or explanation.
Where were you @Obong_Ben to help us define the true meaning of a General when GENERAL ROHR went to so many wars, won it and qualified us despite being owed 8 months salary??? Tell me which modern day Army General will go to war when he and his coaching crew and boys are being owed several months of salary? Where will the inspiration or moral come from??? If I hear say Dem no revolt. The highest penalty will be court martial. Even the sambisa menace we can hear that once in a while our soldiers are protesting. either for allowance, bad welfare, poor equipment, poor food etc..
Where was your true definition of General when GENERAL ROHR brought peace, unity to our crises soaked dressing room. All thanks to your African Guadiola. He did it with so might like when the military go for peace keeping operation.
Where was your true definition of General when he led your country to become the first African team to qualify for the 2018 Russia world cup??
Don’t worry we Sidan dey look if “una own” fit bear a quarter of what GENERAL ROHR went through..
Hahahahahahaha @Patrator altleast you ought to be happy that am waiting for him to fail. That’s from a modest point of view. But all of you GENRERAL ROHR haters couldn’t wait for “your own” to fail. Immediately after his appointment you all concluded that he is a failure with a very famous speech “Let us fail with our own” That’s rather too harsh bro! LMAO!!!
But picknic confirmed that he imposed Musa on Rohr. I feel that he didn’t allow them to have a total control of the team not that there was no one or two imposition. that was where the issue started from. Trust naija man na. Give am one step, him go run 100 miles…
It is too late to say this Oga Rohr. Even before now what did you do to improve the Super Eagles and you even brought back Ighalo and Akpeyi still your performance wasn’t impressive. So, move on Oga Rohr. I appreciate your efforts. God bless Nigeria!!!
So this mean the NFF suggested players to him but he refused their advances, so all your selections and game plans were solely yours.
Good for taking responsibility.
Point: Ex Eagle players should be in charge of Nigeria Football, its saddening seeing ex football players receiving orders from these business men called NFF President, this is a disgrace in my opinion.
Imagine a Okechukwu, Iroha, Mutiu, Rufai whom have sweat blood for the Eagles, acting as one useless Technical Director, Team Manager , Welfare Officer etc and one Pinnick who has never kick a ball giving order as a President, this is crazy really.
Capable ex players should run Nigeiran Football and business men.