As we all know Samson Siasia has been employed to lead the Super Eagles for the next 4 years. We have to support him by assisting him in all ramifications.

I however want to write on the best 11 players that ever donned the national colors from the time of the Red Devils to the Green Eagles and now the Super Eagles.

‘Mathematical’ Segun Odegbami wrote on his best 50 Nigerian footballers to commemorate our 50th year independence anniversary and who else is in a position to do justice to that if not him. He is aged over 50, played football in this country spanning almost 2 decades and has remained in the business side of football till date.

So i want to attempt choosing the best eleven in 50 years. This of course is now from the ‘eye’ of a fan although i play some ‘little’ football. From someone who has been going to the different football arenas from the early 70s. I may have to pass the ‘Thunder Balogun Era’ but I actually remember watching CMS Grammar School squaring up with Maryland Comprehensive at King George the 5th Stadium, now Onikan Stadium. Saw the All African games although in faint memory now but luckily most of the stars then like Haruna Ilerika continued a bit longer.
Having watched Oyo state FA match with IICC losing 1-2 to Water Corporation at the Olubadan Stadium and a host of other cracking club games involving the teams of Leventis/Abiola/Raccah Rovers/Ayisalami Rocks/Shooting/Bendel Insurance/NNB/Rangers and Abiola Babes, mostly live and sometimes on TV. We used to travel to watch league games.

At the National team level, going to the Stadium was not any different. It was always exciting as it was safe even if we never qualified for the world cup. Lagos State Principal’s cup was however paramount between 1975 and 1985 for me, we always had the privilege of State box seats even at games that were not ordinarily our school playing. In the later years after the local league practically collapsed, we turned to watching almost only the Super Eagles.

So here is my best eleven to commemorate our first 50 years after independence. For the benefit of young readers I will liken older characters to current international footballers to aid description of talent.

Goal Keeper: This is a position that Nigeria has hardly ever lacked top quality. From the days of Joe Erico , Emmanuel Okala, Best Ogedengbe to the days of Peter ‘Dodo Mayana’ Rufai, Willy Agbonibare, Ike Shorunmu and now Enyeama, Nigeria has been endowed with at least above average performers or outright world class goal Keepers. However 3 keepers stand out, Emmanuel Okala, Best Ogedengbe and Peter Rufai. For Best Ogendengbe, he came at a time that Okala was in his full strides too, the competition was hot. I can remember the IICC/Rangers rivalry where this head to head often ended in a scoreless draw due to a large extent, the heroics of these keepers. The CAF champion’s league semi-finals match up played in Kaduna comes to mind.

Emmanuel Okala was a shot stopper, almost as tall as the bar, calm and with his height a lot of opposing players thought he could not stop ‘grass cutting’ shots but we always marveled at his reflexes in going down swiftly. He won many games almost single handedly; he was a Van der Sar. A kind of keeper that would always give you points during a season. He kept both his club Rangers and the national team “Green” Eagles alive in many games. Would he have made European top flight soccer today? A big Yes! Okala would have kept for the best teams in the world.

Best Ogendengbe I remember was a trojan in one on one situations, he was quick out of his line closing several strikers down swiftly. He loved to dive, making a lot of spectacular saves. If it were present day he would probably have played conveniently in Spain, Belgium or a team like Fulham, Blackburn, Villa and be their Braid Friedel.

Peter ‘Dodo Mayana’ Rufaia courageous goal keeper, at his prime was a world class beater himself. Although he was sometimes unpredictable in terms of performance and showed a bit of weakness to crosses, he had his moments, gave his defense a lot of confidence and one of our few goal keepers who could turn defense into attack swiftly.

Enyeama needs a few more performances like he showed against Argentina at the world cup before we can even start to mention him.

Verdict: Emmanuel Okala

Left Back: This is a position that we have not been exactly world class but we can pass with a few above average talents in the likes of Bright Omokaro, Samuel Ojebode and Benedict Iroha.

Ten! Ten! As he was called, Bright was a strong unpolished left back, was not exactly a wing back but could be relied upon most often than not. He was a strong character and operated in the defense with the Big boss so was always on his toes. All Bright needed was some bit of finesse and he would have conquered the world.

Samuel Ojebode was a totally different kind of full back in comparison with Bright. He was a gentle player who loved to overlap. Not as hard and strong but was an intelligent player who am sure was always a coach’s delight, playing to instructions. Sam would have played professional soccer at the Belgium/France level if it were today

Ben Iroha, was injury prone and I think would probably have been my choice if not for this. He was an excellent reader of the ball, covered the entire left side of the pitch and was never in the habit of not recovering well unlike our present day left full back. Ben had some dribbles up his sleeves and I can remember his goal at the Nations cup in Tunisia 1994.

Verdict: Tricky but I pick Bright Omokaro.

Right Back: Only 2 players come to mind here Yisa Sofoluwe ‘Otobo’, & Patrick Ekeji. Yes, the same Director of sports at the Ministry. He was a wing back but had more defensive capabilities than his attacking side of play. I would not say he would have played top flight soccer but he would have survived in Belgium and France.

For Yisa Sofoluwe, he was one of the most comfortable defenders when with the ball that ever played for us. He showed what overlapping was all about. Very smooth and technical player was not the usual strong and dreaded average defender we almost always paraded. Having a highly technical player was rare in those days hence our susceptibility to North African teams. He had skills and showed his skills at the slightest opportunity. We can liken him to a Cafu, yes! Don’t be surprised, he was that good, he was raw and never received any excellent tutelage so imagine if he were trained at Ac Milan or Barcelona.

Verdict: Yisa Sofoluwe

Central defense:
We are getting there. Here I would not split to right or left but pick our best two out of an array of excellent central defenders. Here are my top 5:

‘Chairman” Christian Chukwu, Stephen ‘Big Boss’ Okechukwu Keshi,
Uche ‘Gentle Giant’ Okechukwu, Taribo West and Sunday Eboigbe.
Chidi Nwanu could have been part of this but he never played for long with the national team.

CCC was a calm defender, intelligent and comfortable with the ball. He was ‘ Enugu Rangers’ a pure breed leader, very unassuming and strong mentally. He carried the team on his shoulders and never fretted. Chukwu had two short comings for me, his height for a central defender and his speed. He was not exactly a quick defender but he compensated for it with his ability to read play and intercept passes a lot. That was his trade mark. Later in his days he developed an ability to play free kicks, scoring a few goals with it. I am not sure he would have survived present day football for his speed but I guess his reflexes would have been sharpened and at a young age he would have been excellent then.

Taribo West: A host of us know the never say die attitude of this man. He never feared going into any tackle and at his prime was always present in play. He played at the topmost level ever in Italy and France. A very crude player before leaving our shores but was transformed at Auxerre. Though he looked heavy he was quick and a tight marker.

Uche Okechukwu perhaps can be referred to as the most intelligent defender ever to done our Green White Green colours. He was privileged to have played alongside Keshi, Nwanu and Taribo. I wonder why he is not in coaching right now as his major skill was the ability to understand play, call his line, and know basic technicalities most of our present day players don’t. Things like , when to play the ball for a corner or a throw in, like generally blasting ball out or keeping it to calm play. He was a master in defensive control as was evident, very easy to play with. Whoever played alongside him became a good player. Although he spent most of his time in Turkey and Denmark, I think if it were present day, he would make a very top side in Spain or Italy, notice I did not say England as he was not exactly a quick player.

Sunday Eboigbe: This guy was as hard as anything that can cross your mind. Sunday enjoyed most of his career pairing Keshi. They were so good that you would wonder how Nigeria did not make the world cup or win the Nations cup consecutively. I will highlight the reasons later on this. To quote Odegbami ‘One needed a protection helmet to enter Nigeria’s defense at that time….. ‘ Sunday, tall and athletic, was not exactly refined as he caused a couple of unwanted set pieces against us but he was a fearless defender. Opposition always looked at entering the Nigerian defense via the flanks where we had a bit of inconsistency. You can compare him to a present day Vidic before he was refined at United, or a Thuram playing central defense..

Now to the big boss himself, Stephen Okechukwu Keshi, who led all the defenses he lined up in from Nigeria through Abidjan to Anderlecht all the way to France. He was a CCC incarnate with extra qualities. Where CCC was not exactly quick, he was faster, where CCC was comfortable with the ball, he was a world class libero. Where CCC is not exactly tall, he was tall. Between 88 and 92 he was so much respected in African football that he would regularly carry the ball right from his keeper up to the center circle. It was as if players were afraid to go near him because of his presence. The Nations cup match against Zaire in 1992 comes to mind. He was a powerful defender, another master of defensive play. Born to call and hold lines, he packed some fierce shots in his legs that made him score quite a number of goals in his career. It is a shame we don’t have records at our finger tips but I dare say he scored more goals than most of our strikers in his entire career. He also added long throw to his arsenal like Delap. Today he would have marshaled just about any defense, am sure Wvenger would have been happy having such a leader in his present day ‘chicken hearted’ team lol (sorry i just had to find a way of bringing out the United in me…lol). We can liken him to a Franco Barresi, Rio Ferdinand, or an Allensandro Nesta . He was so strong mentally that you would have thought he was an Italian or a German footballer. He never gave up.

Verdict: Stephen Keshi and Uche Okechukwu

Midfield: This is the department that let Nigeria down the most for many years. To onlookers, we had an array of excellent midfielders but to any keen observer, we had an inconsistent midfield. Our midfielders were always learning how to play together. Before a set of players gel, they are switched or they go Awol. In the 70s we never had a world class midfield until the later part when Iwelumo, Muda lawal and Aloysius Atuegbu ran things. Before we knew it, after the failed attempt in 1978 world cup Iwelumo disappeared. We always relied on our wing play and our defense including the goalkeeper. By the time we won the nations cup on our soil we were not doing badly but the team needed a new life. Hence the emergency of what could have really been our ‘golden’ generation as we had arguably the most gifted midfielders ever in Paul Okoku, Segun Olukanmi and Chibuzo Ehilegbu. They were sublime and skillful players. They came at a time Sylvanus Quick Silver’ Okpala was at his peak and Muda lawal was still fighting on but you know what? The trio slipped through the hands of the FA then and went to school in America. This singular move by our best (brain drain I call it) wrecked the days of the best defensive set up ever in Sofoluwa, Keshi , Eboigbe and Omakaro. Imagine if these guys had played on for 4-6 more years.
Then we had to keep changing boys in the middle, we had so many players in this area that none really stood out except the talented Henry Nwosu. Later we had Sam Okparaji, Friday Ekpo, and hard workers like Ademola Adesina, Moses Kpakor and the rest but they were never world class players. We always struggled against technically gifted sides. Etim Essin showed promise in the later part and that was it, showed promise.
So my best midfielders are Muda Lawal, Sunday Oliseh, ‘Jay jay’ Okocha and Mutiu Adepoju.

It is not a coincidence to have only Muda Lawal from the ‘old’ era in the mix. He was a gift to Nigerian soccer. He could win balls and could distribute as well. He was a tireless player such in the mold of a Xavi. I have tried to look at other players but Xavi seems to be the best to compare him with. He was a box to box player who would have excelled at United, Arsenal, Chelsea, Barcelona, just name it. The only part of his game that was lacking was goals scoring. He was not exactly gifted in that area. Also he was not that technical but that can be due to lack of exposure, I can’t imagine if he was playing abroad. He would have been in the world’s best 3 midfielders. Yes, am that bold, he was that good as a raw talent. How come he never won African footballer of the year award? Politics my people or how would you explain Segun Odegbami and Jay jay’s cases. Or maybe because it is difficult for midfielders and defenders to be given the award, as strikers are always first choice.

Sunday Ogochukwu Oliseh: can anyone forget this guy? His ballistic missile against Zubezaretta in the 3-2 defeat of Spain at the 1998 world cup? No way. Sunday was the ‘eye’ of his set. He could read play miles away and he had the knack for swift counter attack play. Oliseh is still one of our best tackler and passers of the ball in the midfield; he was a work horse too with unending movement. For once during his time, the usual strength of our defense became noticed as he was an ever present screen for his last line. Yes we can say Oliseh thrived more whenever Mutiu was on the pitch because at such times his forward looking plays came to fore. Mutiu was there to support so Oliseh could afford long balls and random incursions deep in play. A very strong and solid player, who loved to control play and split defenses with sharp passes. Another of his heroics was the Nations Cup semi finals when he was ill but had to come on against Senegal as we were trailing and turned the game around, supplying Aghahowa those crisp balls that changed play.
It is no surprise that this son of Nigeria enjoyed football at the highest level playing in Belgium, Netherlands, Italy and Germany.

Jay Jay Okocha: do I need to describe him to anyone, except you are younger than 8 years. This guy is arguably the most skilled footballer in Nigeria living today. They say in Germany ‘he was so good they named him twice’ Jay Jay. Jay Jay came into the national side right from nowhere. He was not known to have played local football and was not nationally recognized until 1993. This man that has his special way of going pass opposing players never really played for the biggest clubs because to me his play was sometimes contrary to expected flow of the game. He never had the speed to dribble on the run like a Messi but was a master of one on one situation. You can bet your life he would excel in such moments. I think you cannot have it all as this guy is the nearest to a genius in soccer.
He would have been like the present day Iniesta who is difficult to wrestle off the ball, quick footed with deceptive play and very direct. However Jay Jay’s play lacked that urgency required almost throughout his career. He probably would still have been worshiped if he were South American

Mutiu Adepoju is like a protegee of Muda Lawal. He possessed almost all the qualities of Muda but with fewer skills. He never had that ‘fake’ dribble but was a master of space on the field of play. He is another player that you would normally feel should excel as a coach like Keshi, Uche and Oliseh. Mutiu ‘headmaster’ as he was named scored many key goals in his prime. He can be compared to a Paul Scholes as he knew when to arrive in the box but was not a bad tackler like Paul. He could stand alone in the middle or double up like in matches with Oliseh.
Verdict: Jay Jay, Muda Lawal and Sunday Oliseh

Wing
I had to include this separately instead of lumping them with the midfield because our soccer history would not be complete if we don’t mention in their own rights top class wingers that have been paraded at the national level. Kunle Awesu, Haruna Ilerika, Sam Opodu, Clement Temile, Friday Elaho, Finidi George, Segun Odegabmi, Emmanuel Amunike, Felix Owolabi, Adokie Amesimaka were all great players in their own rights.
However, I will only speak on probables in Finidi George, Emmanuel Amuneke, Adokie Amesimaka and Segun Odegbami.

Emmanuel Amunike: Some players when they receive the ball the first thing on their mind is either to control and distribute or to dribble. For Amunike his play was forever forward looking, let’s go and score, that is it. He had a very strong left foot and was a quick player until his injury. He was a very direct player but still accused by some to have denied Rashidi a lot of balls during the 94 world cup.

Adokie Amesimaka, came before his time if there is anything like that. He was a slick player. ‘Chief Justice’ (as he was called by the great Radio commentator, Ernest Okonkwo) had the dribbles of a Ryan Giggs, had the speed and the intelligence to go pass most right backs in his days. You wonder with all these praises how and why we were not over running African teams, but I have given a major reason above. He would have survived top class football today.

Finidi George: declared arguably the best ‘crosser’ of the ball in 1997/98 season in Europe. Finidi, I know him as ‘Mr. Precision’ he would pull balls to exact place he wants it. He was a highly technical player who later developed some dribbling skills while in Spain for Real Betis.

Segun ‘Mathematical’ Odegbami: the only player I have seen who did what Messi is doing today on the touch line. He could play at impossible angles and still have the ball. He was so gifted that he sometimes makes a dash down the right flank on a straight line, cuts in right on the line by the corner flag and dribble towards the upright before either scoring or ‘squaring’. His presence in a side gave confidence that even when injured he would be fielded (I stand to be corrected on this, for IICC a number of times). He was just an impossible player to leave out unless he was bed ridden. At least he or Okala should have won Africa’s best player sometime, maybe 1980. He could double as a striker and sometimes played deep from the right side of the midfield.

If I were to award the best 3 dribblers ever in Nigeria I would give Segun Odegbami, Jay Jay and Sam Opodu.
A today’s 30M pounds player, he honestly would have been in the mould of a Messi, Ronaldo or a right legged Gareth Bale. He was a deft goal scorer for both country and club. Better than the likes of Nani, Valencia, or Lennon etc. The only snag here is that could you say the opposition was weak?
He definitely came before his time like Muda and Adokie.

Verdict: Segun Odegbami

Forward/Support Striker:
This is the second area that contributed to our sloppiness despite some exceptional talents in other departments of the game. We just lacked goal scorers in the 70s and 80s that necessitated our using so many strikers that I can’t even remember most of them. Nwadioha, Oyarekhua, Osigwe, Ozogula, are some of the names that were make shifts in the center for us. Rashidi Yekini, Richard Owobokiri, Thompson Osiyen, Yakubu Aiyegbeni are all players that donned the number 9 position at sometime or the other.

Thompson Osiyen: a fox in the box as they would describe a Micheal Owen or a Rudd V N, Thompson left us after the disastrous 1978 world cup campaign. Just like Godwin Odiye, a skillful defender who loved wearing a head band. He Osiyen, left for the states thereafter and never really gave us the opportunity to assess him with the greats. He was later to have succeeded exceedingly in the US colleague football.

Kanu ‘the King’ Nwankwo: you do not call someone a King for nothing, he must have shown leadership qualities in his strength, courage and ability to stand out and deliver when it matters the most. This guy is the most intelligent midfielder cum support striker ever in Nigeria. Like Jay Jay, he lacked speed but compensated for it with his sublime dribbles and ability to slip away from defenders. He was a very direct player, always thinking of getting into the box, very deceptive and highly calculative with precision play when in his prime. A huge plus for him is the ability to comeback after the heart surgery and the fact that he currently remains the most visible player ever for this country. For me two instances stand out in his career, the final goal against Brasil at the Olympics and the two goals for Arsenal against Chelsea. Hail the King, Kanu!

Richard Owobokiri: a scoring machine who played professional soccer in Brazil and Portugal. He came about the time of Rashidi and was never really given much opportunity to excel.

‘Gangling’ Rashidi stands out so much that it is strange that we have not produced anyone near his status as the best striker ever for Nigeria. He was a raw player for Shooting till he left for Abidjan where his ball control and movement were worked on. He became a top player no sooner and got transferred to Portugal. At some stage, playing a team with Rashidi was like starting the game 0-1 down. He was a guarantee to score at least a goal. He was an all-rounder, comfortable in the box and could shoot from outside.
Other support strikers we can look at are Daniel ‘the Bull’ Amokachie and Samson Siasia great players in their own way but are never going to make my all time list.

Verdict: Rashidi Yekini and Kanu Nwankwo

My 1st Eleven

Emmanuel Okala
Yisa Sofoluwe
Bright Omokaro
Sunday Oliseh
Stephen Keshi
Uche Okechukwu
Segun Odegbami
Muda Lawal
Rashidi Yekini
Jay Jay
Kanu Nwankwo

4-2-3-1

For the BBC to air the probe documentary on FIFA at this time to me is being overzealous. What exactly do they expect such a program to do? Is it to support England’s bid or to scuttle. I think for a nation seeking the nod of other nations on something, they should at least show oneness at home. No one is saying BBC should support bribe and keep the information under lock and key but they definitely wanted cheap publicity by showing it few days before voting. Why not well before now or after the decision?

Looking closely, I cannot but say England’s bid is the best for me. The Transportation, Arenas , Government support and most importantly the average football fan’s support makes the bid my choice. I do not see the kind of passion from fans even in the lower leagues anywhere else in Europe. For most other leagues certain teams carry huge support but in the UK it cuts across board.

To have the Prime Minister David Cameron, the King in waiting Prince William and David Beckham leading, makes the bid a powerful one, sends a very serious message that they are willing and ready to deliver a fantastic World cup to football fans worldwide. Maybe football is truly coming ‘home’.

Russia’s bid looks strong, up there with the English bid due to the confidence that there is money to spend on hosting and the restructuring of the Russian league which is now more internationally friendly. Also Russia have not hosted any major sports event in decades. However, news this morning saying that Putin has decided not to visit Zurich would definitely send a wrong message. Is it that government is not sure of their support, so therefore may not work effectively hand in hand with the private sector?
For the others, I think it is a no brainier that this is between England and Russia, Ooops hope no surprises.
FIFA needs to come out of this with their integrity restored, or at least with much respect and dignity.

The 2022 bids would be announced too and it seems Qatar are the front runners. I think the Australian and American bids would split votes to make Qatar emerge except it goes into 2nd round of voting and 1 pulls out for the other. Japan for me is at a disadvantage because Korea/Japan is still fresh and human brain will not see 2022 as being very far off. They are at a disadvantage as to FIFA deciding to announce it now rather than after Brazil 2014.

All in all we want to see the best nations and the most inspiring for football followers win it.

Stephen Okechukwu Keshi or Samson Siasia, one of these men will become the next Manager of our darling Super Eagles any moment from now. They are both past internationals and excellent ones for that matter. I am so excited that finally we are getting a chance of having one of the best of Nigerian coaches and giving them the opportunity to deliver at the highest level. This is victory for advocates of local coaches

If you have been following my blog you will notice I have never been given for a foreign manager mainly a non.African, as I always believe when it comes to a Committee of Nations, when it comes to REPRESENTING a nation, it should just be an indigene first or at most somebody near your culture or who has lived amongst you for a certain number of years, like in most nations 10years to become eligible. I find it absurd looking at the bench of a country’s national side and seeing someone with obviously a different culture altogether. This is a contest of nations against nations.

Of course I support the idea of Technical advisers, whose duties would be off the field training, managing and developing our coaches. I support club sides deploying anybody be it from far away Australia. But for a national side, wear, national colors it just should not be temporary. How can you come and wear our colors for 3 weeks and say you are representing us?

So I am very excited and do not really care too much about who is chosen out of the two of them. I believe it is a matter of time and both of them will have a chance eventually. Whoever gets the nod now will be given a four (4) year contract. That’s wonderful to hear because we all have been advocating for continuity. I know the chaps in there would have a clause whereby they can sack or let go once performance targets are not fulfilled.

Here is an attempt at grading them both on 7 criteria, with a maximum of 10 marks each.

1. Qualification: Samson Siasia we understand is still doing his Grade B license (stand to be corrected) but has a grade C license which is a license for coaching under age players while Keshi has a Grade A license hence his ability to get International Jobs. I have searched for more information on Siasia’s to disprove this all to no avail. But the people that matter in employing would have the credentials of both of them. Is this important? Yes I think so. I believe some of us have the raw knowledge of tactics and techniques in football but need to have a professional Stamp to show we are Certified to practice. I can’t imagine a staff of an organisation being made the MD without proper certification or at least certain required training. That is why you see regulatory bodies have standards for who can be a CEO of a public institution eg CBN on Bank MDs. For private companies anyone can be MD. Now, this is football where natural talents can be a huge plus too.

Verdict: Siasia 6 Keshi 10

2.Experience as a Player: We all knew the ‘Big Boss’ as a Manager in the making. He was the pride of a lot of managers because of his tactical awareness on the pitch, always talking and speaking to his team mates, controlling play. A born leader who was almost always made a captain in all the teams he played in from his elementary days in Ebutte Metta to when he was made captain of the great generation at St Finbarrs College Akoka in his 4th form after the midfield maestro Emeka James had left the school. A team of the excellent Henry Nwosu (who I call forerunner of Okocha) tricky Wakilu Oyenuga, quick footed Patrick Obitor, Sam Owoh, Obey Reggae, Ahmed etc. At ACB he was captain in the team that had Uche Okafor & co, later on New Nigerian bank where he marshaled one of the best defenses any Nigerian team ever had. A team with the likes of Sunday Eboigbe & Bright Omakaro. He then moved to Abidjan, Stade first and later led at African Sports. Stephen Okechukwu practically paved the way for Nigeria footballers playing abroad most especially in Belgium sometimes housing as high as 9 players at once. His professional football highlights were at Anderlecht & Lokeren in Belgium and Strasbourg of France where he became arguably the first African to lead a French first division side as Captain.

For Samson Siasia, a technically gifted player, he was a noticed talent from Secondary school as well and you know where? Same St Finbarrs College Akoka, few years after Keshi’s set. I can remember watching him at the Old UAC stadium (now Teslim Balogun) and thinking what an exciting player, very deceptive in play and always wished he came to my school instead, the great C.M.S ’Bariga Bombers’ that is (lol). Siasia played at Lokeren, Belgium too and later at Nantes France where he won the French League.
My most exciting moment for Siasia is his goal against Argentina, pure class. Only thinking players score such.

Verdict: Siasia 7 Keshi 9

3. Experience as a Coach:
Samson Siasia has taken our Under 20 to the world cup finals twice and had his best moments in 2005 finals against the great Messi. He again faced his foe at the Olympic Games finals 3 years after. He was the manager too at the Under 20 to the African Youth Championship tournament and of recent Club champions League with Heartland of Owerri. Siasia having excellent records at Under age football has never been saddled to direct affairs at the senior national level although he had a brief stint working as Eguaveon’s assistant. I have a little problem with youth tournaments because I think a lot of the players falsify their ages so we can really not get the true reflection of a coaches prowess at this level in Nigeria.

In Keshi we have someone who as Amodu’s assistant qualified us for the 2002 world cup but they were sacked. He later moved on to get a job outside Nigeria in the mold of the 1994 ban that prompted him moving to Abidjan. A closed door always produces a new opportunity. He qualified Togo for the world cup 2006 when Nigeria did not qualify; this was very annoying to me then. After being sacked there, he got another job with a higher profile team in Mali.

Verdict: Siasia 7 Keshi 9

4. Discipline & Control: Stephen Keshi is the epitome of discipline as a player. He had his fare share of controversies but mostly were in putting his stand and those of his players across to authorities locally. If you are not disciplined you will not be recognized as a leader everywhere you go, from Nigeria to Cote D Voire to Europe. And as a manager he is an outspoken ‘boss’ in fact a negative one for most people, that he tries to ‘impose’ his decisions any where he finds himself. For past NFA he was said to have been ‘rude’ but you know who our people are. Would a player throw any tantrum with him in control? Yes they can but they won’t play. He would keep anyone playing for him under check.
Siasia too has shown himself highly disciplined, these guys would not have survived in Europe without being disciplined. He was a player that hardly bothered about issues apart from playing soccer except his little ‘disciplinary’ snag with Westerhof that prompted his being dropped for the game against Italy 1994. And this was very annoying to me, one of the crimes I held against Westerhof as he did not dress Siasia for that game and it cost us dearly. A huge plus for Siasia is the way he handled the Mikel Obi Olympics snub, this shows he is a manager that will move on no matter the player whose ox is gored.

Verdict Siasia 7 Keshi 8

5. Tactical Awareness: Keshi as a player seemed to have a natural knack for tactics. He was an eye of the coach on the pitch. I can remember that his hand stretching and finger pointing, shouting, calling of line and his libero play throughout his career. There was no team he played for that the defensive line did not become fearsome.
As a manager, for qualifying a Togolese side for the world cup, putting them together and with defensive discipline, he has shown he knows what it takes. With Mali he had so many off the pitch issues that it is hard to judge him on the technical display. We have also listened to his analysis a couple of times on DSTV, during the world cup that it prompted one of the hosts to ask why he was sitting there, knowing what to do and another man, a Swede was in charge of affairs.
Samson Siasia definitely being a technical & intelligent player in his days has an understanding of how to maneuver on the pitch of play. He may not have the same discipline in the balance and control of play from the rear like Keshi but he makes up for it in his direct attacking approach all his teams employ. They always show flair, a natural ingredient of Nigerian players that some unworthy coaches have been covering. An issue for me (we skip Heartland ‘cos of so many off the field challenges) is when he refused to make a change for over 7/8mins in the match against Germany after one of his players was injured. Germany was playing with 9 men then and he balanced play by ‘voluntarily’ playing with 9 men too until Germany equalized before he made the change. I hope they ask him this question at the interview..
On the other hand, you cannot be naive and qualify for 2 major world competition finals within 3 years. You must have some stuff.

Verdict: Siasia 7 Keshi 7

6. Fans Support:
There is hardly a contest between the two of them here as it seems the younger generation wants Siasia and they are the most vocal. Mostly those who did not witness Keshi play and think he is somebody who lives in the US and just wants to come and take over here. They definitely know Siasia more due to the Under 20 achievements. For older people I have heard a couple prefer Keshi, saying under age football is different.

Verdict: Siasia 10 Keshi 4

7. Risk:
There are unproven accusations against the two of them on being bias to the players they take to. Keshi is regarded to have started the ‘Mafia” in the Super Eagles. These were his ‘boys’, group he always came into Eagles with. He was such an influence that he led a generation of players hence being the longest serving captain of the Super Eagles. According to critics, this clique became detrimental to the team in the last few years of Rashidi Yekini. The likes of Ben Iroha, Uche Okafor, Eguaveon, Uche Okechukwu, Emmanuel Amunike, Daniel Amokachie to mention a few, were said to belong to the Big boss’s ‘Mafia’ at one time or the other. As a manager this strikes me as someone who would be in absolute control of his team and rebuff any interference or else would resign as seen in the case of Mali. A negative from this can be that some certain players do not get into the team once they do not support his ideals. However Sunday Oliseh shed more light on this recently, saying the issue is that once it’s a team, it is all about leadership, friendships and natural bonding, nothing more. Ultimately set for the collective good of a course.
Siaisa has all sorts of behind the scenes allegations too on how he picks players and how some certain players will always make his team at the detriment of others. Boys like Isaac Promise and Solomon Okoronkwo as an example. To me these are unfounded as every coach has his favorites, you had better get used to that. ‘Favorites’ in the sense that they understand and play according to instructions. So a manager has lesser headaches. The only risk I see with choosing him is lack of experience at the national team level as we cannot categorically say that ‘Siasia has qualified a team for the World Cup before’. Still, Siasia is of a lesser risk in this case.

Verdict Siasia 8 Keshi 7

Total: Siasia 52, Keshi 54

Summary: In conducting an interview, some certain qualities carry more significance than the others, in respect to the job in question. For me, Experience is number 1 (hence its carrying 20 marks here).
Keshi comes out tops mainly because of his Certification, Qualification of Nigeria & Togo for the World Cup and lastly his on & off the field prowess of being a leader. He would be the boss of his players not the other way round and NFF would know their bounds. Siasia will not be a bad choice at all. He is a younger person and looks more in tune with the next generation of players. He too would not take nonsense from his players and would deliver. They both will develop players if given the 4 year contract spoken off.

I think it is exciting times for football followers in Nigeria as we can now celebrate our own. They are both top choices in our football today so any would do for me. We can argue back and forth but I think you can look at the criteria and make the analysis yourself.