| |
I always weep for Eagles
By OJIEVA EHIOSUN
Thursday,
March 1, 2007
|
•Ben
Iroha
Photo: Sun News Publishing
|
| |
Golden Eaglets new coach, Ben Iroha,
is not pretty comfortable watching the Super Eagles of Nigeria any more. Reason:
His scared of heart attack as he says that the present crops of players in the
national team are a little better than amateurs.
“I feel so sad that
Nigeria can’t produce a formidable Super Eagles that can replicate what
we did in 1994,” Iroha said. “Whenever I watch the team, especially
lately, I feel like crying. After the London 4–1 bashing, I just told myself
that this is the worst set of Eagles ever.
“During our time in the
Eagles, we played with absolute passion and were ready to lay down our lives for
the country. We played with great seriousness but these new players are not committed.
They have failed to realise that it is a great honour to play for one’s
fatherland.
We played for the fun of it, but the new kids on the block
play for how much they can make in terms of naira and kobo.
“It is common
now to hear that the players won’t play unless some people in the Nigeria
Football Association (NFA) walk on their heads to beg them.
“It will
take quite some years to raise a team like the Stephen Keshi-led squad of 1994.
This set is not challenged. The defence is bad and worse still, it appears that
we have just only Vincent Enyeama as goalkeeper in the Eagles. “Enyeama
is not challenged. You can’t compare him with Peter Rufai, who had Wilfred
Agbonabare running down his throat. If we must move forward, we need a fearless
and formidable team.”
Iroha hails the coming of Berti Vogts, but
advises that the German must be ready to go the extra miles in getting the best
players from the local boys.
“There are good players in every street
and this can be an asset to Vogts. They are waiting to be invited to the national
team and they will explode. Some of the local boys will pick shirts ahead of the
so-called foreign-based.” |
