The Sun News On-line

Soccer-crazy Nigerians are ready to go for the jugulars of Super Eagles’ players and their coaches if Nigeria failed to qualify for the 2010 World Cup and Africa Cup of Nations championships.

Ex-international, Franklin Harward, dropped the hint that Nigerians would not entertain excuses from the players if they fail to meet the desires of football pundits in the country by picking tickets to those two competitions billed for 2010.
Although the current Super Eagles’ squad had remained in proper shape to grab the available tickets in their group, a slip could give them unfavourable results at the end.

Harward, however, urged the Eagles to brace up and meet the expectations of Nigerians by winning all their remaining matches towards playing at the World Cup proper.
Two years after Nigeria missed out in the last World Cup in Germany, a lot of Nigerians are still entertaining fears on whether the Eagles would eventually qualify for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

Even after the team had won their first five matches with 12 points to stay afloat, football critics have yet to be satisfied with the performance of the Coach Shaibu Amodu-tutored boys, while some had passed a vote of no confidence on the team, insisting that the players had remained complacent.
However, the former Union Bank of Lagos coach, who captained the Flying Eagles in 1979, seemed to have a different opinion. Harward cautioned the Coach Amodu boys to remain focused and make grabbing the World Cup ticket their priority. He said that the Kanu Nwankwo-led side had all it takes to take Nigeria to the mundial in South Africa.

"The current Eagles are better than the ones coached by German Coach Berti Vogts. After their disastrous outing in Ghana 2008, I think they have learnt a lot of lessons.
"Coach Amodu is not doing badly, at least, he has won all the matches he played so far in the qualifying series, so what else does Nigerians want from him if not victories? Some people may have different opinions, but I believe that Amodu is trying to shape up from where Vogts stopped, and I know that it won’t be automatic. I believe he will definitely take Eagles to higher level if we give him some time."

He continued: "The current Eagles are more determined and more committed than the ones that were at the Ghana 2008 Nations Cup. They respect national calls and are willing to play for their coach in order to ensure he succeeds and make Nigeria proud.
"But I know that Nigerians will not take it easy with them if what happened two years ago when the country could not play at the World Cup in Germany repeats itself. Of course, they will not be pardoned because they have no excuse whatsoever to give on why they would not be in South Africa in 2010.

"The team are now fortified and they have good materials, which is what they need to succeed. I only pray they raise their game, because the second series of the qualifiers may not be as smooth as the first stage. Now, every country wants to be at the World Cup and they are ready to fight to earn a place in the finals.
"Eagles have done well so far, but they need to do more in order to make it to the World Cup. However, I believe vividly that nothing will stop them from reaching that goal no matter the opposition."

Meanwhile, Harward dismissed the fear of soccer enthusiasts, who feel that the Dream Team IV would miss Eagles’ safe hands, Vincent Enyeama, at the Olympics. He said that Enyeama’s absence would not stop the team from getting to glory. However, he rued the absence of Ikechukwu Uche, who he believes could have boosted the team’s attack.
It would be recalled that the Olympic-bound Coach Samson Siasia drafted Enyeama and Uche into the Under-23 team as over-aged players, but their clubs stopped them from making it to the Beijing event.

"For me, I believe that the Siasia-led boys can do well without Enyeama, they have good keepers already. So, there is no need to worry about Enyeama’s absence. I only consider Ikechukwu Uche as the missing player in that team, but I know that with or without them, the current Under-23 team will repeat history for Nigeria in Beijing," he stated.