The Sun News On-line

Former technical director of Nigeria Football Association (NFA) and Director of Pepsi Football Academy, Kashimawo Laloko, was not impressed with the performance of the Coach Ladan Bosso-tutored Flying Eagles in their last game in Abeokuka, when they played against Junior Terenga Lions of Senegal.

He, therefore, called on the entire technical crew to wake up because Nigerians would not take anything less than the silver medal the Samson Siasia-tutored side won in Holland in 2005.

According to Laloko, sentiments should be thrown to the wind by the technical crew by drafting in quality players to the squad.

“Sincerely, it’s high time we looked beyond African Championships and focus on becoming world champions. We have all it takes to get to that height. Nigeria is blessed with talents more than other African countries. We need to do something at the World Cup in 2010 to be able to gets back to where we were.

“Siasia had led the Flying Eagles to the FIFA World Youth Championship in Holland in 2005 where he got to the final with his boys, but was only stopped by Argentina from clinching the Cup.
“Siasia and his boys did so well even without much preparation, yet they were able to win silver medal for Nigeria. So, I don’t expect Bosso and his boys to go and blow that standard, which Siasia and his team had set.

“As for me, I would advise Coach Bosso that while he is in the process of qualifying for the African Youth Championship (AYC), he should as well be thinking towards using Siasia’s record as a yardstick.

“When you get a new job and the person that handed over to you has a standard he had set, you will not say that the standard is not good for you, rather, all you need to do is to work hard to ensure that you did not get anything below that record.

“Therefore, Bosso must surpass Siasia’s standard. I will advice him to work towards winning the Cup, not even coming second. That way, he will make a name for himself and would be celebrated just like Coach Yemi Tella of the blessed memory.”

Speaking further, Laloko warned coaches on the way they promote players to the senior national team, which he said most times, have had negative effects on the players.
“I’m not saying that it is not good for them to promote players to the senior national team, but I would prefer them to allow the players to grow from one stage to the other.

“Rabiu Ibrahim’s invitation to the Super Eagles is not totally bad, but my fear is that our players in Africa, when promoted to the senior team, would always allow it to enter their heads, thereby making them to end up seeing themselves as having arrived, when they have not achieved anything.
“Look at my own Mikel Obi, how old was he when he joined the Super Eagles? Since then, he has been misbehaving. So, we should be careful about the way we promote players. It is better for them to take their time and grow with the teams from one stage to the another.”
Laloko also advised Coach Shaibu Amodu to inject new blood into his team and do away with some old players, who can no longer give him the needed result.

“We need to turn around our team by getting better players. This can only be done when we over-haul the national team by getting rid of the old and tired legs and replace them with young and talented ones.”