The Nation Newspaper

Tag: coach

  • SACK NOTICE AFFECTED FALCONS – COACH

    Coach of Nigeria’s Super Falcons Chris Danjuma has admitted the news of him being relieved of his job regardless of how the Falcons performed at the women’s football event of the All Africa Games (AAG), had an adverse effect on his team.

    NFF president Amaju Pinnick had announced that Nigeria would be appointing a foreign coach for the Super Falcons this week while the team were in the thick of competition.

    The news seemed to have scuttled the euphoria in the Falcons camp in Congo after the team started their AAG performance on a high with a 5-1 win.

    However after that victory and Àmaju Pinnick’s subsequent announcement, the team lost three straight matches.

    “I am human. Even though we are professionals, we still have emotions. We come out every day to give our best to make a name for yourself and make our country proud. But while we are yet on this we hear the news back home and whether you like it or not these things affect us because we are human. We did know anymore what to think because we were under pressure,” stated coach Danjuma

    “We suffered from inexperience because we brought some new legs to test in this tournament. And things didn’t work out the way we wanted.”

  • German coach takes over Nigeria table tennis

    German coach takes over Nigeria table tennis

    Former German national coach, Martin Adomeit will take charge of the Nigeria table tennis team to the 2015 African Games in Congo Brazzaville.

    The coach, who will act as the technical adviser, was hired through the financial support of the National Sports Commission (NSC).

    The German tactician guided Nigeria’s Aruna Quadri to the quarterfinal stage of the 2014 ITTF World Cup in Dusseldorf, Germany and he is expected to arrive Nigeria this week to start working with the team in readiness for the games.

    From 1978 to 1980 Martin Adomeit worked at youth level of clubs with Germany-based Soest TV and TuS Ampen. In 1981 he joined the TuS Jahn Soest and was part of the technical crew of the team’s female team in the Bundesliga League and in 1984, he took over as coach of the women’s team of the club. He also served from 1988 to 1997 as honourary coach of the West German Table Tennis Association (WTTA).

    In 1996, he was appointed as an assistant coach by the German Table Tennis Association DTTB and in 1997 he ended all previous activities at club levels and took over the post of national coach of the German female team.

    Under his tutelage, the German women’s team won three consecutive times the European League as well as winner of the 1998 and 1999 European Ladies Team Championship while in 2000, the team won silver.

    For this feat, the Association of German Table Tennis Coaches named Adomeit as the coach of the year in 1999.

    After the poor outing of the German team at the 2000 ITTF World Cup, Adomeit stepped down and was replaced by Richard Prause as women’s coach. Adomeit now assumed responsibility for the female junior team.

    From August 2004 to April 2007, Adomeit worked as coach and sporting director in Luxembourg while he also handled the Belgium national team from 2008 to 2010.

    From 2010, he has been working as Independent coach in camps for players and coaches for the European Table Tennis Union (ETTU) and ITTF, German Organising Committee (OC), coach education in Germany as well as personal coach to top players across the globe.

    The 51-year-old Dortmund-born tactician is a licensed coach, who studied at the German Sport University in Cologne.

  • Taraba order coach to ‘step aside’

    Taraba order coach to ‘step aside’

    Nigeria league bottom club FC, Taraba have ordered head coach Tony Ogharanduku to step aside.

    Taraba lost 2-1 to visiting Warri Wolves in a rescheduled league match in Makurdi on Thursday.

    Former Mighty Jets star Ogharanduku disclosed he has been asked to stay away from the club.

    “I was not on the bench (vs warri Wolves). My assistant took charge of the match. I was asked to step aside,” he said.

    Last season, Ogharanduku replaced coach Ndubuisi Nduka to save Taraba from relegation.

    Taraba have been hit by a cash crunch while the players have not been paid for over six months.

    The Jalingo club are rock bottom of the Nigeria league with 13 points after 18 rounds of matches.

  • WWC: We did not play to Okon’s instructions – Falcons

    WWC: We did not play to Okon’s instructions – Falcons

    • As they insist ‘God of soccer’ did not fail them
    The Super Falcons of Nigeria in spite of their 2-0 loss to a technically sound Australian team on Friday at the Winnipeg Stadium had insisted that God was still with the team.
    One of the Super Falcons players who spoke with NationSports confessed that the team did not play to Coach Edwin Okon’s instructions.
    “Today was our bad day. I can’t say the God of soccer failed us because we did not do the right thing. Our coach told us that we needed to fight together but we did not,” she said.
    The Most Valuable Player (MVP)  of the match against Sweden, Ngozi Akobi was however of the opinion that the players did not put up the fighting spirit that was synonymous with the team in their opening match against Sweden.
    “Only God knows why we were not coordinated, we were so anxious,”  she revealed.
    There was however a notion that the Nigerian team was more of a spiritual team than other teams. This was captured by some Australian journalists in their tabloid prior to the match against the Coach Edwin Okon led team.
    However the Super Falcons Coach who is also known in the tournament as one who believes and associate his victory to God admitted that his team lost to a team that had a technical depth than his team but was  also spiritually sound.
    In separate interviews with some other players of the team, after their match against Australia, they admitted that the team lacked cohesion this time around which according to them was indeed baffling as they had all come out prepared for the match.
    The team’s ace player, Assisat Oshoala who was substituted in the game during the heat of the match told NationSports that: “God did not fail us, I guess it was over confidence on our part. We still have a lot to do to make sure we get the best point, “she said.
    The Super Falcons will play their 3rd  Group D match against USA on Tuesday in Vancouver.
  • Former Eaglets coach blames Amuneke for loss

    Former Eaglets coach blames Amuneke for loss

    Former Golden Eaglets coach Alphonsus Dike has blamed Nigeria’s U-17 semi-final defeat to their South African counterpart on contentment and complacency.

    Dike told www.footballlive.ng shortly after the match that the team got lost in the euphoria of having achieved the minimum expected target from them being a World Cup ticket.

    Dike explained that the World Cup ticket brought a feeling of satisfaction on the psychology of the team which ultimately led to them being complacent and hence the loss to South Africa.

    ” They were complacent, having qualified for the World Cup they probably felt that was the ultimate. I had always insisted it was the responsibility of the coach to make the players continue with the momentum from the group stage, obviously it was a psychological thing and their attitude towards the game cost them.”

    Nigeria conceded a 26th minute goal in Niamey and it proved to be enough for the Amajimbos to record an infamous win over the Eaglets in the first semi-final of the 2015 CAF U-17 Championship on Wednesday.

  • I need a good coach, Quadri cries out

    I need a good coach, Quadri cries out

    To avert his continued poor run in the 2015  International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) World Tour, ITTF Star Player, Nigeria’s Aruna Quadri has said that he requires a good coach to compete favourably with his counterparts in the world.

    Within 10 days Quadri suffered successive loss in the first round of the Kuwait and Qatar Opens to begin his campaigns for a place in the end-of-year World Tour Finals.

    A dejected Quadri told SportingLife yesterday from Qatar that he would require the service of a good coach as most of his opponents play with their coaches as he had to act as coach as well as player in most of his matches.

    “It is really painful that I am losing some easy matches because most of my opponents are not better than I but the edge they have over me is that they are most times supported by their coaches. This alone has given them a psychological edge over me even before the match. It was not that I played badly but there was nobody to assist me in watching my game in order to know my weaknesses as well as my opponent’s shortcomings. I think having a coach sitting behind you in any competition matters and this has really affected me at the Kuwait and Qatar Opens,” Quadri said.

    At the 2014 ITTF World Cup in Dusseldorf, Germany, Quadri was assisted by former German national coach, Martin Adomeit, who was instrumental to his excellent performance at the tournament.

    “I still have more competitions to attend this year and for me getting this coach is very important and I am appealing to those in charge of Nigerian sports – National Sports Commission (NSC) to assist me because I need this to maintain my status as well as build up to the next All Africa Games in Congo Brazzaville,” he added.

    At the just concluded Qatar Open, Quadri was shown the exit in the first round by Slovenia’s Bojan Tokic and the Oyo State-born athlete will return to action in Lagos next month for the ITTF World Tour.

  • CHUKWU TO NFF: Get Eagles a coach now

    CHUKWU TO NFF: Get Eagles a coach now

    Looking at the pace of Nigeria’s tumbling from FIFA’s rankings to 43rd in the world now, former Super Eagles Chief Coach Christian Chukwu has urged the leadership of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to effect the appointment of a new Super Eagles Coach immediately if the Federation so wishes.

    Chukwu also advised that they should start contract discussions with the out of contract coach of the team Stephen Keshi if the NFF wishes too.

    The concerned football coach said getting a new coach for the senior national team was taking too long and  further delay may be dangerous since other African countries have coaches that have mapped out various programmes for their teams while the Super Eagles has none for now.

    “Time does not wait for anyone and before you know it another qualifying series for the next Nations Cup will soon start. The Super Eagles is the major problem for now. The earlier a new coach is appointed, the better for the team. The new coach has to know the team and start grooming them immediately and delay may be dangerous. If the Nigeria Football Federation(NFF) wants to re-appoint Stephen Keshi as the team’s new coach let them do so now because any further delay is dangerous,”, Chukwu told Sportinglife yesterday.

    He, however, expressed confidence in the abilities of the coaches handling the U-23 national team, the Flying Eagles and the Golden Eaglets adding that the three teams will make Nigeria proud in their respective assignments.

    “Personally, I don’t have fears about our junior teams they have been doing well in their various programmes and tournaments. I am particularly impressed with the performance of  the Flying Eagles and the U- 23 national teams handled by Manu Garba and Samson Siasia at the Super 6 tournament.

    “I am also more impressed with the performance of Siasia’s team against the U- 23 national team of Tunisia. It shows that the junior teams and their handlers are working hard to make Nigeria proud, so no fears at all for the age grade teams. It’s only the Super Eagles I am entertaining fears about”, Chukwu disclosed.

  • SC Cambuur coach praises Ogbeche

    SC Cambuur coach praises Ogbeche

    • Simon debuts in Gent win

    SC Cambuur manager,  Henk de Jong has opined that Bartholomew Ogbeche ought to be the leading scorer in the Eredivisie.

    The Nigeria international is one goal shy of the league’s leading marksman after bagging a brace against ADO Den Haag, which took his tally to 10 goals.

    “He could have gone during the winter, but he would not, because he feels so happy in this team,” Henk de Jong told FOX Sports, according to Voetbal International.

    “He’s a good guy on and off the field and a real striker. If he is in the right place, the ball always goes in. and if he had taken the penalties, he would have been at the top.”

    Ogbeche has found the back of the net 8 times in his last 10 matches.

    Meanwhile, Nigeria youth international Moses Simon debuted for his Belgian club Gent on Saturday as they beat hosts Mouscron-Péruwelz 3-1.

    ‘Daddy’, as he is widely called, played 10 minutes on his debut as he was an 80th minute substitute for Benito Raman.

    The winger was a hit for Trecin in Slovakia where he scored 13 goals and was linked with several other clubs.

  • Kwara Utd employ Isiaka Gambari as interim coach

    Kwara Utd employ Isiaka Gambari as interim coach

    Coach Isiaka Gambari has been given the mandate to take over as the Acting Head Coach of Kwara United FC, pending the appointment of substantive coaches for the recently promoted club.

    Gambari was second to the team from the Sports Council, and will be in charge in an interim capacity with Coach I. O. Bako.

    The Head Coach of the team, Samson David Unuanel and his assistants, Ali Zubair (Chief Coach), Jimoh Balogun (Assistant Coach), Rasheed Badmus (Trainer) and Tunji Abubakar (Goalkeeper Trainer)were asked to go last week, following the expiration of their one year contract.

    The General Manager of the club, Mohammed Haruna Maigidansama had said that the technical crew  will be restructured to ensure vibrancy and discipline.

    He added that the sacked coaches have the opportunity to re-apply if they are still interested in the job.

    “They have been asked to go, and to re-apply if they are still interested. You know they signed a contract for one season, which has ended. We thank them for their service, sacrifice and support when in charge,” he said.

    “We really need to restructure the technical department to avoid the kind of ugly incidences witnessed last season. We had many shortcomings, and we need to correct that. We need a more vibrant and disciplined technical department,” he said.

    The players of the team resumed yesterday .

     

  • I’m ready to return as Eagles’ coach, says Keshi

    I’m ready to return as Eagles’ coach, says Keshi

    Stephen Keshi has said he won’t mind returning as Nigeria’s coach, if he was asked to do so by the  President.

    President Goodluck Jonathan has ordered Keshi be reinstated after he was sacked by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).

    When asked if he was aware of the presidential order yesterday in Abuja, Keshi told AfricanFootball.com: “Well I am just hearing from you.

    “But if the President of my country asked me to return, who am I to refuse?”

    ‘Big Boss’ was at press time locked in a meeting with Sports Minister Tammy Danagogo.

    Keshi had earlier refused to comment on speculations he was to return as the country’s coach just weeks after he was eased out with Nigeria in danger of missing out on next year’s Africa Cup of Nations.

    Several top sources have confirmed that Jonathan has ordered Keshi be re-instated and given a contract.

    This was after his meeting with NFF president Amaju Pinnick and Chris Giwa at the Aso Rock Villa Wednesday night.

    “Keshi is back as Nigeria coach and he will be the one to lead the Super Eagles against Congo and South Africa next month,” one of the top sources informed AfricanFootball.com.

    An official statement is being expected in this respect.