The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Dolphins

  • Dolphins to focus on youth, pace

    Dolphins to focus on youth, pace

    Dolphins head coach, Stanley Eguma has said the club will focus on youth and pace in the coming season, hence their choice of players.

    Eguma said they have signed some players this season because they want the team to play a different brand of football.

    “I’m actually happy with the quality in the team. They are all young players and we didn’t go for big names because we wanted to add pace to the team” he was quoted in a release made available to futaa.com.

    “We also wanted hungry players, those who want success and that is how we recruited this year.We are working on team play now and blending and we believe that we still have enough time to do that,” Eguma said.

    “Our midfield also used to be a problem but I can now say I am satisfied with what I have in the team now.”

    Eguma said he wants to get Dolphins back to winning ways after the disappointments of the last two seasons where the club escaped relegation on the last day of the campaign.

  • Dolphins to cross swords with Hearts, Kotoko

    Dolphins to cross swords with Hearts, Kotoko

    Three-time Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) champions, Dolphins will face Ghanaian clubs, Accra Hearts of Oak and Kumasi Asante Kotoko Sports Club in warm-up fixtures ahead of the start of the 2013/14 season.

    The Port Harcourt side have since intensified preparations for the new campaign and competed at the Lotto tournament in Lagos.

    Manager of Dolphins, Stanley Eguma is pleased at the pace of the team’s preparations and believes the games against Hearts and Kotoko will prove to be the icing on the cake ahead of competitive fixtures in the Nigerian top flight.

    “We resumed early enough for the new season and the Lotto tournament in Lagos was vital for our preparations. Shortly, we will be travelling to Ghana for another pre-season tournament that will see us play against clubs like Kumasi Asante Kotoko and Accra Hearts of Oak,” Eguma told supersport.com.

    Dolphins were mediocre by their high standards in the 2012/13 Globacom Premier League campaign as they finished the season in ninth place with 53 points from 38 matches.

    Eguma is eager to “correct the situation this time around” and insists he has the right personnel to deliver success in the upcoming season.

    “We have been able to include players that we believe can help us achieve set goals this season. They may not be what some call big names but we know what they can do. Victor Alegbe is one of the two players we recruited from Wikki Tourists while Jonathan Zikiye who can wreck havoc from the left has joined us from Nembe City.

    “Stone Evbuomwan has come in from ABS and we have retained our best legs from last season. The plan is to add strength, zest and speed to our play and our target is to fight for the top spot in the new season,” he concluded.

    Dolphins will face Heartland FC in their opening fixture of the 2013/14 Globacom Premier League season at the Dan Anyima Stadium, Owerri.

  • Eduwo dumps Sunshine for Dolphins

    Eduwo dumps Sunshine for Dolphins

    Former 3SC striker Kingsley Eduwo will now feature for Dolphins FC in the new season after he turned down an offer by Sunshine Stars.

    Eduwo has made a U-turn to join Sunshine Stars after the player and coach failed to agree to the terms, his agent Famakinwa Lanre has disclosed.

    The 17-year-old striker, who hit the headlines in the 2011/2012 season following his brace for Gateway which sent 3SC parking from the Federation Cup, has now agreed to join Dolphins for the coming season.

    “Kingsley will play for Dolphins in the new season, we have agreed terms. The discussion with Sunshine didn’t go well because they didn’t agree to our terms. He will sign a one-year loan deal with Dolphins. The terms have been agreed.”

    Eduwo was invited to the training camp for the CHAN 2014, but did not make the final list due to late invitation.

  • Our experience paid off against Remo – Eguma

    Our experience paid off against Remo – Eguma

    From Tunde Liadi,Owerri

    After overcoming the scare of Remo Stars in their opening match of the pre- season tournament packaged by MultiSports, Dolphins of Port Harcourt’s manager, Stanley Eguma has praised his boys for making experience count against the National League side.

    The Port Harcourt dwellers were behind at some stages in the match before they rallied back to score two goals which aided their win but Eguma thumbed up the players and the coaching staff of Remo Stars for such a good job done on the team but disclosed that his boys showed they were better than their opponents with their bravery and tactical discipline which gave them the match.

    He said his ambition is to ensure that his wards successfully defend the trophy they won last year again this term and that his remaining foes-Warri Wolves, My People FC and others should better watch it if they do not want to be disgraced.

    “We have played and won a game against Remo Stars. They are not a bad team and they even opened the scores before my boys showed they were more experience with two goals of their own.

    “My objective is to retain this competition and all opponents that cross our path will be beaten,” Eguma boasted.

    The competition taking place at the Agege Stadium, Lagos will end on Wednesday. Warri Wolves also recorded a 1-0 win over My People FC in one of the earlier played matches.

     

  • Dolphins make coaching changes

    Dolphins make coaching changes

    There have been some changes within the coaching ranks of Dolphins Football Club as they continue their preparation for the 2013/14 football season.

    John Apollo, who has been an assistant coach with the team since 2008, has now been elevated to the position of Chief Coach and second in command to Stanley Eguma.

    Okechukwu Okabie, who was once Head Coach of Sharks in the mid-nineties and most recently coached Go Round FC, joins the crew as an assistant coach.

    Other coaches in the team remain Joe Buma (Physical Trainer), Ernest Teigbanyo (Goalkeeper Coach 1) and Okey Iweanya (Goalkeeper Coach 2). Stanley Eguma remains Technical Adviser and head of the coaching crew at the 2011 League champions.

    The team spent eleven days in Oghara for a pre-season camping, returning to Port Harcourt last Sunday.

    As part of their pre-season tour, Dolphins took part in the Sapele Unity Cup where they will play against Rangers International in the final at a yet-to-be confirmed date.

  • Dolphins drop Victor Babayaro

    Dolphins drop Victor Babayaro

    Dolphins football club have reportedly released veteran midfielder, Victor Babayaro, stating that the Kaduna born star is a surplus to requirements for the upcoming season.

    Babayaro, who had played for Enugu Rangers, arrived at Port Harcourt from Bauchi where he also starred for Wikki Tourists.

    The former junior international has made 291 appearances for the Port Harcourt side, and was looking forward to completing 300 appearances, before he was asked to leave.

    Sources in Port Harcourt told Futaa.com that the midfielder is well liked and fans had called into a radio programme where he was a guest some weeks ago, to congratulate him on his impending 300th appearance achievement.

    Dolphins are currently in Sapele, where they are taking part in a pre season tournament.

  • Why Dolphins began pre-season early, by Eguma

    Why Dolphins began pre-season early, by Eguma

    Dolphins tactician Stanley Eguma has revealed why the Port Harcourt dwellers resumed for pre-season camping earlier than previous seasons.

    Dolphins only escaped relegation by the whiskers two seasons ago, barely a season after winning the league. Although they did not start well last season, they still ended in 9th position.

    Eguma, who marshalled the club’s league title three seasons ago, told SportingLife that the management of Dolphins had clear-the-air talks with the Rivers State Government on the way forward for the club ahead of the next season.

    He pointed out that early season camping and taking care of the players and coaches’ logistics are other issues the stakeholders raised which must be taken care of if Dolphins are to excel.

    The former Under 23 Assistant Coach revealed that it was this that informed the club’s choice of Oghara as their campsite since it would provide them the opportunity of training without distraction.

    He also added that there are plans for Dolphins to participate in pre-season tournaments with some other top clubs in the elite division in Warri on a yet-to-be-decided date.

    “We have done an appraisal of the problem that hampered Dolphins in the last two seasons. We initially noticed that the club’s woes started immediately after our participation in the 2011 CAF Champions League.

    “We have suggested to the Rivers government – our sponsors – that early camping and seeing to the welfare of the team should be a priority. It is the reason we are resuming our pre-season exercises earlier than expected. We have told about 10 players to leave and almost same numbers would be recruited.

    “We are hoping that a date for the start of the league would be made public soon, so that our preparations are not in any way affected,” Eguma told SportingLife from the club’s Oghara camp.

  • Panathinaikos fail to settle Ajagun’s transfer fee

    Panathinaikos fail to settle Ajagun’s transfer fee

    Greek club Panathinaikos has failed to beat a deadline to pay up the 200,000 Euros transfer fee for Nigeria U-20 skipper Abdujaleel Ajagun.

    Nigerian club Dolphins recently fired a two-week ultimatum for the Greek to pay up the transfer fee and the club is awaiting the Greek giants’ response.

    MTNFootball.com learnt that the Port Harcourt side will now be forced to drag Panathinaikos to world football governing body over the matter.

    “Dolphins is yet to receive payment from Panathinaikos and will now likely to take the case to FIFA,” a top source informed MTNFootball.com

    “It is rather unfortunate because Ajagun has added value to the club since his arrival, playing seven first-team games. But the Greek club is still not willing to pay for him.”

    ‘Pana’ is believed to be affected by the cash crunch which has overtaken the Greek economy and this has forced the club hierarchy to go for youngsters during the summer transfer window.

     

     

  • Protesting youth delay Dolphins’ pre-season trip

    Protesting youth delay Dolphins’ pre-season trip

    Protesting ex-Militants who blocked the East/West Road have delayed the pre-season camping of Dolphins.

    Dolphins were set to leave for Oghara in Delta State on Wednesday where they should have begun their tour/camping ahead of the start of the new football season. However, on getting to Mbiama, just before Bayelsea State, they could go no further because protesting ex-militants had blocked the highway.

    The team had to make a U-turn as there was no way forward for them. Dolphins then restarted their journey to Oghara on Thursday.

    The team will play in a pre-season tournament at Sapele and may defend the Lotto trophy they won in Lagos last off season. A few invited players have already joined the team on the trip to Oghara as well as those retained by the club.

  • Eguma promises better season

    Eguma promises better season

    Dolphins manager, Stanley Eguma has promised Dolphins would make up for the disappointment of the past two seasons by clinching a place on the continent.

    The 2010/11 premier league champions have had their fate in the top flight decided on the final match day in the past two campaigns and Eguma has declared next season would be different.

    He told supersport.com: “Dolphins have always brought joy to the people of Rivers State and we are promising them we will do much better next season.

    “We have not met our targets in the past two seasons, and two years in the doldrums is long enough for us to act to reverse the trend.

    “Our target is to qualify for Africa next season by finishing in a good position in the premiership. We want to return the team back to its winning ways.”

    Eguma has, however, ruled out rebuilding his side to achieve this objective.

    He insists he would only add a few new faces to energise the team, adding that they were still a force to be reckoned with.

    “We have always been involved in the transfer market, but we have tried to maintain the nucleus of the team to ensure continuity,” he told supersport.com.

    “Players would always come and go, but there has to be a foundation.

    “We would add wisely to make our squad very competitive.

    “This is the same team that won the league two years ago, so we can’t just start building another one from the scratch.”

    He said the league was unusually tight last term and that it would be unfair to criticise their performance simply because they avoided relegation on the last day of the season.

    “It was an unusually tight and difficult campaign with over half of the teams finishing so close to each other,” he said.

    “No team was outstanding as most of the clubs had their fate decided on the last day. There were four clubs fighting for the title and continental slots, while most of the others weren’t mathematically safe from the drop.

    “In the circumstances we didn’t do too badly, but it was a far cry from the targets we had set out for the team.” Dolphins finished ninth with 53 points.