Tag: Eguma

Rivers United technical manager,  Stanley Eguma believes Wednesday’s Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) game against champions, Enyimba is a game his charges cannot afford to lose.

Eguma wants another big performance against the People’s Elephant on Wednesday in what should be a compelling contest in Umuahia.

“The game is a big one as Enyimba are direct rivals this season. Playing in Umuahia can be likened to playing at a neutral venue (Enyimba traditionally play their home games in Aba).

“My only problem with playing in Umuahia is the pitch (at the Umuahia Township Stadium). There is nothing anyone can do now, so the only option open to us is to work hard and see that we come back to Port Harcourt with some points,” Eguma told supersport.com.

“Having lost the (reverse fixture) in Port Harcourt, Enyimba will come all out against us seeking a pound of flesh. We are going to be more than stubborn to them. The objective is not to lose that game in Umuahia but those who really know us will know we are going there to win,” Eguma said.

Rivers United currently occupy second place on the NPFL standings with 34 points from 19 matches.

Rivers United head coach, Stanley Eguma has described the Port-Harcourt side’s weekend NPFL Match Day 19 fixture against Lobi Stars billed for the Yakubu Gowon Stadium, Elekahia as a battle between known foes.

Eguma told SportingLife that Rivers United would only be adding three more new players to fix key areas in the team as they seek consolidation on top of the league table.

He confirmed that most of his injured players are ready and have been training seriously but that Asamoah Godless, Chigozie Ihunda and Joseph Douhadji are major doubts, ahead of the visit of the Pride of Benue.

Rivers United are top of the league table with 31 points from 18 matches.

Rivers United manager, Stanley Eguma, believes only a ‘perfect performance’ will be enough to guarantee maximum points for his side against Kano Pillars on Sunday.

United take on the four-time champions in a potentially explosive matchday 12 Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) clash at the Yakubu Gowon Stadium in Port Harcourt.

The Port Harcourt club will be looking to return to winning ways after suffering their first defeat in four matches away to Heartland in Owerri on April 10.

“The game against Kano Pillars is a big game and we have to work harder than we have ever worked so far this season to (amass) the points. We have been pushed to the wall (after the defeat to Heartland) so we have to ensure that we beat (Pillars). Getting our tactics right on the day will be important and if we manage to do that, we will win,” Eguma told supersport.com.

The gaffer then spoke about his respect for the Pillars coach, Mohammed Baba Ganaru as well as the accomplishments of the ‘Sai Masu Gida’ (nickname of Pillars) in recent seasons.

“Ganaru is one of the best coaches in the league and I respect the work he has put in with Pillars over the years. Pillars is a great club in Nigeria and we respect them too. It will be a very memorable game and we need a perfect performance to win,” he said.

Rivers United currently occupies seventh spot in the NPFL standings with 16 points from 11 matches while Pillars are fifth in the classification with 18 points from 10 matches.

Rivers United gaffer Stanley Eguma has attempted to pick positives from his side’s 1-0 loss to Shooting Stars, singling out the penalty conceded just before half time as the only blot on his report sheet.

“If you exclude the infringement that led to the penalty to 3SC, I think my players lived up to expectations.

“We failed to convert the chances that came our way, my players performed above average but we failed to take our chances.

“We have been scoring in previous matches and it’s just unfortunate that we could not score today.It’s one of those things in football,” he said.

The win lifts 3SC up to 8th place on the NPFL standings with nine points from five matches while United dropped to 9th with nine points from seven.

RIVERS United’s  Bernard Ovoke, who was tipped to start against Niger Tornadoes by football purists but failed to make the cut for the NPFL Week 6 duel, will make the squad to Ibadan where the Port Harcourt side have a NPFL Week 7 tie against 3SC on Saturday.

Ovoke joined Rivers United from Bayelsa United after he elected not to go down with the Restoration Boys to the lower league and he has been making progress in the new look Port Harcourt side under the guidance of head coach, Stanley Eguma.

He was tipped to start the last Rivers United’s away game against Niger Tornadoes which they lost 3-2 at the Confluence Stadium, Lokoja but Eguma dropped him for tactical reasons.

The Media Officer of the club, Sammy Wejinya told SportingLife that Ovoke has impressed the technical crew and that he is among the players expected to make the trip to Ibadan.

He further told SportingLife that the head coach, Stanley Eguma has charged the players of the club to work for each other and not delegate duties while on the pitch. He said all departments on the pitch from defence to  attack need to work together to ensure that a game is won.

Eguma hailed his strikers for scoring in all the matches they have played this season both home and away but that they must replicate their home form where they have not conceded any goal to their away matches to earn road points too.

Rivers United are seventh on the log with nine points from six matches but they have lost all their away matches against MFM, Giwa FC and Niger Tornadoes respectively while claiming the maximum points from their three home games against Enyimba, FC IfeanyiUbah and Nasarawa United.

Rivers United technical manager,  Stanley Eguma said he will try to ‘correct mistakes’ from their next league fixture.

Eguma stated this after his side’s 3-2 loss to Niger Tornadoes in a week six of the Nigeria Professional Football League game at the Confluence Stadium, Lokoja on Sunday.

United late rally round yielded no positive as Tornadoes picked all the three points at stake in the match, moving up four places up the standings to 11th place with seven points from six matches while United dropped two places and now occupy seventh place with nine points from six matches.

“We started quite well but we conceded that goal from a free kick at the stroke of half time. In the second half, we conceded two quick goals as my players lost their heads. The good thing was the fight back but we will try to correct our mistakes from our next match,” Eguma said.

Rivers United manager, Stanley Eguma, has hailed MFM FC for their gallant display in a week two NPFL match played at the Agege Stadium on Wednesday.

The NPFL debutants defeated the Port Harcourt based side 2-1 with goals from Ifeanyi Ifeanyi and Sikiru Olatunbosun.

Eguma admitted after the match that he knew nothing about MFM FC but praised their display.

“It was a good game, we started slowly but conceded two goals while we were settling down but our reaction was good, we pulled one back but we were unlucky not to have levelled up or even got a winner. We got close with that stunning shot that hit the upright by Chigozie Ihunda,” Eguma told Goal.

“MFM FC are a good side who can build on their excellent start to the season.

“They looked good on the ball and switch easily. I didn’t know much about them before now but I’m impressed by their performance,” he concluded.

Dolphins head coach, Stanley Eguma has charged his AWOL players to come back to the club for the interest of their career and thus honour the existing contract between them and the Port Harcourt based club.

As at the last count, Ali Chiwendu, Austin Festus, Obinze Godwin, Chigozie Ihunda, Godwin Ayalogu, Sunday Rotimi, Ebuka Emmanuel, Christian Weli and Togolese Joseph Dughaji and few others are the only ones that have reported to camp from the old players.

Eguma in a chat with SportingLife expressed his dismay at the unprofessional attitude of some of his players who have shunned the club’s pre-season camping exercise on the guise of the debt owed them by the State Government.

He said it was wrong for the players to stay out this long when they are still contracted to the team and that in a civil society any player that wants to leave a club knows that he needs to present himself before the club to thrash things out and not the hide and seek ploy employed by his players.

Eguma also berated premier league clubs in the country who are keeping players of another clubs in their possession for their pre-season exercises without consulting the rightful owners of the players.

The former U23 coach however confirmed that Ghanaian duo of Andu Wilson and Godless Asamoah are expected back in Port Harcourt from Ghana this weekend while adding that he is presently considering other players’ options before him if most of the old players do not return on time.

He also said that Dolphins would proceed on a pre season camping this weekend as the former Nigerian champions look to bounce back in the new season.

Former Nigeria Under-23 team assistant coach Stanley Eguma has tipped the side to claim the Olympic ticket at the ongoing Under-23 Africa Cup of Nations in Senegal.

The Nigerian representatives opened their qualification ticket account against Mali on Sunday at the Stade Caroline Faye in M’Bour.

Eguma said the coaching crew acted cautiously and rightly with its decision to build the team almost wholly around the domestic players.

“I think with the situation on the ground Nigeria have a bright chance to pick up a Olympic ticket in Senegal.

“Coach Samson Siasia has kept a crop of players mostly around the home-based lads who overtime has blended perfectly well.

“That’s quite key for the side to excel in the championship unlike our own time that we built the team around foreign professionals only to discover lately that none of them would be available for the championship in Morocco and that was our greatest undoing.

“Siasia negotiated with the clubs of the few players coming from outside the nation’s shores and that’s why he did not have any issue with the release of Junior Ajayi and Taiwo Awoniyi among others.

“Siasia too has been successful with the U-20s and U-23s and has the quality material to win the championship and go to the Olympics.

“The training tour of Gambia equally helped the team greatly for the challenges in Senegal. I think they are 95 per cent ready to do well.

“Nigerians will only do the team a lot of good with steady prayers throughout the duration of the championship,” said the head coach of Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) side Dolphins to supersport.com.

Nigeria’s two other group matches will be against the North African giants Egypt and Algeria on Wednesday and Friday respectively in M’Bour and Dakar.

The top three finishers at the eight-team championship in Senegal will qualify for the 2016 Rio Olympics.