Tag: Gbenga Ogunbote

Newly appointed Plateau United Technical Adviser, Coach Gbenga Ogunbote, has declared that his primary mission is to rescue the club from relegation and secure its Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) status.

Popularly known as “The Oracle”, Ogunbote made this known during a parley with the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN), Plateau State Chapter, shortly after assuming duty.

 “My goal of coming to Plateau United is to salvage the club from its present 19^th  position on the log,” Ogunbote stated. “The aim is to maintain our Premiership status, but we must be very intentional about it.”

The former handler of Shooting Stars, Lobi Stars, Giwa FC and Sunshine Stars urged his players to adopt a fearless mentality, encouraging them to aim high despite the club’s current struggles.

 “We must aim above the stars. Per adventure we fall, we will fall among the stars. If we finish strong, escape will be guaranteed,” he added.

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Ogunbote confirmed that his contract runs until the end of the season, with a renewal clause subject to mutual agreement, while outlining his short-term strategy of managing the squad effectively before deeper restructuring.

 “For now, we will manage the situation, introduce new players gradually and use them as substitutes in key areas to better understand the team,” he explained. “Every session we’ve had has focused on goalscoring because only goals bring relief. Football is about two things: scoring and protecting your goals.”

The Plateau United TA also commended club chairman Alhassan Yakmut for his administrative experience, calling on all stakeholders to unite in preserving the club’s image as one of the league’s respected brands.

Coach Gbenga Ogunbote has shared a heartfelt farewell message with fans of Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC) of Ibadan following his departure from the club where he served as head coach for over two years.

Ogunbote expressed  his gratitude to the club’s supporters and staff via social media platforms , marking the end of his tenure with the Ibadan-based team.

The experienced tactician, who previously managed Enyimba International, Rangers FC, Sunshine Stars was recently relieved of his duties by the club’s new General Manager, Taiwo Lekan Salami.

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 “My time with Shooting Stars has officially come to an end,” Ogunbote wrote. “I want to thank the fans, my players, the technical crew, the backroom staff, and everyone who supported me throughout this journey. Your love never went unnoticed.”

His departure brings to a close a significant chapter in the club’s recent history, during which he played a key role in their development and competitive performance.

Technical Adviser of Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC), Gbenga Ogunbote, has admitted that the Oluyole Warriors deserved a point from their trip to  Plateau United in Jos  last weekend in one of the NPFL Matchday 22 fixtures.

Ogunbote acknowledged that his boys gave Plateau United a great fight in the 1-1 draw encounter and it that it would have been a big let-down had they surrendered all  points to Plateau United in the game.

Though  he expressed disappointment over the failure of his team to win, Ogunbote r took solace in the fact that a point was secured.

The former Rangers International handler, attributed the inability of his team to get a seventh consecutive victory to momentary loss of concentration.

‘It is quite unfortunate that we couldn’t manage the goal. It was as a result of loss of concentration. It was an error on our part,” Ogunbote told Shooting Stars Media. “It was a big setback for us because we had such opportunity against a big club like Plateau United, but sometimes, it’s like that, all we need to do is go back to the drawing board and make corrections”.

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He continued.” If we had taken the advantage today, maybe it would have been a different ball game, but be it as it may, one point on the road by this time is something.

“It would have been suicidal if we had conceded the second goal. They (Plateau United) showed a killer distinct, you saw the way they came on us, we were careless they scored, and they fought to get the second goal,” he  added .

On the title race, the highly revered tactician said: “I think we have 17 games to determine that, so nobody has won it, nobody has lost it. Every team in the premiership league has equal chance of winning it.”

Shooting Stars coach Gbenga Ogunbote has stressed that the Oluyole Warriors must be intentional about the quality of attackers they will be recruiting during the mid-season transfer window.

The Oluyole Warriors are third at the end of the first round with 33 points from 19 games but Ogunbote said they must get quality attackers to remain in contention for the NPFL title.

Ogunbote guided Shooting Stars to a flawless 2024 December winning all five games.

In addition to the good run of the team in November after an initial poor start to the season to jump to number three at the end of the first stanza, from number 14 in October 2024.

A run which has made the team one of the early contenders for the title with nineteen matches to go.

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Despite their great run leading to the end of the first stanza, Ogunbote revealed all is not well with the team and some intervention is needed especially in the attack to ensure the team remains competitive.

 “We managed the team to this level, even the blinds know we have issues in the attack,” Ogunbote disclosed.

The coach said they are condemned to get a striker in the mid-season transfer window which is expected to be opened today,  7^th  January .

He said: “We are doing our very best to see how to make a possible recruitment. We are condemned to get centre forward players, we are out with our search lights already.”

 “We are trusting God that we can get two or three because in that area we are completely deficit so we need to solve it.”

Shooting Stars head coach, Gbenga Ogunbote has thumbed up the determination of his players in the 2-1 home win over Akwa United last weekend.

The Oluyole Warriors recorded back-to-back home victories in a match day nine NPFL clash after a 1-0 win against Katsina United last time out at Lekan Salami Stadium in Ibadan.

Speaking with the media, Ogunbote acknowledged the need for synergy among his players towards ensuring a more improved outing.

“It’s beyond just having a team. When you have players who want to play for you, they will give it their all, and you will get good results. They must also tell themselves, No matter the situation, head or tail, we must win,” Ogunbote said.

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“It’s the determination of every player that brings about a win. Some lose chances because of anxiety. They may be unable to control their emotions, and that would rob their team of opportunities.

“However, it’s good when the synergy comes gradually. The moment we have that, we’ll be able to have more goal-scoring opportunities on our side.

“By the time the synergy becomes top-notch, we can note that, even when we close our eyes, the opportunities will be created and converted.”

Shooting Stars are 11^th  with 12 points ahead of their

Shooting Stars head coach, Gbenga Ogunbote, has appealed to the fans to be patient with the Oluyole Warriors following the team’s 1-1 home draw against Plateau United in a NPFL Matchday Two tie on Sunday.

The Oluyole Warriors did start their season with another 1-1 draw in Lafia against Nasarawa United but they had to fight back from a goal down before salvaging a point before their fans in Ibadan in the second game.

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Ogunbote described the result as very unfortunate but stressed that his newly assembled team would need time to gel and so they will need their fans’ understanding.

“Today’s game is just quite an unfortunate match, we had a lot of difficulties in terms of anxiety and all the rest of it,” Ogunbote told journalists. “If you look at the team, it is more or less a relatively new team, and we are just trying to get ourselves, playing on the field for the first time, try to impress our supporters.”

Shooting Stars will face Bendel Insurance on October 2^nd  in a rearranged Matchday Three tie with Edo State involved in a Governorship election this weekend, the initial date the game should have held.