AN OPEN LETTER TO SHAIBU AMODU

Tuesday, 26 January 2010 at 07:13
Dear sir,

I congratulate you on our victory against the chipolopolo of Zambia.To qualify for the semi finals of the nations cup after such an abmysmal and below par performance still deserve some praise,Even if we had just 3 shots on goal(all in the 2nd half of extra time)im sure you and i both agree with our church minds that we really did not deserve that victory but we know football is never fair which is why a team should always make good use of their chances,one which the Zambian team failed to do

it is amazing how far we have come in this tournament,judging by our preparations and performances,we were never the bookmakers favourite to reach the semi finals,but as lady luck will have it,we have been enjoying a cossy relationship with her which we pray wont turn sour anytime soon.Its a laudable achievement for your to have reach your goal of getting the" so called" super eagles to the semi finals of the nations cup,even if we end up not lifting the trophy,im sure you are satisfied your end of the deal is done,not minding how you got it done.

However,i have some questions which are begging for answers.Having in mind you may end up leading the team out against Argentina come June in South Africa,it is only proper i find answers to some niggling questions which i have failed to understand so far


1. If Nwankwo Kanu is not fit to play,why name him in the team only for him to seat on the bench for 90 minutes dishing out instructions like he is part of the technical crew.Its also unbelievable that this fringe player has been selected to be the captain of a team which lacks a natural leader on the pitch.In this tournament alone,the team has used up to 5 diffferent captains,an action which affects the balance and decision making of the team.

2.Chinedu obasi as we all know is a natural right footer,why play him out of position on the left when Osaze who uses both feet can play on that side of the pitch?Obasi started against EGYPT on the right flank and he felt more comfortable on that flank than the matches after.he looks out of sort on the left!

3.we switched from our traditional 4-4-2 formation after the defeat to Egypt to a more defensive like 4-3-3 formation.i would like to know if this is our new formation or we are still reverting to the latter which have proved fruitful over the years.With the little knowledge i have in football management,im sure you know juggling between formations makes the team play more as strangers they play more like they are playing together for the first time rather than a team of professionals.we need to stick to a particular formation because consistency is key.

4.i agree our right back is a promising talent for the future and im sure you also agree he lacks the required experience at this stage of football,i wonder what exactly is wrong with Chidi Odiah?is he out for months?if he is,then why was he included in the team cus i see him as a more favourable right full back to the promising but yet inexperienced Yusuf.

5.I have always found it difficult to understand when and how you make your substitutions.do you just think some one deserves a runout or you feel another has had enough?your substitutions are always questionable! its either you sub too late or you introduce the wrong person at the right time.excuse me sir,it is very annoying.


6 i personally think you have too many people on your technical crew,with about 5 different people dishing out instructions(kanu included),i wonder which orders the players will listen to.what does the term technical crew even mean?

7.This current team of super eagles has no naturall 10,a dictator,a playmaker or what ever you choose to call it is missing this means the team has no spark,no creativity and no body to dictate play and create chances for others.we all know by now that Mikel is more of a 4 than a 10.my question is,why have a team of 22 players without a 10?All we have is a bunch of defensive minded 4s who would rather play backward rather than upfield..this team has no engine!

8.your tactical approach to some games are amusing at times.when we are supposed 2 play long balls,we dont.in games where our holding 4 is to plays deep above the back 4,he plays up front instead.Against Benin,we used 3 defensive midfielders in the middle of the park,isolating the attackers up front,how were we suppose to create chances?no wonder we only managed 2 score a goal....through a penalty kick!

9 i think its annoying when your team are playing badly and all you do is stand in the dugout leaning your back against the bench...you need to show some action and dont just stand looking like an avatar.shout and scream if you have to,curse and swear if the need arises or have you not heard of a certain hair dryer treatment?

10.I hate to say this but we are starting to suspect a secret relationship is going on between you and Yakubu,i reserve my comment on this till i get to the bottom of the whole issue.......(speaking to my self silently).................

This are just personal questions i find disturbing,it does not take the shine away from the tremendous achievment you have bought by qualifing us for the semi finals...for that we are grateful but really,i need answers to these questions and many more!