We are tired of ‘rebuilding’ in Super Eagles, Adegoke tells Oliseh

Former Green Eagles’ winger, Adelabu Adegoke, has told Super Eagles Coach Sunday Oliseh, to focus his attention in restoring the national team rather than ‘junketing’ round European countries ‘begging’ players in play. “Oliseh has the responsibility to restore our national team to the expected standard that will become the dream of every player,” Adegoke said in an email to The Guardian yesterday. “The big question is the ambiguity of this phrase “we are rebuilding”.

For how long are we going to wait? The previous coaches said the same thing. “Let us get this clear, when you have a goal to achieve, you need to be honest with yourself by asking yourself whether you have the technical ability to train the available players to achieve your goal or you have to look for players that can help you deliver, which is the issue with premiership.

No room for training of any player. Just search for who can deliver period! But that will not be good for Oliseh career as a coach who wants to develop football in Nigeria,” Adegoke said.

Speaking further, Adegoke, a Sports Scientist, who played club football with Shooting Stars Sports Club of Ibadan in the early 1980s said: “It is an abomination for any coach to beg a player to come and play for the national team.

Since they have been coming, what is the situation of our national team? The greatest ambition of a player is to play at the national level. Please stop begging the so called big players.

No player can be bigger that the game that made him. “Get your template ready and make sure only the best players can fit in irrespective of the clubs they play for. We have sufficient players if you know how to demand for what you want rather than settling for what they can offer in training.

Some players always play their best game in training to get a jersey, but during game situation, the strength of their adaptation to their real standard will come into play as they fail to play to instruction.” “I quit sympathize with you for wasting your time and our money to travel to London to beg players to come and help you or to come and play for Nigeria? please my brother don’t be afraid to fail.

We will do everything to support you. “I am saying here categorically as a sport scientist and as an ex international, that no coach in the world can say he is coming to Nigeria to develop football.

Even scientist all over the world agreed that God gave the black race the natural endowment in the area of Physical activity, but that the whites have sport intelligence. You know intelligence is better than power.

Thank God for education that is giving us access to the element of intelligence,” he stated. Adegoke carpeted the NFF President, Amaju Pinnick saying: “I learnt that the NFF president went all over Europe also to speak to the parents of Nigeria players abroad. I do not think I have ever heard of such thing in my life. The wind of change has come. Let us respect the integrity of our nation and be purposeful in our ambition.”