The New Season is finally here and unsurprisingly, expectations and hopes are well, high – as you would expect for a club of this Pedigree. Club Chaiman, Kanu Nwankwo is in his second year in charge having replaced Chief Anyansi-Agwu several moons ago. As many Enyimba fans would agree, changes were necessary because the club did appear to have stagnated. Fresh ideas and a new visionary pathway for growth was needed and the “powers that be” decided that the Ex-Super Eagles star was the man to forge this evolution.
Kanu’s advent was met mostly with excitement by the Aba faithful, although the unbelievers aren’t too far away to be found. It is easy to draw comparisons between the former and later, but it would be unfair to compare Kanu’s rookie year as club chairman to the veteran Anyansi’s 15th or 20th year at the helm. For Kanu, you would think he has taken stock of how last season panned out – the highs and the lows.
The early cobwebs have been shaken off – the ship relatively steadied and for this, I have decided to pen an open To-do list for the club Chairman.
1. Sponsors and Sponsorships:
Kanu’s administration wasted little time in bringing in Sponsors to the club. In the recent past, the club would go season after season without even a Jersey Sponsor. Not so with Enyimba 2.0 – From Stake to Infinix, and lately, Triomarkets, these corporate platforms seem eager to get in bed with the club. Long may this continue. The club has a thousand and one opportunities for sponsorship activation and this they must explore to the full.
2. Improved Continental Outing:
Enyimba shocked the Continent in 2003 and in 2004 when we lifted the CAF Champions League in back to back seasons. Since then, we have faltered to deceive – abysmal showings, inadequate preparations, poor recruitment and in some season, “Square pegs in Round holes” – I speak of Coaches and the Technical level of the team. While having drawn bye to the next round of the CAF Confederation Cup, is a good start, this season, the goal has to be to make a better showing in the Continent. Making to the quarter finals has to be barest minimum.
This has to be more than just an Enyimba project but also a Nigerian project as the club’s success on the Continent will brighten the country’s prospect of maintaining the number of teams they have on the Continent.
3. Reclaim the League title
We have to win the League this season – No Questions about that. The manner in which we stuttered toward the end is not Enyimba-like. We had a strong run leading to the Title Run-in before the eventual collapse birthed by that horrendous showing in Enugu. We have to target some away joys this season. I am looking at as early as Heartland/Beyond Limits [away] in the first game of the season. This team has to become dissatisfied with merely winning at home and losing away.
Kanu, these aren’t too much to ask – You’re a winner yourself and you are now with a club with winning engraved in our DNA. Wish you all the best.
