Thursdays are for Throwbacks.
A trip down memory lane offers a chance to reflect, compare eras, and take note of how times have changed, the progress made, or the lack of it.
“News is the first rough draft of history.” The line, popularised by Phil Graham, publisher of the Washington Post in the 1960s, captures the close relationship between journalism and history. Journalists write from the front lines of an event, capturing raw emotion, early facts and immediate reactions. Historians writing decades later use these first drafts as primary sources, refining them with hindsight and deeper context.
So today’s news reports become the historical record of tomorrow. That was my experience recently when I reread a 2007 football magazine. What really caught my interest was its detailed preview of the 2007 league season, featuring all 20 top-flight clubs and their coaches. Interestingly, the men who shaped the technical direction of the league back then, much like today’s coaches, moved from club to club, sharing their knowledge and gaining experience along the way.
Twenty children, they say, cannot play together for twenty years. The 20 coaches of that era have since gone their separate ways after making valuable contributions to the growth of Nigerian league football. Some have passed away. Others have retired and are tending to old age and the ailments that come with it. The younger ones from that era are either out of work or have moved into administration.
The Twenty From Twenty Years Ago
Maurice Cooreman (Enyimba FC)
Jamil Nasir (Gombe United)
Ladan Bosso (Wikki Tourists)
Okey Emordi (Enugu Rangers)
Samson Siasia (Ocean Boys)
Justin Tenger (Kano Pillars)
Ben Duamlong (Heartland)
Godfrey Esu (Kaduna United)
Shola Popo (Adamawa United)
Roger Palmgren (Kwara United)
Samson Unuanel (Prime FC)
Ifeanyi Onyedika (Dolphins)
Kafaru Alabi (El-Kanemi Warriors)
Jossy Dombraye (Bayelsa United)
Solomon Ogbeide (Bendel Insurance)
Zachary Baraje (Nasarawa United)
Emmanuel Orkaar (Lobi Stars)
Abdulrafiu Yusuf (Zamfara United)
Charles Bassey (Akwa United)
John Obuh (Niger Tornadoes)
May God rest the souls of Cooreman, Tenger, Alabi, Ogbeide and Bassey.
Some of the men in today’s dugouts were around back then, either as assistant coaches or as players. Shooting Stars’ Salisu Yusuf teamed up with Kadiri Ikhana at Kano Pillars to lead the Sai Masu Gida to the title in 2008. Abia Warriors’ Imama Amakpakabo assisted the legendary Shaibu Amodu at Sharks in the mid-2000s before taking a similar role at Enyimba. Plateau United’s Gbenga Ogunbote assisted David Egbiri at Gateway FC during the club’s top-flight debut in 2005. And Enyimba’s own Emmanuel Deutsch was part of Duamlong’s backroom staff at Heartland before joining Akwa United as Bassey’s assistant, later succeeding him.
Others were still playing. Rivers United’s Finidi George brought the curtain down on his illustrious European career in 2005, a journey that began in Port Harcourt with Sharks FC. Bendel Insurance’s Kennedy Boboye returned to Sharks to wrap up his career after productive years abroad, playing under Amodu in 2005. Nasarawa United’s Mbwas Mangut also returned to the domestic league, leaving his Colombian club for Heartland in 2004 to stay fit ahead of another move abroad. Instead, he stayed longer, joining Enyimba for the 2006 season before returning to Heartland a year later.
The rest of today’s 20 top-flight coaches were at various stages of their careers back then. After two decades of football education, honing their skills and craft, the technical development of the NPFL now rests largely on their shoulders:
The Twenty of Today
Fidelis Ilechukwu (Enugu Rangers)
Finidi George (Rivers United)
Salisu Yusuf (Shooting Stars)
Bright Ozabegbe (Ikorodu City)
Kennedy Boboye (Bendel Insurance)
Mbwas Mangut (Nasarawa United)
Imama Amakpakabo (Abia Warriors)
Eugene Agagbe (Barau FC)
Audu Azeez Mohammed (Katsina United)
Gbenga Ogunbote (Plateau United)
Suleiman Ashifat (Kwara United)
Emmanuel Deutsch (Enyimba FC)
Obinna Uzoho (Kun Khalifat)
Hassan Abdallah (Warri Wolves)
Kabiru Dogo (Niger Tornadoes)
Daniel Ogunmodede (Kano Pillars)
Jeffery Buter (Sporting Lagos)
Ayodeji Ayeni (Doma United)
Olusanjo Olutayo (Inter Lagos)
Majin Mohammed (Ranchers Bees)
Newly promoted Inter Lagos and Ranchers Bees, currently the bottom two, have already parted ways with their original coaches, Shakiru Biodun Giwa and Usman Abdallah. Olutayo and Mohammed have stepped in.
It falls to these coaches to raise the technical quality of the league: improving the players in their care and bringing in innovative training methods, technology, data analytics and proper nutrition, all to build a more competitive league. One that can produce a champion worthy of the African crown again. Of course, the problems holding the league back go well beyond technical issues. But are we ready to hear that?
We extend our support to the Nigerian clubs travelling for the decisive second legs of the CAF Champions League and Confederation Cup this weekend. Keep the flag flying.
As for Enyimba, we are neither here nor there. We are not on the continent, and our league form doesn’t yet suggest a return there. Sunday’s trip to Lafia to face Nasarawa United should give a clearer picture of where we really stand. We picked up a point there last season. I hope we do better this time.
Enyimba Enyi!
