Two heads are better than one, but too many cooks spoil the broth. We have all heard these sayings countless times, and time has proven their wisdom. One person thinking alone may not see every angle or consider every scenario, and the work can suffer for it. But when too many people try to direct the same show, things can quickly descend into chaos.
So what is the perfect number? One? Two? Three?
Two heads may be better than one, and three may be a crowd, but in some situations, one good head beats them all. One competent, focused leader can achieve more than a multitude with conflicting interests and competing agendas. That truth cannot be overstated.
While we endure what looks like a low-key power tussle at Enyimba, with its effects heavily felt on the pitch, one of our biggest rivals is quietly climbing towards heights that used to be familiar territory for us. We can only applaud them from a distance, while hoping we can somehow navigate our way out of these murky waters and put our relegation worries behind us as quickly as possible.
I am talking about Enugu Rangers. I still find it hard to call them Rangers International, but you cannot help but applaud what the club has achieved over the last three-plus seasons under its current management. The improvement has been visible, consistent and, perhaps most importantly, sustainable.
There is stability and a clear identity in the way the team is being built, from recruitment and retention to the backroom structure and relationships with stakeholders. Their General Manager, Barr. Amobi Ezeaku, deserves recognition too, particularly for the synergy he has built between the club, the government, supporters and partners.
It feels like Rangers are deliberately reconnecting with the identity of the great Rangers sides of the 1970s, when the club was not merely successful but a source of immense pride for the Igbo man. They are building something that looks bigger than one season or one trophy.
Tomorrow night, they face MC Algiers carrying a 2-0 aggregate lead from the first leg in Abeokuta. This is the kind of stage we used to grace regularly. These were the nights Enyimba fans looked forward to, when continental football was almost an annual appointment and the rest of Nigeria looked to Aba for results.
Today, we have fallen off that pedestal, yet our biggest concern seems to be who controls what, who gets the credit and who has the final say. While the battle for control rages on, the club keeps paying the price.
Football clubs need strong leadership, but they also need alignment. Different people can hold different responsibilities without pulling in different directions. If everyone is trying to prove they are the most important person in the room, the team will eventually become the least important thing in it.
Hopefully, we can learn from what is happening around us before it is too late. Enyimba cannot afford to go from serial continental contender to relegation-battle specialist.
We have been here before. We know what greatness looks like.
Now we need to find our way back to it.
Enyimba Enyi!
