Football pundits always say being a football manager is the worst career choice if you want job security. They are not wrong. Coaches get sacked everywhere, all the time, because football clubs always believe the next guy will fix what the last guy broke. Enyimba is no different. A club built on winning, living on winning, addicted to winning, will always panic when results dive. And right now, panic is exactly where we are.
With the club set to officially announce Ayodeji Ayeni as the new head coach, the Stanley Eguma chapter is finally drawing to a close. He exits almost exactly a year after he walked in. We appreciate his time here, but if we are being honest, his best memories with Enyimba belong to 2004 when he worked as an assistant under Okey Emordi. That is the version fans remember fondly. The current one, not so much.
Ayeni’s arrival marks a shift in direction, and frankly, a necessary one. For months, we sat through football that looked tired, flat, and forced. Winning only a third of our league matches was never going to cut it. A new manager bounce may give us short-term excitement, but the truth is simple. Only a proper long-term technical plan and better welfare for players and staff will give this team the consistency it desperately needs.
Let us also say the quiet part out loud. You can sack ten coaches, but if the deeper administrative issues stay untouched, nothing will change. Mid-season sackings have become an annual ritual under the current administration. In just three seasons, we have seen a coach exit each year. The first one made sense because Finidi left for the Super Eagles and his assistant, Yema, stepped up naturally. But the sackings of Yema in December 2024 and Eguma last month tell their own story. Something deeper is broken.
It was not always like this. Before the Kanu era began in 2023, Enyimba had only six mid-season coaching changes in twenty two years. And four times, the assistant stepped in and calmly saw out the season. No fuss. No drama. Stability. Evolution, not revolution.
When Papic left in 2002, Emetole stepped up and we lifted the league title.
When Urukalo left in 2004, Emordi took over and defended our Champions League crown.
When Aigbogun left willingly in 2018, Abdullah took the reins.
When Abdullah was sacked in 2020, Osho stepped in smoothly.
Three of those assistants started the following season as head coach. Only one did not. That is how you manage transitions. That is how big clubs remain stable.
The opposite route, hiring an entirely new sheriff mid-season, only works when you know exactly what you are doing. In 2001, it worked with Godwin Uwua. In 2014, it worked with Ikhana returning to familiar ground. Those were deliberate decisions built on strategy, not fire fighting.
Which brings us to now. If the club wants Ayeni to succeed, they must handle this transition properly. Sort out Eguma’s paperwork. Stop dragging feet. Announce Ayeni officially. Give him clarity, responsibility, and the authority to build. We cannot keep pretending these delays are normal. They are not. We face Remo Stars in Ikenne in a few days and December fixtures do not wait for anybody.
Enyimba needs direction. It needs structure. It needs confidence from within before it can ask for belief from fans.
Let us hope the new month gives us a new beginning.
EnyimbaEnyi
