Nigeria Content Online

The new Super
Eagles coach, Samson Siasia, will resume work today. Siasia, who
unveiled by the Nigeria Football Federation as the Eagles’ coach on
December 1, 2010, has been tipped by fans to change the fortune of the
Eagles with many praying that he succeeds.

Last week, the
named Salisu Yusuf, the current Kano Pillars coach as Siasia’s second
assistant, while former Super Eagles goalkeeper, Ike Shorunmu was
appointed as goalkeeping coach for the team. The first assistant is
Simon Kalika, a Dutchman.

Yusuf and Shorunmu have worked with Siasia at different times.

Shorunmu was with
the U-23 team before the Beijing Olympics and Yusuf was on the bench
with Siasia at the 2009 FIFA U-20 World Championship in Egypt.

Rebuilding job

Siasia’s
appointment comes at a time when many are calling for the team to be
rebuild. To do this, Siasia said he would need at least three years.

“It is going to take two, three years for us to assemble a formidable team,” Siasia said in Abuja, when he was unveiled.

“It should be a
gradual process, trying to build a new team with the old and the new
players. The team will be a mix until we find the players that are
needed, actually the ones who would play the way we want them to play.
That time, I would come out and say publicly we have a team.”

Targets for the crew

The NFF has set
targets for the coaching crew and have instituted a code of conduct,
but Siasia said all that is needed at the moment is to rebuild the
team’s confidence and ability to play good football. “We just want to
focus on how to rebuild the team. Yes, the Nigeria Football Federation
(NFF) could set targets, but if we want to be realistic, targets won’t
be realistic, if you don’t have a good team,” he said.

Siasia also believes the fans have a role to play.

“The fans must come
out in large numbers to watch us play. They must exercise patience too.
What we lack here is patience. We want results immediately.”

Not intimidated

Having had his eye
on the Super Eagles job for three years, Siasia said he is ready for
the task ahead. “After the players I have coached in the U-20 and U-23
teams moved on to the senior side and were doing well, I started to
believe that I also could make the move into the Super Eagles and by
God’s grace that dream has now come true. Though it will not be easy
but I will urge the fans to be patient and give us their unalloyed
support.

“Now that I am ready, I am not intimidated at all. I am ready for this job.”