It is no longer news that the (NFF) meaning Nigeria Football Federation are in search of new Coach for the senior national team, THE Super Eagles. This is coming after Samson Siasia, who replaced the Sunday Oliseh failed to qualify the Super Eagles for the next Africa Cup of Nation. What is however not certain is the caliber of coach the NFF can engage. In this piece, Pius Anakali profiles few of the coaches linked so far.
It’s often said that any good coach with succeed with the senior national team. With the caliber of players the nation can boast of succeeding with Super Eagles won’t be difficult many have argued.
That perhaps explains the number of players already linked with the senior national team Top on the list are: Paul Le Guen, Claude Le Roy, Clemens Westerhof and Harry Redknapp. Le Guen’s last role was as manager of the Oman national football team, from which he was relieved in November 2015. Before the then he had coached Cameroon national football team from July 2009, after signing a five-month contract. He made an immediate impact by leading the team to qualification for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
He also stripped veteran defender Rigobert Song of the captaincy and appointed Samuel Eto’o as the new captain. Both players responded well to the change with Eto’o getting goals, and Song winning back his starting spot as the Lions qualified for the finals. However Cameroon were the first team officially knocked out of the 2010 World Cup. He announced his resignation on 24 June 2010. He is one of those on the Super Eagles radar. Before he was announced as Togo Coach, Le Roy was also mentioned.
His joining the Togolese national team have put speculations concerning to rest.
There is also Clemens Westerhoff. Westerhoff is noted for his success with the Nigerian national team. Under Westerhof, the Super Eagles won the 1994 African Cup of Nations and also qualified for the second round of the FIFA World Cup that year. Westerhof began his career as an assistant coach with Feyenoord Rotterdam in the Dutch Eredivisie.
He has also coached Vitesse Arnhem, the Zimbabwean national team, the Sporting Lions of Zimbabwe’s Premier League, and the Bush Bucks and Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa’s Premier Soccer League. In addition, he has served as technical director of the Harare-based Agatha Sheneti Youth Academy and also of the Harare United club, which was linked to the Academy.
In 2001 he was technical director of Dynamos FC, Zimbabwe’s biggest club, but lasted in the position just a few months. Harry Redknapp might not be new to football fans in Nigeria having Coached Nwankwo Kanu at Portsmouth. Redknapp has over 30 years of experience as a manager and he is one of the most established bosses to have worked in the top flight.
After taking charge of Bournemouth in 1983 and taking them as high as the second tier of English football in nine years with the South Coast club, Redknapp landed his first Premier League job as manager of West Ham United in 1994.
Redknapp steered the Hammers to midtable finishes and Premier League safety in his first few years in charge before guiding them to a fifth place finish in the 1998/99 campaign, their highest position to date in the Premier League.
After parting company with the club, Redknapp took charge of Portsmouth in the Championship and led them to promotion to the top flight in 2003. He steered Pompey to 13th in their first season in the Premier League before leaving the club in 2004.
Redknapp took charge of local rivals Southampton in December 2004, but couldn’t prevent the Saints from dropping to the Championship after finishing 20th on a dramatic final day of the season. He then returned to Portsmouth in December 2005 and managed to avoid relegation despite the club being eight points adrift of safety with ten matches left.
Top half finishes followed in the 2006/07 and 2007/08 campaigns and he won the FA Cup with Pompey in 2008. In October the same year, Redknapp took charge of Tottenham Hotspur. The club were in the relegation zone upon his arrival and he steered them to a mid-table finish before securing Champions League qualification in the 2009/10 campaign with fourth spot in the league. He won the Premier League’s Manager of the Year award as a result.
Spurs finished fifth and fourth in his next two seasons as manager, before he was relieved of his duties in June 2012. Redknapp took charge of his fifth Premier League club when Queens Park Rangers came calling in November 2012, but he couldn’t prevent the Loftus Road club from being relegated in the 2012/13 campaign.
Redknapp kept hold of a number of his players for the 2013/14 season in the Championship and managed the side to a play-off final victory against Derby County, which saw them return to the Barclays Premier League at the first time of asking. In February 2015, Redknapp resigned as QPR manager due to requiring immediate knee surgery, leaving the club one point from safety.
Currently Redknapp is Coaches Jordan national team. Giving the opportunity analyst say might want to work in Africa.
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