February 8, 2010

Super Eagles captain, Nwankwo Kanu, has tongue-lashed sacked coach Shaibu Amodu for keeping him on the bench at the just-concluded Nations Cup in Angola.

  “It’s so strange,” he began in an interview with MTNfootball.com “I have always told the coach that I was not there to look and carry babies. When you talk of Nigeria, you hear Kanu and I still play for my club. I did not know why I was in Angola and I did not play. If you are starting me, it means I have to come in.

“But I do not understand why I was not even coming. There is no reason why I cannot come in and play. In South Africa, I trained very well, against Zambia in a friendly before the tournament, I was the man of the match. Even in training you could see that I’m there and I can play. There was no excuse.

“But what I cannot do is to cause disharmony in the team because I’m the captain and even the younger players would look at me and say the captain is fighting the coach, but the truth is that it was very strange for me.

“People have to go back and ask Amodu and Amokachi what was the reason because they call the shots and I’m still a player. I had to show a good example to the rest of the team.

“I had to show good example to the rest of the team. I had to keep my head especially when we lost the first game and everybody wanted to kill us. What was the reason? Was it that he was not fit? Or that he can no longer play?”

He admitted that his greatest regret in the national team was not winning a Nations Cup title even as he added that he felt disappointed not scoring a goal in all the six editions he featured.

“It would have been great to have on my CV that I scored a goal at the Nations Cup, but it did not happen.

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Not playing Kanu was another show of Amodu's incompetence. The same Kanu won "man of the match" in the 3rd place game against Algeria and in fact, played a pivotal role in securing the bronze medal. He brought an extra dimension to the midfield, which was sorely missing when Mikel played.

I remember it was said the same Kanu, dazzled everyone during the pre-tournament training sessions. There was absolutely no reason to keep benching him. If he was only invited, just to warm the bench, then it's an insult to a player of his pedigree. A younger player could as well have been invited in his stead to 'gain some Nation's Cup experience'.

The only reason I see, why he was benched, was to make Nigerians think Amodu is in control, because he can at least be said, to have been able to 'subdue' the captain of the National team to the bench. A way of showing who's in charge.

I must add, that the way Kanu had kept his cool and not rebelled is most commendable. Pity though, he couldn't get a Nation's Cup goal.

Enough of this Amodu tongue lashing. . .
Fire the daft and let's move on. . .

IbrahimB:

Not playing Kanu was another show of Amodu's incompetence. The same Kanu won "man of the match" in the 3rd place game against Algeria and in fact, played a pivotal role in securing the bronze medal. He brought an extra dimension to the midfield, which was sorely missing when Mikel played.

I remember it was said the same Kanu, dazzled everyone during the pre-tournament training sessions. There was absolutely no reason to keep benching him. If he was only invited, just to warm the bench, then it's an insult to a player of his pedigree. A younger player could as well have been invited in his stead to 'gain some Nation's Cup experience'.

The only reason I see, why he was benched, was to make Nigerians think Amodu is in control, because he can at least be said, to have been able to 'subdue' the captain of the National team to the bench. A way of showing who's in charge.

I must add, that the way Kanu had kept his cool and not rebelled is most commendable. Pity though, he couldn't get a Nation's Cup goal.

we spoken bro - even a toddler knows we would have won against ghana if kanu had played

Kanu should STFU jare. He is a dead man walking and should have retired long ago. It's funny he considers the 'retirement' football he plays at Portsmouth active soccer. Amodu only did him a favour by taking him to Angola. Any other coach would have dropped his ass and not taken him to Angola. It's funny how all the players are now blaming Amodu for their shortcomings. First Osaze, Yakubu and Martins who missed so many goal scoring chances against Ghana and now Kanu who was the root cause of the 3rd goal conceded against Egypt. . . .Hypocrites all of them! They forget that when they point fingers at someone, they have 4 fingers pointing back at them. I hope the coach, whoever it is drops him from the final world cup team. He's just a waste of space. . .EOD!

semid4lyfe:

Kanu should STFU jare. He is a dead man walking and should have retired long ago. It's funny he considers the 'retirement' football he plays at Portsmouth active soccer. Amodu only did him a favour by taking him to Angola. Any other coach would have dropped his backside and not taken him to Angola. It's funny how all the players are now blaming Amodu for their shortcomings. First Osaze, Yakubu and Martins who missed so many goal scoring chances against Ghana and now Kanu who was the root cause of the 3rd goal conceded against Egypt. . . .Hypocrites all of them! They forget that when they point fingers at someone, they have 4 fingers pointing back at them. I hope the coach, whoever it is drops him from the final world cup team. He's just a waste of space. . .EOD!

I think you are very wrong here IMO. Kanu with half a leg is far better than most players in our squad. Had Amodu used him properly. . .who knows we may have won the ANC. Kanu brings another dimension to our game. Not many players in the world possess the kind of intelligence as Kanu. Talk football brain, think KANU!!!

LWKMD! Una no win nations cup for 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006 with Kanu when he was at his prime, na 2010 una wan win the Nations cup abi? I agree Kanu is the most intelligent 9ja footballer ever but his body can no longer do what his brain tells him. . .he's slow, sluggish, lacks stamina, falls to the ground easily, doesn't mark, close down space etc.The modern game is played with high intensity and you need very fit players to do the job on the pitch. These days, all man na defender, midfielder and attacker. I'll rather have a team of eleven battlers and hard-working individuals on the pitch without the burden of a one minute magician whose magic is not even consistent. A lot of running (not jogging) is involved in the modern game. . . .kanu can't do any of these things anymore. . .he's simply short one. With due respect to Kanu, he has tried. . . .after all he has outplayed most of his Ajax team-mates. . . .Amodu was right to bench his a$$. . . it was a subtle way of telling him. . . .Please you're no more relevant, RETIRE!

Then you should ask the question, why was he invited in the first place? Does that not show how inept Amodu the coach is/was?

@ FBS
Hmmm. . . .I like u, I really do. . . .you subtly concede a debate point and then launch an attack from a different angle.
Look, I don't want to sound like a broken record but I'll say it again. . . . .I disagree with many of the decisions taken by Amodu in the build up to the Nations cup and at the Nations cup proper, amongst which are
1. His 23-man list particularly with the inclusion of certain players (Nwaneri, Olofinjana, Kanu etc) and non inclusion of certain players (Ajilore, Adefemi, C. Okonkwo, Eneramo and Adeleye
(who's our best central defender IMO)
2. His disdain for & non-inclusion of homebased players and players from U-17 and U-20
3. Rigidity and non-flexibility of tactics/formations
4. Choice of starting 11's and substitutions during matches
etc, etc, etc, etc. . . .  But at the end of the day, I am after RESULTS. My philosophy is give a coach a free hand to do his job and let him be assessed on the RESULTS obtained. . . . .the question is did Amodu get a good result despite all my misgivings about him?. . . .the answer is YES but I admit he could have done better.
At the end of the day my criticism of Amodu is just my opinion and not necessarily the right one (although I feel I am right). I have expressed my opinion about Kanu and you have expressed a contrary opinion. . . .Does that mean I am right and you're wrong or I am wrong and you're right? Hell, No! It is just our opinions (Maybe Amodu even sees Kanu the way u see him). . . .Let the man in the saddle decide what is right or wrong. . . . .the mere fact that I have a contrary opinion to Amodu's does not mean, he is INCOMPETENT. RESULTS should always be the judge of incompetence or  competence.

@Semid4lyfe, hehehe. . .LOL 

You have brilliantly done what any supporter will do (look for the positive signs/ results) even when everyone is against you.

But my only objection is this and I stand to be corrected. . .why on earth will the NFF give a semi-final place as a target? that alone is a CRIME!!!
Are they saying we don't have the players, resources to get to the final or what?

My church mind says since he qualified The SE for the WC he should lead them but. . .

After you stated all these. . .

semid4lyfe:

I disagree with many of the decisions taken by Amodu in the build up to the Nations cup and at the Nations cup proper, amongst which are
1. His 23-man list particularly with the inclusion of certain players (Nwaneri, Olofinjana, Kanu etc) and non inclusion of certain players (Ajilore, Adefemi, C. Okonkwo, Eneramo and Adeleye
(who's our best central defender IMO)
2. His disdain for & non-inclusion of homebased players and players from U-17 and U-20
3. Rigidity and non-flexibility of tactics/formations
4. Choice of starting 11's and substitutions during matches
etc, etc, etc, etc. . . . 

These are NOT signs of better things to come IMO.

@ FBS
Why you dey worry nah? Shebi your prayers have been answered and a foreign coach with superior intelligence, excellent tactical & technical ability plus superb managerial skills has been employed to take us to the world cup (it's a forgone conclusion abi na?). Just relax, close your eyes and sleep. . . .there's no problem. WE GO WIN THE WORLD CUP!

@Semid4lyfe. . .
1. You have accepted that Amodu the coach is NOT the best we can get, yes?
2. If your foreign = "white" man (heck I hate that word) then please count me OUT. I don't belong to that group.
3. If your foreign = better coach e.g Sia1, GH etc then I'm ALL for it.

Don't lump every SE supporter into the same basket.

PS: Are you saying you won't be supporting the SE if and when a new coach is hired or you will be praying for him to fail?

I read in one of Nigeria's daily papers that Kanu had a shin injury and hence was not playing. If at all he was injury free, there is no reason whatsoever why he should not play.
Kanu might not start a match but should be introduced in the last 25 minutes. The match vs Ghana, Nigeria ended up the way they started. Kanu would have been plan B OR C.

@ FBS
Siasia was my preferred choice for S.E coach and I rate him higher than Amodu but Amodu was given the job with specific targets and he met these targets. Now why sack him, when he met the targets that were set for him?, moreso when he has admitted that there were lapses in the team and he intends to make  changes to the team and correct these lapses before the world cup? Moreover, there is no guarantee the foreign (sorry better) coach will make the S.E's play the attractive attacking footie we all crave and get better results AND ultimately do better than Amodu will/would have done. All na just gamble, my friend!. . .something tells me, at the end of our participation at the world cup. . .we'll be saying 'so this is what we sacked Amodu for?' (No be sey I dey pray for the team and coach to fail o)   

*Finally. . . .me, I go still dey support my S.E come what may (whether foreign coach or not). The 9ja blood running thru' my veins too strong for me to resist & fight.

Personally I like Samson Siasia and I rate him very highly, but I can not understand why so many people are absolutely convinced he would be ready to step in as the SE head coach. Lets us get a bit serious, Siasia has done relatively well at junior level but the situation at senior international level is a whole different ball game. What real senior continental or international experience as coach does he have that some are talking as if he can definitely fix the SE. After all there are countless Nigerian coaches who have done reasonably well at junior level but not so at senior. Personally it seems to me, some people are grossly over-rating Siasia and that if he should take job with such ridiculous expectations placed on him. It won't be long before he begins to feel the "Amodu treatment". For the record let me say again I like Siasia and I am not saying he is not a good coach before people start attacking.

Kanu blasts Amodu

Amodu blasts critics

NFA blasts Amodu

Osazee blasts Amodu

Jonathan blasts NFF

Na wa o. Nigeria media and sensationalism

snowdrops:

Kanu blasts Amodu

Amodu blasts critics

NFA blasts Amodu

Osazee blasts Amodu

Jonathan blasts NFF

Na wa o. Nigeria media and sensationalism

And Nairalanders blast them all LOL

deb:

And Nairalanders blast them all LOL

Yes ooo!!!

deb:

And Nairalanders blast them all LOL

And Seun blasts Nairalanders!!

semid4lyfe:

Kanu should STFU jare. He is a dead man walking and should have retired long ago. It's funny he considers the 'retirement' football he plays at Portsmouth active soccer. Amodu only did him a favour by taking him to Angola. Any other coach would have dropped his backside and not taken him to Angola. It's funny how all the players are now blaming Amodu for their shortcomings. First Osaze, Yakubu and Martins who missed so many goal scoring chances against Ghana and now Kanu who was the root cause of the 3rd goal conceded against Egypt. . . .Hypocrites all of them! They forget that when they point fingers at someone, they have 4 fingers pointing back at them. I hope the coach, whoever it is drops him from the final world cup team. He's just a waste of space. . .EOD!

Is it Kanu, the most decorated African Footballer you're lashing like this?

@FBS

Am surprised u are arguing with Semiu4life on Kanu's issue again . . .peeps like him wouldnt own up to the fact that Kanu was instrumental to our late qualification for the WC, the introduction of Nsofor and Kanu in that last match remains evergreen !

YES!. . . .and I wish I could tell him these things to his face.

Dr Kitaun:

@FBS

Am surprised u are arguing with Semiu4life on Kanu's issue again . . .peeps like him wouldnt own up to the fact that Kanu was instrumental to our late qualification for the WC, the introduction of Nsofor and Kanu in that last match remains evergreen !

@Dr Kit, I've come to realise that we all watch football in different ways. Once Nigerians don't like a player or they feel he is too "old" then he is not fit enough to play no matter the contribution or experience the said player brings to the table or squad.

@FBS

Truth be told . . .A limping JJ Okocha is better than almost every player we paraded at the last Nations Cup !

what made Roger Milla enter the record books ?

why cant KANU and JJ fulfil the remaining part of their mission which they can still leave us with as a parting legacy ?

must we kill our players before they die their natural deaths ? who do we have to replace Amuneke ? Yekini ? Okechukwu ? Oliseh ? Finidi ?

in fact . . .I think we should bring back the '94 set to play this WC . . .regardless of their being old or not

I recall walking in on the Egypt V Nigeria match at the Angola ANC,I started watching the game the moment Amodu removed Mikel and put in Kanu,seconds later,Kanu gave away the ball in the right of midfield and COULD NOT run after the Egyptian player to attempt to recover the ball,subsequently that led to the third goal we conceded.

I do take time out to watch some of Pompey's games,that excercise has led me to discover that Kanu is FINISHED(as far as serious competetive footie is concerned)

Don't get me wrong,I'm one of the hugest fans of Papillo,he has a large heart,he's arguably Africa's most successful footballer,he's still a Gooner at heart,but we must call a spade a spade;Kanu is way past his football prime and he should be content with the fact that Amodu took him to CAN 2010 where he even made cameo appearances

Dr Kitaun:


in fact . . .I think we should bring back the '94 set to play this WC . . .regardless of their being old or not

Before that,make sure you do us all a favour and buy big big giant-sized baskets for them to use in lading all the goals they'll concede

I saw Jay Jay at Teslim Balogun,Bruv still gat skillz,but he's lost so much yard on speed,not to talk of stamina,and he's about the fittest from that era,haveyou seen Amuneke and Ben Iroha lately(oil for their bones don dry so tey e dey show for their face,abi na their big big belle you wan talk,bros free that levels abeg)

The '94 set was our best squad EVER,but to everything,there's a season and a time,and now is neither their time nor their season

Now we're no longer playing Paraguay but,,,,wait for it Congo



NFA/NFF una no real get ambition,present or future

Kanu has the right to complain, but did he really blast Amodu ?

He has long pass his peak; well agreed. But the players who started ahead of him were not that fantastic. I think he should have been used a bit more, even at that it was a bit of gamble. I wouldn't want to heap all the blame on poor Amodu. Fact is that the player he selected disappointed him, and I doubt if we had better players

Kanu may have a role; however if I was coach too, I would have left him on the bench. The guy is getting old. Time for him to move on!

Kanu Nwankwo, the most DATAMYND!! footballer on the SE today

Anyways Amodu is gone so let Kanu
train very well now and show LL dat he
is capable

SHALOM

Kanu should shut the mess up. This guy is past it, can't run for shit to save his live and should retire to let someone younger take his place. mess you Kanu, you have a great history but you are just a benchwarmer at a soon to be dissolved club.