Dear Lars
How are you? Hope you're enjoying your stay in my country so far? I know you'll say YES afterall you're bunking in a 5-star hotel, eating choice food and been chaffeur driven everywhere, lol.

Anyway, I'm writing this open letter to intimate you of some FACTS about our dear National Team, the Super Eagles and also to show you the WAY FORWARD with the team. I am sure you have DSTV and HiTV in your hotel room and like most Nigerians who suffer from 'European football clubs supportership syndrome' you must have watched the match between Chelsea & Manchester City this past weekend. . .Well, I hope you have seen Mikel Obi for what he truly is, a big 'otu' and a complete MISFIT. . . .as a DEFENSIVE MIDFIELDER, he lacks positioning, doesn't mark well, doesn't break-up opposing attacks or win balls and shield the defence while as an ATTACKING MIDFIELDER, he lacks initiative & ambition, lacks pace & is f.ckucking slow & lethargic, dilly-dallies on the ball too much & too long, plays unprogressive  backwards football and can't run with the ball at his feet. He is also not an attacking threat on HIS OWN like a good AM should be. The only thing he excells at is PASSING the ball BACKWARDS. . .In fact, he's SO GOOD at it that if he had an empty opposing goal post in front of him, he'll pass backwards to a team mate instead of playing the ball into the net. Suffice it to say, Mikel is a complete  MISFIT in Midfield. . . .Please, I'll be glad if you could restrict his a$$ to the bench in the Super Eagles

I have also heard you said the best players are not in the Super Eagles. . .I agree with you 100%. . . .Infact you need to drink Star 'Lagarbeer' and shine your eyes wella o. . . .Don't be decieved by the facade of our players and their clubs o. . . .Our best players aren't necessarily in big clubsides or playing regularly for their clubs. For example, Yobo is OUR HIGHEST PROFILE CENTRAL DEFENDER in terms of clubside but he isn't our best and shouldn't start ahead of the trio of Shittu, Apam and Adeleye. . . .Infact, Yobo is a CALAMITOUS & LAZY defender who sets silly & unnecessary OFF-SIDE traps instead of CLOSE-MARKING opposing attackers. Echiejile is also better than Taiwo at LEFT BACK despite the fact that the latter plays for Marseille. At RIGHT BACK, any of Olubayo Adèfemi or Chibuzor Okonkwo (Forget the fact that he's home-based. . .he's played against Messi, Babel, Di Maria, Altidore etc and performed well) will do. 

Also our best DEFENSIVE MIDFIELDER isn't Dickson Etuhu or Olofinjana. . .bone the fact that they play for Fulham and stoke abi na Hull city respectively. . .Our best '4' is actually Sanni Kaita & he sits on the bench for his Russian club.

Forget Fat-Yakuselesses' awesome goal record in the premiership. . . .he's immobile, slow & sluggish, lacks close ball control, lacks sharp turning, hides behind defenders, doesn't run into space/free himself or make runs off the ball and worst of all he couldn't score if he was left with the ball on the goal line in front of an empty post. . . .no let im 20 sumtin' age for im passport decieve u o. . .that guy is actually 40 years too old. . . .Kanu is playing retirement football in Portsmouth. . . .surely you don't have him in your plans, do you?. . . .You should call up young energetic strikers like Victor Moses of Wigan & Stefano Okaka of Fulham. . . .if dem do yanga, try convince them. . . .shebi u be foreign coach na? You fit also try convince Nedum Onuoha too. . .im be utility defender so im go be good catch too. . . .hmmm, what else? Please re-invite Femi Ajilore & Micheal Eneramo back to the team and u also need to give the following U-17 players - Ramon Azeez, Abduljeleel Ajagun, Fortune Chukwudi, Sanni Emmanuel a look-in in preparation for the WC. Don't forget their  senior colleagues like Rabiu Ibrahim, Lukman Haruna, Kingsley Udoh, Obiora Nwankwo & Alex Nkume too. Even the home-based players must feature prominently in your plans. . . .Players like Ike ThankGod, Osas Idehen, Bello Kofoamorta, Valentine Nwabili, Josiah Maduabuchi, Osanga King, Jonah Abutu etc must be given a fair chance to make the team to South Africa.

I hear sey u dey stadium for Abuja when Falconets humiliate those yeye S.African's. . . .that's a good start. . . .abeg, try dey go round our league venues once in a while to see things for yourself & unearth some gems. . .abi wetin u go dey do for Naija from now till June?Finally, finally u must give standing orders for players like Obinna Nwaneri, Kanu & Olofinjana to be shot if they come within 50 miles of your camp site. . . .Lest I forget u gats strip Yobo of his captainship (cos he's a disgrace to the arm-band) & make Osaze (cos of seniority) or Danny Shittu (He's the unofficial captain of the team anyway. . . .he plays with zeal & passion, motivates the team, is outspoken & is not afraid to clear the f.cuck up of any player on the pitch) the substantive captain. You must also nöt condone indiscipline, late arrival to camp & must be very careful the way u relate/deal with the NFF cos they may want to impose players on you. . . .I'm sure you're man enough to say NO when & if this does happen.

Take this my advice & I see you and by extension our Super Eagles/Nigeria having a very successful outing in SA 2010.

Finally, welcome to Nigeria. . .the Country of Great people and where the NAIRA bill is powerful. 

Welcome! Ekabo! No o! Do!

Brilliant letter. . . your letter is the reason why we should have hired[b] SiaSia [/b] who knows all these things.

On Point,

But i heard that he is planing to meet kanu tomorow. and who knows maybe he wants to tell him to quit honourably or he is the first name on his list

Ibime:

Brilliant letter. . . your letter is the reason why we should have hired[b] SiaSia [/b] who knows all these things.

I kinda agree with you on SiaSia but isn't the FACT that SiaSia is of your ethnic stock part of the reasons why you wanted him to be coach?

semid4lyfe:

I kinda agree with you on SiaSia but isn't the FACT that SiaSia is of your ethnic stock part of the reasons why you wanted him to be coach?

Stop talking rubbish. . . I never judge people on tribe, only competency. . . SiaSia has been successful in major tournaments, he is not afraid to drop players, his camp is always disciplined, and he has modern ideas.

Ibime:

Stop talking rubbish. . . I never judge people on tribe, only competency. . . SiaSia has been successful in major tournaments, he is not afraid to drop players, his camp is always disciplined, and he has modern ideas.

No vex oh. But when did under-aged competitions become major tournaments. Even the U-23 Olympics would not really be considered a major tournament.

the letter make a whole lot of sence.you finish mikel u get quarell wit am b4. i hope mr lagerback will put an end to this big boiz madness

@semid guy u wan use laff kill me finish but agree with u 100%. as per nwaneri he should be put on a no fly list into naija. still think kanu has small sometin to offer. great write up. as for mikel? don't get me started

The Best Letter I have ever read on Nairaland. Well documented !!!

This "letter" only confirms that NFF did the right thing by getting rid of Sir Amodu the coach.
It confirms that Amodu was never meant to coach The SE in the first place.

FBS:

This "letter" only confirms that NFF did the right thing by getting rid of Sir Amodu the coach.
It confirms that Amodu was never meant to coach The SE in the first place.

Not sure if NFF did the right thing by getting rid of Amodu Shuaibu but I agree with you he shouldn't have been appointed in the first place. . . . .that person should have been Samson Siasia. . . .I also opine that Samson Siasia should have been appointed to assist/help or replace Amodu Shuaibu instead of Lars Lagerback but the NFF made it clear the door was not open to SiaSia so foreign coach it was.
Having said this, of all the foreign coaches that were interviewed, Lars Lagerback was my preferred choice. . . .so far he hasn't dissapointed as I like what I'm hearing. . . .he has said many of the players in the current squad don't merit been in the team and that is VERY TRUE. . . .I just hope he'll match words with action.

Btw. . .shebi na 2morrow we dey play DR Congo? Make person set up the thread abi una don give up on the Eagles and no dey watch their matches anymore?

@Semid4lyfe, there is nothing wrong if you set up a thread for it. 
You expect everything to be done for you? 
But no worries, I will put one up. . .or will just edit the failed Nig vs Parag_ua_y  (LOL  )  match thread.

Yes Double L has impressed even me so far with words but he must match with actions.
You know I already told you that of the 5 coaches interviewed - he gets ma vote.

You could be right. . .maybe getting rid of Amodu was not the "right" thing to do. . . after all he successfully (albeit with heavy doses of HBP) navigated the first phase of "hard work" (secured qualification for WC).
But then if you consider the fact that he was not meant to be there in the first place. . .

semid,
Nice one.your letter was imaginative.
It's only that we know these things all too well.
I've always canvassed for Siasia.Ibime's ethnic commonality with him isn't really the issue.Amodu should NEVER have been SE coach from the start.
Common sense would dictate that Siasia be employed,as the transition woulda been a lot smoother,but they go for this journeyman with almost nothing to his CV apart from quarter-finals of Euro 2004.
As for the sacking of Amodu,if he never shoulda been there in the first instance,I don't see any problem removing him anytime.My problem with the Lagerback hiring is that one woulda hoped it would be a long-term thing.Unfortunately it doesn't look to be so. . .

This letter sounds as if we still live in trees

omar22:

This letter sounds as if we still live in trees

My guy,judging from the way we run things over here,don't we live in trees?

FBS:

This "letter" only confirms that NFF did the right thing by getting rid of Sir Amodu the coach.
It confirms that Amodu was never meant to coach The SE in the first place.

100% in agreement with the above quoted

FBS:

@Semid4lyfe, there is nothing wrong if you set up a thread for it. 
You expect everything to be done for you? 
But no worries, I will put one up. . .or will just edit the failed Nig vs Parag_ua_y  (LOL  )  match thread.

I would have put it up but I'm on mobile and kinda busy. Besides I couldn't have spiced it up, the way u'd have done. . .I see u've put up the thread. Nice!

Eastbay:

semid,
Nice one.your letter was imaginative.
It's only that we know these things all too well.
My problem with the Lagerback hiring is that one woulda hoped it would be a long-term thing.Unfortunately it doesn't look to be so. . .

Thanks. . . .I woulda preferred it if the contract were long term too.

montelik:

No vex oh. But when did under-aged competitions become major tournaments. Even the U-23 Olympics would not really be considered a major tournament.

You start from somewhere,oga.
Please he's long overdue to be SE coach.You and I know that.Let's quit the arguing.
@semid,
You don run go ammend your previuos post!Sharp guy.
Fact is:Mozambique quallified us,Not Amodu.

Semi-Final my foot:We deserve to play in the final after not being there for so long.Semi-final is just plain mediocrity,we should be in it wo win it.

Eastbay:


@semid,
You don run go ammend your previuos post!Sharp guy.
Fact is:Mozambique quallified us,Not Amodu.

Semi-Final my foot:We deserve to play in the final after not being there for so long.Semi-final is just plain mediocrity,we should be in it wo win it.

Lol. . . .shey u dey watch this thread like eagle ni? I modified my previous post to avoid exactly this. . . .dragging it down the path of whether it was Amodu or Mozambique who qualified us for SA 2010. You already know my position on that issue so lets not overflog it.
Peace!

Eastbay:

You start from somewhere,oga.
Please he's long overdue to be SE coach.You and I know that.Let's quit the arguing.
@semid,
You don run go ammend your previuos post!Sharp guy.
Fact is:Mozambique quallified us,Not Amodu.

Semi-Final my foot:We deserve to play in the final after not being there for so long.Semi-final is just plain mediocrity,we should be in it wo win it.

For the bolded part, I would rather say Tunisia contrived to qualify us for the world cup since the players didn't have a shot on goal in a game they needed to win.

semid4lyfe:

Lol. . . .shey u dey watch this thread like eagle ni? I modified my previous post to avoid exactly this. . . .dragging it down the path of whether it was Amodu or Mozambique who qualified us for SA 2010. You already know my position on that issue so lets not overflog it.
Peace!

Ok. . . just had to go there. . .

I'm happy they are looking to install a foreigner to coach the national side.
That will eliminate all the petty hungry bribes floating around that dump.

hackney:

I'm happy they are looking to install a foreigner to coach the national side.
That will eliminate all the petty hungry bribes floating around that dump.

let's all hope and pray he's what he seems to be.

@semid4lyfe

Ol'boy you too much o! I could have sworn we needed someone like you to do the job sef, wetin dey dia sef , or at least be somewhere within the hearing distance of our new coach.
Really good writeup.

this is a great written. Lars Lagerback has a lot to do but i am afraid if he fails, what will be the next on the NFF table is sack letter. Meanwhile we need to be patient with this new coach no matter what the result is in the first place because a ROME CAN'T BE BUILD IN A DAY.

Nigerians will want quick result for the fact that He is a Foreign Coach, but no one is perfect. Though with the calibre of talent we have in Nigeria I think we can be able to surprise the world but in case it goes on the other side, we should accept it and let the man carry on.

I could remember that it took Westerhof some years before he could give us a nations cup and our first cup appearance in USA.

So lets give time to Lars Largerback no matter what is the outcome of the South Africa 2010

what a letter, my G u try only Lager back must also be aware of NFF, coz they hired him against their wish and will stop at nothing to ensure a he donot succeed. Mr swede, dont fall into their trap o. good luck

@poster - u try nor b small

I expect Lagerback to be firm in his team selection this time around.There should be a massive clear out anyway.the future belongs to the youth.I look forward to a very mobile and fit super eagles.Not these clay footed "chickens" we saw in Angola.

Wonderful letter, of late I have been watching alot of foreign matches and was surprised to find out that a lot of Nigerian player play regularly for foreign clubs, this players were never called up for Angola.
I GUESS AMODU MUST BE REGRETTING HIS ACTIONS RIGHT NOW, -- AFRAID TO TRY NEW PLAYER AND COMFORTABLE WITH FAT, LAZY, UNFIT AND UNDETERMINED PLAYERS.
Brazil used Ronaldinho at a very young age, we should give some of the under 17 and 21 boyz a chance.
FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 4 YEARS, I AM BEGINNING TO BELIEVE WE HAVE A CHANCE IN SOUTH AFRICA 2010
-- A GOOD COACH GIVES HOPE.
LONG LIVE NAIRALAND

y i no see stanley okoro 4 ur list na. . .

Semid,bravo for ur letter.mikel is a good player that need a good coach,all u said about him is right but u forget the aspect of him,but why so much attention on him.oh, u are a united supporter.okoro is very good if caution?nice letter.