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Paul Aigbogun and the Coaching Albatross

By Daily Sports on February 18, 2019

I don’t know if you know this man called Paul Aigbogun, as a coach of any substance before he resurfaced to handle the second most important team in the ranking of Nigeria’s national teams. The answer from many I guess would be yes, Enyimba International FC of Aba but recently. However, before he was packaged to the famous Aba based team, he was a-nobody in the scheme of coaching hierarchy in Nigeria.

For the records, he was handling a very lowly team, Warri Wolves FC of Warri. He has not handled a high flying side in the country before; hence his name never rang any bell in coaching circle in the country.

In short, he has been aided all the way by the President of the Nigeria Football Federation, Amaju Pinnick who first sold him to Felix Anyansi Agwu, the long serving chairman of Enyimba and also an executive committee member of the NFF. Paul Aigbogun first employment in first rate team like Enyimba International Fc of Aba was cemented by Amaju Pinnick and he was told to go and resume in Aba,

He came to Enyimba saw and could not conquer and he was given a soft landing after bungling the CAF Champions League campaign of the team. He is a pretender to the sweat merchant job. He is yet to prove himself as a strong hand on the job. There are proofs that he is not sound and how he has found himself where he has been today is simply on the basis of ‘man know man.’

He never performed in Aba and he was told in clear terms to do a tactical withdrawal which he did and went under that mid-season only to resurface again in Aba where he left the team near relegation.

All the height he has climbed is the handiwork of Amaju Pinnick his kinsman, who after the second Enyimba coming and not minding the dismal posting, appointed him Flying Eagles helmsman. We can judge what his performance in the team has been. He has proved to be yet another disaster at the just concluded AFCON U-20 World Youths Championship. The only thing he was able to see Nigeria through is grabbing one of Africa’s slots in the forthcoming showpiece later in the year.

He failed to go pass Mali to the finals of the tournament and as if that was not enough, he fumbled against South Africa in all losers final thereby coming home empty handed in a tournament he would have made to the finals and possibly won the trophy. Again, he could not advance superior match plan and tactics against South African side that dragged him to yet another penalty shootout; the kind that equally nailed him and his boys against Mali at the semi-finals.

Let me make it clear that he is not a sound coach and so his brother, Amaju Pinnick, that gave him the job on a platter of gold must start being very wary of him because Nigeria has been the loser. As he could not fly handsomely in Niger Republic Africa qualifiers, what then guarantees he will lead the team to anywhere in the World Youth Championship in Poland.

His record as coach is nothing but unimpressive. He has climbed thus through godfatherism and otherwise. If you watch some of the team’s group games you will agree that it was the hand of God and quality of teams in the group that helped Nigeria pick a slot for the WYC in Poland. Paul Aigbogun has nothing upstairs as a tactician. Again for the records, I have met him a number of times. One when he had his first stint with Enyimba at Agege Stadium and Enyimba City stadium Aba during that year’s CAF Champions League. Let’s be honest, due to his colourless approach to the games, I refused to seek a one on one interview with him which is my hallmark as a reporter. Let me also tell you this that I participated in his post match press briefing absent mindedly. He never impressed me as a coach worth his salt to handle a whole first rate and most successful football club in Nigeria like Enyimba FC.

After watching a number of games supervised as coach by Paul Aigbogun, I felt disappointed with Felix Anyansi Agwu and called him cheap and eye service person who pleases other people while his own thing suffers. He pleased Amaju Pinnick to engage an empty coach and Aigbogun’s tenure in Enyimba proved the worst in the team’s history since it won CAF Champions League back to back.

One will not be out of place to say thus of Aigbogun: I am surprised that in all that is going on, what Aigbogun can see is a dance. Football coach/management is serious business, not circus show. I see that, that point has escaped Aigbogun all long which is why teams he has handled in the past and present are nearly shadows of themselves and an example is the Flying Eagles team.

Now, now, now, what does one call that? A rabbit punch or a sucker punch? Both are boxing expressions – a rabbit punch is a punch below the belt, which means cheating and pursuit of dirty means to achieve victory. While a sucker punch is targeted at a careless boxer who exposed his chin for a knockout. And now this; we but sadly chose the other way round hence we have within one breathe lost everything to the lack of foresight by those who are supposed to display genuine football leadership, but rather chose to favour crooks and mediocre instead.

I am still waiting to see who will come up to tell me that Paul Aigbogun is the best among his peers for the Flying Eagles job. Also I am waiting for someone to also point out the difference he impacted into the team he led to fourth placing in Niger Republic. He is not fit for that high job because he has no clout and charisma but could only boast of looking good which incidentally is not what his present job requires as football coaching is not beauty parade which he is best suited for than what he is currently doing. Truth is that there is an extent to where his brothers or kins men can carry him. Coaching is a practical affair and Aigbogun has exposed himself and the people that have been aiding him to this level. If we hope to make an impact at the forthcoming WYC in Poland, the Delta State born ‘coach’ must either be out rightly replaced or to be beefed up with strong hand(s).

It is sad the way and manner things are done presently in NFF where square pegs are fit in round holes and sundry. All the talk about things taking shape, just like the larger Nigerian polity, is nothing but mere propaganda. Nothing is moving progressively to anywhere, rather it has been all motion, no movement scenario.

But as we continue to forge ahead for a better deal for our football management, nevertheless, let us not give breathing space to whoever is confirmed as our kill joy in this beautiful game. Our social media handles are active 247. Let’s keep the heat on and discuss this sport. Keep shooting hard, till next week!!

Source Daily Sports

Posted February 18, 2019