By Daily Sports on April 4, 2017

Last year, after winning the Nigeria Premier League title with Rangers International, Coach Imama Amapakabo was riding high in a sea of praises and adulation. His Rangers team had done what other Rangers teams had miserably failed to do in over three decades, and that is winning a major title for the Flying Antelopes. But now, his Rangers team look a shadow of their last season selves and were booted out of CAF Champions league qualification by Zamalek of Egypt 6-3 on aggregate, while they are occupying the bottom rung of the Nigerian league.

Coach Imama has, as expected in this unstable world of opinions, come under a lot of criticisms. From the highly revered ‘tactical coach’ that he was praised to be, there’s a certain air of uncertainty now in the Rangers fold whether he’s the right man to continue to lead the club to its immediate future.

The management of the club, having been irritated by the string of poor results of the club recently, have come out with a public declaration of no confidence on the coaches by issuing  a public statement, giving a three-match ultimatum to the coaching crew to turn things around.

The statement released by the General Manager of the club Christian Chukwu read: “The management of the club has decided to review the activities of the technical crew and the players in the course of the next three matches. They must win the next three matches because we can’t continue to tolerate the recent poor results of the team in the league and in the CAF Champions League which we have now exited.”

Now is it the right thing for the management of the club to do? There’s no disputing that when results are poor it is usually a catalyst for change in a club. But it is not classy for club management to issue a public vote of no confidence on a coach (as must be inferred from the statement) when they haven’t relieved him of his duties. If you are convinced that the coach is not living up to expectations with the team and the prospects of improvements are nonexistent then fire him. If not, why not have an honest discussion with the coach and try to figure out ways in which the club can have a positive turn around.

Even if ultimatums are to be handed out, must the management make it a public affair? The mere idea of a public dress down of a coach is enough to irrevocably strain the relationship between management and coach, even if the team wins the games they are ordered to win.

Imama was the coach that led the Rangers team to a 32-year wait for a title. He deserves more respect in his moments of struggle with results, and not to be humiliated by the very club he has strived to bring glory to.

The rumours flying around as to the reasons for Rangers slump this season have to do with the reported confusion that the appointment of Christian Chukwu as GM has caused. The way Chukwu has handled the current struggles of the club lends credence to that rumour.

Chukwu has had his time as a coach, both at club and national team levels and his record was never fantastic. He should have the decency, humility and empathy to handle this tough period for a promising young coach in Imama with better class than issuing him with public threats.

In the face of this humiliation, Imama has been silent. He’s failed the task of winning the games he was asked to and is expected to be sacked soon. Slinging back in some form to this lack of class shown by the Chukwu-led Rangers management would be interesting while negotiating a good payoff package should be his task now. He has it in him to reclaim his high image where ever he next finds himself as coach.

Source Daily Sports

Posted April 4, 2017

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