Nigeria: Josy Lad Knocks Falcons Coach

Daily Independent (Lagos)

2 May 2011

Former Super Falcons coach Joseph Ladipo, a.k.a. Josy Lad, has berated the team’s coaching crew for fielding an entirely local and inexperienced players against an established side like the Black Queens of Ghana.

Super Falcons was on Sunday at the Abuja national stadium forced to 1-1 draw by Black Queens of Ghana in the 2011 All Africa Games qualifier thereby making the decisive leg in fortnight in Accra, Ghana a tough nut.

It would be recalled that the team’s handler, Eucharia Uche resorted to the home girls after her trusted and reliable Europe based players were held back by their respective clubs which preferred instead to let them go for the second round in Accra, Ghana. Onome Ebi was the only professional that laced her boot for the game.

However, Ladipo who said experience would have taught us to use our best players in any encounter against Ghana told SuperSport.com that it was a costly gamble which we must painfully stomach at least for now.

“Parading young and inexperienced players could be good for our developmental football; they did it against Namibia in Windhoek, it was okay but not in an important game against old rivals. We got a draw, we cannot replay it, we should be planning for the return leg.

“Ghana has been our arch-rivals and previous games against them have been tough and difficult, so the alarm would have told us to use our best, parading inexperienced players for whatever reason was too much a gamble.”

The chairman of 3SC who said it will be unpardonable for Nigeria to be missing at the quadrennial football showpiece in Maputo, Mozambique later in the year however said that hopes are not lost if we put our acts right before the Accra showdown.

“All hopes are not lost; we are condemned to parade our best legs wherever we will find them against Ghana. “Nigeria are the title holder of the football event and have played in previous editions, so it will be unthinkable for Nigeria to miss out at the All Africa Games competition.

“Now we are left with no choice than to re-think, re-strategise and field experienced players, I am hopeful we can still salvage the situation,” he said.

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