Home-based players can make the difference if – Cooreman

By Kate Obodo

Chief coach of Warri Wolves Football Club, Maurice Cooreman has said that the new Super Eagles Stephen Keshi is building would improve with time if  he  continues to blend the home-based players, who are hungry for honours, with their foreign-based compatriots.

The former Kaduna United coach who expressed satisfaction with the performance of the local players who have featured in  both the 2013 Nations Cup and 2014 World qualifiers said Keshi has done well but needs to include more players from the local league, stressing that there are many more home-based players who need such opportunities to prove their worth.

*Home based Eagles in one of their matches

“My experience with the local league shows that Nigeria is blessed with a rich pool of talented players that are determined and focused when given the chance,”Cooreman said.

He said that “so far, Keshi has shown that he is committed and capable for the job and has also shown  that there are good players in  the Nigerian Premier League who  were  neglected by his predecessors.

“Building a new team with new players is a very big task for any coach  who wants the best for his team, therefore it requires time and patience. Here in Nigeria, it is a different ball game as  everybody  wants the team to win all the time without minding what is at stake.

It is a difficult thing for any national team coach but people don’t want to know, all they  want is winning and getting results which is good,” he stressed.

He however,  affirmed that Keshi would qualify the country for the Nations Cup in South Africa, if all hands are on deck.
“Nigerians need to be  patient and support Keshi to achieve this. I believe at the end of the Nations Cup  qualifier, he would come out with better results, “ he added.