The Road to 'Saviour' Lagerback!

It's just about a hundred days to the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, the first in Africa, and graciously, our beloved(that word is constantly questioned these days though) country, Nigeria's flag will be hoisted at the mundial. Nigeria qualified for the fiesta after a tortuous campaign but that's gradually being pushed aside now and taking its place is the issue of who leads the nation's senior national team, the Super Eagles to the soccer fiesta.
After a qualifying series that left many football fanatics with high blood pressure and an uninspiring outing at the 27th edition of the African Cup of Nations where the nation picked the bronze trophy, the team's head coach, Shuaibu Amodu who was roundly accused of tactical deficiency, was removed and redeployed to handle the home-based Eagles. Justifying his removal during an interview with BBC, the NFF president, Sani Lulu claimed Amodu was removed in response to public outcry against him. It must also be noted that some of the national team's most respected players like Osaze Odemwingie and Obafemi Martins had at different occasions questioned their handler's tactics, an obvious bad omen.
After Amodu's sack, many thought the job of tinkering with the Super Eagles at the first world cup in Africa would go to another Nigerian with many touting former U-23 coach, Samson Siasia and former Mali and Togo handler, Stephen Keshi as favourite candidates. The NFF however had other plans. They soon announced they were in search of a foreign technical adviser, a phrase exclusively used by the football administrative body. The announcement was followed by the release of a five-man wishlist of top coaches they had curiously but characteristically not contacted. The list included Dutchman and Russia coach, Guus Hiddink, his compatriot, Louis van Gaal, Egyptian coach, Hassan Shehata, Englishman, Peter Taylor and Italian, Trappatoni. Surprisingly, two of them, Taylor and Hiddink went ahead to take up jobs with Bradford and Turkey respectively, obviously not taking the Nigerian offer as a serious one. The other coaches on the list also in no time distanced themselves from the job, leaving the NFF in a confused macabre dance of shame!
Not to be outdone as a super source of comedy, the NFF went back to the drawing board (I can't say if it's black or white) and came up with more names such as Bruno Metsu, former Senegal coach; Ratomir Djukovic, former Black Stars of Ghana handler; and Lars Lagerback of Sweden while Glen Hoddle of England and Swede, Sven Goran Eriksson sent in their applications for the job. Subsequently, in a move that inspired more laughter than hope, the NFF incurred the huge cost of sending some of its eminent board members to meet with the above-mentioned coaches in London for a meeting that was in the view of many, utmostly unnecessary considering the fact that all the coaches were still to come down to Abuja for an interview, another hilarious piece of the puzzle!
Dangling the carrot of a CV-boosting opportunity to tinker with the Super Eagles at the world cup, the NFF got all five coaches to come down to Abuja (obviously on the NFF's bill) to face a panel comprised of NSC Director, Patrick Ekeji and CAF Technical Adviser, Chief Adegboye Onigbinde among others. The interviews have come and gone and the panel by a yet to be revealed criteria deemed former Sweden coach, Lars Lagerback as the best man for the Super Eagles job. Lagerback was born Lars Edvin Lagerback in Katrineholm, Sweden on July 16, 1948 and is aged 61. He played for Alby FF (1960-1969) and Gimonas CK (1970-1974) before going on to coach Arbra BK (1983-1985), Hudiksvalls (1987-1989), the Sweden U-21 side(1996-1997) and then serving as an assistant coach of the Swedish national team in 1998-1999 before being made coach between 2000 and 2009 when he resigned his appointment after failing to qualify the side for the world cup.
The process that gave Nigeria her new foreign coach might have raised some questions but he's here now and must settle down to work immediately. He must realise that despite having only a couple of months to work with his players, Nigerians will not accept a less than excellent performance from him. The team must not only win, they must play beautiful, scintillating football that would take our football back to the high pedestal where it used to be. If he's thinking of anything less, then he's probably ignorant of the Amodu story. That of a man who qualified his national team for the world cup twice but got sacked before the tournaments, this time for playing uninspiring football. Some say it would be injustice if Amodu doesn't go to South Africa but if he will and in what capacity is yet unknown.
Conclusively and on a lighter note, for those who feel Nigeria, the world's biggest black nation ought to be led to the world cup by a black coach, not to worry, we can make Lagerback one by calling him Lagerblack! Welcome coach, best of luck!