When Steven Okechukwu Keshi was appointed the new Super Eagles handler following the sack of Samson Siasia, not everyone thought he had the technicalities to build a team not to talk of winning a match. But events of last Tuesday seem to have put to rest every misgiving trailing his appointment. For Keshi, determination was his watch word. He needed it to prove a point after the fall of Siasia as the Eagles’ boss. The goalless draw recorded against the Botswana national team, the Zebras in his first assignment as Super Eagles head coach doubled his determination to succeed against the Zambian side. His firmness yielded a positive result. At the end, the Zambian national football team nicknamed Chipolopolo (the Bullets) paid the price. Until the team left the shores of Nigeria, they were yet to discover what stung them. Two unreplied goals from the boots of the Uche brothers were what Keshi needed to walk with his shoulders high.Keshi claim to have the amulet for success. This is evident in his words shortly after the Botswana game. In his words: “changes will be made in the Eagles and I have seen the things I need to change. The work is enormous but we will be on it. I have a good team and we will get there.” He appeared to have taken over the job well prepared. The failure of Siasia is still fresh in his mind and he is afraid of going the same way. He is doing everything possible to avoid the banana peel that floored his predecessor considering the ‘clauses’ in his contract.  The former Mali coach says he would also be tactical in the selection of players and this may mean dropping those who do not meet the standards in terms of determination and hunger to play for Nigeria.Eagle’s assistant coach, Daniel Amokachi is speaking in tandem with Keshi. He seems to have hit the nail on the head. “We will begin to drop those who are not measuring up and there are a couple of them. If a dropped player shows that he is hungry to return to the team we will recall him. We will also begin to train and build new players.” Keshi might have prepared the riot act for Amokachi to interpret. His intention is to avoid the players sabotaging his efforts, the way Siasia claimed some Eagles players did to him. Former Eagles coach, Siasia, may be licking the wounds of his dismissal but it appears he has given Keshi the necessary support to prosper with the senior national team. Siasia’s sudden appearance at the unveiling ceremony of Keshi and the handing over of an all-green coloured Super Eagles’ jersey to Keshi with number four inscribed behind it demonstrates the support he has for Keshi. The ‘Big Boss’ as Keshi was fondly called, wore the jersey number four during his reign as a defender and later captain of the Super Eagles.  Regardless of circumstances surrounding Siasia’s sack and Keshi’s take over, football stakeholders are speaking in unison of Keshi’s ability in turning around the fortunes of the Super Eagles in the nearest future. Their expectation is that Keshi would redeem the image of local coaches appointed in the past to manage the Eagles. Former Nigerian international, Patrick Paschal sees Keshi as the last hope of indigenous coaches. Pascal believes that there might never be any chance for any indigenous coach in the national team if Keshi fails as the head coach of the Super Eagles.    ;   “Keshi should do everything possible to succeed because Nigerians are waiting for him. They are watching events with keen interest. Paschal sees Keshi as a redeemer after Nigeria failed to book a place for the 2012 Africa Nations Cup to be staged in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea. As an assistant coach under Shaibu Amodu in 2002, Keshi is expected to also combine the experience gathered from Togo and Mali to repair the perceived damage done the team under Siasia.Victor Iroele, chairman of Sports Writers Association of Nigeria, SWAN, FCT chapter is also singing the song of Paschal. Iroele believes Keshi is now carrying the burden of indigenous coaches after his predecessor failed to deliver. Keshi is aware of this fact and as such has decided to build his team around committed players. No wonder he is looking inwards in the local league. His intention is to work with home-based players who will give their all to the rebuilding process in the team. With this, the new coach knows he will be calming the frayed nerves of angry Nigerian football fans. His inclusion of the premier league’s highest goal scorer, Jude Aneke in the list of his new squad is the beginning of the rebuilding process. It is aimed at qualifying Nigeria for the 2013 Nations Cup and the 2014 World Cup slated for Brazil. In addition, Keshi invited all the players who fell out with Siasia in his pursuit of discipline in the team. Goalkeeper, Vincent Enyeama and midfielder, Dickson Etuhu are beneficiaries and they have pledged their allegiance to Keshi to ensure they restore the Eagles to its former glory. The appointment of former Rangers and Eagles player, Sylvanus Okpala, is another sign that Keshi is not ready to work with mediocres.

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