An exciting end to the Premier League (2)

Segun Agbede

| credits: File copy

Last weekend, I wrote about the benefits that have accrued to the league under the stewardship of the League Management Committee. It is therefore  unfortunate that  the Premier League club owners ( a somewhat contradictory term) are trying to scupper the LMC’s  efforts by agitating for the end of  its tenure in office for reasons best known to them. It goes without saying that the clubs are the bedrock of the league, without them, there can be no league. 

 Nevertheless, it is important the club owners realise time and tide stands still for no one. That cooperation and compromise should be the way forward not consistent, unecessary and ultimately counter produtive confrontation. 

Positive change is here to stay and the era of business as usual in Nigerian football, has hopefully gone forever.Fortunately the regulatory body of the league. The Nigerian Football Federation is standing solidly behind the LMC. We crave stability in the league and a return to the maufactured chaos of the pre LMC days is totally objectionable.

Kano Pillars deserve all  plaudits for winning  their  third title but their paucity of away wins  in my opinion undermines their league title and the quality of the league itself.  The GLO PL Champions only managed two away wins in the entire campaign. While I reiterate that Kano Pillars fully merited their crown (they were by far and away the most consistent team), one must endeavour to call a spade a spade and not an oversized culinary implement. 

I don’t think there’s any other league in world football where a team can lose 15 from 38  games in a season and still be crowned champions.Ironically Kwara United who finished third from bottom and were subsequently relegated, managed three away wins, the most in the league last season.

This uniquely Nigerian phenomenom does not augur well for our teams when we play continental football. A league where even the relgated teams won the bulk of their home games shows a  stastical anomaly in favour of the home teams. A closer look at the league table show the all the bottom four teams won games  running into double figures at home. While nine of twenty GLP PL sides didn’t even  lose a single game at home. This is an incredible but highly improbanle statistic and goes some way to explaining why Nigerian clubs have fared so poorly in CAF organised tournaments in the recent past.

There were many highlights of the just concluded season but one of the major ones, has to be the impregnable back five of Enyimba International of Aba. Enyimba had a fantastic chance of winning the title themselves  up to week 36. A combination of dreadful finishing on the pitch and  peculiar interpretations in some quarters, of clear, unambiguous GLO PL statutes off it, combined to frustrate Enyimba’s title ambitions and their quest for a unique double. However, goal keeper Femi Thomas, full backs Ugwu Uwadiegwu, 

 Bright Esieme along with the uncompromising central defenive partnership of club captain Chinedu Udoji and Markson Ojobo created history, by becoming the first side ever in Nigeria, probab;y Africa to go an entire season without conceding a league goal at home. A phenomenal achievement and one thoroughly deserved.

 I watched Enyimba in Aba quite a few times last season and indeed their defenders took no prisoners. Enyimba only conceded 19 goals, by far and away the best defensive record in the GLO PL. 

They lost out in the league because they simply couldn’t convert the numrous chances created in most games, scoring a measly 32 goals, 14 less than Kano Pillars and the second lowest scorers in the league, just above Dolphins of Port Harcourt who only  scored 30.

My Team and Manager of the season though has to be Sharks of Port Harcourt and their head coach.Genga Ogunbote. I had  them pegged as certainties for relegation midway through the season, as Sharks were rock bottom  for 13 of the first 21 weeks of the league. The inspired selection of Gbenga Ogunbote, formerly of Sunshine Stars turned their season around.and Sharks went from basement dwellers and definite canditates for relegation, to finishing 8th with 53 points, one point and four places above, I hasten to add, Sunshine Stars.

A special mention must go to the three  top goal scorers in the GLO PL. Yes we all know and accept that football is a team sport but the most difficult task on the field is scoring goals.

Victor Namo of Nasarawa United won the Golden Boot with 19 goals . A tally which was over half of the 37 goals scored by his club. Oghenekaro Etebo of Warri Wolves and Mfon Udoh of Akwa United were runners up with 16 and 15 goals each. Considering this  was Etebo’s first season in the league and Mfon Udoh’s second, these lads deserve a lot of credit. I really hope they fulfill their potential and go on to  become household names.