Opinion: The Problems And Solution To Rangers International Poor Performance

...The problem of Rangers is purely technical.

Rangers International of Enugu in the 2023 Nigeria Professional Football League have recorded poor run of form, this reporter takes a look at the problems and probable solution for one of the best Nigerian club to forge ahead.

There is a commissioner for youths and sports who oversights the management of Rangers and follows them to all their games and motivates them but there is another government Committee chaired by commissioner for land and few other politicians whose interest in Rangers interferes with the progress of the team.

The said Committee recruited coach Maikaba and protects his technical faults so as not to be blamed by the governor who empaneled them in the first place.

The chairman of the said Committee had tried twice under Owumi to impose the team Doctor as the acting GM but the then commissioner for youths and sports Hon. Vitus Okechi believed to be a closer boy of the Governor resisted such attempts insisting that as the commissioner for Sports, he was closer and more details to handle the problem of Rangers, a parastatal under his ministry than the strange politicians who come from other ministries with pockets of interests of course, the Governor saw reasons with the commissioner.

Rangers have played 12 grade A games from the pre season friendlies, Tingo Tournament games and now 4 League matches with only 2 goals scored.

A time like this in 2019 under Benedeth Ugwu, the then commissioner Vitus Okechi located the problem of the team appropriately by relieving the non performing technical head and few others their positions ushering in the reign of Salisu Yusuf who used the same set of players to play 9 games unbeaten and maintain top position on the log always but for the way the league ended.

On resumption, Rangers was already in their pre season camping and recruitment concluded.

Maikaba told the Enugu press after watching the team that he was impressed with the team he met but would later requested that he wanted to bring his own players that play his own kind of football.

Having full square already registered, the management allowed him 2 to 3 players slot during the mid season but he was so unsatisfied that he held it against Owumi at every given opportunity.

This was true even when he played 19 games home and away but lost only 1 due to the quality of the players he met already recruited based on merit.

It was this background that encouraged the management left by Owumi to allow the TA do the entire recruitment for peace to reign for the new season which now turned a bad start yet the said Committee sees nothing wrong in the technical failures but prefers to orchestrate a management change or shakeups to feed their political interests instead of concentrating on what will save the team from relegation in a very dangerous abridged league dormat like this.

This Committee has not also gone through the details of the new frame work of the league with relations to the licensing status of the club and it's officials which can further creat crises for the club but wants to bring in their own.

The TA since the exit of Owumi is marked with characteristic arrogance and obstinacy against the management of Rangers believing that his bosses are on the top in government.

It has got to a point he is suggesting to the committee who to stay and who to live or head the management of the club even when his fundamental technical input on the team is obviously suffering.

He inherited a sound team with a government support program better than virtually all the NPFL clubs.

No player or officials is owed a dime both in bonuses, allowances or salary in Rangers yet, he appears confused as to what his next technical plan or solution could be.

In his last home game in Akwa, he told the media that he loves the club and that the club has treated him well but result has refused to come even when he has exhausted all in his arsenal.

He offered to mutually terminate his contract going foward, yet the said Committee sees nothing wrong with him but prefers to tinker with the management positions to infuse their cronies.

Instead of confirming the vibrant secretary who had distinguished himself amongst the club owners as the secretary of the committee that reviewed the current league framework so as to imbue him with the authority to firmly continue with his good works, they pursue shadows. Today, Insurance in headed by Chiko, it's secretary and the club is doing well owing to the technical dept of the team and support program not better than that of Rangers.

The commissioner for Sports had insued several query regarding the poor performance of the team but the committee will urge on their own and encourage him to ignore the commissioner as they are powers that hold him.

After Tingo Tournament, all lovers of Rangers were worried and the TA wrote a report addressed to government accepting responsibility for failure as Rangers came last in a 100million worth of preseason tournament yet the committee saw no error in his performance.

He recommended the sacking of 5 players he personally recruited after about 2 to 3 months salary have been paid to them and 50% of their clearance fees settled by Rangers. This was carried out as his words are almost law in Rangers with his Ogas at the top. Up till the last day of closure of registration, the TA still requested the registration of a player and the management secured the registration of the player Mohammed Hadi just to be sure he has nothing to complain about.

Let the government strip political interest holders powers to remote manage the club and allow the management under the commissioner do her work and Rangers will be back to it's feet as they have all the potentials to do well. After all, the motto of the club is Through difficulty to height and the slogan; Never Say Die!

By Cletus Ndubusi