Former Super Eagles’ goalkeeper and trainer, Ike Shorunmu has come out with an emotional piece of advice that the team’s current set of players should not be compared with those who excelled during his time in the national team.
Sports247 reports that many Nigerian analysts and fans regularly scold the Eagles’ current array of players for lacking what they call the zeal for victory, but Shorunmu argued that it is simply a case of different mindset seen among two varying generations of players.
While tagging the new spirit in the Eagles as once styled according to a mentality of the modern generation, Shorunmu, who starred for Stationery Stores FC of Lagos and FC Zurich of Switzerland at the height of his career, suggested that the current set of national team players deserve patience and understanding from all Nigerians.
He further said, “I don’t like to be comparing situations, especially as life is changing fast. Our own time is gone, and this is a new generation. We need to face the reality of the new generation players, their mentality, and what they past through in their clubs. You need to walk according to their tune and pace. That’s the way it is now.”
The approachable, highly reserved and humble former goalkeepers’ coach of the Eagles added that new trend in national team football demands reorientation and fresh approaches, which means the only impact from Nigeria’s ‘Golden Generation’ in the senior national team should be a blend of ideas, not full incursion.
“Let’s forget about the past and our own time, because we need to follow the new trend. The only thing we can do is to just softly borrow a leaf from our own time and blend it with what’s going on now. That way, I’m sure we’ll see something better in the team. The players’ commitment will come, and they will fight for the country,” Shorunmu submitted
