Confluence Queens of Lokoja coach, Sabo Okala has confessed that the biggest problem he is facing in building a crack team is that most of his regulars for last season were actually registered on loan.
Sports247.ng reports that, though the articulate gaffer is staying upbeat for a resurgence of his cureent squad, he admitted it has not been easy making up for the exit of 24 regular players at the end of the past campaign.
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The former handler of Honey Badgers FC of Makurdi added that many of the experienced players who helped Confluence Queens reach the Nigeria Women Football League (NWFL) Super-6 last season also left in search of better pay elsewhere.
He, however, gave kudos to those who are left in the squad and gave them thumbs up for showing promising signs, though they are yet to win a single game after four weeks of the current season.
Rather than be downcast after seeing his team lose their last match 3-0 away to Abia Angels of Umuahia on matchday four, Okala encouraged his players to keep on working hard for a revival and gave plaudits to the hosts for what he called their well deserved victory.
“Congratulations to the home team,” Okala began, “It was a deserved victory for them. They did well, and it can only be attributed to hard work. That’s why I said congratulations to them. But, that’s not to suggest that we didn’t play well. As it is, I don’t have words to describe what we are going through.
“Losing 24 regular players at the end of last season was massive. Just six old players came back but, before the commencement of the season, three of the experienced players went down with injury. Among the new players that I then scouted, three top strikers left the team just a week before registration.”
Okala spoke further about his efforts at rebuilding the squad, but the smooth talking and down-to-earth tactician revealed that it is not an easy task; as he added: “It’s a huge process. This is a team that qualified for the Super-6 last year, and during the regular season, we came second in our group.
“Those are factors that are responsible for us to be struggling this year. We’ve not won any match. We have lost others and conceded many goals but, as a coach, you must not feel down. I have to keep trying, because I know what we are fighting for as a team. That’s why I am assuring everyone that we are progressing gradually.
“From the technical aspect of it, we are progressing, and I am sure that we will get it right. We are going to get it right. As per losing 24 players at once, I cannot hide it, but I have to admit it was due to the pay package. Yes, our inability to increase their pay package was just the main factor. Other states are paying well and better than us. So, definitely, good players will go for a better pay package. That’s why I will keep clamouring and begging the state government to toe the same line with others so that we can be at par with them.”
Okala further noted how important it is to have a stable structure that has players who are fully contracted to a club for the long-term, rather than depend of those whose managers only prefer handing over to a team on loan and they end up spending just a season with each side, then move quickly to the next once the season ends.
He expatiated, “It depends on the type of structure you have on ground. At times, some of these players come on loan, because their managers don’t want to release them fully. Once you have a player that comes on loan, you don’t have any right to tie that player down. That’s one of the biggest problems we are having. However, if the funds had been there, we would buy players outrightly, and we will be able to have full control of them. But, all in all, as a coach, I am sure that these young ones we are now grooming will definitely come out good.”
He concluded with a recollection of a similar experience he faced during his days with Honey Badgers in Makurdi, as he built the club from scratch, discovered many good talents and took them to an enviable level that made the state government take over the team then rename them as Benue Queens FC.
“That’s an experience that I gained from Honey Badgers, where I started like this and, to the glory of God, I have 15, 16 of them who are now playing in the premiership. That’s my joy. It’s my joy to see my products growing, and that’s a consolation. If it’s not going well in terms of results, we take joy in terms of building talents and creating a developmental structure. In that aspect, I will give myself a thumbs up,” Okala submitted.
