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Flying Eagles coach Ladan Bosso has gotten a lot of criticism lately but his detractors are focusing on the wrong things
Ladan Bosso has been the subject of criticism in his capacity as Flying Eagles head coach right from the point of his appointment.
The criticism peaked after Nigeria lost their opening game at the 2023 under-20 Africa Cup of Nations to Senegal which is not out of the ordinary as coaches often bear the brunt for their teams' underperformance.
However, the overall tone of Bosso's detractors suggested that this was about more than just football performances and crossed over into prejudice-driven comments fueled by dangerous stereotypes.
Ladan Bosso deserves criticism but what kind?
Ladan Bosso like every other human being is not impervious to criticism, there are lots of things he could be doing better, especially tactically.
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The 55-year-old is the direct opposite of a modern manager in his approach to the game and how he sets up his teams which is the genesis of the frustration that has led to the constant criticism directed his way.
Bosso is so 'old-school' he does not even have a Wikipedia page, a conservative lifestyle that is mirrored on the pitch by his teams and how they play.
So of course, Nigerians were disenchanted when the managerial relic was put in charge of the country's youth as the NFF announced Bosso as the coach of the under-20 team in July 2021 after an extensive search.
Bosso has a clear track record and style of play which the NFF was well familiar with before appointing him but they did so anyway and now he is being unfairly bludgeoned for it.
What makes the Bosso criticism unfair?
The discourse surrounding Bosso after the defeat to Senegal had a prejudistic feel to it as his critics attacked his credentials as a coach rather than his tactics.
Demeaning comments like the one above were the order of the day after the loss to Senegal, the dog-whistling to typecast Bosso as a clueless Northerner was disheartening.
Whether or not Bosso is the right man to lead the Flying Eagles of Nigeria is a question worth asking but it should be based on football-related reasons as is the case with other managers.
To even suggest that Bosso, a man who is arguably over-qualified for the job is not up to the standard to coach an under-20 team shows that the critics do not know enough about the man to form an opinion.
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From El Kanemi Warriors where he made his name and built a reasonably competitive team which punched above its weight in the NPFL to his other appointments with FC Ifeanyi Ubah, Gombe United and Adamawa United, Bosso's antecedent is clear.
He is a pragmatic manager with an emphasis on solid defensive shape, he can be more succinctly described as Nigeria's answer to Sean Dyche.
Pragmatic managers are typically not liked all over the world for obvious reasons, they are often tolerated on the condition of success but at the very least, their tactical approach is acknowledged and respected.
The acknowledgement of tactical nous is not even there for Bosso let alone the respect he deserves as a reasonably successful manager within Nigerian football.
The fact that Bosso has led Nigeria to two wins since the Senegal loss shows that he is not the completely inept oaf born of Northern nepotism as his critics would have you believe.
It is important to reiterate that this is not a pro-Bosso message but rather one against unfair stereotypes and prejudice that have surrounded the man.
In conclusion, by all means criticise the man but do so within the confines of his tactical approach and style of play while also according him the basic respect of a football manager.
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