Sunday Oliseh must bring genuine change as Nigeria's new manager

Sunday Oliseh has enough independence to bring about genuine change within the Nigerian national team.

There is something immediately refreshing about Sunday Oliseh. He belongs to that extremely rare breed of retired Nigerian international footballers who have not sat around waiting for opportunities. Instead, they've added a sound education to their natural talent.

Patrick Ekeji, Segun Odegbami, Adokiye Amiesimaka and Seyi Olofinjana are some of the few who also belong to this very exclusive club. Don't get me wrong; this is in no way to be confused with ex-footballers, especially those of the recent generation, who made a boatload of money during their careers and are subsequently well set up.

Ekeji rose to be (and retired as) a senior civil servant, with a stint as national coach sandwiched somewhere in between. Odegbami has built himself a successful media career among other things, and Amiesimaka blends a distinguished legal career with football administration. Olofinjana is among the youngest of the lot but was foresighted enough to combine a football career with earning a degree in chemical engineering, and is now involved with media work.

After accusations of a "mafia" at play in Nigerian football, in which players were labelled as undisciplined and made into outcasts, it would have been easy to slink away into the dark. And many did. But not Oliseh. In the years since his exile in 2002, he has taken the time, put in the effort and spent money to rebuild his reputation, expand his scope and become one of the most respected former players in the world game.

Turned away twice when he put himself forward to manage the team he played for, the job has finally landed on his lap at a most opportune moment.He comes into the Super Eagles post burdened by the same stratospheric expectations that accompanied the appointments of his former teammates. First Samson Siasia, and then Stephen Keshi.

It would not be a stretch to say that Oliseh will enjoy a honeymoon period, the duration of which will be in direct proportion to results and performances. (Nigeria play Tanzania in September and Egypt in March as part of African Nations Cup qualifying, with some friendlies yet to be scheduled throughout the rest of 2015.) But he can go some way toward stemming that tide of vituperation.

Here are the areas where his predecessors stumbled so that Oliseh can avoid the same pitfalls.

1. Selection by merit and nothing else

Almost every indigenous coach who has managed the Super Eagles in the post-Clemens Westerhof years (long regarded as one of the nation's best-ever coaches from 1989-1994) has come under fire for dodgy selection decisions, from Amodu Shuaibu to Adegboyega Onugbinde, through Christian Chukwu, Austin Eguavoen, Samson Siasia and Stephen Keshi.

While some (like Chukwu) have been benignly attributed to incompetence, others, like Siaisa and Keshi, have been less fortunate. Incidentally, one of the reasons provided for Keshi's dismissal was the invitation and suiting up of an amateur player.

This is a problem that should be easily addressed. In his first press conference, Oliseh stated unequivocally that only players playing in the top division at home and abroad will get called up. The only exceptions, according to him, would be standout players from the country's cadet teams. If he keeps to his word, and there is no reason to suggest he won't, that would be one major hurdle surmounted.

2. Balance in the starting XI

Despite failing to qualify for the Nations Cup and earning the sack in the process, Siasia's team entertained and scored plenty of goals. It might explain why many fans have called for his reinstatement after Keshi was fired. However, it is perhaps that chaotic philosophy that ultimately cost him. In the one game (against Guinea) when his team needed to be reined in and play ugly football in order to get a result, Siasia allowed the same reckless mentality to rule.

His team conceded a costly goal, and the rest is history.

The Super Eagles have been lax and reckless in recent years. Oliseh will be expected to bring sense and structure.

Oliseh will have to find a balance between swashbuckling attacking football and sensible defending. He has the tools at both ends of the pitch. Ahmed Musa, Odion Ighalo, Brown Ideye and Obafemi Martins form a strong attacking corp, while Vincent Enyeama, William Troost-Ekong, Kenneth Omeruo and Elderson Echiejile are a solid foundation in defence.

3. Transparency

Secrecy could pass as the word for Nigerian coaches and officials. The criteria for player selection, team sheets (usually released right before games kick off), tactics (coaches rarely discuss their plans) and training sessions (most sessions are closed to outsiders, including media); everything is treated with some cult-like stealth.

Oliseh left the national team in 2002 with his reputation in tatters. He returns more mature and accommodating. His responses at the press conference showed a man willing to move on from his past, as he should be.

Team call-ups should be given out at properly organised press conferences with the press allowed and even welcomed to question his selection choices. Team sheets must come on time and training sessions do not have to be cloaked with the clandestine suppression of a covert operation.

But this is a two-way street and the media must also start by giving him a blank sheet.

4. Team dispute resolution

Onigbinde fell out with players. Austin Eguavoen fell out with players. Samson Siasia fell out with players. Keshi fell out with players. It is normal for coaches and senior players to have disagreements. How sterile the dressing room would be without disagreements.

It is how these internal disputes are resolved that makes or breaks the team. All of the previous issues were spectacularly public, most notably Siasia's fallout with Peter Odemwingie, which went viral on Twitter. What Oliseh needs to do is make clear to his players what his expectations are for them. In the event that disputes arise, they should be resolved in-house without the need to go public.

Stephen Keshi faced endless criticism for the handling of player relations. Oliseh must be fair and transparent.

And it is not just about the team, either; it is also in his relationship with his employers. Disagreements are better resolved internally. That is the only way to get the media to focus on the team.

Nigerian football fans argue their positions passionately without the inconvenience of letting facts get in their way. Most of these positions derive from sensational headlines. Minimise these headlines, and half the problems are solved.

Equally, few top African football federations have given their local coaches and former internationals the sort of backing that Nigeria have in the past 15 years. Of the 11 coaches employed by Nigeria since 2002, nine have been indigenous and five of those were ex-internationals. Only Berti Vogts and Lars Lagerback have come from abroad.

With the game getting more immersed in the digital times, Oliseh represents almost the last great frontier for ex-internationals in Nigeria. He is technologically savvy, highly credentialed, knowledgeable in the game and appears driven.

Yet he is almost condemned to succeed, as one suspects that failure from him may see that door shut against his peers. Oliseh is the man genuinely wanted by the NFF. They got their wish. In fact, they were even forced to defend his appointment just hours before he was to be presented.

Now, Oliseh bears the burden, not only of expectations from the fans or the struggle to prove that his employers made the right decision. He's also a torchbearer for his fellow ex-internationals.