Siasia and his boys of silver have had a back to back of near gold catch, their hunt however, has not fallen short of class and glimmers of hope, but will they come out on top in South Africa 2010 by the principle of ‘The luck of the third adventure?’ The answer lies in the lips of time.
In 2005 at the Under-20 world cup, we saw Siasia’s boys affirm the terrifying presence of Nigerian football at youth level and even though they fell short of the lion’s share, by Lionel Messi’s double penalty, the world could not help but applaud them, with a standing ovation.
The chest of gold was again theirs for the taking at the just concluded Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, but lady luck had been with the boys in black and blue. With one merciless pass, in a moment of brilliance from the gifted old foe Lionel Messi, Angel di Maria was put through and his chip left a hapless surging Vanzekin, without a prayer. But despite the silver Siasia and his boys hung on their necks as they journeyed back home, the world again was left in awe and admiration for the Nigerian eaglets.
In 2005 and in 2008, the eaglets have flown high, and proudly so, the displays have been engineered by an indigenous coach, to the dismay of sceptics: for the fascination of their style has been as Siasia had fashioned, and his eaglets have flown as high as the pride with which he unleashed them. With the hunt in South Africa, only two years away, there is a possibility that Siasia and his boys could be lucky a third time if they are kept as a unit.
The future can be said to be bright, going by their previous showings. In two years from now, it would be expected that Siasia would have perfected his act, his eaglets would have become eagles, a little experience and quality added here and there and the most prestigious football gold to be hunted for in South Africa could well be their price. It can be agreed that consistency has been obvious, team work and bits of individual talent has been superb, entertainment and results have not come short, and with the connection and understanding that exist between Siasia and the boys, it could only be a matter of a third try before Lady Luck smiles down at them.
Siasia and his boys have shown an upward trend and it would be reasonable to keep the team together; a finely knitted team always proves more efficient than a collection of big name individuals. And Siasia has created a consistent team; all he probably needs now is the luxury of more experienced senior players to complement his already proven boys. 2010 is two years away and even the pundits would agree that a third strive for gold by this silvery unit wouldn’t be a bad idea. With that we can only hope on the men in the glass house to recognise the luring prospects of a third time adventure luck, and opt to follow its spell; after all chances are there to be taken.
