“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Rangers International, and both men came out saying it was fine.
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Rangers International can pretend not to have heard.
The board have answered with money instead of encouragement, which is the only answer a manager ever wants. Spending it well is now entirely his problem.
He is the name in every column and on every phone-in, which is a heavy thing to carry at any age. Some footballers thrive on it; others are quietly finished by it.
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 6 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
He found out with everybody else, an hour before kick-off, from a sheet of paper on a wall. Nobody at Rangers International pretended it was anything other than a decision about him.
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Rangers International have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Rangers International is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
4 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Rangers International has to find a result from somewhere.
A player who expected to start watched it instead. The manager will call it a decision for the team; Chidozie Iwundu will call it something else in private.
“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at Rangers International has been clear about where Lucky Jimoh stands, which is more than many ever get.
The crowd waited for a goal that never came. Ikorodu City defended in numbers and left with what they came for, and the two sides could be playing still without troubling a scorer.
Ikorodu City go through and Rangers International go home, 2-3 the scoreline that did it. The dressing room will call the league the priority now, because that is what dressing rooms say.
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Rangers International is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
A 2-0 win over Katsina United, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
A 2-1 win over Bendel Insurance, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Rangers International, and both men came out saying it was fine.
A new face in his position, and Austin Opara suddenly has to win back what he thought he owned. Rangers International have promised nothing — clubs rarely do at this stage.
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Rangers International is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
A 2-0 win over Wikki Tourists, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
The award is a small thing with a heavy meaning: for four weeks nobody in this division did his job better. Rangers International have the trophy on a shelf and the player in the side.
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Rangers International have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 6 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.