So no African team did better than Africa had done before now at the World Cup final, the first one on the continent? Ghana really came close but for a hand robber called Suarez.

They never leave me; the wise counsel of my father .We called him Papa .Growing up, there were times when I wanted to be like the other kids in the neighbourhood who were free to do just anything they liked, but papa would not stop playing guide. He was the ready adviser to point the way forward, the teacher of how things should be done.

In the Warri area of the country, it is common to here inhabitants say ‘Wafi no dey carry last’, meaning Warri and its habitants cannot be found on the last rung of the ladder when it comes to goals pursuit and attainment. Whether it is always rightly applied or not is a matter for debate .

Lagerback and Maradona
Their coach is better now, I am told. Employed with very shallow managerial experience in 2008, the team that suffered shaky match days has found places in the cold for their initial worries and announced its readiness for Nigeria and the rest of the opposition they will face in World Cup 2010 with a comprehensive 5-0 whitewash of Canada in their last friendly. Conversely, our coach is just celebrating his third week of work with his boys!

It is also about believing in yourself and taking an opportunity when it offers itself.
Coach Lagerback must plot his match strategy with all that the opponents can throw at us in mind. He also must come up with a different plan per opponent. You die in a competition once your team is predictable. They may be largely the same boys but they must be able to respond differently when faced with changing challenges.