Benin – Soccer chieftains and administrators have advised Super Eagles new Coach, Stephen Keshi to avoid gossips and to continue to maintain his cool temperament if he wants to succeed with the team.

Chief Oyuike Obaseki, a sports administrator, who described Keshi as a good coach, however, advised him to maintain a cool temperament.

Obaseki, who is the immediate past Vice President of the NFF said “the greatest disadvantage of Samson Siasia was that he was over inflamed by his youthful exuberance.

“Age was not on his side to manage players. I am a football manager and I have been in this stadium since 1974 as well as chairman of Bendel Insurance football club.

“When you manage a team you shouldn’t be so hardened, and I have told Keshi that. He should not allow people to flatter him that he is the best.

“ He should play his game and not people’s game. This is the first time he is seeing these boys and he should also try and learn to know their weaknesses.

“He should experience it and avoid people coming to tell him lies that he is the best on earth. No. Such people are just flattering you. He should just keep a cool head and play his game.

Former national junior team coach Sebastian Broderick Imasuen said Keshi has the pedigree to do well with the team.

Imasuen said “he had coached the national team before as an assistant coach and had coached Togo and Mali to nations’ and world cup competitions respectively.

“So, I don’t need to give him so much advice because he knows the problems on the ground and already I think he equally knows on how to go about it.

“Almost the same boys that messed up before have come out to play so well today. There must be something. It is a new beginning.

Mr Smart Ebodaghe, a former sports journalist and now football manager and marketer, said: “Keshi has to be really focused and should instill discipline in the team because that is the bedrock of any team to succeed.

“ If there is no discipline, no matter how good the crop of players are, they would not do well. What he needs to put in the team is discipline.

“Once they are disciplined, then he will be able to bring them together and with determination they can give good result at the end of the day. (NAN)