By KATE OBODO
Former Flying Eagles coach John Obuh will not forget in a hurry his  encounter at 2011 FIFA World Cup in Columbia, he told Sunday Vanguard Sports in Ibadan that 2011 would have been a year to  celebrate and remembered in football  if his “boys” had worked as planned. Excerpts.

How would you explain your  encounter  at the 2011 FIFA U-20 in Colombia?

It was quite  unfortunate that we did not attain our expectation of winning the trophy. At least Nigeria would have used that as a consolation, following the chain of poor results recorded by  our national teams.  I know quite well that a good team in Nigeria is always the  “one that  brings a trophy”. But in my  coaching  philosophy, I do not look at it that way.

I look at a very good team  on the  quality it possesses and then, how possible they can move and blend  together as a team at present and in the future. It was a minor mistake that could have been avoided. Even the players knew that the quarter-final  that we got to was not our target.

How would you describe  the entire  competition ?

Starting from the Round of 16  to our last match, it  was tough, especially the match against  England. The English side gave my  boys a good fight. The game was difficult for my players and we did not play as an attacking team.

I expected them to play in an organised way but they were trying to attack without any real danger. The only thing that worked for us was the goals that will had in the competition  which was enough to see us through. Our opponents played defensive game and they were launching counter attacks.

Can you pinpoint some of these mistakes you think your boys made that did not get  your team to the promised land?

We had no cause to fail, though the  mistakes were  not so much but tactically, they made some little blunders, and you know it happens like that once in a while. But then,  we have to build on it so that it won’t happen again. But as for the play,  I was very impressed because there  was a consistent  move  amongst the players.

Also, don’t forget the fact that we went on a  training tour and training tour was not actually coming out very well, because we had a plan and at same time we were trying to adjust to one thing or the other. And when the competition  started, it was a different ball game.

So I think, we learnt our lesson in the ouster of the team at the quarter-finals. And I am sure if opportunity is given to them to continue, they are going to do better than that.

Having  coached the  U-17 and U-20 teams, don’t you think it is time to  move ahead  to  the U-23 before aspiring  for the Super Eagles job?

I’m always taking my steps one at a time. I’m not actually in a hurry to coach any of the national teams . It is not about coaching the Super Eagles that matters to me, the most important thing is to create an impact in anything you are given and be able  to do it well.

My happiness as far as Nigeria is concerned is  that wherever I go, people  always welcome and encourage me. The way they receive me makes me feel very happy and proud of myself. This  shows that I am really doing well in my coaching job. I am ready to do better, whether it is  the U-20, U-23 or even the Super Eagles’ job.”