Twenty four hours after he was appointed the new Chief Coach of the Super Eagles, Samson Siasia has appealed to soccer loving Nigerians not to expect an immediate turning of the team into a world class brand.

In an interview monitored on Top Radio in Lagos, Siasia, who appealed for patience from Nigerians, said the Eagles would not be turned into a “great team” immediately as it would take a gradual process to achieve..

“Nigerians should not expect a great team immediately. We are going to rebuild and it would take some time, all I am asking is for patience from everybody,” he said.

He said there would be nothing like a permanent team, alluding to the previous situation when some so-called big players had a permanent place in the team irrespective of their form.

Siasia also thanked Nigerians for believing in him and clamouring for his appointment as the new Eagles, stressing “I owe the appointment to them.”

He disclosed that he would work with his Dutch friend Simon Kalika, who has been with him both at the Flying Eagles and Olympic Team days, as his assistant and together they would change the team’s tactics to make them play more offensively.

He assured that though he would make some changes in the team to achieve a good result, it would not be too drastic.
“The manner of team you will see on the field of play would be offensive minded, free flowing football. There will be a difference,” Siasia said, adding that “during my interview with the NFF Technical Committee, I told them my short and long term vision for the Super Eagles as well as the 2012 Africa Nations Cup.

I also told them that we have to look at the areas we have to inject new players.  We don’t want to say we are going to ask all the old players to leave. But we have to look at the areas we think we have to inject new players. That would be when I watch their matches again and also go around scouting for other players that I think I have to put in there,”he stressed.

Also speaking on radio, Chairman of the Technical Committee of the Nigeria Football Association, NFA Barrister Chris Green said that Siasia had an edge over his rival, Stephen Keshi because “he is a grass-root man.”

He said the Bayelsa-born gaffer has been on ground in the country for the past six years and has worked with the youth teams and knows their mentality and would be in a better stead to mould the young players into solid squad for future assignments.

He added that Siasia has flair and technic and has a good rapport with the players as has been exhibited in both the U-20 and U-23 teams he has handled so far.