Oliseh was one of the best players in his days, but Mikel feels he was a terrible coach
Chelsea legend Mikel Obi has stated that former Super Eagles coach Sunday Oliseh was one of the worst coaches he worked with during his career, Soccernet.ng reports.
Oliseh was one of the greatest players to grace the pitch for Nigeria. After retiring in 2006, he went into management. The former Juventus star was employed as Super Eagles coach in 2016.
However, he did not last on the job, as he was sacked just months into his stay. Oliseh’s reign as Super Eagles coach came with a lot of controversy, as he had an altercation with Vincent Enyeama, who retired unceremoniously.
“I remember the first day he came into the camp. Then we reported to the camp for International duties, then he came straight at me and Vincent Enyeama, the goalkeeper, who also was very powerful back then,” Mikel said on his ObiOne podcast.
“He came straight at us and Elderson Echiejile, and he said a few things. He said he heard there was a lot of player power with us.
“Then Enyeama was like, ‘What’s wrong with you? Where are you getting all of these from? We are a nice group, and you just come in, and the first thing is to attack us?
“He was like ‘I heard about you guys.’ And then Enyeama stood up and told him he couldn’t say that because we had been here for so many years. They started arguing, and literally, they were going to have a fight.
“He took Enyeama out of the team, and he came at us saying he was going to take us out of the team. He said he was going to take us out of the team; he said he was going to make sure we didn’t play anymore.”
“Enyeama could not take it, and despite my pleas, he left the camp angrily and never came back.
He also failed to churn out consistent results and was constantly at loggerheads with the Nigeria Football Federation. Mikel has shed more light on Oliseh’s stay as Nigeria’s coach, and he feels the 49-year-old was the worst he ever worked with.
“He (Oliseh) had absolutely no clue of how a manager is. He was a fantastic guy in his playing days, but as a coach, he was very terrible. He absolutely had no clue of what he was doing,” Mikel said on the ObiOne podcast.
“The players never understood anything he was doing, and he did not know what he was doing. He was just confused because he just came in and destroyed the team togetherness.
“His excuse when he got fired was that the people and FA did voodoo on him not to succeed. He was easily the worst manager I played under.
“He was so bitter with everybody, jealous with everybody, and had no respect for speaking to anybody, whether the physio or anybody.”
After the Super Eagles job, Oliseh coached Dutch side Fortuna Sittard and German fifth-tier side SV Straelen. He left both jobs under controversial circumstances and has not gotten a new club since 2022.
Olise has attitudinal problems and so arrogant to accept that. You may be good in your field but if your attitude is bad, you can’t go far. See the numbers of club he has coached after then, what is his success factor? Zero. Hope they will not drag him back to the team again to come and bury it.
I could remember vividly how he rudely had altercation with senior player (Samson Siasia) to the level of ready to go on physical combat in Holland prior to USA 94World Cup.
Olishe had a successful career with SE but lack discipline as a player and Coach.
You are right. I could recall that Samson Siasia even gave him a dirty slap on the face for his arrogancy.
Oliseh Knows nothing about how to use words. Very unwise man and a terrible ambassador of anything.
me I feel oliseh has some mental problems or unresolved trauma from what I have learned about him. he seems to be very temperamental and quick to anger. I think he should seek help. it is unfortunate as I feel he may have been a better player or better coach had he dealt with his demons. hands down my Nigeria’s favorite player of all time but we have to be honest, he needs therapy. hopefully he has learned and cooled down or is working on himself. it is never too late. we are all humans.
Sir u have well said. It is really a terrible one. mr. Oliseh , no doubt for me he was the engine room of SE back then, making Okocha’s job easy. I kept asking where is oliseh , going into the 2002 world cup, I became downcast knowing the team would not go far. I feel his attitude chased him from the team, like he bear it any more. Therefore had to runaway from the team. This same issue chased me out of my team.
Sunday Oliseh is everything a football Manager should never be. So temperamental, so arrogant, so disrespectful, so uncouth and rude, so jealous of equally successful mates and juniors, so belligerent, so garrulous an no wonder as a player, he never left any club peacefully. There must be a story of violent use of his body or tongue leading to his dismissal.
As a manager, so laughable the way his emotions easily out-manouevered him, always leading to his dismissal. The likes of Siasia, late Keshi, Eguavoen, Ugbade, Amokachi, Amuneke etc have been coaches in Nigeria and delivered good, if not excellent results. As for Oliseh, he can’t even manage primary school team without beating them up. Then he would accuse his employers of using juju on him. In fact, that guy na pikin.
The worst manager indeed.
As far as I’m concerned, and as Mikel said, Olise remains the worst thing ever to happen the the Nigerian Senior National Male Team, the Supper Eagles, and his period in the team is Manager is better expunged from the annals of our football history and buried.
olise is just a jealous and arrogant fellow. I was wondering what befell the FA of Nigerian when they employed him and also supported him against our loyal Enyama. He is more than terrible. He has some spiritual problems from his stomach. So, it cannot be destroyed. I believe he equally cause me the best player of the year title as a result of his wicked and jealous mindset and act.
great player but terrible manager. another error from pinnick who employed him. he called him Africa guardiola. though he made me happy when he played for eagles but he buried all that when he allowed Africa’s best goal keeper ever to leave eagles the way he did. maybe never see an oliseh again as eagles coach.
Sunday Oliseh is a wizard, a highly demon possessed, rugged footballer, now suffering affliction of the devil in that he displays a zombie-like character without knowing actually how he can get out of such idiotic behavior.
He is suffering in silence because his life is overwhelmed by nightmarish dreams, then after fear, failure, disappointment and set back becomes the order of the day in his life, therefore to him it’s just a strong man’s style, but unknown to him that it was an evil spirits at work in his life.
Mikel Obi was right on his assertions about Oliseh.
In fact anything about Sunday Oliseh turns someone’s belly, he lacked respect to others, filled with arrogance, so callous, temperamental poor, poor language usage, and finally filled with pride and insulting. I think people who asked him to go into management really disliked him a lot if there be anyone who advice him to follow such a part, he simply what it’s takes to manage a team talk more of managing a super Eagles as it’s manager. I think the guy needed a therapist to find what is really wrong with his brain , that saddest thing about him is that he will hardly go anywhere without his arrogance and foolish poor mentality. I just believe that this current NFF president is not the kind of man that will look at his direction on employment of a new manager of super Eagles.
Oliseh is a mistake that shouldn’t have happened in the first place if only the NFF had lived up to their responsibility. Just as he formed a cabal in his playing days. He was afraid of reaping what he had sown. Because of his stupidity we lost the best goal keeper from the national team unceremoniously. What a jerk!
As much as I wouldn’t venture into the defence of Oliseh, Mikel Obi equally feels too big to subject himself to the authority of Olieh as a national coach. This is one challenge we often face that always pushes our football federation away from local coaches for the Senior national team. All invitees should submit their personalities as professionals at the altar of patriotism and Submit
I guess you are just an agent of Oliseh… You should have thought deeply before making your wrong assertions…. Do yiu know the number of coaches Mikel has worked with…. For Mikel to have boldly come out to say this about Oliseh out of the numerous coaches he had worked with, you should know that there is an element of truth in what he has said about Oliseh. Besides, Mikel can’t be jealous of Oliseh because Mikel had much greater achievements than Oliseh. I feel Oliseh needs rehabilitation.
Mikel Obi’s opinion of the occurrence seemed rather one sideded and obviously biased based on his account of what transpired between the coach and the player (Mikel & Enyama) . I personally feel the player(Enyama) should not have asked the coach who is he. That’s clearly an act of insolence, the team leaders ought to have acted accordingly and lead by example. The problem plaguing the Super Eagles is simply godfatherism and a sense of entitlement. Every day should be like day one, having such an approach towards the team will enable a positive culture and experience for all parties. The players Obi or Enyama wouldn’t have challenge an authority figure if it was their 1st day or 1st years in the team. I watch a documentary when Obi stated that Jose M. took him out of the match list when he arrived late to practice. If Oliseh had taken the same action what would have been said. My point is that less talented team perform better in Europe or America because of the structure that’s is in place. Our leaders and experience players tend to be complacent when called to the National team. I have respect for Enyema’s commitment toward the National team however that doesn’t not mean that protocols won’t be followed. Moreover, Oliseh has the right to run his team the way that suits him and when he fails he would be held liable not the players. If what was reported are truly Obi ‘opinions about Oliseh, I would consider his opinions arsh and biased towards Sunday Oliseh.
You are just defending oliseh for nothing sake.i could remember vividly in one the club in europe where he oliseh headbutted his colleague in his nose and blood was gushing out and he oliseh was later suspended.
Oliseh might be good in his heydays but attitudinal actions;arrogant display and uncouth language have deprived him of being a good coach.let call spade a spade
shut up your silly mouth there, you are completely sick man, what did you know about Mikel Obi? want to comment out of points, John Obi Mikel is a highly well refined, respectful guy who respects rules and authority, if they leave goat like you, you come here to rubbish and assassinate his characters out of hatred for no reasons. where have you heard that he had an issues with all the managers he played under throughout his career, you want to come here with false narratives and accusations. Sorry for an empty daft like you.
You are just an empty blabbing guy, you lack absolutely what to comment hence you rushed here to comment nonsense, Sunday Oliseh as a player had an issues with the then NFA which made he got suspended and did not future in 2002 AFCON and World cup because the then NFA banned him. During his playing days he had an issues with his then team Borussia Dortmund and he got suspended. What is even wrong with some of you Yorubas, it’s seems some of you guys loves defending foolishness and bad attitudes, we Igbos do not defend stupidity as una does. Both Sunday Oliseh and John Obi Mikel are both Igbos, but we say it the way things are, we do not defend foolishness and stupidity as lots of you Yorubas does, that’s the stupid you come here to display here on your comment, why don’t we criticized Okocha like Sunday Oliseh? because Okocha is also from his part of delta State and behave nicely to people.
May God help U out of ur problem MR TRIBALISM! U are a kid! from the guy’s statement did he abuse igbos? let everybody talk is talk stop attacking him all because u saw his name as a Yoruba man! u are a very bad example of an igbo man! u are filled with evil thoughts. Stop hate! and grow up! don’t bring ur tribalism into our sport. nonsense osisor
This here is why tribalism exists.
If you feel the dude soke out or tune, you should attack what he said and not his tribe. An individual isn’t an embodiment of an entire tribe.
The same way not all of our people are fake product merchants or ritualists is also the way not everyone speaks or acts on behalf of their tribe.
Let’s be able to differentiate and separate that.
Thank you.
example
All of you were aware of all these issues with him and none of you ever bothered to help him. Years after you guys are painting a very grim picture of his attitudes and behaviours. I was expecting to hear something like: I tried to help him see things from another angle but he refused. We tried to adjust him, but no.
All of you carried on as if all was well. Now you are all saying it the way it was. None asked him to go for a spiritual or a psychological therapy. Now you are recommending it when possibly it might not really matter anymore.
Oliseh is the best football manager any club will want to have in their team.mikeil obi opinion about him Oliseh will not had anything to Sunday or remove from him.
when the goalkeeper lift the team another better keeper was discovered. that’s football soldiers go soldiers come
With due respect sir… After the departure of Vincent Enyeama, please point one Goal Keeper that has performed better than him.
Is it : Maduka or Uzoho? Which one please!
I love Oliseh, He would have been a good coach… but his temperament threw him into the pit, his attitude is as terrible as Obi described him.
we must learn to call a spade what it is.
That was how we were supporting terrible politicians and today we’re all been faced with the consequences.
If Sunday oliseh is bad manager why’s he still a member of FIFA technical group, so many people don’t to him succeed because then he was trying to build a football team for the future according to what the nff project as at that time, He maybe hot-tempered but not clueless
Uncle, you don’t need to be a good manager before you belong to FIFA technical group. Everybody knows that Olise was the best 4 in his playing days but is one of the worst coaches
like Diego Maradona and others.
If you want to know this go and research how many clubs he has coached and see that there is no one club where he didn’t have issue. You may be technically good but when your attitude is zero, there is nothing you can achieve.
For the records, Oliver had fair performance at the helms when compared with the likes of Onigbinde, Amodu Shaibu and the now coaches. He brought in talents, Victor Moses, Emenike and others. Mikel has his opinion & non is perfect.
@Hafiz Ojulari, Mikel was 100% right on Oliseh, It was Oliseh who first grant such hateful interview against Mikel couple of years ago, He said as a coach, he can not field Mikel to play for him.
@Empire, Based on what what was initially stated, its my opinion that Mikel expressed his personal opinions about Oliseh and he is entitled to that. My opinions were drawn from what was reported and it was evident that the statements weren’t constructive. Again, based on the article when reported that Enyema questioned the coach and insisted that they have been serving the team for a while. To me I wondered what led to that. Why did the conversation go that way between a coach and his players. Again my assumption is that the leaders were trying to usurp the authority of the coach. I have no empirical facts however I feel the situation could have been avoided by both parties. He Oliseh and Enyema should have handled the situation better. At the end of the day no winner emerged between the coach and his player. I’m of the school of thought that each coach has the right to assemble his team. Citing example of how he had issue with previous team mates is irrelevant because we don’t have the full details of what occurred. Oliseh, Obi and Enyema are all talented and served Nigeria. However, it’s imperative that we Nigerians continue to raise our standards. Tribalism or ethnicity is
distraction that further devoids Nigeria from her fullest potential. I’m a fan of all the mentioned players but what is most important his to evaluate a situation objectively. We all have to agree that the big Men on the team chose the matches they wanted to play not when Nigeria really needed them. To me players of this magnitude took advantage of the weak NFF and a Good coach or federation should attempt to change such a culture.
@Hafiz Ojulari,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOgkGumFvls
@Hafiz Ojulari, Watch the link below to see how Oliseh was publicly dissecting Mikel John Obi’s style of play. It took Mikel over a year to respond to him. Mikel is a great guy!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOgkGumFvls
Sunday Olise, since his retirement, had become synonymous with bad news. I had stopped reading stories about him, but accidentally fell into the trap set by the fact that this particular story heading did not name him and I was eager to know whom Mikel Obi regards as the worst coach that he had worked with in his playing career.
It is indeed a factual story that everyone can easily relate to, since the events were well reported.
Sunday Olise easily comes across as the proverbial “Korovo soldiers”, we used to have at NYSC camps back in the day. Ever truculent! They had the knack to apply the horse whips at the slightest opportunity. When one greets them, they would have applied the whips in response before realizing that they were expected to respond in kind!
If you say he is chased by demons, you may not be far from the truth. The NFF should have a program for treating both active national team players and ex-internationals who seem to be having mental health issues and not just leave them to their fate.
He served Nigeria well both as player and coach, even if the later ended in disappointment.
It’s good that all these things are coming up about one of Nigeria’s best football players of all time. It would offer him the opportunity to do an introspection and self- appraisal and probably take to corrections.
Whosoever watched Oliseh on the pitch then can actually say all of what is above about him. The only help I think he can get is to have access to all this info about himself and work on it. You can not be great without carrying people around you with you and what you hear from three or four persons is a fact about you. OLISEH must read all the comments here for self evaluation.