Enugu Ranger’s record of being the only top club never to have been relegated from the top flight might be thrown to the trash can soon. As it stands for the ‘Antelopes’ in the NPFL this season, the narratives of that bragging record could change as they’re currently swimming conveniently in the relegation waters.
The jinx of not winning the League since the last time Rangers International of Enugu won the League in 1984, was broken and thrown away in 2016 when they won the League.
After the struggled in the 2015 season which nearly saw them relegated, fortunately, Coach Imama Amapakabo led side turned things around for the team and they went on to win the 2016 Nigeria Professional Football League, their first championship since 1984, the first in 32 years.
However, within that one year of success, landing their first title in 32 years, the club hasn’t been able to replicate that form which they enjoyed under the tutelage of Imama Amapakabo, which led to them struggling in the league the following season, finishing 14th on the table.
Without mincing words, the fact still remains that Rangers is still one of the elite clubs in Nigeria, how things have fallen apart for them since they last won the league is something very worrying, which also led to their poor form in the league in the season that preceded which they finished 14th on the log, and also ended up in 10th position in the 2017 NPFL season.
Since their last silverware in 2016, things didn’t work out well for Amapakabo’s Rangers but was fired following a string of poor results the following season. Whether the club survives the trouble time or goes down with it, this will count as one of the most humiliating periods in their history, as their form both at home and on the continent is very shambolic.
Meanwhile, let take a look at the major downturn in fortunes for the Flying Antelopes.
Consistency
The word success doesn’t just happen by mistake to any football club, it comes to the fall with constant preparation, dedication and of course a lot of consistency in whatever they set out to achieve, can we say in the case of Enugu Rangers it wasn’t so.
Aftermath of Rangers triumph in the NPFL in 2016, The Flying Antelopes were ready to continue the sweet union that won them the league with Amapakabo, but things turned sour for them, as results weren’t going their way as expected, which led to the sacking of Imama Amapakabo, perhaps if they had given him little time, the results could come up gradually.
During the debacle between Amapakabo and his employer, his assistant Chukwuma Agbo took over and he became the head coach of the team, despite taking over the results didn’t change or seem better than his predecessor, unfortunately, the coach passed on with another manager replacing him and Rangers ended the season in 14th position.
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The poor run results persisted for Rangers the following season under a new manager, and he also couldn’t take them to the land of honey, as Rangers finished 10th on the league standings.
However, had it being that coach Imama was given enough time, perhaps Rangers could have seen some a bit of change in the team, and since then they’ve been hopping from one coach to another.
Financing
It’s no news that majority of clubs in Nigeria are owned by the state government, same as how Enugu Rangers is own by Enugu state government, and for a fact they’re neither in the top-ranked revenue-generating states in the country nor among the top receivers of federal government allocations which can be used to cater for the club.
However, irrespective of their status as one of the elite club in Nigerian football, Rangers have not been given the attention their status deserves by the state governments in other to take them to the next level since the state government can’t hand over the club to a private investor.
A big testament to why the club hasn’t been active or failing to compete in the transfer market, depending mainly on past success to attract players to the club, however, some were quick to join, but as things get tough and rough for the team they couldn’t bear it as players were owed wages and match allowances.
Even during the glorious time of Amapakabo, and after Agbo took over from him, players were owed salaries, and at some point, they had to boycott training, in other to force their salaries out from their employers.
Poor Players Recruitment
The last time the Flying Antelopes had young and very enterprising players were under the leadership of general manager Davidson Owumi, also between 2000 and 2007, Rangers had quite interesting outing at home and on the continent, as they played in 3 FA Cup Finals, got to the CAF Cup semifinals, and played in the Champions League in 2006 and 2013.
During all of this period, Enugu Rangers were able to administer lean resources, coupled with an eye to spot talents with the help of coach Lawrence Akpokona, who help in picking young, unknown talent and grooming them into stars for the team.
However, in recent years, that recourse to young talent has dwindled and Ranger’s style of recruitment has taken a poor dimension which affected the team in many ways.
Even during Imama’s reign, he alluded to the fact that he needed more resources to beef up the strength of the team, which he never got in the team, yet still went on to win the league.
Internal Politics
We can’t overemphasize how politics affect our league, Rangers and the management ain’t a saint when it comes to internal politics, and it affects the development of the club. The politics wield a remarkably strong influence on how the club is being run, even the ownership, and the fans.
The influence of internal politics has led to a constant battle between old and new management, which raised it’s head during Imama Amapakabo’s reign when he won the league with new management empowered to assert their own authority, while the old was pushing back to remain relevant with the board.
Poor Leadership
The last time Enugu Rangers were involved on the continent and they performed brilliantly was under Davidson Owumi who was the general manager and Lawrence Akpokona, since then things had being porous for the Enugu based club.
Since Davidson Owumi’s reign, all the boards of management that have come in all failed to build on the success and template of Owumi, most importantly how politics stepped in and affect the team’s success up till today.
However, if the management could do away with all of this, perhaps we might see a brilliant Rangers doing well on the continent and on the home front, but then its left to be seen how this season will turn out for them as they currently languish in the bottom log of the league.
