Bosso in the creeks
by Ojeikere Aikhoje 30 November 2012, 09:49
It’s his first experience as manager of a Premier League side in
the South and Niger State born manager, Ladan Bosso, is relishing the assignment with 2009 Nigerian champions, Bayelsa United.
Bosso’s first experience in the south was at former Premier League
side Bendel Insurance where he worked as assistant to Godwin Uwua.
From an assistant, Bosso has since evolved into his own man with
stints at Niger Tornadoes, Kano Pillars and Wikki Tourists.
Till date, he has the best records at Wikki in the Premier League.
Fresh from the lower division after losing their top flight status in 2009, Bayelsa United turned to Bosso to bring fresh ideas to the team.
The former Under20 national team gaffer is not new to teams from
the lower division as his last club, Wikki Tourists, only returned to the elite class at the end of the 2011/2012 season.
Interestingly, some of his players at the Under20 level later graduated to the Under23 and some now enjoy playing time in the Super Eagles.
The list includes Brown Ideye, Elderson Echiejile, Reuben Gabriel,
Nwankwo Obiorah and Femi Thomas amongst others.
It’s still early days but he’s gradually worming his way into the
hearts of the fans.
“Football is the same everywhere. Unity is essential for any team to succeed,” Bosso told supersport.com.
“If you can coach the national team, there is no team that you
can’t coach. I was coach of the national Under20 team in 2007 and
2009.
"It’s a normal thing. There is no player I don't know in the league,” he said to supersport.com.
supersport.com examines Bosso's scorecard at his former clubs.
Niger Tornadoes:
Bosso coached several youth teams in Minna and finally got his
first chance as manager of a top side at Niger Tornadoes when he replaced his former boss, Bernard Ogbe.
Having learnt the ropes from different coaches, he was able to show understanding of the assignment.
To his credit, Tornadoes returned to the Premier League after relegation in 1996 when they made their debut in the defunct Professional League.
Bosso has been in and out of Tornadoes.
From Tornadoes, he headed for Bendel Insurance as assistant to Godwin Uwua.
He joined Wikki after his exit from Insurance and later returned to Tornadoes, but was sacked in 2010.
Bendel Insurance: 2005
Bosso was assistant to Uwua at Insurance.
The decision to accept the role of the second man at Insurance turned out to be his first attempt outside Minna.
It turned out to be a misadventure as Insurance failed to make an impact at the Caf Confederation Cup in 2007.
Ghanaian side, King Faisal eliminated Insurance.
Wikki Tourists: 2006/2008
Bosso has been in and out of Wikki Tourists.
Last season was his third romance with the club which was fresh from the lower division and he was able to preserve the clubs top
flight status with rookies.
Till date, he remains the most successful manager at Wikki leading
the team to the Super Four playoffs in 2006 and 2007 respectively.
Flying Eagles: 2007/2009
Bosso followed his former boss at Bendel Insurance, Uwua to
the Under20 national team.
However, Uwua was later sacked during the African Youth Championship in Congo and Bosso got the chance to lead the team to
the World Cup in Canada.
The Flying Eagles reached the quarterfinals, but failed to overcome Chile.
Bosso was retained as Under20 boss for the 2009 African Youth
Championship and he qualified the Flying Eagles for the competition.
Like his former boss, Uwua, Bosso lost his job after the African
Youth Championship in 2009 and former international, Samson Siasia,
eventually led the team to the World Cup in Egypt.
Tornadoes/Kano Pillars: 2010/2011
Bosso became the surprise replacement for Kano Pillars gaffer,
Salisu Yusuf, who joined the Super Eagles as assistant to Samson
Siasia in 2010.
Before joining Pillars, Bosso had a running battle at Tornadoes which eventually led to his sack.
He spent one term at Pillars and left the club for Wikki in 2012
Wikki: 2012
Already a familiar face at Wikki, Bosso was called upon when the team gained promotion.
Just as his appointment at Pillars came as a shock, Bosso's exit also came as a surprise.
No one expected him to leave a top side like Pillars for Wikki.
Bosso was able to retain the club in the top flight but resigned due to differences with the management.
