The former Nigeria coach was one of the finest the country ever produced, but despite being reliable and available, he never got his due in life
There have been few coaches as deeply entwined with the Nigeria national team as Shaibu Amodu.
Over the course of three separate spells (and a half, if one is inclined to include an interim brief in 2015), the former BCC Lions and Orlando Pirates boss became the quintessential midwife; like the Biblical Moses – delivering but never quite establishing, seeing but prevented from grasping.
The lede here is obviously the fact that, while on two occasions in the 2000s Amodu qualified Nigeria for the World Cup, he never actually led the Super Eagles to the Mundial.