Ogunbote Targets ‘Better Synergy’ With Shooting Stars, Hails Improved Refereeing In NPFL

Two straight home victories in the Nigerian Professional Football League (NPFL) may not be good enough to assess the current quality of Shooting Stars Sports Club of Ibadan, sports247.ng reports.

This is a down-to-earth verdict of the Oyo State-owned club’s coach, Gbenga Ogunbote, who declared that he is still looking up to seeing his players hit the right synergy this season.

A 1-0 win against Katsina United last time out at Lekan Salami Stadium in Ibadan was followed this weekend with a 2-1 spanking of Akwa United of Uyo, thereby leavibg 3SC’s supporters in ecstasy.

However, Ogunbote moaned over a couple of scoring chances lost by his players and attributed it to anxiety for goals, which he believes would be overcome once they get the right synergy for success, boosted by determination for victory.
Ogunbote added, “It’s beyond just having a team.

“When you have players who want to play for you, they will give it their all, and you will get good results.
“They must also tell themselves, ‘No matter the situation, head or tail, we must win.’

“It’s the determination of every player that brings about a win.”
The former handler of Sunshine Stars of Akure, Rangers International of Enugu and Enyimba of Aba added that the emotions of each player also affect them personally and their team as a whole.
“Some lose chances because of anxiety. They may be unable to control their emotions, and that would rob their team of opportunities.

“However, it’s good when the synergy comes gradually. The moment we have that, we’ll be able to have more goal scoring opportunities on our side.

“By the time the synergy becomes top notch, we can note that, even when we close our eyes, the opportunities will be created and converted,” Ogunbote affirmed.

He then stopped short of blaming referees for some calls many fans deemed controversial in recent NPFL matches.

While many critics also keep blaming the NPFL management committee for such lapses, Ogunbote opined that it is beyond the league organisers.

He passed the point of focus over to Nigerian Referees Association, but concluded by giving high marks to all officials in the league.

“I don’t like to talk about officiating. I am in the know that it is an issue that is beyond the league management. Officiating is beyond them.

“The people who are in charge are the referees. The referees’ council is in charge of officiating, and I have noticed that there are a lot of improvements. If you win games, it means you truly deserve it,” Ogunbote posited.

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