Gombe falls from grace to grass

Sam Nnaji explores Gombe United's free-fall in the last season as only he can.

The dust has long settled on the 2013/2014 season and, in fact, teams are getting set for the new season of the Glo Nigerian Premier League but a question has tugged on my mind ever since the last day of the previous season namely: However did Gombe United get relegated from the top flight of the Nigerian Premier League?

For newcomers or new followers of the League, Gombe United can be likened to, maybe, Everton FC in the English Premier League, a side that may not be that flamboyant but very hardworking and has thus remained ever present in the League since their entry in 1994 with the likes of Enyimba. Rangers (1973), Heartland (1975) and of course Enyimba (1994) the only other sides that have stayed up for longer.

Gombe United - How have the Mighty fallen? © Shengolpix

Gombe finished in sixth place in the 2012/2013 season and ninth in the 2011/2012 season. 2010/2011 saw them finish 13th and the one before, they finished ninth. In other words, they, like Enyimba, had made themselves at home in the top flight of the Nigerian Premier League. They barely competed for the honors but doing just enough to finish in the top half of the League annually. There was of course that run in the continent, the CAF Champions League in 2008 where they fell by the wayside early in the competition.

Their relegation at the end of the 2013/2014 season was, hence, a surprise to everyone or was it?

The 2013/2014 season was a massive struggle for the desert scorpions as they are called. Drawing as many as six games at home is a high in a League where home teams are under pressure to beat whatever is before them. And while they did get some valuable away wins like the 3-0 trashing of Nembe City and the 1-0 win over Bayelsa United, they still got relegated.

They even made managerial changes in mid season. Belgian handler Maurice Cooreman making way for Ex-Super Eagles defender Augustine Eguaveon, but such changes are always a gamble. It worked for the likes of Bayelsa United and Enyimba but with Gombe, it simply did not.

Something was definitely wrong with the team. Watching them play against Heartland in Owerri on Match Day 24, it was one of the worst I have seen any side play. The team was unable to string passes together and Heartland Goalkeeper Emmanuel Iwu practically had nothing to do all game. The defenders themselves gifted Heartland both goals as Eguaveon himself sadly pointed out to reporters after the game. And even as the season inched to a close, they were looking everywhere for the points. They beat Enyimba 2-1 on week 32, scoring twice from the spot on both sides of an Mfon Udoh blinder from outside the area; both penalties contentious.

Till the last day of the season, they still felt safe. On the League table the tussle was between El-Kanemi Warriors on 48 points, Bayelsa United on 48 points and Gombe United on 47 points. And with Nembe City, Crown FC and Kaduna United already down, one more team needed to join the relegation quartet.

Bayelsa United and El-Kanemi Warriors both played their 'home' matches away from their home; the former banished to Benin while Warriors were sharing the Kano Pillars Stadium because of the security issues in Borno State. In the Nigerian League, being forced to play your home games away from home, away from your fans usually sees a side struggle. So if we excuse El Kanemi Warriors and Bayelsa United, what is the excuse for Gombe United because they were playing their home games at home, at the Pantami Stadium. (Funnily enough, like the other three relegated teams, they were all playing their home games in front of their fans).

In the final match day's fixtures, El-Kanemi Warriors would face Sunshine Stars in Kano while Gombe United were hosts to Abia Warriors and Bayelsa United were to travel to Owerri needing a win against Heartland, a side that were unbeaten at home all season) so on the face of it, the odds were in favour of Gombe United. They looked sure to beat the drop.

By half time, Gombe United were cruising against Abia Warriors and Bayelsa United were down 1-0 to Heartland. Football would happen 45 minutes later and Bayelsa United would come from a goal down to beat Heartland 2-1 in Owerri, rendering Gombe's 4-1 trashing of Abia Warriors irrelevant. So while two States away, there were celebrations for a third consecutive League title, the harsh reality that they would spend next season in the lower division was settling in on Gombe.

Perhaps Gombe had stayed up too long that the thought of being relegated was simply unimaginable. And even while the danger signals were all over the place, somehow they were confident that they would beat the drop.

So who gets the blame? The club management? Players? Coaching crew? The fans? I don't know and honestly, I would gladly love to overlook that. Focus rather should be given to ensure that the team finds its way back to where it truly belongs. The competitive nature of the League means that anyone can swap places with anyone with the right input of human and financial resources.

We have seen some great teams both here and abroad get relegated but whether they will spend just one season below or stay for longer remains to be seen. They do, however, face some problems which must be tackled. Should this crop of players be kept together or rather, can this crop of players be kept together or will they sign for clubs in the top flight? Should the coaching crew continue or should a coach more versed in the very rigorous demands of the National League be brought on? Can their fans turn up in large numbers for NNL games like they did for NPFL matches? Can this team be supported to find its way back to the elite division or will the side disappear from the shores of Nigerian Football like we have seen with some clubs who were relegated in the past? I certainly hope not.

I would personally love to see Gombe United back into the top flight as soon as possible but it will not be an easy ride, believe me.