Dolphins Fail To Record Victory, Point

Nigeria Federation Cup
finalists, Dolphins FC of Port Harcourt has recorded a disappointing outing at the just concluded pre-season invitational tournament in Abuja, the Super 4 after losing all five matches played and scoring only once.
The Port Harcourt based club and one of Nigeria’s representatives in the 2015 CAF Confederation Cup apparently suffered from poor preparation, lack of focus and match fitness following their late return to camp before the tournament. It is now left for the coach and management to turn around the fortunes of the team before their first continental engagement this month.
Reacting to the poor outing of the club, the supporters club Chairman of the club, Comrade Franklin Owhor, said that the exit of some of the key players in the team last season, especially, Emem Eduok, who has joined Esperance of Tunisia contributed to the unimpressive performance.
He also said that the non-payment of salaries and allowances of players should not be an excuse for the team’s poor outing, adding that they should blame themselves for not showing enough commitment. He advised the players to get down to work, prepare themselves and raise their game in order to make good impact this season.
“In spite the fact that the club was not adequately prepared for the tournament, as most players reported to camp late, the players should demonstrate more commitment and focus.
We do not want to hear that non-payment of salaries as an excuse, because, most of the clubs are also owing salaries”, Owhor said.
In the same vein, the Secretary of Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) Rivers State Branch, Olalekan Ige said that the team should not be judged with the outcome of the Super  4, saying that it was just to test-run the players they have and identify the grey areas in the teams.
“Fans and supporters of Dolphins should not use the Super 4 tournament as a yardstick to judge the team, because it was an opportunity for the Coach to know the areas they need players and correct mistakes.
‘I do know that CAF champions League and Premier League competitions are different ball game from the Super 4 tournament”, Ige said. The SWAN scriber, expressed confidence that Dolphins would perform better when they get to the continental games proper.
Meanwhile, Dolphins FC lost all her five matches at the Super 4 tournament, they are expected to return to base today.

Tonye Orabere