SPORTS PERSONALITY: I took over ABS to get the club back to premier league – ABS Coach

Hassan Abubakar is the new coach ABS football club of Ilorin, in this interview with MIKE ADEYEMI, he speaks on the readiness of his team for the NNL as well as getting the club back to the premier league. Excerpts:

Tell us your antecedents in coaching 
Honestly speaking, I have been to so many clubs in Nigeria and even outside the shore of this country.
I have coached teams like Niger Tornadoes, Kaduna United, Gombe United, Wikki tourists, Zamfara United, Olympics Press Up in Republic of Niger, Plateau United of Jos Sunshine Stars of Akure and of course Dolphins.

Cuts in; And you won medals in all these clubs? 
Yes of course. I promoted lots of teams. First and foremost, I have promoted Gombe United to premier league, ditto with Kaduna United.
I have been to Wikki Tourists, which I promoted into Premier in 2011-2012. I promoted Gombe United back to back, not until they brought their own son of the soil, Manu Garba, and they said I should be his assistant. But I had to leave the team along the line.
When they had problems, they called me back again. Unfortunately, I served for one season – I don’t know what their braws were, I was asked to go.

What did you consider as reasons why your former clubs ask you to leave despite your track performance? 
Maybe I’m too simple. Because I respect people in principle, but I don’t compromise my job.
I make sure I’m a result oriented person. But some people take a leverage of that to assume my simplicity to mean otherwise.
Maybe they didn’t see me bragging or hold shoulders. I don’t misbehave with them, and I think that is what they don’t see in me that perhaps might caused them to ask for my departure.
I hardly offend people, unless it gets to certain level that I can’t condone again.
Ever since you assumed as the new ABS coach, what do you see as unique in the team?
You see, ABS is a club that is building youths and I believe I am a transformer. I handled U-17 national team which I had a final with France in Trinidad and Tobago, and I took them for almost two years.
So, I think I enjoyed building and transforming youths. As I have been telling the players, I don’t want you to play a single position. I push you left and right to make sure I get the best out of you. And for you to develop and take advantage of that wherever you go, you have alternative role to play.
So this is what I do and I believe that they are youth oriented people. Of course, I have a cordial relationship with Alloy. He has been a good friend and he is now my boss. He called me to Kwara to come and do my best. There are other clubs that are looking for me, but I prefer to come to Kwara.

What effort are you putting in place to ensure ABS get back to the premier league? 
Well it’s hard work. You can see we just started today. All along we have been screening, selecting the best players I’m looking for.
I’m not yet satisfied with the quality I’m looking for. But, I will do some emergency programme so that we can see one or two players to catch up immediately. I hope all of them would catch up quickly.

How many players are on ground now? 
I think already I met 9 players on ground, and I brought 19, but I’m still scouting for more. I don’t want to be in hurry, because you can see them in training doing when it comes to matches, they sell you out. So that is why I have to be very careful. I believe God will guide us aright.
The NNL is about to start, what is your readiness and what should ABS fans be expecting?
By the grace of God, they should expect nothing than promotion to the premier league. That is my target and I hope the club will get back to the top league with God on our side.

What squad formations should we be expecting? 
Am a dynamic person. I have plan A and B each time I have a match. When you meet a team playing negative, particularly when you are in away, then you have to play the first team.
If you look at my results in Gombe, I always draw away matches and ensure I win at home. Too, the strategy is that I know the quality of my players, I cannot use the same patterns to play A.