Sports psychologist Kehinde Adeyemi has called on Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC) supporters to stop personally attacking Director of Football Tobi Adepoju and coach Salisu Yusuf after the team’s difficult start to the season.
The Oluyole Warriors have struggled to secure early results, but Adeyemi said seven matches were not enough to judge the squad or its technical staff. He urged fans to remain patient and insisted there was still ample time for the team to improve its position.
Adeyemi, who was trained by the English FA, said the failure to record early home victories should not be used as evidence against the club’s coaching structure.
He also rejected criticism directed at Adepoju, explaining that the Director of Football has a different responsibility from the coaches working on the touchline.
“The Director of Football does not sit on the bench with the coaches, hence he should not be targeted,” Adeyemi said.
While acknowledging the strong emotional connection supporters have with the historic club, Adeyemi said he understood their frustration and shared their desire to see Shooting Stars win more matches.
“Football is very emotional. But what we are asking for is understanding that things are going to be right soon,” he added.
He pointed out that Shooting Stars had played only seven of their league matches, with 31 still remaining, and said qualification for continental football would ultimately be determined by the team’s final position rather than its results at the beginning of the campaign.
“The team just played seven games in this season and it remains 31. To qualify for continental football is not really about who wins at the early stage, but the team that finishes better at the end of the league,” he said.
Adeyemi also noted that the players and technical crew had a financial incentive to win, but said the unpredictable nature of football meant the club would experience both positive and negative periods.
“I can understand the fans’ feelings because I also want us to be winning matches, and don’t forget that all the players and technical crew will also collect bonuses for winning, but it is football,” he said.
“We need to understand its dynamics, which entails ups and downs.”
In assessing Shooting Stars’ performances, Adeyemi identified a lack of efficiency in front of goal as the main reason for their recent difficulties.
He said the team had created numerous opportunities and argued that the issue was converting those chances, rather than a failure to organise themselves or produce attacking openings.
“They played and created many chances during the games. The problem is converting the chances. If they played and were not coordinated and could not create a single chance, it would have been another case,” he said.