Shooting Stars’ poor run: Is sacking Salisu Yusuf the answer?

For an established, generational club like Shooting Stars, patience is never easy to sell to supporters.

The Oluyole Warriors carry one of Nigerian football’s biggest identities, and defeats at Lekan Salami Stadium are rarely modest.

When results refuse to come, frustration quickly turns into questions, and when performances fail to convince, those questions can become demands for change.

That is exactly where Shooting Stars find themselves.

After Wednesday’s goalless draw with Kano Pillars in their rescheduled Nigeria Premier Football League Matchday 3 fixture in Ibadan, sections of the home supporters made their feelings unmistakably clear.

“Salisu must go,” they chanted

Shooting Stars have gone four league matches without a win, recording two draws and two defeats. They have won only once in their last six outings.

But is that enough to conclude that Yusuf should be dismissed, or are supporters reacting too quickly to a difficult start in a long season?

The debate is divided. Some believe the team’s problems were foreseeable, while others argue that Yusuf deserves time to turn things around, as former coach Nurudeen Aweroro did last season.

The numbers support both sides.

The numbers are not kind to Yusuf

Shooting Stars opened the campaign with a 2-1 home victory over newly promoted Inter Lagos, raising hopes they could build on last season’s third-place finish and return to continental football.

Optimism faded after a 3-1 away defeat to Plateau United. They recovered with a 2-0 win over Katsina United but then lost 1-0 to Warri Wolves and 4-2 to Enyimba. Goalless draws against Nasarawa United and Kano Pillars followed.

After seven league matches, Yusuf’s record stands at two wins, two draws, and three defeats, leaving the team with eight points.

The concern isn’t just the points tally. Shooting Stars have struggled to produce consistent performances and have failed to score in their last two matches, both at home.

For a club with continental ambitions, that record invites scrutiny.

Tobi Ayinde: ‘They will turn it around with a coach like Salisu’

Tobi Ayinde, a journalist and NPFL analyst, believes it is too early to call for a change in the dugout. In an interview with PREMIUM TIMES, he said Yusuf’s situation resembles the early stages of Aweroro’s tenure, when the team also struggled before finding its rhythm.

“Honestly, I think there is not much difference between what’s happening now and the start of Aweroro’s tenure; fans are just too fickle-minded to see it at the start of his tenure too; they weren’t doing great, and they turned it around; I think they will turn it around with a coach like Salisu.”

Aweroro eventually guided Shooting Stars to third place last season, collecting 60 points and securing continental football for the first time in 27 years. Ayinde believes Yusuf should be given the chance to work through the current difficulties rather than face the sack after seven matches.

Robert Olimene saw the warning signs

Robert Olimene, another sports journalist and NPFL analyst, is less optimistic. He said the team’s form had concerned him before the league campaign began, pointing to their performance at the ValueJet Cup.

“The form is worrisome; I knew the team would struggle from their campaign at the ValueJet Cup,” he told PREMIUM TIMES.

He also questioned the squad’s depth.

“Team lacks depth,” Mr Olimene added.

That assessment raises questions beyond Yusuf’s tactics and matchday decisions. A lack of depth can limit a coach’s options when injuries, suspensions or poor form require changes, making consistency difficult over a long campaign.

Shooting Stars returned to continental competition after finishing third last season, but that campaign has also brought disappointment. If the squad’s limitations pre-date the league season, changing the coach alone may not solve the problem.

The club’s hierarchy must assess whether Yusuf has the personnel to improve results or whether squad weaknesses are holding him back.

The Aweroro comparison makes the pressure heavier

Yusuf is being judged against Aweroro’s achievements last season, when Shooting Stars finished third with 60 points and returned to continental football after 27 years.

At the corresponding stage last season, the team had 11 points and sat fifth in the table. Yusuf’s side had seven points after six matches before the outstanding Kano Pillars fixture and now have eight following Wednesday’s draw — three fewer than Aweroro’s team at the same stage.

That gap helps explain the pressure, but early-season points do not determine the final table. The more important question is whether Yusuf’s side are improving and addressing the problems behind their results.

Seven matches cannot tell the whole story

Yusuf has experience in Nigerian football, having worked with clubs including Kano Pillars and Enyimba. He was appointed to lead a side that had established itself among the NPFL’s leading teams, but he is still working to settle his preferred structure and combinations.

Personnel changes and the squad-depth concerns Olimene raised may complicate that process. They don’t excuse three defeats in seven matches, but they matter when assessing the coach’s performance.

Shooting Stars must balance giving Yusuf time to implement his ideas with ensuring poor results don’t become the norm. Frequent coaching changes don’t guarantee stability or success, but retaining a coach without measurable progress isn’t a sound strategy either.

The biggest concern is the lack of consistency

Shooting Stars have shown they can win, beating Inter Lagos 2-1 and Katsina United 2-0, but those results have been followed by defeats to Plateau United, Warri Wolves and Enyimba.

The loss to Enyimba was particularly damaging. The Aba side had lost their first four matches and drawn the fifth before recording their first victory at Shooting Stars’ expense.

The Oluyole Warriors then failed to score against Nasarawa United and Kano Pillars. The pattern points to a team struggling to produce reliable performances against different opponents.

Yusuf’s immediate task is to find a balance that makes the side more secure defensively without reducing its attacking threat.

The attack needs answers

The two consecutive goalless draws at home have sharpened the criticism. Shooting Stars have struggled to turn pressure into goals, leaving supporters frustrated at the Lekan Salami Stadium.

Defensive problems are also evident. The team conceded three goals against Plateau United and four against Enyimba. Across seven league matches, they have scored seven goals and conceded nine.

Yusuf needs to cut down on defensive errors while giving his attackers the structure and confidence to deliver more consistently. How quickly he addresses both issues will shape the pressure on him.

The supporters aren’t entirely wrong

It may be too early to demand Yusuf’s dismissal, but supporters are entitled to question a team that has won only two of its first seven matches and failed to score in consecutive home games.

Aweroro’s third-place finish last season raised expectations, and fans naturally want that progress to continue. Their reactions are shaped not only by statistics but also by performances, tactical decisions and what they see on the pitch.

Ayinde’s call for patience and Olimene’s concerns about squad depth can both be valid. Yusuf may need more time, while the club may also have structural problems to address.

The Kano Pillars draw changes little

The goalless draw with Kano Pillars was an opportunity for Yusuf to ease the criticism, but it brought another frustrating home result.

Kano Pillars had remained unbeaten through their first seven matches, making a point against them respectable in isolation. However, Shooting Stars were at home and needed a win to rebuild confidence and reconnect with their supporters.

Instead, the result extended their winless run to four league matches. In the team’s current situation, another goalless draw did little to change the mood.

So, should Salisu Yusuf go?

Shooting Stars have not been good enough so far: two wins, two draws and three defeats from seven matches is a disappointing return for a club with their ambitions.

Whether Yusuf should be dismissed immediately is a more difficult question. Seven matches represent only a small part of a 38-match season, and there is still time to recover. But the coach must show that he can address the team’s weaknesses and improve results.

Ayinde believes Yusuf can turn things around, while Olimene points to squad limitations and warning signs from before the league began. The club must determine whether the problems stem mainly from coaching, the players available or both.

Giving Yusuf time should not mean giving him unlimited time. The hierarchy needs clear signs of progress and an honest assessment of whether the squad can meet the club’s objectives.

Kun Khalifat could shape the debate

Shooting Stars face Kun Khalifat away on Sunday. Their opponents sit 19th, giving Yusuf an important opportunity to change the mood around his team.

A win would ease some pressure and help rebuild confidence. Another defeat or unconvincing performance would strengthen calls for a managerial change.

The performance will matter as much as the result. Supporters need to see greater defensive discipline, a clear plan and more purpose in attack. If the winless run continues over the next few matches, the club will find it harder to ignore the calls for change.

Ibadan fans: Too impatient or demanding accountability?

Shooting Stars supporters are not wrong to demand answers, even if it is too early to conclude that Yusuf must go.

The team’s record — two wins, two draws and three defeats — falls short of expectations. They have scored seven goals and conceded nine, and they failed to find the net in their last two outings. They are also three points behind Aweroro’s side at the corresponding stage last season.

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Yusuf can still change the story, but he must turn draws into wins, reduce defensive errors, and sharpen the attack.

For Ayinde, the coach deserves time; for Olimene, the team’s form and lack of depth are reasons for concern. The club must distinguish between a difficult start that can be corrected and deeper problems requiring decisive action.

Sacking Yusuf after seven matches could be an emotional reaction. Retaining him without demanding progress would be equally difficult to justify.

The next few weeks should provide a clearer answer. The message from Ibadan is already loud; Yusuf’s task is to make the football do the talking.