Nwoko not affected by criticism

Chucks Nwoko has been targeted for harsh criticism over the past few months as Malta struggled to make an impact in Group One of the EURO 2004 qualifying campaign, conceding successive defeats against Slovenia (3-0), Israel (2-0) and France (4-0).

Critics have even questioned Sigfried Held's judgment as the German coach has kept faith with the Birkirkara striker despite his lacklustre form. Nwoko is one of the first names on Held's team list and that is unlikely to change tomorrow when the German names his formation for Malta's fourth qualifier, a match against Cyprus in Nicosia.

Nwoko, the 24-year-old Birkirkara skipper, says he has not been the least affected by the cynicism surrounding his performances for the national team.

"The negative criticism does not really affect me. Honestly, in some instances, certain comments were ludicrous and coming from people who don't really understand a thing about football," Nwoko said.

"After all, we are human beings and we all pass through bad patches. I am not saying that I played as bad as I had been portrayed but there are times when things don't work out the way you want them. The only thing a player can do is to keep working hard to improve," Nwoko told The Times.

Nwoko may have been pilloried for his below-par performances for Malta but the players stood by him, especially after he was barracked by some fans during the 2-0 loss to Israel at Ta' Qali.

The national team players imposed a media boycott after that game and David Carabott, the team skipper, expressed their disappointment at the public's treatment of the Nigerian-born player.

"We are like a family. The players here have shown that they can give one of their team-mates their unwavering support as they did with me after that Israel game," Nwoko said.

"What happened then was the result of clubs' rivalry. Unfortunately, certain fans still distinguish between players of different clubs even when the national team is playing. That should not happen because we forget club rivalries when donning the national team colours."

At club level, Nwoko has been one of Birkirkara's most committed and consistent performers. His good form for his club has helped him to remain focused and confident.

"I am delighted that my form at club level has been quite good so far this season. Now I'm more determined than ever to show the same form when playing for the national team," Nwoko added.

As Birkirkara struggled to overcome injuries to several key players, Nwoko has been playing in a midfield position whereas for Malta, he has been mostly utilised as a striker.

Nwoko says he's not bothered by the switch in positions.

"At Birkirkara we have had a lot of injuries, so I was asked to assume a midfield role to make up for Antoine Zahra's absence.

"I have been enjoying playing in midfield. It has also helped me to work on my physical condition. However, I see myself as a striker."

Cyprus are next in line for Malta and Nwoko said avoiding soft goals should be one of the main priorities if the Maltese team is to gain a positive result.

"No game is easy for our national team. We will try as much as possible but we do have to remain concentrated throughout to avoid fatal mistakes which often prove to be our downfall," he said.

The stocky striker, who has yet to score a goal for Malta in 40 appearances, believes the players have put the recent upsets to France and Israel behind them.

"Yes, I believe those negative results are behind us. We have been working seriously to try and regain the form we had before we went into this competition," Nwoko remarked.