Sagamite:

You have an argument there in terms of tackles and hard balls and all that, but by and large, I think the advantages that exist in the Pele era which led to the things that made him be called "great", his loads of goals, are more significant.

Off-side rules were very lax. Defenders were poor. Keepers were even more poor. Team tactics was not great. Players were not fit nor were they professionals.

If you were a fit and skilful then, you would be a giant in their mix.

As for Maradona, even though they are different kinds of players, there really is nothing he has done individually that Messi has not replicated.

Messi has the goals, the dribbles, the speed, the skills, the brains and everything the other 2 lack.

Sagamite:

You have an argument there in terms of tackles and hard balls and all that, but by and large, I think the advantages that exist in the Pele era which led to the things that made him be called "great", his loads of goals, are more significant.

Off-side rules were very lax. Defenders were poor. Keepers were even more poor. Team tactics was not great. Players were not fit nor were they professionals.

If you were a fit and skilful then, you would be a giant in their mix.

As for Maradona, even though they are different kinds of players, there really is nothing he has done individually that Messi has not replicated.

Messi has the goals, the dribbles, the speed, the skills, the brains and everything the other 2 lack.

milehigh06:


I will be honest with you...I think a lot of pele stories are sweetened up

Sagamite:

That is absolute tosh, mate.

Just go to youtube and dig out old football videos to show any person that tells you that.

Let them see how the keepers and defenders were poor during the likes of Pele era. Keepers that dive like my grandfather for the ball.

Messi is playing football in an era when all footballers are top level, athletic professionals, not part time fishermen and carpenters.

He is playing in a era where fitness is supreme and tactics are on point. And he looks like Jesus in the midst of these super athletes.

Definitely the greatest.

Solozzo: I don't understand you Nairalanders supporting FG to interfere/control NFF. Were we not the ones complaining that ministers, governors, senators and the president send list of players to the coach? Were we not the same people complaining that govt officials influence choice coaches and technical advisers? Closing and freezing NFF account is wrong and indicates govts foolery and bragadrey in response to FIFA's corrective measures. So if a president's election was funded by a millionaire the millionaire should control/interfere in govt?

Is the entire money in NFF account govt money?

Another overreaction of Jonathan which he should reverse.

thegoodjoehunt: The Sports Minister had to meet with the Super Eagles team when they refused to play. He was shocked that the players problem with lack of funding and neglect went as far as the Nations Cup and confederations cup.

Funds which have been released by the government for those players.

Also during friendly games, lack of adequate hotels, poor transportation and many other problems were complained by the players.

The Sports Minister promised the players that he would provide their bonuses and match allowances for the World Cup. The Federal Government intervened and provided the World Cup money.

[b][b]Now FIFA heads say government hands no right to look into funds that can not be accounted for.
[/b]
So the best choice is to be obedient and allow the NFF run themselves as FIFA wants it.[/b]

Provie:
Word Cup Play Off: FIFA 1 - 1 NGA.

lol!

joseph1013:

[b]
One can't but chuckle when faced with such ridiculous declarations. You gotta marvel at how certain folks of the older generation have such strange convictions that the yesteryears is better than today despite strong evidences to the contrary.

Here is the reply I gave to one recently on a debate:

Now to the issue of "Football was better in the past". Definitely not true!

Today's athletes aren't playing the same game as yesterday's.

Strategies, styles and even rules change dramatically from decade to decade, and modern athletes would crush historical greats.

It's easy yo think that the dominant players of the past would be just as effective as their modern counterparts with the currrent training, conditioning, etc - but I'm not buying it.

Historical greats frequently dominated a smaller pool of players and excelled in an immature game. And there's no guarantee that their previous success means they would respond well to modern training techniques or would fit into the modern game.

Taking on defenders was both more common and more likely to be successful in Pele's or Maradona's eras. In UEFA
Champions' league matches (the
most competitive tournament in history, better than the WorldCUP) since 2010, teams had an average of about 18 'take on' attempts per game - succeeding 44.8 percent of the time (according to fivethirtyeight.com). That's less than the 21 or so per game by WorldCup teams of the Pele and Maradona's years; those players succeeding 49.4 percent of the time. Messi, even at that, appears to be the greater outlier (especially if you consider La Liga, where he succeeds in one-on-one attempts 55.3 percent of the time, where the typical success rate is only 35.6 percent).

It is obviously clear from all this that defenses are obviously tougher these days, which perhaps will affect how we interpret the comparism between these two eras.
[/b]

thegoodjoehunt: Football in the past was not better but harder. Things like tackling with your studs would not result in red cards then. It would have been difficult for a fragile players like Messi to make his dazzling dribbles then.

Watch a clip on the 1974 finals between Netherland and Germany or the 1978 finals between Netherland and Argentina. The game then was too physical for a player like Messi to skip past players with ease.

OmoEziokwu:

Well I didn't add that I was looking at things from a social mobility standpoint (the OECD report). It seems to be higher in North America generally than in the UK, that's why I'm a bit surprised that the Hofstede Power Distance Index is lower in the UK than in North America. You can see it here:

http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/map/hofstede-power-distance-index.html

I wanted to get your perspective on this.

milehigh06:


at the highlighted...where did you get that fallacy from?Fifa has no problem with auditing an organization's books..FIFA is simply saying,dont give money to this organizations so that situations wereby the Govt now feels it has to interfere because they pay the bills will no longer arise and the Govt money can be used in a sector that actually needs it(highly doubt that with corruption)

thegoodjoehunt: Blatter and co.have no problem with Nigeria funding the government. They have a problem with The Nigerian government looking into the activity of the NFF.

Auditing the NFF books by the Nigerian government is seen as interference of a private enterprise.

So the only way our government can cure itself from the heartache of putting money in and getting no result is by not funding it and allowing the body to run itself as a true independent body.

milehigh06:
come...Messi fans,cant you go and start your thread?thought this thread is about FIFA and NFF and GEJ...where messi come into am?

saasala: But I read somewhere that FIFA has extended the deadline date for Nigeria to respond to the ban imposed on the NFF. Read it here: http://www..com/fifa-gives-nigeria-more-days-to-respond-to-ban/

milehigh06:


emmm.I think we are saying the same thing

thegoodjoehunt: The Sports Minister had to meet with the Super Eagles team when they refused to play. He was shocked that the players problem with lack of funding and neglect went as far as the Nations Cup and confederations cup.

Funds which have been released by the government for those players.

Also during friendly games, lack of adequate hotels, poor transportation and many other problems were complained by the players.

The Sports Minister promised the players that he would provide their bonuses and match allowances for the World Cup. The Federal Government intervened and provided the World Cup money.

Now FIFA heads say government hands no right to look into funds that can not be accounted for.

So the best choice is to be obedient and allow the NFF run themselves as FIFA wants it.

thegoodjoehunt: I am just pointing out that FIFA actually welcomes funding of the NFF but they are against looking into the runnings of the body.

Our government invests too much not to look in. So we have for stop funding the body so that we would not have to look into the daily activities of the body.

Solozzo:

The NFF should have a supervising board and a complaints commission where players can make complaints. There ought to be accounts auditing bodies set up by the NFF to regulate its activities. The EFCC and the police are also there. So no need for FG to interfere directly. There is more to the issues than just FG supporting players financially and looking into NFF accounts.

4reigningqueen: ok.

Em ...em when is the EPL kicking off? I need a break from this kind of news that brings nothing but fury. I need some excitment.

milehigh06:

Exactly...Fifa does not care where the funding comes from but you can also understand the stance of te Nigerian Govt..If this was 5/10 yrs ago,it would have been dangerous for the Govt to pull out its funding but we are in an era now when corporate bodies actually do understand the power of corporate branding hence the sponsorship deals our stars of yesterday are now getting compared to 10 yrs ago...Imagine what a Glo deal would have done to help the life of Yekini..We just have to hope we have an organization that knows how to get real sponsors and put the Nation 1st for if they stick to business as usual,they will be broke with no sponsors pretty fast...Private money and govt money are 2 different things

youngmonie: And who does it affect.... the goog Nigerians (Falconets) who have trained their heart out for this competition only for this ill adviced so called C in C to take another dumb decision

feyisejoy:



Sat 16 August

Sagamite:
The UK has a lower power distance because the society is more skewed towards socialism than USA which is pure capitalist.

thegoodjoehunt: Messi would not have excelled the way he did in this era because football then was hard. If you watch Maradona getting kicked on the pitch at Barcelona as if he stole from their kitchen, you would marvel. That alone made it harder.

Maradona and Pele were able to carve a name in history besides the harshness of the game.

Dotng:
So, what you are saying is that you will give NFF money and would not have a say about how they manage their affairs? Kindly tell us any successful private organisation that will ever agree to that include FIFA if you think they will agree to that kind of arrangement.

Krucifax:

N253 Million per month no more. See Gobe.....lol!

Source below

http://sunnewsonline.com/new/?p=72216