It has been a disappointing twelve months for the
Nigeria national team, with the promise of 2013
being unrealised despite the opportunities offered
by the World Cup and Cup of Nations qualifying.
Far from establishing a dominant core to the side,
many of Stephen Keshi’s chosen ones have fallen
from grace in recent fixtures.
In this article, three of Goal Nigeria’s writers each
present two players who they believe Nigeria
should cast aside in 2015.
Efe Ambros
Efe Ambrose
Nigeria’s final qualifying game for the 2015 AFCON
featured an interesting tactical battle: South
Africa defended very narrow and marked tightly in
midfield, challenging Stephen Keshi’s men to break
them down.
The men on the pitch with the most space were the
full-backs, Efe Ambrose and Juwon Oshaniwa,
who had to accelerate at least 30 metres to have
anyone come out to meet them. The former is a
centre-back, the latter is a shutdown left-back
and little else.
It served a cogent lesson: in modern football, no
one can succeed without attacking full-backs.
This is why Efe Ambrose has to go in 2015.
As the Super Eagles look to the future, it is vital
that the national team seek out a proper right-
back. Midfield battles have become tighter, and
full-backs have never been more important.
Having one proficient with the ball at his feet and
capable to contribute in attack in vital.
Emmanuel Emenike
There is only so long one can labour under a
burden before deciding it is easier to discard it.
Sad as it is to admit, Emmanuel Emenike is a
burden now. Without a goal in over a year with the
Super Eagles, especially in a team that does not
rely on its midfield for goals, there is no basis for
his continued presence.
His form with Fenerbahce in the Turkish Super Lig
is not sparkling either, he has only managed two
goals this season, and his confidence appears
shot.
If form is the metric for selecting a national team
(in an ideal situation, it should be) then the 27-
year-old has no business in the team at the
moment.
Failure to qualify for Equatorial Guinea 2015 avails
the team handlers an opportunity to start afresh
and look to the future. On the current evidence,
Emenike does not feature in that future.
Follow Solace Chukwu on
Peter Odem
The two players I believe ought to be forgotten in
2015 are both men with similar profiles and similar
qualities. Notably, they both lived out comparable
narratives and made parallel contributions to the
national side.
At the beginning of 2014, neither Peter Odemwingie
nor Ikechukwu Uche figured in Stephen Keshi’s
plans.
Both men had been sidelined following well-
publicised disagreements with the Big Boss and,
heading into their 30s, appeared to have a limited
future with the Super Eagles.
However, the failings of Emmanuel Emenike, Ideye
Brown, Victor Moses and others forced Keshi to
turn back to the veterans.
After much long drawn-out speculation, both men
eventually returned; Odemwingie for the pre-World
Cup friendly against Scotland, Uche for the qualifier
against the Republic of Congo.
Their respective stats for 2014 read as follows:
Odemwingie—seven appearances, one goal; Uche
—two appearances, one goal.
While they may have made pertinent (if ultimately
futile) contributions, both men are past their prime.
Odemwingie will be 35 and Uche 33 by the next
time Nigeria could possibly feature in a major
tournament, there is no dearth of bright striking
talent and the New Year must herald the start of a
new attacking era for the national side. Azubuike Egwuekwe
There’s really no better way to put this: Azubuike
Egwuekwe is not good enough for the Super Eagles
and should be forgotten in 2015.
It’s okay to be good but there’s always better; and
better is what Nigeria need.
With a population of over 150 million people within
the geographical space called Nigeria, not to
mention the Diaspora, there are certainly better
defenders who can contribute more than what the
Warri Wolves captain chips in for the national
team.
His towering height, obviously, serves well for
thwarting aerial threats, but unfortunately, that’s
about his most significant contribution to the team.
And in all honesty, alternatives are aplenty.
His pace, or the lack of it, leaves much to be
desired of the central defender. What can we say
about his decision-making? It’s as slow as the
man himself.
It was an eyesore against South Africa, for
example, during the qualifiers, and Nigeria deserve
better.
Chigozie Agbim
Third-choice goalkeepers are not necessarily
necessary, but they have to be there, just in case.
And they have to be reliable, too. There are so
many scenarios, though they seldom play out,
where third-choice goalies have proved important
additions to squads.
It won’t be overstretched, though, to say that Super
Eagles fans must give thanks to the man ahead of
him for not allowing their darling team be in a
crucial position where Chigozie Agbim needed to be
called upon.
Remember that dying-minute reflex save by
Vincent Enyeama from Edin Dzeko’s header, which
preserved Nigeria’s lead, and win, at the World
Cup? If that was Agbim… let’s not even go there.
The CHAN catastrophe is just a page in a
catalogue of his embarrassing displays.
I really don’t know how Agbim got into the national
team in the first place, but his time as the first-
pick from the local-based goalkeepers, which is
highly debatable and even laughable, should end in
2015.

Favoye2:
It has been a disappointing twelve months for the
Nigeria national team, with the promise of 2013
being unrealised despite the opportunities offered
by the World Cup and Cup of Nations qualifying.
Far from establishing a dominant core to the side,
many of Stephen Keshi’s chosen ones have fallen
from grace in recent fixtures.
In this article, three of Goal Nigeria’s writers each
present two players who they believe Nigeria
should cast aside in 2015.
Efe Ambros
Efe Ambrose
Nigeria’s final qualifying game for the 2015 AFCON
featured an interesting tactical battle: South
Africa defended very narrow and marked tightly in
midfield, challenging Stephen Keshi’s men to break
them down.
The men on the pitch with the most space were the
full-backs, Efe Ambrose and Juwon Oshaniwa,
who had to accelerate at least 30 metres to have
anyone come out to meet them. The former is a
centre-back, the latter is a shutdown left-back
and little else.
It served a cogent lesson: in modern football, no
one can succeed without attacking full-backs.
This is why Efe Ambrose has to go in 2015.
As the Super Eagles look to the future, it is vital
that the national team seek out a proper right-
back. Midfield battles have become tighter, and
full-backs have never been more important.
Having one proficient with the ball at his feet and
capable to contribute in attack in vital.
Emmanuel Emenike
There is only so long one can labour under a
burden before deciding it is easier to discard it.
Sad as it is to admit, Emmanuel Emenike is a
burden now. Without a goal in over a year with the
Super Eagles, especially in a team that does not
rely on its midfield for goals, there is no basis for
his continued presence.
His form with Fenerbahce in the Turkish Super Lig
is not sparkling either, he has only managed two
goals this season, and his confidence appears
shot.
If form is the metric for selecting a national team
(in an ideal situation, it should be) then the 27-
year-old has no business in the team at the
moment.
Failure to qualify for Equatorial Guinea 2015 avails
the team handlers an opportunity to start afresh
and look to the future. On the current evidence,
Emenike does not feature in that future.
Follow Solace Chukwu on
Peter Odem
The two players I believe ought to be forgotten in
2015 are both men with similar profiles and similar
qualities. Notably, they both lived out comparable
narratives and made parallel contributions to the
national side.
At the beginning of 2014, neither Peter Odemwingie
nor Ikechukwu Uche figured in Stephen Keshi’s
plans.
Both men had been sidelined following well-
publicised disagreements with the Big Boss and,
heading into their 30s, appeared to have a limited
future with the Super Eagles.
However, the failings of Emmanuel Emenike, Ideye
Brown, Victor Moses and others forced Keshi to
turn back to the veterans.
After much long drawn-out speculation, both men
eventually returned; Odemwingie for the pre-World
Cup friendly against Scotland, Uche for the qualifier
against the Republic of Congo.
Their respective stats for 2014 read as follows:
Odemwingie—seven appearances, one goal; Uche
—two appearances, one goal.
While they may have made pertinent (if ultimately
futile) contributions, both men are past their prime.
Odemwingie will be 35 and Uche 33 by the next
time Nigeria could possibly feature in a major
tournament, there is no dearth of bright striking
talent and the New Year must herald the start of a
new attacking era for the national side. Azubuike Egwuekwe
There’s really no better way to put this: Azubuike
Egwuekwe is not good enough for the Super Eagles
and should be forgotten in 2015.
It’s okay to be good but there’s always better; and
better is what Nigeria need.
With a population of over 150 million people within
the geographical space called Nigeria, not to
mention the Diaspora, there are certainly better
defenders who can contribute more than what the
Warri Wolves captain chips in for the national
team.
His towering height, obviously, serves well for
thwarting aerial threats, but unfortunately, that’s
about his most significant contribution to the team.
And in all honesty, alternatives are aplenty.
His pace, or the lack of it, leaves much to be
desired of the central defender. What can we say
about his decision-making? It’s as slow as the
man himself.
It was an eyesore against South Africa, for
example, during the qualifiers, and Nigeria deserve
better.
Chigozie Agbim
Third-choice goalkeepers are not necessarily
necessary, but they have to be there, just in case.
And they have to be reliable, too. There are so
many scenarios, though they seldom play out,
where third-choice goalies have proved important
additions to squads.
It won’t be overstretched, though, to say that Super
Eagles fans must give thanks to the man ahead of
him for not allowing their darling team be in a
crucial position where Chigozie Agbim needed to be
called upon.
Remember that dying-minute reflex save by
Vincent Enyeama from Edin Dzeko’s header, which
preserved Nigeria’s lead, and win, at the World
Cup? If that was Agbim… let’s not even go there.
The CHAN catastrophe is just a page in a
catalogue of his embarrassing displays.
I really don’t know how Agbim got into the national
team in the first place, but his time as the first-
pick from the local-based goalkeepers, which is
highly debatable and even laughable, should end in
2015.

Let me ask you a very simple assignement with all this your analysis.

Infact I think I should open thread for this.

Name a 23 man squad from the current crop of known players Nigeria has. Because you are so critical about our current squad I will also ask that as you name them add their latest performance stats along. Lets see how many 5 star players you can make up.