Ladan Bosso surprised at Rabiu Ibrahim exclusion

Posted: 2010-04-21 18:07

Former Under-20 coach Ladan Bosso says he is surprised that midfielder Rabiu Ibrahim and two other players from the Flying Eagles team that he coached were not included in Lars Lagerback's list of 44.

Ibrahim has become of the most alked about players in Nigeria, and former coach Shuaibu Amodu was heavily pilloried for not calling up the youngster to his squad.

“There are three players whose names I expected to be included on the Largerback’s list of 44 and they are Rabiu Ibrahim, Obiora Nwankwo and Edet Ibok.

“Rabiu is a genius that if encouraged can go on to make name for himself like Jay-Jay Okocha because of his abundant football talent. Also since the exit of Sunday Oliseh in the Super Eagles fold, the only player that could be compare to him skills wise is Obiora Nwankwo of Inter Milan.

“Edet Ibok who excelled in the last Under-20 World Cup in Egypt should have been called up to try out for the central defense role in the team.

“These are young and very hungry players that can help Largerback achieve success in South Africa, especially Ibok who is strong and fearless,” Bosso said.


http://www.kickoff.com/news/15004/bosso-surprised-at-rabiu-exclusion.php

Bosso should be reminded that the SE camp is not a place for players to learn how to play football. Ibok and co should get decent clubs and play football like Ideye, Okpako and Odibe. They shouldn't hang out in 'youth' teams in some European league and expect invites to the SE. Their contemporaries in those teams are currently trying to qualify for UEFA EURO U-21 Tourney next year and NOT the world cup!

I believe Rabiu Ibrahim should have been included, but for the rest 2? nah, they are just not experienced enough, let them fight for the u-23 shirt first.

honeric01:

I believe Rabiu Ibrahim should have been included, but for the rest 2? nah, they are just not experienced enough, let them fight for the u-23 shirt first.

On what basis?

Wasn't he a non-starter in Egypt 2009? Has he played ANY league game this season? Shittu has more experience than he has anyway so why should he be in the squad rather than say Ahmed Musa or Solomon Okpako.

BTW, I do NOT like everyone that made that squad. Aluko shouldn't be in that squad and neither should Ibrahim.

Because R. Ibrahim needs the experience.

honeric01:

Because R. Ibrahim needs the experience.

We know what world cup experience did to Walcott and Ogbeche. In Walcott's case, he only played reserve team football and got into the world cup squad and Ogbeche although was playing Ligue 1 football, was overwhelmed by the event. Owen on the other hand was scoring goals for fun and justified his inclusion.

In Ibrahim's case, He joined Sporting Lisbon in 2007 and hasn't lit up the training sessions to convince the coach to put him on the bench and is only good enough for a season long loan to the 3rd tier of the Portuguese League. He hasn't lit that one either and that only means he doesn't have the mental strength to do anything serious in a World cup game.

If he couldn't dominate a youth tournament, then why are we being tormented by his apparent skills. I agree with Lagerback on excluding him from the squad and would expect him to come through at Sporting and maybe do well at the next Olympics before we can tear our heads out if he doesn't make the 2014 world cup squad (if we qualify that is?).

See, that guy needs grooming and we should try as much as possible to have him groomed, he needs to go with them to the worldcup even if he's not going to play (as if we are going there to do anything tangible in the 1st place). whether we like it or not, he's our next okocha and his career should be assisted by the NFF and the coach.

^^
Why him? Why is it difficult for him to break into the Sporting first team? Do you really believe he is worth the trouble given that there are dozens of 16-year olds all over the country we can 'groom' and encourage to be the new Okocha?

I don't think the National team is a place where players are groomed and encouraged. That is the job of clubs or a National Youth centre (a la Clairefontaine).

Rabiu Ibrahim would not need the press and fans to beg for his inclusion if he manages to actually play in the Sporting first team. Simple! His contemporary,Haruna Lukman with all the 'attitudinal' problems is doing well in Ligue 1 and deserves a slot in Lagerback's team before we even mention Ibrahim.

He is NOT our next Okocha! he has to earn it OR maybe we'd give the title to another player when our next U-17 team files out.

ow11 thunder fire you. rabiu ibrahim should be in nigeria starting 11 for 2010 worldcup. no matter wht ibrahim is 10000000 better than those 5 useless defensive midfilders. it is just matter of time that he would start playing in senoir team. if there was a replacement then we would say lets give ibrahim time, but if ibrahim is the only option and is better than the rest of the midfilders then i say he should be there now.

just look at these midfilder qualities and compare it to ibrahim

mikel - 200 games no goal

achivements and qualities
good sidepasser/back passer
highest sidepasser in premier league history with 1000 sidepasses
no dribbling skill, very poor shots

ayila,etuhu,keita,ajilore.olofinja
good ball winning skills
no technique,dribble,passing or any individual moment of brilliance


rabiu ibrahim

good dribbling skill,technique,passing,intelligent,exciting,entertaining.

so if ibrahim have all these qualities and the six useless midfilders don't who will i take.
just because he is on loan in a smaller club don't mean that he is not a good player and since he is the only choice he should be there

12large:

ow11 thunder fire you. rabiu ibrahim should be in nigeria starting 11 for 2010 worldcup. no matter wht ibrahim is 10000000 better than those 5 useless defensive midfilders. it is just matter of time that he would start playing in senoir team. if there was a replacement then we would say lets give ibrahim time, but if ibrahim is the only option and is better than the rest of the midfilders then i say he should be there now.

Ow11, you sure say you nor collect this guy wife?

is rabiu ibrahim talented? yes
is he ready for the world cup? no!
the world cup is not a training ground and serious countries do not take players that wont make an impact. even at under 20 level he was drifting in and out and does not yet have the ability to dominate a game. if he should be included solely for the purpose of developing his talent then the squad will be ridiculous as stannley okoro, fortune chukwudi, sani emmanuel, ramon azeez and co would have have an equal claim to be there. after all these are our brightest prospects no? rabiu is not living up to expectations at the moment so sadly he cant justify a place in the squad.

kydavid shut up. is keita,olofinjana,etuhu,ajilore and ayila half as talented as rabiu ibrahim, no. so long as 5 useless defensive midfilders is in the team and ibrahim is far better than them then i say coach is wrong

semid4lyfe:

Ow11, you sure say you nor collect this guy wife?

The guy is a raving lunatic and for some odd reason has some inappropriate feelings for R. Ibrahim. Why he insists on making that public knowledge is beyond me and have since resigned myself to watching from the sidelines as he rants and raves on this thread.

His reasons for Rabiu's inclusion is not only laughable but reveals a very disturbing secret about this fellow. . .

Kgdavid:

is rabiu ibrahim talented? yes
is he ready for the world cup? no!
the world cup is not a training ground and serious countries do not take players that wont make an impact. even at under 20 level he was drifting in and out and does not yet have the ability to dominate a game. if he should be included solely for the purpose of developing his talent then the squad will be ridiculous as stannley okoro, fortune chukwudi, sani emmanuel, ramon azeez and co would have have an equal claim to be there. after all these are our brightest prospects no? rabiu is not living up to expectations at the moment so sadly he cant justify a place in the squad.

I quite agree. . . .

ow11 i don't have any feeling for ibrahim, just saying the truth. why would we select 5 defensive midfilders when there is ibrahim to call. if there was a playmaker in the team already then we would say give ibrahim time, but since there is not ibrahim should be there.

^ u need to learn manners. respect yourself. who says we should select five defensive midfielders? where did anyone on this thread say so? so not selecting ibrahim is equivalent to selecting five defensive midfielders? first of all etuhu, mikel, olofinjana and ayila are not useless, they are under utilised by nigeria. i watch these guys play for their clubs especially etuhu so i know what i am saying. in attacking midfield there are other options apart from ibrahim. haruna has been in good form for his club, ajilore looked really good when i last saw hm play and okonkwo is a much improved player since he made his super eagles debut. this guy now has invaluable champions league experience. i think emmanuel ekpo also made the list. these are enough players to choose one or two or three attacking midfielders from.

Kgdavid:

^ u need to learn manners. respect yourself. who says we should select five defensive midfielders? where did anyone on this thread say so? so not selecting ibrahim is equivalent to selecting five defensive midfielders? first of all etuhu, mikel, olofinjana and ayila are not useless, they are under utilised by nigeria. i watch these guys play for their clubs especially etuhu so i know what i am saying. in attacking midfield there are other options apart from ibrahim. haruna has been in good form for his club, ajilore looked really good when i last saw hm play and okonkwo is a much improved player since he made his super eagles debut. this guy now has invaluable champions league experience. i think emmanuel ekpo also made the list. these are enough players to choose one or two or three attacking midfielders from.

Seriously, the dude needs to learn some manners. BTW. . .I don't think Emmanuel Ekpo made the list. I think we've got the no 10 position perfectly locked down between Onyekachi Okonkwo, Lukman Haruna, Femi Ajilore, kalu Uche  and Gabriel Rueben. Even Obinna Nsofor can play as an offensive midfielder. I dare say any of the afore mentioned players will do a far better job than Rabiu Ibrahim. I would have even preferred the duo of Ramon Azeez and Abduljeleel Ajagun on the list to Rabiu Ibrahim.  Rabiu Ibrahim should tryout with the Olympic team 1st, prove his worth and garner some more experience.

semid4lyfe:

Seriously, the dude needs to learn some manners. BTW. . .I don't think Emmanuel Ekpo made the list. I think we've got the no 10 position perfectly locked down between Onyekachi Okonkwo, Lukman Haruna, Femi Ajilore, kalu Uche  and Gabriel Rueben. Even Obinna Nsofor can play as an offensive midfielder. I dare say any of the afore mentioned players will do a far better job than Rabiu Ibrahim. I would have even preferred the duo of Ramon Azeez and Abduljeleel Ajagun on the list to Rabiu Ibrahim.  Rabiu Ibrahim should tryout with the Olympic team 1st, prove his worth and garner some more experience.

Ikechukwu Ibenegbu had 3 assists and 2 goals in the WAFU tourney and is a dead ball specialist. Wouldn't you think he deserves a spot in the final 23?

12large:

semid4life it is official you are a goat. haruna lukman is a box to box midfilder although he is good he is not a playmaker, ajilore, don't get poo twisted amodu gave this guy chance but he played terribly bad he is not nigeria class to play attacking midfield he cannot dribble,pass or have any technique so i will say out of option.
emmanuel ekpo i like him but his name is not on 45 man list. onyekachi okonkwo a player that voghts gave chance but the guy is simply not nigeria class, not have as good as mikel talkless of ibrahim. and to add salt to injury you say that you will take ramon azeez in eagles over ibrahim 'you are really mad. and please don't mention ajilore as an option for attacking midfield because the guy is totally rubbish in that position

thats not true. ajilore has a lot of technical ability. vogts gave okonkwo a chance how many years ago? so u dont think the guy has the capacity to have improved? i saw this guy play against real madrid this season and i was impressed.

Where was this so called mercurial midfielder, Rabiu Ibrahim at the African Youth Championship? What was his impact in group game against South Africa, the semi-final game against Cameroun and the third place match in which the South Africans completely dominated the midfield? You think being a creative midfielder is all about some body swerves and showing some 'yeye' skills that are only suitable for 5-aside monkey post games? Rabiu Ibrahim ko, Rabiu Afolabi ni!

Arrant Nonsense!

ow11:

Ikechukwu Ibenegbu had 3 assists and 2 goals in the WAFU tourney and is a dead ball specialist. Wouldn't you think he deserves a spot in the final 23?

Hmmm. . . .not sure about Batholomew Ibenegbu being a dead ball specialist but if indeed he can curve direct free-kicks over a wall & score (Does he score goals this way for Heartland & did he score any goal like this in the WAFU championship?. . .one of his goals was a near post header I recollect) and deliver inch-perfect crosses like Beckham, then he deserves to be in the final-23 man list.

semid4lyfe:

Hmmm. . . .not sure about Batholomew Ibenegbu being a dead ball specialist but if indeed he can curve direct free-kicks over a wall & score (Does he score goals this way for Heartland & did he score any goal like this in the WAFU championship?. . .one of his goals was a near post header I recollect) and deliver inch-perfect crosses like Beckham, then he deserves to be in the final-23 man list.

You guys should be careful with the way you hype these local players, remember the way thankgod ike was hyped prior to the 44 man list submission, he screwed up at the big occasion where he was suppose to make name for himself, let them prove themselves to the coach on their own when friendlies are being played, then the coach'll decide if he needs them in his plan.

honeric01:

You guys should be careful with the way you hype these local players, remember the way thankgod ike was hyped prior to the 44 man list submission, he screwed up at the big occasion where he was suppose to make name for himself, let them prove themselves to the coach on their own when friendlies are being played, then the coach'll decide if he needs them in his plan.

I was only responding to ow11's post and asking questions. I wasn't the one who called him a dead ball specialist.

honeric01:

You guys should be careful with the way you hype these local players, remember the way thankgod ike was hyped prior to the 44 man list submission, he screwed up at the big occasion where he was suppose to make name for himself, let them prove themselves to the coach on their own when friendlies are being played, then the coach'll decide if he needs them in his plan.

Obviously, He (Thankgod) did have a bad game against DR Congo but played in the WAFU tourney and scored against Supersport last weekend. I don't think he is better than Shittu but I don't believe he is as bad as he made us see him in Abuja.

Now for the Ibenegbu guy, He did have 3 assists and merits his place in the 44- man squad but let us see what Lagerback thinks of him. If he does play free kicks and corner kicks well, then he should get in for that purpose alone. Nigeria has performed poorly with deadballs since JJ left town.

There's an article on Kickoff calling him a deadball specialist. I've only seen one game of him and he didn't play any free kicks but wasn't too shabby either.

Rabiu Ibrahim is a fantastic midfielder and he should be encouraged to establish himself in the S Eagles.

someone who cannot establish himself at club level should be established in the national team??

Kgdavid:

someone who cannot establish himself at club level should be established in the national team??

Can you imagine? Someone who has even failed to establish himself with the U-20's. I laugh in Swahili.

idiot how has ibrahim failed to establish himself on u-20. he was the top 3 best in u-17 after that he went to rwanda 2009 he was nigeria best player there, then egypt 2009 he was also the joint best him and nwankwo, and you say that he has not establish himself. if keita,olofinjana,ayila,ajilore and etuhu likes let them have experience one thing is for sure they are not half as good as ibrahim. how can someone be experienced when you are not calling him up or playing him

12large:

idiot how has ibrahim failed to establish himself on u-20. he was the top 3 best in u-17 after that he went to rwanda 2009 he was nigeria best player there, then egypt 2009 he was also the joint best him and nwankwo, and you say that he has not establish himself. if keita,olofinjana,ayila,ajilore and etuhu likes let them have experience one thing is for sure they are not half as good as ibrahim. how can someone be experienced when you are not calling him up or playing him

You're a cretin who should be largely ignored cos apart from being an intellectual dimwit, you also lack the decorum and civility to conduct yourself on a public forum. All the same, I'm happy we've met on this forum cos u have expanded my horizon, enlightened me and made me understand why people could be pro-abortion. Let me leave you with this piece of advice. . . Never make the mistake your parents made which is by not making use of a condom during their copulation that resulted in your birth. _{Jeez! How I wish your mother had aborted you.} Go hug a transformer or hang yourself because Rabiu Ibrahim did not make the team. . .obo oshi!

Shioor!

12large:

idiot how has ibrahim failed to establish himself on u-20. he was the top 3 best in u-17 after that he went to rwanda 2009 he was nigeria best player there, then egypt 2009 he was also the joint best him and nwankwo, and you say that he has not establish himself. if keita,olofinjana,ayila,ajilore and etuhu likes let them have experience one thing is for sure they are not half as good as ibrahim. how can someone be experienced when you are not calling him up or playing him

ibrahim might be more skilful than etuhu but he is not necessarily better than him. why? because they do not play the same position! one is an attacking midfielder and the other is a defensive midfielder so while etuhu cannot begin to dribble or score like rabiu might, rabiu certainly cannot break up play or provide the element of physicality that etuhu does. the most reasonable basis for comparison between r.ibrahim and Etuhu and co would be their respective impacts when playing for the same team. as they have never been in the same team such a comparison is void. an alternative approach would be to compare the impact of the two payers at their respective clubs where one(etuhu) is a first team regular in the english premier league and the other(rabiu) cannot even make first team in the portugese league. ibrahim may go on to become something special but for now he does not belong in the company of nigerias elite. apart from all this, i really have to ask if etuhu, olofinjana, ayila and kaita were the only midfielders you saw in that list? there are attacking midfielders who made the list so compare him to players such as haruna lukman and not dickson etuhu. the world cup is not a place to garner experience, it is the place where u use the experience gained elsewhere. the process of gaining experience involes a lot of mistakes some of which may be extremely costly particularly in tournaments like the world cup where elimination is always a possibility. i have been following rabiu ibrahim and haruna lukman since u17 level and i am convinced that lukman is just as talented as ibrahim and far more mature and consistent. their roles are slightly different but haruna would able to do the job.

ibrahim is 2000000000 times better than etuhu and the rest of the 5 useless defensive midfilders. no matter how you look at it ibrahim is still better. the main reason am comparing ibrahim to those 5 useless dms is because lagerback will likely take these 5 dms

ow11:

Obviously, He (Thankgod) did have a bad game against DR Congo but played in the WAFU tourney and scored against Supersport last weekend. I don't think he is better than Shittu but I don't believe he is as bad as he made us see him in Abuja.

Now for the Ibenegbu guy, He did have 3 assists and merits his place in the 44- man squad but let us see what Lagerback thinks of him. If he does play free kicks and corner kicks well, then he should get in for that purpose alone. Nigeria has performed poorly with deadballs since JJ left town.

There's an article on Kickoff calling him a deadball specialist. I've only seen one game of him and he didn't play any free kicks but wasn't too shabby either.

i am yet to see him score 1 deadball oo, let's just wait and see the yeye list self.