coogar:


i doubt this......

coogar:


ikedia had no close control.
only few nigerian players had it. elahor, amuneke & ikpeba(in his teenage years) all had mad close control. odegbami was another specialist in keeping the ball in tight corners and dribbling with it.

coogar:
okocha is largely hit & miss and many of his dribbling was in the centre of the pitch where there's space. the reason wingers are respected is because of their brilliance in keeping the ball close to the touchline(limited space)

parrotibaba:



meanwhile Fellaini scored twice for Belgium yesterday

afrodoc2:
Elamps is the most stubborn poster here, even the link he showed us stated that Ikedia had pace but he was still arguing

Nobody said Ikedia could not dribble but lack of pace was definitely not Ikedia's problem cos he had lots of it....his problem was lack of brain. I watched Ikedia play dozens of times both on TV and in person, he was a great dribbler blessed with pace but ZERO intelligence......that is the major difference between Messi and him not pace.

P.S Ikedia and TJ Babangida were different. Ikedia could actually dribble quite well but Tijani was a straight line sprinter with the ball

A40:
Ikedia was a frustrating player. A decent dribbler but did rely heavily on his speed with absolutely zero football IQ. Tijani might not have been a good dribbler (though even quicker than Ikedia) I'd certainly take Tijani 10 times over Pius Ikedia, we have not had a winger like Tijani and Finidi for years

Tijani was by far the better footballer

A40:
Ikedia was a frustrating player. A decent dribbler but did rely heavily on his speed with absolutely zero football IQ. Tijani might not have been a good dribbler (though even quicker than Ikedia) I'd certainly take Tijani 10 times over Pius Ikedia, we have not had a winger like Tijani and Finidi for years

Tijani was by far the better footballer

afrodoc2:
Elamps is the most stubborn poster here, even the link he showed us stated that Ikedia had pace but he was still arguing

afrodoc2:

Nobody said Ikedia could not dribble but lack of pace was definitely not Ikedia's problem cos he had lots of it....his problem was lack of brain. I watched Ikedia play dozens of times both on TV and in person, he was a great dribbler blessed with pace but ZERO intelligence......that is the major difference between Messi and him not pace.

A40:
Ikedia was a frustrating player.

A40:
. A decent dribbler but did rely heavily on his speed with absolutely zero football IQ.

A40:
.
Tijani was by far the better footballer

Ibime:


100% Correct.

elampiro:


100% wrong.

You guys didnt know him. You knew him when his career had suffered from injuries. Imagine, the guy was away from regular football for almost a year. He was truly young and was commanding first place shirt for Ajax. Unlike TJ and Finidi who got there already over ripe players.

Tijani had already played 6 years in Europe before Ajax signed him. 6 years of fine tuning his game. He also had played local league.

Finidi George had played for three Nigeria div1 clubs and played many games for Super Eagles before going abroad. He was already one of the best players in Africa before joining Ajax.

But Ikedia represented some of the first true young players breaking into Nigeria local league in 1999 (Bendel Insurance). The same year a lot took place and he was already playing for Ajax. He took his raw street football straight into one of the biggest clubs in the world. Bad luck followed this rising star and everything crumbled.

Look at the gradual road Iheanachi is travelling. Even Messi needed some academy training to perfect his acts. Ronaldo needed some years to mature his game.

afrodoc2:
Ikedia was not intelligent right from the beginning to the end.
From before his Insurance days to the day he retired he was always dribbling while looking at the ground!

afrodoc2:

How can you pass at the right moment to team mates while looking at the grass on the floor when you don't have water-filled calabash with you on the pitch

If you give Ikedia the speed of Usain Bolt he would only play his brand of M.O.R.O.N.I.C football at supersonic speed

afrodoc2:


1) Ikedia broke into Insurance team before 1999....most likely 1997.

2) True young player ko.....Ikedia subtracted nothing less than 4-5 years from his actual age. Do you know how many years he played "mercenary" for his old secondary school and also played "jeun jeun" football before joining Insurance?

3) Ajax gave him several opportunities and loaned him out several times but his poor decision making never deserted him. How can you make the right decision when you are looking at the ground and not your team mates?

elampiro:


You are now forming to know Ikedia's game after I have described it. See this man who first said Ikedia was all about pace and waywardness. Now you have changed to dribbling and looking at the ground.



I put it to you that you didnt know this guy.

I wish I could produce his clips from 1998 to his early days in Super Eagles. He looked at the groud, yes. But he dribbled his way to crating chances. He also dribbled everyone on his way to score important goals
.

elampiro:
You guys started out by saying Ikedia had pace and stupidity. Now you have changed you statement to 'he dribbled and looked at the ground'. And I was the first to point out that he always looked at the ball.

This tell me you guys never knew him in his good days. It's just unfortunate this guy's career got truncated by a 'devil' injury.

In terms of removing a marker from the road 'see me see', no one else ever did it like Ikedia. So easy and simple no gidigidi inlvolved'.

I rest my case.

afrodoc2:


I capitalized STUPIDITY when i first mentioned it, u were the one who said Ikedia did not have pace...which is very incorrect.
I already mentioned that Ikedia could dribble unlike Tijani who was straight line sprinter. What i disagreed with was your statement that lack of pace limited Ikedia, it was lack of sense that limited him

Bros i don't need to form, who is Ikedia that i need to form? I was following Naija football as far back as the days of Toyin Ayinla, Raymond King ,Steve Botchway, Collins Ebitimi, John Benson e.t.c I was midway through Uni when Ikedia joined Ajax, don't assume you are talking to an EPL era fan.

afrodoc2:


what is your point sef?
Ikedia had PACE and lots of STUPIDITY.......THAT IS 100 PERCENT FACT.
Now you are changing to "devil injury" i thought you said it was lack of pace that killed him.....now who is changing mouth?

elampiro:


I said if only he had the pace of Messi. I didnt say he didnt have pace at all. You guys like to misquote or change my statements alot.

Even if you had followed Nigeria football since Odegbami, you wouldnt know much of Ikedia because he didnt play much in the local league. His was rushed into the top of world football immediately he was discovered. Even Odemwingie, the one they were calling 'ebo' (yellow) way back in Ogbe stadium had much more time in the local league. Pius was rushed to the very top and he had no time to even think what was happening to him.

afrodoc2:


But of course you are the only one that watched him.....others didn't have money to buy ticket or buy TV?
Ikedia that was playing for years in Lagos before relocating to Benin. Anyway i know you have stamina for arguments.....You are right, lack of pace limited Ikedia from becoming like Messi not the fact that he used to dribble until he ran past the corner flag

afrodoc2:
Listen to what Pius Ikedia himself said 2.55 into the video....or you want to argue with Pius himself?




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vI_R2YEzl44&feature=player_detailpage

elampiro:


What did he say? "I didn't know how to dribble"?

afrodoc2:


Oh you don't have enough MB i will help you .
He said "I still have my SPEED WHICH EVERYBODY KNOWS ME FOR , right from my Ajax days"

elampiro:


..and there was someone who said he knew Ikedia in school in Lagos and at most he reduced only two years from his age when he played in 1999. How true about that, I can't tell about that.

Ikedia only needed to be nurtured and I think Ajax would have helped him but the injury. If he had gone to a smaller club, h could have come through the rank a more matured player. He focused too much on his dribbling. Every time he had the ball, the oppositions piled up bodies to the right flank, but Ikedia was delighted to take them on one after another.

elampiro:


Did he say he didn't know have to dribble?

He said he had his speed and that didnt mean he was the fastest in the world or near Messi's speed.

afrodoc2:


Kai i praise Coogar for arguing with you. I told you that one of the hall marks of Ikedia was his PACE you said it was a lie, now Ikedia is telling you via youtube that EVERYBODY KNEW HIM FOR HIS SPEED and you are still doubting. Elamps in case you don't know SPEED and PACE are the same in this context