Nigerian football is now a joke. Infact it has been so for almost 7 years now. the last time Nigeria put out a decent team, that actually played football was probably 2004.

I have been saying this for the last 5 years, mocked and ridiculed by many - THE PREMIER LEAGUE IS DESTROYING NIGERIAN FOOTBALL.

The style of footbal played in England, based on their culture and climate is alien to us. How many passes did you see that team out there string together. They get the ball to the half way line then hoof it forward Steven gerard style to no one in particular. Thdere was not one player out there who was comfortable in possession, not one who could go one on one with a defender, not one with what used to be an innate ability of the Nigerian player - the ability to control and use, creatively, the ball under pressure. Because all our players now play like Englishmen. All graft and no craft, plenty of pespiration but very little inspiration, a lot of sweat, very little style. No creativity, no invention, no imagination. A creative midfield led by Mikel Obi - a man with not a single assist to his name in almost 6 years at Chelsea. But then his name well known to the African consumers of the premier league (appropriately called by Valdan, poo wrapped in nice packaging) - so good for the advertising boys.

At a time when the possession play of Spain has conquered the world more completely than any other version of the game in history, we are stuck with the stone age variety superbly packaged from England the land of the world's best and most brilliant advertisers, but its worst footbalers.

To see the culture of our football, go to a slum in Lagos and see the level of skill on display. How many long ballls do you see under the bridge, how many kids who can't control a football do you see playing on the street. What we have now is the gentrification of fotball, with many aje butter boys with access to london now securing prominence in the football world over and above many street kids with greater talent.

Nigeria's golden age in football coincided with a time when a connection was made between our street footballers and the national team - in the mid 80's to the mid 90's.

We have now regressed to our colonial football in the 60's to the late 70's, when the national team was dominated by middle class boys from the missionary schools or white collar workers in major establishments klike stationary stores, IICC, Bendel Insurance etc.playing the predictable ponderous football instiled in us by our old English masters. Send the ball to the wing, cross it into the 18 yard box and hope for the best. Good enough to beat the smaller teams but when we ended up against the likes of the Ghana's, guinea's Egypts and Algeria's we got our asess spanked.

Like our newly recolonised econmoy of jobless growth. Our footbal has gone back to the dark ages. I've stopped looking. Sorry to sound chuaavnistic, but the number of fine peperless girls we now see in the stadium looking at Nigerian matches suggests to me that it now is all about owambe - fashion parade - I was there. When a game of the masses becomes a plaything o fthe elite then we need to worry

I agree with your headline. English football will never succeed with skill less players and teams. What I feel is, almst all African teams are playing an ugly Gerard style of long cross and heading dependent game, which is sad. So what do you think is the solution? Abandoning the professional players?

@Op i quite agree with you based on your analysis. Well i think our major setback in football has to do with the wrong people at the ministry of sport. I remember this last minister or so who suppose to be minister of housing or whatever, but ended up being minister of sport by name Engr Isah Ndanusa.

How do you expect an Engr that knows nothing about football and handle any change in that position? Our major problem in Nigeria is tribalism, there are allot of qualified and capable hands out there who can transform Nigeria football / sport into world class competition, but who will bail the cat?

How many Egyptian footballers do you hear their name playing in England or Spain? they prefer to play in their country because it is well organise and they dominate in African football, they pay their players well in their local league, the pitch is standard. Same thing applicable to South Africa.

I can still remember far back when we were in secondary school, we organise inter house competition and the aim is to get the best candidate for various section of sport. We start from the LG levels to state level and finally to federal level and final selection is made to represent Naija to major competition within Africa and other continents.

We have our tradition of football, but trust Naija copy copy always. Sia sia could have still do better if Nigeria were patient enough for the guy. Keshi don't have basic coaching skills compare to Sia Sia (my opinion ooh).

Solution put the right person in that position he will transform Nigeria football and league to international standard.

Wetin concern me, how much i dey gain inside ?

You guys are just realizing that?

nice write up..... cant agree less.... i guess history has a way of repeating itself

Are ‎​U̶̲̥̅ a. Learner.... I be like NFF for your eyes

LMFAO...A bunch of sore losers! Blame it on the EPL...how convenient? You have a bunch of players that have no sense of patriotism to a hopeless nation and rightfully so! A nation where nothing is ever planned and order/organization is an alien culture. They expect and believe in Miracles and hope without putting all the necessary effort and requirements into achieving a goal! I dare say you can blame it on the PIGMENT!!!!

They pass the ball to a winger..the winger crosses the ball to the centre hoping for a miracle...50% of the time it is either a corner or a goal kick...the games are now boring..what ever happened to creativity? Dribbling 5 players and wiring the shot into the goal..what happened to sweet passes? What about the through balls? If you want to sleep peacefully and quickly just watch african teams playing....arrant nonsense

Blame the NPL, not the EPL...
Isn't the EPL popular in Egypt? Or even Zambia?

Would the Ivoriens, whose team is made up of good quality EPL players, also complain about the influence of the EPL?

you are so on point

Another pathetic way to blame everyone else but us. Pathetic. Ghanaians and Ivorians don't watch or have players in the premier league. Zambians don't watch premier league?

Morons.

I dont agree with everything the op said but the op has a valid general point

-there are local players with better talent than some robotic premiership/championship players. Better scouts are needed
-we should emulate the spanish total football style- passing, possession, flair.

true talk

Logicboy03: I dont agree with everything the op said but the op has a valid general point

-there are local players with better talent than some robotic premiership/championship players. Better scouts are needed
-we should emulate the spanish total football style- passing, possession, flair.

How many premier league players are in Nigerian team that played yesterday?

The reference to the Gerrard-style of foot ball (long passes from midfield into the opponent's danger area) actually got me smiling. That is a style of football i admire so much, but then you need special strikers for that kind of play; strikers like torres, van persie, etc. But unfortunately i don't think we have such 'finishers' like that in the Nigerian team (maybe odemwingie, martins, which were so conspicuously left out of the squad).
But then the tournament has just begun, lets wait and see how Keshi manages to adapt his style of play to the players he has at hand, or vice versa...

Rubbish transfer of blame.
Build a team like manU,chelsea,arsenal even swansea or england national team itsef and see if u won't win the AFCON

justwise:

How many premier league players are in Nigerian team that played yesterday?

Read the first line of my comment- I dont agree with everything the op says.


People on nairaland are too quick to score cheap points. Gaddem.


Go and chill with some beer

Op, ur points are useless. Seriously can you sit down and watch athletic bilboa and hercules play? Spanish league is boring abeg! Or why did u think the whole world comes to a standstill when barca and R.madrid play? Its because those are the teams that matter in that league. Blame the NFF for their inability to package our league not the EPL!

justwise:

Don't mind them, typical of some Nigerians, they blame everybody else apart from themselves.

lololol

dr.laykay:
Rubbish transfer of blame.
Build a team like manU,chelsea,arsenal even swansea or england national team itsef and see if u won't win the AFCON

u see ... u just comfirmed what d poster wrote with the bolded part ... how many game or competition has england won with their most advertised league despite having most of their well marketed players in the same league ....

i do not agree with the OP that EPL is having a negative impact on naija football, BTW what i noticed about mondays game was eagles playing with apprehension including the COACH while the Burkinababes were cool, calm and collected while sticking to their game plan till the very end.that aside IMO eagles should also be given credit coz they played hard and serious for the first time in a long while

Mr_TA: Another pathetic way to blame everyone else but us. Pathetic. Ghanaians and Ivorians don't watch or have players in the premier league. Zambians don't watch premier league?

Morons.

Thank you