₦airaland Forum

I do not despise her...Just don't care about what she brings to the National team.
For someone who is supposed to be a veteran, she is completely lacking in leadership skills and she most certainly does not present herself as a model to be emulated by the younger ones on the team.
She needs to be left to focus on what's left of her club career.

lovewins:
His disgust for Okobi is no secret so no surprise there.

Yes. This is based on many years of watching her play. Classic definition of a 'ball-hog'.
Her first instinct, whenever she gets the ball, is to dribble instead of making that simple pass to someone who is free and better positioned.
Far too many examples of this over the years and in her recent appearances, nothing has changed.

Worse still, her attitude off the pitch is even more annoying, her belief of entitlement. Perhaps she is expressing her frustrations due to her stalled career.

Deltamani:
Are you serious with all this you have just typed??
Maybe there’s a despise from ur own side concerning her..

Okobi a Selfish Player?

Oh, heck no!
So she could learn how to be an arrogant, selfish player? Absolutely Not!
Okobi is certainly not a role model to emulate, on and off the field. She lacks the 'on the ball' intelligence required of a modern day midfielder.
That's why her career as a professional football player has failed to progress.
Okobi has nothing to offer that Onyi would benefit from.

Deltamani:
She’s good…. One for the present and future, She could be the understudy to Okobi but some times I see her as an over Confident player..

Found this online

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlbKOnBt0sA
Clemson vs. Florida State
Onyi Echegini is #6 in white.

Agree. Quite selfish.
In a team like Barca, she might end up confined to the bench if she is not capable of being a team player

Deltamani:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hba9AN1a-Ug



Geyse is such a selfish player, I just hope the Coaches speak to her.

After reading some of the comments here, not surprised about the very limited myopic scope of comments and in Nigeria as a whole.
I will rate him a B+ for his efforts and attempt at making Nigerian football a world football brand. Too many things to state here, from fiscal accountability to establishing a brand name to instituting change on the continent and globally and attempt at modernizing the game in Nigeria.
But of course, Nigerians being who we are, would rather live in the stone age, than move forward. We prefer to degrade and destroy anything that would bring us out of the stone age. That's why Pinnick had to spend the bulk of his tenure fighting frivolous lawsuits and unfounded rumors, intentional roadblocks, sabotage and enemies within and without (including the Nigerian sports ministry, who consistently interfered with his administration and willful refusal to allow and/or provide the use of decent stadia to prosecute WCQ games, leading to the failures we experienced), as well as the constant noise from detractors impacted by his insistence on getting rid of age cheating in our cadet competitions), to name a few. I saw his tenure as a reset of Nigerian football and an attempt to align it with the modern game.

Pinnick, to me, had great vision and so I would rate his tenure highly.

Deltamani:
Eight years of Amaju Pinnick's tenure as the president of the Nigerian Football Federation officially ended today 2014 - 2022.

How would you rate Nigeria's football in the last 8 years?.

Lets dive into this a little...
What exactly did she bring to the table as a top 9?

For example, lets review goals on the national team
- Oparanozie scored 22 total (5 for U20, 17 for SF) over 12 years
- Oshoala has scored 29 total (7 for U20, 22 for SF) over 9 years

So, what exactly makes her a 'Complete' striker? Her pace? Her assists? Her dribbling skills? Her ability to 'high press'?
Sorry, but I really don't know what other attributes make her superior to the other ladies I have listed, who play and have played at a much more higher level than her recently.

Our team is more fluid and faster up front now, than when she was there. She actually slowed down the pace of the attack, with Ordega and Oshoala providing the pace up front. We are better off without her in the mix, to be honest.

Deltamani:
But I will boldly say that since Oparanozie absence Superfalcons still don’t have a better top9 yet… or should I say a Complete no.9

We Nigerians always like to rely on the past, as opposed to moving forward.
We all saw Oparanozie's mediocre performance over the last 3 times she played on the team. Oparanozie is old and tired, which is understandable for someone who has been playing for the Falcons since 2010 - not to mention the Nigerian league for some years before that.

Its time to move forward and explore younger, quicker and more agile players, instead of those on the cusp of retirement. Between Oshoala, Ajibade, Onumonu and Uchenna Kanu, we have much better forwards, than the sluggish, tired and spent Oparanozie.

Deltamani:
Tony Payne can actually slot in the Right Back position if the need arises and Alozie moved to the bench, Desire Oparanozie is more a sure banker as her return will kick Maclean’s out going by experience too. Ify is Randy favourite Striker, he would even try dropping her last last he would only bench her except injury that can result to her dropping..

Monday Gift to come in for who?
Peace Efih for who?

With the exception of 'Ms. Thang', this squad would likely form the core of our team to the World Cup.
Nicole Payne, Echegini (left out due to school), Esther are some that will be in the picture for the WWC

Deltamani:
International Friendly: Waldrum Call Ajibade, Oshoala, Nnadozie, 19 Others For Clash With Japan
September 16, 2022 one comment

Head Coach Randy Waldrum has called up 22 players of the Super Falcons, among them Rasheedat Ajibade and Asisat Oshoala, for next month’s international friendly match against the Senior Women National Team of Japan, Nadeshiko, in Kobe,

The team is dominated by the usual suspects but also welcomes four members of the U20 girls that reached the last eight at the FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup in Costa Rica in August.

There are first choice goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie, defenders Osinachi Ohale and Ashleigh Plumptre, midfielders Regina Otu, Halimatu Ayinde and Ngozi Okobi-Okeoghene, and forwards Uchenna Kanu, Gift Monday, Vivian Ikechukwu and Toni Payne.

The match serves as continuation of the Super Falcons’ preparations for next year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup finals in Australia and New Zealand, and comes just weeks after a two-match tour of the United States of America, in which they lost 0-4 and 1-2 to the USWNT.
The match holds at the Noevir Stadium, Kobe on Thursday, 6th October.

ALL THE INVITED PLAYERS:

Goalkeepers:
Chiamaka Nnadozie, Nkiruka Obidinma, Yewande Balogun

Defenders:
Osinachi Ohale, Ashleigh Plumptre, Oluwatosin Demehin, Glory Ogbonna, Rofiat Imuran, Michelle Alozie

Midfielders:
Regina Otu, Christy Ucheibe, Halimatu Ayinde, Peace Efih, Ngozi Okobi-Okeoghene, Deborah Abiodun

Forwards
Asisat Oshoala, Uchenna Kanu, Ifeoma Onumonu, Gift Monday, Vivian Ikechukwu, Rasheedat Ajibade, Toni Payne

Schemerkhiz,
Unfortunately, Regent University is a Division I South Region member institution in the National Christian Collegiate Athletic Association (NCCAA) and are NOT an NCAA team. Truth is I had never heard of the University until when you mentioned it today.

Doing a bit more research, found this and wasn't surprised. They definitely do not have a big time soccer program like the NCAA schools have, which buttresses my initial point. Again, not trying to disparage Akide or any of the other ladies, but this is problematic if this is the best of Nigerian coaches we have.

Schemerkhiz:
I don't think this is right to say Considering their Capabilities as Coaches abroad.. If they're not good enough they won't even be given the opportunity to work... If the offer doesn't come they will tend to keep the job they have doing.
Mercy didn't just became the head Coach of Regent University, Virginia. She worked her way there from the age grade level..

I'm sorry but who are the 'almost all the SF players' are you referring to? How can players who don't know Omagbemi from a can of worms say they 'want her back'? Someone they've never been coached by or played under? Makes absolutely no sense.

Or are you saying the likes of Okobi or Oparanozie or Onome or Chikwelu should influence the future direction of the team, in terms of coaching personnel? With all due respect, they are on borrowed time and will be phased out soonest. Look, these are the old guard, who have pretty much outlived their usefulness to the team and are seeking to remain relevant. So, their opinion is, for all intents and purposes, pretty much irrelevant, if not inconsequential.

If the two matches against the World Champions proved anything, it is that we DEFINATELY do NOT need those old women anymore on the team. The young ladies have proven they can rub shoulders with the world's best. So those old women can go take a hike!

Schemerkhiz:
But one thing we all should also know is that almost all the Superfalcons players the ones of interacted with if not all likes Omagbemi and want her back.. If you're good, you're good. By the way there's no way all of them will be speaking good of her if she's not good enough...!

Omagbemi being a better coach than Randy is a matter of conjecture on her part, as she is fully entitled to her opinion.
Not surprised she opted not to leave her job, afterall, why would she want to undergo the sham she went through in 2016?

Schemerkhiz:
Omagbemi was asked to work under Randy Waldrum as his Assistant but she refused, citing that she's better than been an Assistant to Randy and also didn't agree to leave her Coaching Job abroad..

2016 was 6 years ago. If she is still coaching a the same level she was in 2016, without any upward mobility, then something is definitely wrong with her being the best choice for Nigeria. Pep Guardiola was an integral part of the Barca set up for many years, so there was no loss in step when he took the reigns.

Look, football has significantly evolved since 2016. Its become more competitive and more scientific. I was struck by the rampant use of technology at the recent U20 WWC, where laptops were being used on the bench of teams. Contrasting that with hearing Danjuma yell and scream instructions at his players during the course of the games, while his counterparts were more focused on the use of their laptops for deeper analysis and strategic planning during the games.

This is not personal, you can clamor all you want for whoever you want - you are well within your rights to do so. I am more focused on reality of the lack of personal growth and upward mobility. The sad truth is Omagbemi or Akide are probably more ill-equipped for the job now, as opposed to 2016. This fact should not be discountenanced or lost on us - there is hardly any Nigerian coach out there equipped for this job, considering the very limited capacity building growth they have undergone on the international stage and how far they have been left behind.

Little wonder why the Nigerian options out there have made little progress since 2016..

Deltamani:
I wonder the point you’re trying to prove here, Which team was Omagbemi Coaching before she took the job back in 2016?? Same Youth team.

Look at Pep Guadiola for Example, he was Barcelona Youth team Coach before he was given the job to handle the main team..

For your Information Florence Omagbemi is good enough, she has Nothing to prove again, I’m one of those Clamouring for her and Mercy Akide Udoh… If you don’t like it back off..

By the way I gave an Option that if the NFF can’t give us World Class Foreign Coach they should settle for the Ex-internationals who are Coaching. This Ladies have played at the highest level, they know the pressure involved in Playing and Coaching Nigeria, You can’t Compare that to Randy…

Imagine NFF giving Florence the amount of Support they gave to Randy.

She’s not just Coaching U14 for Coaching sake but Wining trophies Back to Back.

You missed my fore-leading point that the Federation is dirt broke.
Be it whatever currency, the coffers are completely dry.
So, its going to be dejavu with Omagbemi, regarding the reason she was initially let go - inability of the federation to pay remunerations, which led to the protest which she allegedly 'supported'.

And besides, going through what she went before, it would be odd to expect that she wouldn't want to have a contract signed in terms of lenght and remunerations, this time around. Something the federation will likely struggle to agree with.

lovewins:
The difference though is that Omagbemi or Akide won't be paid in dollars (sadly so). Nigerian coaches no matter their pedigree usually get paid in Naira be the NFF. Same would have applied to them.

Understood, but even at that, the Federations is dirt broke. Sponsorship funds are non-existent and the Ministry who could have helped is bloody useless.
So, where's the money gonna come from? No coach worth his/her salt would want to coach a big team like Nigeria pro-bono. Nigeria is lucky to get a coach like Randy who agreed to work part-time and be paid on an appearance basis, not full time salary. The amount of money he gets paid by Univ. of Pittsburgh is about 2 or 3 times what he makes with Nigeria.
Or wouldn't the likes of Omagbemi and co want to be paid on a salary/annual basis?

lovewins:
I get your point, but no women's team coach earns in millions of dollars. I think the highest yearly salary for a women's football national team coach is still less than $500,000. Not like we can afford that anyway, but I get your

@ Deltamani & Schemerkhiz...
Game time for Imuran is 3 of 4 halves, including going the full 90min against the World Champions and giving a credible outing.
Patty is yet to get a single minute of action since the Turkish invitational.
It seems pretty clear Patty is not being reckoned as good enough at the moment.

Deltamani:
I disagree, Patty have not gotten the Kind of minutes the likes of Imuran, Nicole Payne and Glory Ogbonna had. Game time first before any final Conclusion

At this juncture, and based on her performance at the U20 and her cameos against the World Champions US, I would place Imuran ahead of her.

Deltamani:
Favourite Left Back, Left Winger…

You don't have the funds to pay your players their remunerations, let alone the coaches in your other teams, but you want to hire a multimillion dollar coach? That's funny.
The coaches you mentioned have managed to fill their time since leaving the SF as interim coaches, coaching U14 city teams. Yet, these are the coaching candidates you would advocate for, in lieu of a coach who has vast experience in the US, who are the World Champions?
Interesting.

Deltamani:
Randy can’t improve the team more than this.. He need to go, If the NFF can’t get us a Coach of Sari, Tony and Pia Caliber they should settle for the likes of Florence Omagbemi, Mercy Akide Udoh and Co.

Sorry, but what again did Gift do when she was on the pitch, outside of being anonymous?
Good players always carve a niche for themselves, regardless of where they play.
This young lady is grossly overrated, IMO.

lovewins:
It's also obvious Randy doesn't know how to deploy Monday Gift. You could hardly feel her effect in both matches.

Looks like a 5-3-2 formation

Danielnino00:
Can somebody help me make out the lineup?

is it a 3 woman backline or what??

Let me guess...
'Big players', as in Okobi, Oparanozie and perhaps Chikwelu and Onome?
Well, good riddance, as they have overstayed their welcome.
They should please not let the door hit them on their way out.

Schemerkhiz:
Let me just make it Clear the Big Players doesn't want to play under him, they're just making up VISA and Injury excuses.... Randy Waldrum have caused a lot of Division in the team, he's the major problem....

Better coach, yet they struggled to score against and defeat a team down to nine (9) players in over 60 mins of play!
Yeah right!
And the Morrocan team is NOT average - they did a lot of recruiting of players from England and France so they do have very decent players.

j64real:
Can we please start suggesting a better coach for the Super Falcons because Waldrum isn't fit for that position. Look at the Moroccan Ladies despite being an average team we all could see how well they played because they have a good coach.

Musings from watching the game…

1. This was a game of two halves – the first was filled with nervous players who seemed initially overwhelmed by the occasion. The formation was defensive oriented (which made sense due to the available personnel and the fact that the US has throttled several teams in recent weeks!). Two of the goals in the first half were due to individual mistakes: Ucheibe’s poor attempt at a ball which played Sophia Smith(11) on side for an easy goal and then a no call foul on Nnadozie from the corner which wasn’t properly cleared, leading to Lindsay Horan rounding Ucheibe in the box to score). The penalty given the US in the second half was so soft, it was a joke. Therefore, had we not had those 3 goals, the score would have been very respectable.

2. Personnel performance wise, in the first half, and the likes of Monday Gift, Michelle Alozie, Debbie Abiodun and Glory Ogbonna struggled to perform. Alozie was constantly getting torched by Malory Pugh (9) and Sullivan (17) on the left. Abiodun was a bit slow during the first 20 minutes but seemed to start finding her feet during the rest of the half. Monday Gift was completely MIA and Glory Ogbonna kept drifting in and out of position, as she seemed confused as to where she was playing.

3. The second half performance was much better, as the team seemed more balanced. We also have to consider the personnel changes made on both sides, as that somewhat impacted things. However, it was refreshing to see Imuran at left back and Demehin come in, and both ladies put in a very credible shift. Also liked Amanda Mbadi overall performance and fight she brought to the midfield, as well as Akudo Ogbonna who, when paired with Demehin, brought some calmness to the defence. Nicole Payne seems to play with a lot more confidence, which allowed her to utilize her blistering pace in support of the attack.

4. It’s disappointing to hear some forumers disparage the game management and personnel changes Waldrum made – little wonder why most on this forum are nothing but armchair coaches. To even suggest that Akudo should have been played ahead of Osi is extremely naïve. Or that Imuran and Nicole should have started the game (in lieu of Tony and Michelle) is laughable. First rule of coaching is you don’t throw your young bucks into the deep end (by starting them against the World Champs) as you could do their confidence irreparable harm! You blood them in gently - which is exactly what Randy did and kudos to him. We saw how the likes of newbies Imuran, Demehin and Mbadi responded - strong performances all around. We also saw how nerves overtook Debbie Abiodun and hope she is strong enough to recover – I am rooting for her. Players are selected on need and training performance, and I believe both factors came into play with Debbie, especially the latter as we were definitely short staffed in the midfield.

5. Overall, a good performance by the Nigerian ladies, considering the challenges they had (short staffed) and logistics (coming in a few days before such a big game). Now, considering this was a dilapidated and relatively young team, and lest we forget, we played the USWNT who are the current World Champs and had their FULL team, this was an overall credible performance by our young ladies. BRAVO to them and on to the next!

There's hardly any coach that does not have favorite players.
In the case of Ucheibe, Waldrum had never had the opportunity to coach her in the SF in a match - she had been invited multiple times, but between visa issues, injuries, etc, they never had a chance to work together prior to the WAFCON.
So, it would have been very odd for him to start her, when all his previous regulars were there.
And when Ucheibe was called upon, she stepped up big time and has now become a mainstay.
That's how it works.

Regarding Okobi, for me, good riddance. When she had a chance to really make a difference, she flunked. Now she's bitching about respect, or lack thereof? What the heck is there to respect? If not for the injury to Oshoala (which forced Ajibade to play as a winger), she likely would have bench-warmed all though the tournament (which I would have been very okay with).

Anyhow, enough said.

AndSunGorilla:
Now I understand, thanks a lot!!! If Randy remains coach he probably wont cal her again. But I do agree with some of the things she said.1) Women are typically more jealous and emotional than guys so press focus on some girls will affect others. 2) randy clearly has favorites, case in point was continued benching of Ucheibe until his hands were forced to start her.

You forgot to also add the unnecessary penalty against Jamaica which Oluehi saved.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ULfpUZ1HPo

Oh shot, my bad. Video courtesy...BascoVanVeli.

BascoVanVeli:
Wat happened to the striker u hyped for a whole year on this thread

Isn't Patricia George in the same Turkish league as Glory? How did that come about if she doesn't come close.

Penalty against South Africa and a second yellow card against Ghana. Now tell me what else she did wrong? Just tell me the time in the game.

I never said she should start on the team, I said there is no need to bash her

You do know that Glory came in as a sub for Nicole, right?

Patricia George plays for Turkish giants Fenerbache and your Glory plays for ALG Sport (never heard of them before).

BascoVanVeli:
She should be giving u ur share of the transfer money 30 minutes or 30 seconds she had good chances and fluffed them all but I am sure u went blind at those moments.

Ur point about Toni and Ashleigh makes no sense because Nicole Payne is also a natural fullback who was kept on the bench by them. Why don't u also shout that she doesn't belong on the team because those 2 kept her on the bench?

Why is Patricia George in the same league as low budget Glory Ogbonna

Ol' boy, na wah oh? Me sef dey wonder.

You should have seen how he wanted to bite my head off, just because I stated this same player lacked the competency and the fundamental elements to be a SF left back, based on watching her play live during the Summer series in Houston. This was also taking into account the fact that she was not a novice on the international front.
I believe my assessment of her then still holds true and has been proven time and time again.

Not sure why he keeps insisting on 'liking and subscribing' to her brand of football, when it is clear to all and sundry that she really ain't got it.

Deltamani:
Glory Ogbonna have been given more than enough chance, so there’s nothing to talk about by the way she’s not even up to the Makeshifts Left Backs Tony Payne and Ashleigh Plumptre sef!

Right now she’s not even better than U20 Ramat Imuran even though the game at the Senior level is more tougher, quicker and requires more and more..

I wonder what you want to defend here.!

Gosh! She's still a kid, for Christ's sake. Lay off on her and her teammates, will ya?? Geez!
Once she gets into a club a bigger club (in Europe, hopefully), she would be taught the art of modern football, the same way the likes of Oshoala and Ajibade were taught and we are seeing how rounded they have become now.
Ditto that for the high prospects from the team - herself, Demehin, Onyenezide, Oshobukola, Chiamaka (#7), Alani, Abiodun and perhaps, Idoko.
Wish the others good luck in their respective careers.

Schemerkhiz:
While it is nice to dribble your opponent, goals and assists are more important.

Demehin really stunk up the joint today - both goals were errors on her part.

Sadly, really not looking like Naija's weekend:
1. Usman lost his UFC belt
2. Joshua lost his rematch
3. The U20 about to crash out...

This is not a conspiracy.
This was based on investigative facts. Take it or leave it.

As listed previously, for the sake of fostering better team dynamics and stability, the four players that need to be disengaged as a matter of urgency are:
Oparanozie, Onome, Chikwelu and Okobi. These 'fabulous four' have been on the team since 2010 and have outlived their usefulness to the team.

Danielnino00:
Im not on to the age conspiracy,but performance wise, I agree that Okobi is spent..There was a time she used to be really good,but that time is past...She and Ordega are two players that should join Chikwelu and Ebi to be excused from the team .

OMG...And who the 'F' is Aisha Falode again?
Someone who doesn't have any clout on the continent, let alone the world football stage.
This is too funny. It's little wonder why Nigerians think they are more relevant than they truly are.

Ask yourself why this same Falode didn't have the ability to pull the high profile friendlies (pre-Waldrum), that we have had since he came? Why is it that after he became coach, all of a sudden, we have these many high profile friendlies? What's the main difference before and during the Waldrum era.
Simple Answer: Waldrum.

daveP:
Seeing this Okobi gist ehn

Who is saying Randy is the major factor for the top friendlies?? That's very hilarious. It's like you really really underrate the pull power of Aisha Falode

Continue.

And what exactly did she bring to the midfield during the recent WAFCON?
For someone who you people rank so highly, her overall performance could easily be ranked as below average to mediocre.
Not only that, she constantly lost the ball because she always held onto the ball too long and couldn't even shoot straight, even when she had two empty netters (Burundi and Morocco).
Rash, who played as AM in the South Africa game, was much better than she was.

To reiterate what was said: she is SPENT!!
She featured for the Nigerian U17 team in 2008 - meaning she was 14 years old at the time. This was a time when most players were picked from club sides - so no way was a '14 yr old' playing for Delta queens. (for some context: remember the scandal that broke in 2010 when a certain Victoria AIDELOMON, a 27 yr old lady at the time parading to be U17, was captain of the 2010 team, a team this same Okobi was on?).
Now, Ms. Okobi is supposedly 28 now. Yeah right!

Look, let me just pause here before I say things I really shouldn't be saying...

And comparing her to Ajibade is not only funny, but disingenuous.
A like for like comparison shows that career wise, Ajibade has accomplished much more at her age of 22, than this lady has.
There is a reason why the highlight of Okobi's professional career was the 4 game appearances for Washington Spirit (same team Franny Ordega played over 40 matches in 3 seasons for!), before she was let go and ended up in Scandinavia ever since.

I beggi, make we leave matter jor....

Deltamani:
Nawa… no wonder you guys will always say this Shit, as if you have a better Attacking Midfielder that can replace her now or bring what she brings to the Midfield..!


28yrs already a Spent Player, I wonder what you guys will say about Ajibade when she get to that age! We’re watching.