₦airaland Forum

Neither are the Super Falcons...

In hind sight, the second leg of the Nigeria/Ghana tie was a blessing in disguise, as it opened up our eyes to what CAN happen if we don't take our opponents seriously. That was a lucky escape for us.

I believe our girls know what's up and will be ready for the task (or dear I say, WAR) that's upcoming with the Ivoriens. I believe we have enough ammunition to carry the day.

Going out on a limb and will say: 2-0, Nigeria wins.

solonnachi:
These Ivorians are not joking with the return leg ooo. Our Falcons should seriously watch out for these technically gifted Ivorians. A draw soup to me will be ok

Same here.

carbonado:
......done.....

Baby girl looks like she can play ball...saw some clips of her.
Why on earth didn't Randy play her in the Summer Series?
Looking forward to seeing her against Cote D'Ivoire - could be our 'joker' in the midfield.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7kK2y-yZro

Schemerkhiz:
That's Amanda Mbadi... Bayelsa Queens Central Midfielder, She was among the team during the Summer Series in USA

You do have a point and I stand to be corrected.
I struggled with this one and went with Otu because of the hairstyle...
However, I did find a pic with both ladies in the same frame, which proves it might not be Regina Otu in the probable starting 11, though.

Question is: who is this HB player then?

Schemerkhiz:
Missed one, Regina Otu isn't there, the one you thought is Regina is an Home based player ( a Midfielder to be Specific )

Left to right:
Plumptre, Oluehi, Ebi, Ohale, Regina Otu, Alozie, Chukwelu, Payne, Ajibade, Oshoala, Waldrum, Waldrum's assistant coach & Onumonu

Neither is the vice-capt. in camp, Franny Ordega.

isan:
The captain is not in camp yet

Glad Iffy is finally a Super Falcon ������

Randy needs to consider playing a 3-5-2 or 3-4-3 formation and pair Oshoala, Kanu and Onumonu as strikers.

We can have a back 3 of Ohale, Onome and Plumptre.

Heard she signed up for Santa Teresa CD, 2nd Division outfit in Spain?
She should not be available for the AWCON-Q because of her red card.

NFF should target FC Sands Patricia George who is significantly better than her.

Schemerkhiz:
Glory Ogbonna off to Spain ... Don't think she would be available for the AWCON Qualifying Games..

Rinsola Babajide scores first goal in her new club, Real Betis Femenino.
https://twitter.com/i/status/1489221176417210375

More Uchenna Kanu

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kP187fHdBU4

Liga MX Femenil
Uche Kanu hattrick for Tigres UANL vs Atlas FC this weekend.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tx9VphP1wDc

@ Schemerkhiz

Didn't Glory Ogbonna get a straight red card against Ghana (2nd leg of AWCONQ in Accra on 24 Oct, 2021 - 69th min)?
How is she eligible to play this game when she is suspended for 2 games at least? Or did Nigeria appeal and win the appeal? If so, when did that happen because no one heard about it.

If no appeal was made and granted by CAF/FIFA, then it makes no sense inviting her for this fixture. If she is used in the match, that is an automatic forfeiture of the game and Nigeria will be disqualified. This match has FIFA and CAF oversight. The same goes for the previous matches played in the ABC (a FIFA sanctioned event). All those players who got yellows and reds over the past 4 SF matches NEED to be flagged so that we don't get kicked out due to some administrative error on the part of the NFF because of someone not doing their homework.

This really needs to be flagged.

Schemerkhiz:
AWCON Qualifiers: 35 Falcons to resume camp ahead of Côte d’Ivoire clash

Head coach of the Nigeria senior women’s national team, Randy Waldrum has invited a total of 35 players to the camp of the Super Falcons ahead of next month’s final qualifying fixture for the 12th Africa Women Cup of Nations (AWCON), against Côte d’Ivoire.

The Super Falcons and the Lady Elephants of Côte d’Ivoire will square up at the MKO Abiola National Stadium, Abuja on Friday, 18th February with the return leg at the Stade Robert Champroux in Abidjan on Wednesday, 23rd February for a slot at AWCON 2022 hosted by Morocco in July.

It would be the first time in decades the team would be playing in the newly renovated Moshood Abiola National Stadium, after years of abandonment.

The nine-time African Champions will do all it takes to avoid a repeat of their 2020 Olympic games qualifier tie against their Ivorian counterparts, as they were eliminated via the away goal rule after playing 0-0 in Abidjan and 1-1 at home in Lagos.

To reach this penultimate round, Super Falcons defeated Ghana Black Queens 2-1 on aggregate while Ivory Coast demolished their Niger counterparts 20-0 on aggregate.

All invited players are expected to arrive Abuja on Tuesday, 1st February.

INVITED PLAYERS:

Defenders:
Rofiat Imuran (Rivers Angels)
Glory Ogbonna (Santa Teresa FC, Spain)
Onome Ebi (Minsk FC, Belarus)
Osinachi Ohale (Deportivo Alaves, Spain)
Ayomide Ojo (Edo Queens)
Ashleigh Plumptre (Leicester City, England)
Joy Duru (Nasarawa Amazons)
Nicole Payne (West Virginia University, USA)
Michelle Alozie (Houston Dash, USA)
Akudo Ogbonna (Edo Queens)

Happy for my girls Iffy and Debbie.
Especially happy for Debbie on her first call up.
That's the next Nigerian super star right there!

Schemerkhiz:
AWCON Qualifiers: 35 Falcons to resume camp ahead of Côte d’Ivoire clash

INVITED PLAYERS:

Goalkeepers:
Chiamaka Nnadozie (Paris FC, France)
Tochukwu Oluehi (Maccabi Kishronot Hadera, Israel)
Christy Ohiaeriaku (Sunshine Queens)
Yewande Balogun (USA)

Defenders:
Rofiat Imuran (Rivers Angels)
Glory Ogbonna (Santa Teresa FC, Spain)
Onome Ebi (Minsk FC, Belarus)
Osinachi Ohale (Deportivo Alaves, Spain)
Ayomide Ojo (Edo Queens)
Ashleigh Plumptre (Leicester City, England)
Joy Duru (Nasarawa Amazons)
Nicole Payne (West Virginia University, USA)
Michelle Alozie (Houston Dash, USA)
Akudo Ogbonna (Edo Queens)

Midfielders:
Peace Efih (Kiryat Gat, Israel)
Yetunde Aluko (WFC Ramat Hasharon, Israel)
Amanda Mbadinuju (Bayelsa Queens)
Ngozi Okobi-Okeoghene (Eskilstuna FC, Sweden)
Grace Igboamalu (Bayelsa Queens)
Toni Oyedupe Payne (Sevilla FC, Spain)
Regina Otu (Minsk FC, Belarus)
Christy Ucheibe (SL Benfica, Portugal)
Rasheedat Ajibade (Atletico Madrid, Spain)
Rita Chikwelu (Madrid CFF, Spain)
Amarachi Okoronkwo (Nasarawa Amazons)
Deborah Abiodun (Rivers Angels)

Forwards:
Esther Okoronkwo (AS Saint Etienne, France)
Francisca Ordega (CSKA Moscow, Russia)
Desire Oparanozie (Dijon FC, France)
Vivian Ikechukwu (Rivers Angels)
Gift Monday (FC Robo Queens)
Juliet Bassey (Bayelsa Queens)
Ifeoma Onumonu (NY/NJ Gotham FC, USA)
Uchenne Kanu (Tigres Femenil, Mexico)
Asisat Oshoala (FC Barcelona, Spain)

Not sure how you came to this conclusion, but Zogg is listed as 5'8" / 5'9" by some sites.
That is pretty tall for a woman playing football.
https://www.monroecollegemustangs.com/sports/womens-soccer/roster/onyinyechi-zogg/4465
And from what I saw of her in the Summer Series, don't let her looks fool you. She is as rugged as they come and will have zero problems fitting into the African game.

mostob:
Zogg got small frame for a defender. Will she be able to cope with our African sisters during AWCON? I don't think so

Roosa Ariyo completed her studies at Monroe Community College, part of SUNY (State University of New York) in 2018.
She then returned to Finland and played for clubside TiPS for 2 years before she was invited for the Summer series in 2021. She was in Finland at the time of her invite. She and Zogg flew on the same flight from Amsterdam to Houston for the Summer Series.

Besides, New York is about 1600 miles North of Houston, so the weather in both places are completely different (like night and day).

lovewins:
I stand corrected, but I think Roosa was in the US at the time. It appears she went there for her master's degree and played for her college team. Again not sure if the timeline coincides with the summer series, but she spent sometime in the US so it shouldn't exactly have been a new environment for her per se. That said, I agree with your submission, really rooting for her

Sorry, but nothing is packed full.
You keep peddling Maclean's Chinonyerem, but she really has very little body of work to assess. For all we know, the Polish Women's league is really not credible enough to be used as a performance and competence benchmark.
If she was really that good, she would be in one of the more competitive Women's leagues.

Also, we all saw Desire's performance during ABC and the Ghana game. It is safe to say that she is on the downward slope of her SF career (same with your favorite, Ngozi Okobi ). We really need fresh competitive talent upfront. We did well in bringing in some young, exciting players last summer and we need to continue on that trend, as there are many more out there.

To this end, I am surprised that this young girl Rofiat Sule has not been considered or given a look in by Randy. She was on the radar under the previous coach as a local player, but now she seems to have settled down with her new club in Europe and is doing quite well for Pink Bari Calcio Femminile, in the Women's Serie A in Italy. From the few games I saw her play in the WAFU Cup in 2019, she was fast, skillful and very strong on the ball. She also could score goals.

Schemerkhiz:
Roosa Ariyo should just fight her way back that's very important right now cause the Center forward is packed full...

Asisat Oshoala, Desire Oparanozie, Maclean's Chinonyerem...

Agree.
Not sure what went wrong with her relationship with Waldrum but I noticed she really struggled in her debut with the SF during the summer series last year.
In fairness, that heat was BRUTAL (I was sitting in the stands sweating profusely and finding it very difficult to breath because of the intense Houston heat!). For someone coming in from the cool climate of Finland, it would have been like hell.

I really hope Randy can give her another chance - she is really a cool girl and I am really hopeful she has another shot at making the team. She is a big, burly striker that would give a lot of center-backs problems. She is also very technical, great in the air and her hold up play is good. She is also very good at running into the channels. Her minuses include her somewhat lack of pace, which can be overlooked by her finishing, which is top notch.

lovewins:
I'm really rooting for Roosa. I've seen quite a number of her scrimmages and I'm of the opinion that she's a lot more technical than some of these other guys. Like you said, she needs to fight her way back into the team. It's increasingly getting crowdy so she has to prove herself

Not sure why Schemerkhiz is upset today, but you are right about her being called to the England Lionesses camp, even though she has yet to be capped. I suspect her switch is being considered, even though it might have been delayed because of her club situation with Liverpool. Now that she has permanently moved to the Spanish League, she can now focus on her international career.

If she becomes an SF, she will bring more options to the flank play, as she can operate on either the left or right flank. She will bring pace and guile. She has a similar gait to Uchenna Kanu. This will allow Kanu to also play as a central striker if necessary (a role she primarily plays at her club) and will help add to the options on the flanks - (Uchenna Kanu, Ify Onumonu, Esther Okoronkwo, Vivian Ikechukwu and possibly Rinsola Babajide gives us speedy alternatives for wingplay - considering that the likes of Ordega and Oshoala are becoming senior citizens and are more injury prone). For the record, not impressed with Gift Monday and Fatuga Dada is still under review.

In order to build a strong, deep squad, you need ALL the credible options out there. Rinsola coming aboard would help in that regard.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oz9O7w6LzZ8

lovewins:
Lol. Haven't seen her play so don't know how good she is. I only know she got a call up to the England lionesses camp but doesn't appear she's been recalled since then. Lately she's been all pro Nigeria sha, so I'm guessing she wants to pivot. Lol

Now I know why you have been pushing back on Rinsola all this while...there is really no need for the 'hatorade'.

Even though Rinsola has every right to chose who to play for, her heart is with the SF and Nigeria and I am optimistic she will play for the SF in the not too distant future - hopefully at the Nations Cup this summer or at the World Cup, God willing.

Rinsola is Naija through and through!

Schemerkhiz:
We don't need Rinsola Babajide for anything, she should face her England...
I personally nor wan see her play for us sef... She should continue to fight for a Spot in the English Team...

Excited for Roosa too, really like her and the strength she brings to the table.
However, she REALLY needs to step up if she wants to be on the SF squad. She really did not make an impact at Granadilla Tenerife and is lucky a good La Liga Femenina club like Real Betis signed her.

On Rinsola, congrats to her and would like to see how she performs in the Spanish La Liga Femenina. She had a tumultuous time in England, with her contract situation with Liverpool. Now that she has cut bait with Liverpool and has signed with Real Betis, she can settle down and show the world how much of a great player she really is. Rooting for her!

lovewins:
So happy for Roosa. Hope that this helps her get back to form.

By the way, this is what Rinsola looks like. You can glean from her disposition she really wants to play for Nigeria. Is she likely to get an invitation?

Source: https://www.completesports.com/official-fifa-clears-plumptre-to-play-for-nigeria/

OFFICIAL: FIFA Clears Plumptre To Play For Nigeria
8 January 4, 2022 11:41 am

Former England youth international Ashleigh Plumptre gotten approval from FIFA to switch her allegiance to Nigeria.

Plumper, 23, who plays for Women’s Super League side Leicester City, is eligible to represent the African champions because of her father’s Nigerian heritage.

After joining training camps in Austria and Abuja, she has now been cleared by FIFA and is eligible for Nigeria’s 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations play-off against Ivory Coast in February.

“We are happy to receive Ashleigh’s official clearance from Fifa,” NFF director of communications Ademola Olajire told BBC Sport Africa.

“It was only possible because of her commitment and dedication. She made the federation’s work a lot easier by providing all the requirements in quick time.

“Ashleigh personally approached the English FA directly to get the required international clearance from that end.


“Her professionalism and unflinching desire to play for Nigeria is honestly heart-warming. That big move on her part obviously helped a lot and prevented the long wait for the FA’s response.”


Plumptre, who has a British mother, had been capped 30 times by England at youth level but qualified for Nigeria through the grandparent rule.

The centre-back needed to prove her eligibility and dedicated three months to acquiring all the required documents – a Nigerian passport and her grandfather’s documents and then officially requesting clearance from the four home nations (England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales) as well from Nigerian internal affairs.

“She got all the documents in a few months without being forced or persuaded,” Olajire added.

“We’ve been through this Fifa process with other players in the past and others needed to be reminded. Ashleigh made personal sacrifices to ensure a smooth clearance.”

Plumptre joins a growing list of foreign-born players like Michelle Alozie, Patricia George and Nicole and Toni Payne, who all opted to represent the nine-time African champions.

She has played 25 games this season for Leicester women’s side which she first joined as an eight-year-old.

She previously played in the English top flight with Notts County in 2014 before moving to the United States.

Stints with US college side USC Trojans and LA Galaxy followed, before she returned from studying in January 2020 to play a key role in a memorable season for Leicester.

After she helped the Foxes to the FA Women’s Championship title in 2020-21, Plumptre was voted player of the season and rewarded with a new two-year deal.

Merry Christmas and Seasons greetings to all !

Halimat is a defensive MF. Rash is an AM. No conflict.
Midfield will be Payne - Halimat - Rash.
Otu and Uchibe can sub.

Schemerkhiz:
It's going to be a difficult task for Rasheedat Ajibade to keep the Central Midfield position with the return of Halimatu Ayinde almost near, then Christy Ucheibe and Peace Efih are another better Option..

Except Christy Ucheibe is moved to DM to battle it out with Regina Otu

Nah wah for Naija people!
What the heck is she doing in Mexico?
That league is WACK!! They show it here in the US and there really is nothing to write home about.
Not sure why she had to leave Europe?

Schemerkhiz:
Uchenna Kanu has arrived to Mexico, going to sign with Liga MX Femenil current champions Tigres UANL

Team isn't missing much - she was very poor in the CAF Women's CL.

Schemerkhiz:
The Super Falcons are in a training camp in Abuja ahead of crucial qualifying matches against Ivory Coast.

We have 29 players in camp , only expecting Gift Monday (NWFL Premiership highest goal scorer)

They had their 3rd training session this morning.

She had a Monday night away game at Bristol City.
She was in the Super Falcons camp on Tuesday.
Not sure what your point is?

timay:
UK to Naija is 6hrs, And getting direct flight to Abuja no too hard or complicated

Great. Glad she could make it this time around.

Just realized her team Watford just had a Monday night away game against Bristol City, which she played in.
They lost, by the way.

Schemerkhiz:
Adekite Fatuga Dada is in camp

Do you know If Adekite Fatuga Dada is in camp this time? She missed the Austria camp and there has been no word is she made this one in Abuja.

Also, Adekite is a right winger. In a 4-3-3 formation, she would play in the forward 3

Schemerkhiz:
Midfielders: Adekite Dada (Watford FC, England); Peace Efih (Kiryat Gat, Israel); Yetunde Aluko (WFC Ramat Hasharon, Israel); Amanda Mbadinuju (Bayelsa Queens); Goodness Onyebuchi (Edo Queens); Grace Igboamalu (Bayelsa Queens); Toni Oyedupe Payne (Sevilla FC, Spain); Regina Otu (Minsk FC, Belarus); Christy Ucheibe (Benfica FC, Portugal)







A Midfield of the following player should be good enough for the Superfalcons.


1. Rita Chikwelu
2. Rasheedat Ajibade
3. Tony Payne
4. Halimatu Ayinde
5. Regina Otu
6. Christy Ucheibe...

*** Ngozi Okobi, Joy Bokiri, Chinaza Uchendu, Peace Efih, Adekite Dada...

Christy Ucheibe - Minsk? This is someone who just played in the Womens CL for Benfica day before yesterday.
Ibube Whyte again? Someone must be really straffing a certain recently appointed scout real good. This is beyond funny.

Let's hope this is not the proposed squad to play Cote D'Ivoire, else they will be walloped real good by the Ivoriens.

Schemerkhiz:
Randy Waldrum 30 Player's List for the Camping in Abuja...

In terms of performance for country, how does she stack up to the Zambian during the women's football Olympics?

Goldsplash:
She deserves it because at the moment she has performed more than any other African female player. If she continues this way, she will definitely end up being the African GOAT.

This will be a growing problem for women's sport in general, not just women's football.
A lot of 'women' with elevated hormones will continue to surface and dominate different sports - case in point, the two Namibian sprinters in the Olympics and the Zambian player based in China. There has to be some standard rules governing eligibility across board - the current rules appear to be very lax.

Schemerkhiz:
International women’s goalkeeper accused of being a man as Jordan FA calls for gender test on the Iranian footballer
"Particularly that the Iranian Women Football team has a history with gender and doping issues."

Will beg to differ wrt Okobi.
I personally think she's done. And the writing has been on the wall, prior to Waldrum's coming.
I believe that is why she's been bench warming for some time now.

On Osarenoma, I really loved the way she manned the midfield years ago.
Had hoped she would progress into a more dominant force in the midfiueld but that didn't happen.
Sad if she has indeed taken time off from football. Wish her well.

Schemerkhiz:
Ngozi Okobi, Ngozi Okobi, Ngozi Okobi....

Don't think she's finished yet, her first tournament under Randy was the Aisha Buhari Cup which was below average.. She would come up soon since Tony Payne is there now let them Compete for the Single Spot...

As for Osarenoma Ogbinovia I tried follow her game early this year but she looks like someone who's off playing for now even before her mother burial took place.