₦airaland Forum

Reincarnated: StateOfMind honey (looks at ochon ).. you've already started with Epistle. How are you doing

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OCHON sharap dia... u must watch the show. Bros hafa na, its been too long
Kslib/ ksslib... Lipsy baba!!! I hope say you don dey figure out how we go infiltrate Tamuno?
GHKwame
Safarigirl i hope you don ready your permutation
Dannyxy babaaaa if only THEAMAKA dey here. hafa?
Njokusboy my brother...its been too damn long
Giiyaz the peasant..
AndreRush how fa those mailinator accounts na? You know, the 50,000 accounts wey we open on top Melvin head and the mumu still land at 4th position
J&H and Ella B, could this be love PT 2?
Toyin Dipo and Dre...my boys
Waxdude, IK, malam.... how have u guys been?
All my wives and ex wives and future wives and concubines too numerous to name...you know yourselves i have not forsaken you.

Una no dull this thread cuz just like the last time, na here I go watch this BBA.

*Space booked*

Man those accounts dey one corner. Was really disappointed how last season unfolded. Invested a lot of time and money, at the end the final results was extremely underwhelming. I doubt I'll be as invested this time though. But regardless, I hope our reps steps up and Rep us well.

waxdude: Andre.....u don show..

How's your side? . Just thought I'd drop by and see how things are going over here.

My people, how una dey? *in 2 baba's voice*

montelik: If I had my way we would go to a 4-4-2

DDG Rafael Jones Evans Shaw at the back

Januzaj Herrera Blind Di Maria across midfield

Rooney and Falcao upfront

Yes that would mean no room for Mata or RVP.

That is indeed one of the few formations that can really work with two top class striker like we have. But I will opt for the diamond 442, and play just one out and out winger to provide genuine width. a DM, an AM plus one box-to-box Midfielder. I think that will make a more balanced team IMHO.

@ jovialjov @ Dannyxy @ jumong pan

Thank y'all

@ lertee @dre11 @ C'est moi @ lalaosky

Thanks guys. Your kind words are well appreciated.

Jekyll & Hyde:
[color=#000033]Sorry, bro. Stay strong.[/color]

I am, dude. Thanks

@waxdude @Kslib @Tabh @njokusboy

Thanks for the kind words, I genuinely appreciate it. It is one of those things that is inevitable in life. Although it was expected, because he has been battling cancer for a while. But nonetheless, it was a great loss and a difficult one to take for the whole family. But as men, we have no choice but to grab our di¢ks and carry on with life rather than dwell on the death. I'm sure that is exactly what he'd want.


By the way, what's been up with our bba reps?. Reading a few pages back, it is clear Melvin has been up to a lot, especially with the ladies. But what has he actually been up to professionally?, has he done anything of note apart from the one campaign? What about Bev, would love to know what she is doing as well.

waxdude: Andre...whaz up, wher hv u been?

I'm cool. I have got a lot on my plate the past month or so, coupled with the loss of my father. So spending lots of time on a forum was the least of my concerns.

jovialjov: Welcome!!...I heard you are very fineee*lips sealed*

Thanks. I heard the same about you. How are you doing?

Wow, you guys are doing a wonderful job in keeping this thread alive. Last time I checked, this thread was one thousand pages less. Amazing stuff.

Ribery has no business winning the world footballer of the year award. This is an individual award, and as an individual he is no where near Ronaldo and Messi in this calendar year. Yes he was part of a great and well organised team that won everything, but that's it. In my opinion he wasn't even the best Bayern player. Admittedly I haven't watched lots of Bayern 's game outside Champions league, their top domestic fixtures, and some other games here and there. But each occasion Robben always seem the better player . Both games against Barcelona and the final against DVB is a clear example.

The rise ofAdnan Januzaj

A thoughtful, insightful interviewee, Robin vanPersie sifts his words carefully before answering a question. So, when the experienced Dutchman fielded a query about 18-year-old prodigy Adnan Januzaj after last month’s victory over Stoke City, his response was stirring.

“Over the years I’ve seen so many young players,” he began, then paused to sensecheck his next statement before continuing:“ and I can honestly say that of all the young players I’ve seen he is right up there in the top one or two.”

Having emerged from Feyenoord’s youth setup and overseen repeated crops of burgeoning youngsters at Arsenal’s celebrated Academy, van Persie has seen raw talent at its rarest. His conclusion is shared by almost anybody who has seen Januzaj in action: the boy is indeed a bit special. A pristinely groomed, slight young man with a tongue-twisting name and a blood-twisting nature, Adnan needed just a handful of senior outings this season to turn the faintest local murmurings about a potential star into a worldwide buzz around the poster boy of David Moyes’ new Old Trafford regime.
Graceful, poised and bold, Januzaj has leapt onto the stage and straight into the spotlight in the early scenes of the next act in United’s history. Prior to this season, he made just 39 appearances and scored three goals across the Reds’ under-18s and under-21s teams after his 2011 arrival. His ascent is on present merit rather than any sizeable run-up.
It is the teenager’s promise which has yielded a new, five-year contract, signed with much fanfare and celebration last month, inexactly thesame manner that his initial recruitment was seen as a tremendous boon within United’s Academy. Then, as recently, there was widespread interest in ensnaring a special talent.

The Reds’ Belgian-based scout Alex Verveckken contacted the club in August 2010, after witnessing Januzaj in action for Anderlecht in a youth tournament at KV Mechelen in Belgium. “After that, most of Brian McClair’s staff travelled to Belgium over the next few weeks to watch Adnan play,” recalls the club’s regional and European recruitment officer, Geoff Watson.

“It meant everybody pulling together. All of us were impressed with what we saw, and we recommended that the Academy should try to sign him as soon as possible. The general opinionfrom the Academy was that Adnan was a player with very high potential. With signing such players, things are rarely easy, but this one was different.

“Adnan only wanted to sign for Manchester United and that’s the truth. There was loads of competition– there is all the time – and the boy and his family deserve full credit for the fact that they just wanted to come to Manchester United. It was a real coup for the Academy.”

Januzaj moved to Manchester in March 2011, only to find his patience immediately tested by bureaucratic issues. “I had to wait for thepaperwork to come through on the transfer,” he said. “It was just a case of training hard, even though I wasn’t playing, and just thinking: ‘I don’t know but maybe tomorrow it will come through’. So I was just hoping to do my best.”

Starved of action for the remainder of the 2010/11 campaign and the start of the following season, Adnan finally made his bow for PaulMcGuinness’ under-18s in October 2011 and operated impressively as either a striker or support striker. His steady form was cruelly curtailed after just 11 outings, however, by a serious knee injury.

“I had never had an injury before and that was the first one,” recalled the teenager, whose rehabilitation included a spell at Nike HQ in Portland. “You learn a lot when you are injured. The gym helps as well because you are getting stronger and doing different things that are all parts of football. So it was actually a good experience even if I hope not to be injured again! After that, I came back and wanted to show the coaches what I could do.”

While it was under-21s manager Warren Joyce who was given the most sustained contact with Januzaj during his six-month battle for fitness, SirAlex Ferguson also keenly monitored the youngster’s recovery. Just six days after making his second-string debut against Accrington Stanley in August 2012’s Lancashire Senior Cup final, Januzaj travelled with Ferguson’s senior squad to a pre-season friendly at Aberdeen.

Although the travelling party comprised a mish-mash of currentand former players, his 45-minute cameo demonstrated an invaluable maturity and confidence. Quainton Fortune, one of his team-mates at Pittodrie, insists that even then, the youngster’s card had been marked. “Everyone knew that he was special,” said the South African. “Adnan was making so much progress and when he went to train with the first team, the lads were talking about him.”


Over the course of the 2012/13 campaign proper, Adnan laidbare his assets across 24 injury-free outings for Joyce’s side and a further four starts in the under-18s. Superior football intelligence elevated him above opponents, while his arsenal of trickery, balletic balance and deft use of the ball took him past them.

Operating largely as a striker, Januzaj split his only pair of under-21s goals across successive outings against Southampton and Oldham in February this year. A week later,after again catching the eye alongside Nick Powell in a 2-2 draw with Arsenal’s youngsters, Adnan’s potential was underlined when Ferguson labelled both Januzaj and Powell: “definite Manchester United first-team players.”

Joyce’s all-conquering side provided an ideal preparatory platform for those readying themselves for the demands for regular silverware at first-team level. Adnan starred as the Reds won the inaugural Barclays U21 Premier League and the Manchester Senior Cup, before picking up the Denzil Haroun Reserve Team Player of the Year award. Further reward followed four days later with a shock call-up to Sir Alex’s final squad. Though the18-year-old remainedon the bench throughout the 5-5 draw with West Brom, his presence in the background of Ferguson’s farewell pictures signified a discreet nod to the future amid a celebration of history.

Charged with leading the post-Ferguson United, David Moyes took office on 1 July and, within a fortnight, had named the Brussels-born talent in his first team selection against Thailand’s Singha All-Stars. Appearances in each leg of the Reds’ tour of Asia and Australia spoke volumes for Moyes’ belief in the player, whose competitive debut came in the Community Shield victory over Wigan Athletic.

A substitute in home meetings with Crystal Palace, Liverpool and West Brom, Januzaj was creating a buzz that grew incrementally each time he picked up possession. Blessed with bravery, purpose and skill, his talent naturally struck a chord with an Old Trafford audience entertained by some of the very best. It was on enemy turf, though, that Januzaj came to the fore with a match-winning full debut at Sunderland,a display embossed by two classy finishes which, while stunning in their execution, were no surprise to his manager.

“Starting Adnan certainly wasn’t a gamble for me,” insisted Moyes. “I see him in training every day, I saw him on tour and actually he’s even got better since coming back. He’s looked as good as anybody in training so I thought he deserved to play. I remember giving Wayne Rooney and
Ross Barkley their debuts and Adnan is certainly in that quality.”

The international bun fight for Januzaj’s allegiance certainly bears out such praise, with England rivalling Belgium, Kosovo, Albania, Serbia, Turkey and Croatia to claim the 18-year-old as their own. Speculation continues to rage around his international future, while his eye-catching start to club football has brought comparisons with youthful iterations of Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and more besides. For van Persie, comparisons are meaningless.
“When I go back 10 years to when I was quite young, I see similar attributes,” said the Dutchman. “He’s confident in a good way. He’s not too bothered with the whole occasion or the pressure of the games. I was very confident as well and I see some stuff in him and the choices he makes that I made when I was younger as well. But he’s not the new van Persie,he’s the new Adnan. He’s a great player and I’m a great fan of his. I thought earlier in pre-season that he has something special. He will give Manchester United a great bunch of goals and great games. He’s a special player.”

Caution must always be exercised with young talents who will inevitably undulate inform, and the bare facts state that Januzaj is only 18 with a handful of senior outings to his name. His United career is only in its infancy, but there is the sense around Old Trafford that it could be the start of something very special.

afrodoc:
Does not seem likely to me too........but one can never tell

Moyes is not a foolish man even though many people here would have you believe he is. He knows Degea is a quality keeper, he even said Degea could become the best keeper in the world in a couple years. That doesn't sound like someone who is planning to get rid of Degea in my opinion.

montelik: Rumors is DDG could well be off. We were supposed to have begun contractual talks with him regarding an extension, but Moyes and Woods put a halt on it till end of season. Apparently they aren't too comfortable with our gks. Hence why Lindegard has been in and out of the squad and hasn't even played cup games.

Suggestion is Moyes is open to the possibility of using DDG as bait for Fabregas @ Barca or Khedira/Modric from Madrid. We will grab Forster or Begovic as replacements and Woods rates Forster highly and has sent scouts to watch him.

Could turn out that Moyes ends up being convinced into jettisoning any thoughts of let DDG leave , but it could easily be that none of Steele recruits (DDG or Lindegard) will be at O.T next summer.

This is a complete nonsense from the media or from wherever you got the rumour from.

My patients for Moyes has unfortunately run thin. How many games does he need to get this team playing well. Granted Southampton are no pushovers, but surely, we have enough quality in the team to see their likes off at Old Trafford, especially given the importance of the match. At this rate finishing 4th will be a big big achievement.

afrodoc: line-up is not bad,would have liked vidic there but he also has had his wobbles.

Truth be told, Vidic hasn't had the best of season so far, maybe Moyes is trying to send a message to him that he should step up or run the risk of losing his spot, Or maybe he just decided to go for mobility here. like I pointed out yesterday, mobility will be key against a team like Soton, hopefully Evans and Jones will step up and prove Moyes right.

Moyes' Adnan admiration

David Moyes is excited about Adnan Januzaj's potential and insists he is willing to blood more of Manchester United's young talents.

The Reds boss admits he is still unsure where the 18-year-old's best position will be in the future but has paid tribute to Januzaj's attitude and upbringing as he deals with the media glare that has followed his spectacular showing at Sunderland in the last Barclays Premier League outing.

Speaking the day before it was confirmed that Januzaj had signed a new five-year contract at Old Trafford, Moyes told reporters: "He’s a really, really good football player who is going to be able to play in several positions.

"Time will tell what his best one will be. He could arguably be a centre-forward – he’s that good as well with his back to goal but is also very good coming in off the left or right. Maybe he could be a no.10 when he grows with experience and gets better. As you saw with his goals at Sunderland, he’s got a goal in him as well, is a maker of goals and is all-round a very, very good and talented football player.

"I think you’ve got to remember – he’s 18 not 20. Some players play for other clubs that are 18 who are good players but I think, when you play for Manchester United at 18, it’s a big thing."

The teenager's professionalism has impressed the manager as he has adapted incredibly quickly to top-level football but remains grounded.

"He has no problem training with the Reserves or youth team," added Moyes. "He’s got no ego to him. He’s a real humble boy who has been really well looked after by his dad and family. They have kept him really the right way as he’s a good boy and level headed. I think he can handle anything that comes, I really do. Obviously I won’t play him in all the games or use him all the time but we’ll certainly consider using him when we think the time is right."

The overall objective is to continue promoting some of the outstanding talent available within the ranks at the Aon Training Complex.

"I think when I got it, part of this job was to introduce young players," explained the manager. "When we’re in the dressing room area I see Matt Busby’s comment that if you’re good enough, you’re old enough and, from that point of view, that has near enough been the philosophy through this club.

"The last manager put young players in when he had them. If I have got more young ones, I’ll look to play them and I’ll try to bring them on. It’s what they do well here."

coogar: you are talking bantu as usual....
barca under rijkaard, van gaal & cryuff never played like the barca side under pep. pep moved to bayern & bayern are not playing like the tiki-taka barca side. van gaal also managed bayern for a while & they did not play tiki-taka. therefore, the style is down to the current crop of barcelona players.....even del bosque had to adapt his tactics to fit into what xaviesta offer - that's the fact!!

I disagree that Bayern aren't playing tiki-taka, of course they won't play it exactly as Barcelona are playing it because the players are different, but they surely are playing tiki-taka. Did you watch their game against Man City?

Mr_TA: Januzaj has signed a 5 yr deal. good start to the weekend.

That is Indeed a great news. Hopefully he will go on to fulfill his ambition of becoming the best player in the world here with Manchester United.

StarBoard: If we were able to overcome them last season, just about achieving that, with narrow odd-goal, hard-fought wins, when we had a side that strolled to the title last season with a manager who was always on the tails of the players to produce, I'm wondering how we can even pull a draw against an improved Southampton side with this clueless, colourless,bland, ball-less nitwit we have impersonating as a manager

Hopefully we will just about do enough to get a win, it's going to be a nail biting affair for sure. With our constant defensive carelessness, It is hard not to see Southampton scoring. And once we concede it's going to be an uphill task especially now that chance creation for the team is at a premium. I honestly don't get why we are struggling to create chances this season, Van Persie is being isolated in almost all the games he has played this season, if anything our lack of chances has been our biggest problem this season. I can't phantom why that is. Given the fact we are using basically the same team and system. It really boggles my mind.

Even if we were playing well, this is a match that was going to be tough regardless . Remember the two fixtures last season against them. Especially the second one at Old Trafford, although we won, but we had to dig really deep for that win. They out played us, press us like mad, we just couldn't live with them. Southampton are a very good team. Their new coach is doing a wonderful job with that team. See what they did to Liverpool who are on form and having one of the best start to a season for God knows how long. Honestly if we are not careful we might end up drawing or even losing this game which shouldn't be an option considering the amount of points we have lost already.

Moyes and the players should be very well prepared for this game, they have to find a way to combat Southampton's high pressing game which has always been a problem for United. We need a mobile midfield to be able to achieve that, which I'm not too sure we have at this moment in time , especially with injuries to Cleverley..

I'm eager to see how Moyes is going to approach this game, hopefully he will pull something off his sleeves..... Until then I'm not feeling too confident, y'all shouldn't either, because this not a guaranteed 3 points... I don't expect us to play great football tomorrow, if we can manage to win, even if it's a one nil penalty win, I'll take it.

Adnan Januzaj says he is happy at Manchester United and wants to be the best player in the world


Adnan Januzaj has hinted at an extended stay at Manchester United by insisting he is happy at the club as efforts continue to negotiate a long-term contract for the teenager at Old Trafford.

The 18-year-old, who scored twice on his full debut for United at Sunderland two weeks ago, has spoken publicly for the first time on his club future, and also his international ambitions, in an interview with the Kosovo-based broadcaster, KTV.

And with the Football Association exploring the possibility of recruiting the Brussels-born youngster to play for England, Januzaj insisted that his father, Abedin, will ultimately decide whether he plays for Belgium, Albania, Serbia, Turkey or England.

Januzaj is expected to be involved for United against Southampton at Old Trafford on Saturday and, with his contract due to expire at the end of the season, he claims that he is fully focused and committed to David Moyes’s team, despite interest from Juventus and Barcelona.

“I am happy at Manchester United and I want to commit myself 100% in every game to do my best,” Januzaj told KTV.

“I want to help Manchester United win the Premier League and become the best player in the world.”

StarBoard: Ignorant?
Let me see.
The Madrid of 2003-07 had Figo, Raul, Ronaldo de Lima, zidane, Hierro, Roberto Carlos,among others yet they were sh*t in your eyes.
I think the joke is on you.
They weren't good enough. Maybe they werent but the collection of talent was sufficient to win more than the one Liga title in that era. Unless you weren't watching then.


Still no one is yet to address the issue about his sides not being able to benefit from his versatility.

Dude, though Madrid had all those big names, they were still not a good team. They couldn't get past round of 16 in the Champions League for many years or win a title.... Beckham being versatile as an individual wouldn't have changed that. Big names does not make a good team. Even if Beckham was playing his socks off in both central midfield and on the wings, he alone still wouldn't have made much difference if the other big names were under performing . The best he would be able to do was to win them the occasional game, but that's about it... So making statements like '' If he was so great in adapting to the CM role how come Real couldn't win anything '' really does make you come across as someone that don't know much about football. As if a single player being great and versatile will automatically translate to winning trophies. You of all people should know football isn't as simple as that.

StarBoard: The point is:
Madrid eliminated Bayern 2 ties out of 3.Common logic would dictate that Bayern had their number dialed consistently over a 3 year stretch.

You now want to bring aggregate goals but you conveniently argue that Bayern rape.d United when the aggregate score was 4-4. Please be consistent.


For all his versatility he can only boast of one title in a 4 year stint in a year where he was a bit-part player.
If I remember clearly, that title was decided on a head-to-head. Barcelona essentially threw that title away.

I'm sorry but this is a dumb analogy.
Did Fabregas or van Persie lay any claim to being versatile?
The issue is about David Beckham's famed "versatility".
If he was so great in adapting to the CM role how come Real couldn't win note than one lucky title all the time he was there?
How come England never benefited from the added dimension his "adaptability" all throughout his tenure in a 3-lions Jersey?

Because a single player will make a team win a title right?. Don't talk like an ignorant person. No matter how great a player is, if your defense is sh*t you will concede loads of goals, there's nothing you can do about it. If your strikers can't score a goal to save their lives, there's nothing you can do about that as well. Madrid didn't win much during his time there because the team as a whole wasn't good enough, it's not that Beckham was doing a bad job.

StarBoard: Bros,
I'm not taking sides in this matter.
But to tell me that Beckham was versatile and could playcentral midfield effectively is a pure lie on a Sunday
Effenberg was a beast no doubt but becks was deployed there as a stop-gap on the day due to suspensions to our preffered partnership of Keane and Scholes, not because of any abilities he might have had.
Plus, I think Effenberg might have had it a bit harder than the free ride he got that day if at least one of those guys was on the pitch.
That Becks plays in the midfield story is a myth, much like the fabled Indian soccer side.: remaining to ne seen.
The pro-becks camp should tell us another lie because nobody is falling for this one.Tony Valencia wins this area.

Beckham could play central midfield, that is not a lie, I have seen him play there a lot of times for LA Galaxy, he played centrally for PSG as well..... Getting dominated by Effenberg that one time isn't something to be ashamed of , especially a makeshift midfielder for that matter. besides it wasn't a one man midfield, if Effenberg dominated, the entire central midfield must be blamed for that not only Beckham . Apart from that game the other games I have seen Beckham played centrally, he has been great..... I have seen Valencia get exposed a lot of times at right back too, that doesn't change the fact that he can play as a right back.

RuuDie: Ok.

Just to save ourselves... a futile, long-winding argument --- Ryan Giggs vs David Beckham who is the better football player/winger/or however you want to phrase it And also tell me why you personally favour that person...
I am not going to debate over choice; but I just want to use it to sort of highlight my take on Becks vs Tony V!

You are suggesting we end this argument, but yet suggest we start another debate about Giggs and Beckham. I think it'll be better we just forget about it all together. There is no way in hell I will be convinced Valencia is better than Beckham.

I swear, some of the stuff posted on this thread leaves my jaw dropped.

coogar: PSG won all the domestic cup competitions in 94/95 & weah was the champions league top scorer that year. he joined ac milan & he carried on with the same form while at milan.



how come big clubs are never silly & desperate to sign african players with such transfer fees? that's the window you guys are not looking at it from.



it's not anyone's fault okocha was never discovered but that should not mean his natural talents should be rubbished just because he never made it to a top team?

aren't there geniuses that are unemployed or working low-skilled jobs? so because one doesn't work for any FTSE company means one isn't intelligent? some arguments are not even worth debating.....

That's what I'm saying, Weah was the world best player based more on what he achieved with PSG which is not really that big a club. I'm sure he would have still won it that year if he hadn't moved to AC Milan.

There are many understandable reasons among the age issue why African players are not as valuable. Reasons which I am not prepared to discuss today. Because that will surely birth another long argument. That said. It certainly can be argued that, Drogba, Essien and Yaya Toure were all big money signing at the time of their purchase.

My man I honestly think this whole British thing is being overstated . Owen was a beast during that era, he deserved to win in my opinion. At that particular time Owen was one of the best In the business , he proved himself for Liverpool in Europe as well as with England.

If British hype Influences who wins player of the year, then there was no reason why Gerrard wouldn't have won it in 2005 after winning that Champions league. He was hyped to high heaven, he was elevated to a godlike status, portrayed like Spartacus, he was almost like a mythical figure. if you didn't watch that campaign you would think he single handedly won the Champions League for Liverpool..... If the British media couldn't do it with Gerrard, then I think the supposed influence they have is highly overrated .




About Henry. If there is one criticism about him , it was that he didn't perform as well as he did In the Premier League In Champions league. He disappointed in Europe, he couldn't carry Arsenal all the way, that was part of the reasons he didn't become the best player In the world.

My man I honestly think this whole British thing is being overstated . Owen was a beast during that era, he deserved to win in my opinion. At that particular time Owen was one of the best In the business , he proved himself for Liverpool in Europe as well as with England.

If British hype Influences who wins player of the year, then there was no reason why Gerrard wouldn't have won it in 2005 after winning that Champions league. He was hyped to high heaven, he was elevated to a godlike status, portrayed like Spartacus, he was almost like a mythical figure. if you didn't watch that campaign you would think he single handedly won the Champions League for Liverpool..... If the British media couldn't do it with Gerrard, then I think the supposed influence they have is highly overrated .




About Henry. If there is one criticism about him , it was that he didn't perform as well as he did In the Premier League In Champions league. He disappointed in Europe, he couldn't carry Arsenal all the way, that was part of the reasons he didn't become the best player In the world.

There is really no point getting involved in this argument. But a few points to @coogar

George Weah won player of the year based on what he did at PSG not AC Milan.

Madrid buying Bale for €100M only meant they were desperate and stupid enough to throw away that sort of money for reasons only known to them, it doesn't for a second represent his true worth and the whole world is aware of that fact. Plus it helps having a chairman like Levy, who is a tough nut to crack. He was the same person that sold us Berbatov for £30.75M about 5 years ago, which was highly overpriced in my opinion.