₦airaland Forum

jihday:
they retired his jersey cos he did them a favor, he could have joined Dortmund for free but he extended his contract with them which meant that Dortmund would have to pay a transfer fee and Birmingham were really broke then. Retiring that jersey is just a way of appreciating his kind gesture

You're way off the mark man. Jezz! This boy signed his first professional football deal at 17 with Birmingham a club he's been with since he was 8yrs old. Players sign professional deals at 17.
How can you deceive your audience saying his shirt number was retired just because he signed a pro deal with his boyhood club?

For crying out loud, Jude Bellingham was a star boy of the city of Birmingham (the 3rd largest city in England after London and Manchester). He almost singled handedly saved them from relegation winning man of the match almost every week. As a gesture to inspire others kids from their academy they made a preemptive call to retire his number. His relative success with England and Dortmund in addition to his €110M Madrid deal means the club’s management were absolutely right to bank on him.

wayodude:
If they did that's purely based on sentiment. My question remains what did he achieve there?

On what basis will a club formed in 1875 retire a player's jersey number? How many Jersey numbers have they retired in their history if any? You call it an out of the blue sentiment?

wayodude:
Not necessarily at the bolded. Dortmund scout young players with high potential from any league, be it Austria, Championship etc.

What had Sancho done to show he was a consistent outstanding exceptional performer before they poached him?

Granted he was young, but what had Bellingham done in the championship, before they poached him? Several players have in the past delivered similar output but didn't end up in a Champions League club.

Birmingham retired Jude Bellingham's no 22 shirt and he was just 19.

It's time we accept our place on the global food chain.
We simply can't compete for talent with the big boys. We are like Burnley or Sunderland competing against Psg or Bayern for talent. It's that big a joke...

If Ngr can make back to back world cup Semi finals then we can contest with the Super national teams.

Making back to back world cup Semis will be likened to Sunderland taken over by Saudis with an investment of $2B in players, management, sports science and facilities.

Who will be that NFF president/ board who can make good investment with brilliant strategy from top to bottom in revolutionizing our local football structure to incubate talents who can force their way to a brilliant back to back brilliant world cup runs?

Apparently this structure was built in Kebbi by NFF with FIFA's $1.1M goal project funds.

Uefa youth league Semi finals, Victor Eletu starts in midfield for Milan. He's looked a very useful player so far. He could make a difference in that tasteless midfield of Ladan Bosso.

Kog45:
Barry man,I thought it was Nigeria vs Guinea Bissau not Nigeria vs Morocco...I hate stats or theoretical analysis when a team lost to very low team,truly it happens in football but this team needs better coaching and Peseiro is failing in this regard.

Shock results like that do happen every now and then. To be objective, the Guineans didn't deserve the victory based on the balance of play but regardless history will always record they beat Nigeria in Abuja.
On a better pitch, those overhit final passes will connect and we won't be having this discussion.

As much as Pesieros record looks poor, but to be fair, he wasn't the reason we lost yesterday. If Chukwueze, Osimhen, Simon and Lookman composed themselves better, we would have scored 3 goals between them.

Tactically, Pesiero withdrew Iwobi and made him the ball progressor in CM next to Ndidi whose limitation is well known. Most of the build-up play went through Iwobi as a result and it was OK and we dominated as expected against a lesser opposition.

The fault line for me was the attackers who looked to make hasty decisions when they were close to goal. There was simply no calmness or clarity in thought when we got close to their goal which is sad. Crosses were over hit, final passes were misplaced and shots were poor.

Uzoho for me, had one job. He had to be quicker off his line, since the team was pressing high up the pitch. A keeper like Ederson would swept the ball away before the Guinean made contact with the ball.
Lessons

Igbo has become the new lingua franca in Nigeria. Incredible! Video of Tinubu and Wike speaking Igbo will hit the internet this week surely.

yaki84:
Who is the 2nd in this election?

Atiku scored 6.9m valid votes.

He had 25percent in 21 states

PO scored 6.1m valid votes
He had 25percent in 16 states

By this result, if there should be any rerun, it will.be between Apc and Pdp.

Atiku called you a drug baron, said all manner of rhetorics. Nobody in the APC have replied him till date your so called direct rival who came second o.
It's always PO you're talking about.
The guilty are always afraid.

yaki84:
When Inec saddled with the responsibilty of conducting and announcing the winner has concluded their task...

The only thing pdp and Lp can do is to use the 25percent votes in Abuja to their own gain.

If supreme court can interpret this section and it favours them, inec has no option than to recall the sertificate of return and reconduct a by-election between Apc and Pdp.

Why are you guys so desperate to make this between Pdp vs APC? What are you afraid of?

TheSuperNerd:
Don't mind these lots. Famzing Zombies. 🤣🤣🤣🤣

Funny enough, Akinsanmiro also featured briefly for Remo in the NNL/NPFL thanks to his prodigious talents.

When I first dropped, in late December, Akinsanmiro's brief analytical profile here (like I do for other youngsters from the local scene) and even stated that he is bound for Inter Milan, hardly anyone paid attention to it. Only a few like TheGoodJoe and co.

Now that January came and my post is confirmed, see how some come out and start talking about him as if they have known him since forever.

I have uncovered players almost no one on this thread knew about before other Journos caught on.

Akinsanmiro is one. Gift Emmanuel Orban is another. Jamiu Musbaudeen is yet another. Just to mention a few.

I have talked about other young Naija Talents as well and will keep uncovering more for Public attention.

I dont follow this thread back to back but I know you've played up a few names like these. Would have been better if there was a separate thread for that.

Remember when we had a convo and I said that Remo had the closest thing to be called a football academy. I wish they could open other centres around the country to follow the template of INDEPENDIENTE DEL VALLE of Ecuador probably get to work with Aspire guys to have these catchment areas set-up across the country.
They will make a killing if they do this. It will be like blood money. Talents yakpa

Check out what these Ecuadorians are doing.
https://www.scoutedftbl.com/best-young-football-players/independiente-del-valle/

TheSuperNerd:
Funny how this comment you made about him received a response.

Balo and Osimhen are 2 generational strikers. I doubt the powers that be would allow Nigeria have the both of them.

Someone help me make sense of it. Sensitive election materials are usually deployed to states a day to the election day and they are stored at Cbn HQ of the state. How manage that of Anambra is different?

TheLoneCitizen:
Balogun hattrick. Now the Ligue 1 top scorer.

Serie A - Osimhen
Ligue 1 - Folarin Balogun

Balogun is made for the top. The kid will grow to become one of the most deadly strikers in the game. Doing this in his first season as a professional is pure madness. Earlier in the seasons he wasn't getting much attention, I dropped this comment about him.

charlesemeka85:
superb ball carrier,good passing range and footballing intelligence

Also I love his physique, can’t be bullied off the ball easily

Even if he doesn’t mk it to inter’s first team he has all it takes to play for any other club in a top league in europe

See how you're famzing him because Inter Milan signed him. Are you not the same guy who don't believe we had talents at home? All our talents are foreign born according to your wrapped thinking.

If someone had brought up a kid so good in Ogun state, you would have laughed yourself silly and made one of those drop dead comments you make about home-grown footballers.

People should be careful. The POS gentleman yesterday sold to me 7k for 800. He didn't know he just committed economic sabotage and should I press further, he will be arrested and jailed.

Flanker:
For this year CAF league , two team in Quarter final and one in Semi-finals is not bad for algerian football

Same for the year before . 2 teams in Quarter final

Quarter finals and Semi finals should be counted as success for little teams across Africa not for Js Kabile, USMA Algiers and the likes. The big Algerian clubs used to dominate Africa but not anymore. No need being insecured about my post.
For context, Nigeria will celebrate a world cup quarter final loss, but heads will roll in Brazil.

This Sam Edozie kid looks so good. He could be an elite winger and he seems to have developed his right foot. One to look out for.
https://twitter.com/JustSaintss/status/1605470876530458624?s=20&t=x0plVVH21GA5h1lXmbm2wg

charlesemeka85:
Correction to some impression about Morocco

Morocco’s success in Qatar 2022 has more to do with the Footballing Education in Western Europe than the narrative of the Moroccan FA “investing in pitches”.

Out of 37 Players and Coaching staff in Morocco’s World Cup Team, 19 were born in Western Europe.

Goalkeeper Yassine Bounou was born in Canada and was formed in ATLETICO MADRID Youth System and we all know their history with GKs. From De Gea to Courtois to Oblak.

It’s clear to see.

Achraf Hakimi was born in Spain. Formed in REAL MADRID Youth System.

Noussair Mazraoui was born in the Netherlands and Formed in the AJAX Youth System.

Sofiane Boufal was born in France. Formed in the ANGERS Youth System.

Sofyan Amrabat was born in the Netherlands . Formed in the UTRECHT Youth System.

Captain Romain Paul Saïss was born in France . Formed in Le Havre.

The Manager Walid Regragui was born in France. Spent all his playing career in France and Spain.

Assistant Manager Gharib Amzine was born in France. Spent all his playing career in France.

Hakim Ziyech was born in the Netherlands. Formed in the Heerenveen Youth System.

Walid Cheddira was born in Italy and was formed in Parma.

Amass Zaroury was born in Belgium. Formed in Zulte Waregem.

Goalkeeper Munir Kajoui was born in Spain. Formed in ALMERIA.

Illias Chair was born in Belgium. Formed in the CLUB BRUGGE Youth System.

Zakaria Aboukhlal was born in the Netherlands Formed in the PSV Youth System.

Selim Amallah was born in Belgium. Formed in the ANDERLECHT Youth System.

18-year-old wonderkid Bilal El Khannous, was born in Belgium and was formed by ANDERLECHT AND GENK. In fact, he played for Belgium’s U18 Team last year.

GK Coach Omar Harrak was born in Spain and has been a GK coach in Spain and Cyprus for the last 12 years.

Video Analyst Moussa El Habchi was born in Belgium and has worked for Ajax, Genk, Anderlecht, & the Belgium National Team.

The Technical Director of the Morrocan National Team, Chris Van Puyvelde is pure Belgian.

Worked as Assistant Manager for Olympiakos, Club Brugge and Gent. Then as Technical Director of Belgium and China before joining Morocco in July 2022.

Research is key

#copied

Just a quick one, Bounou was born in Canada but raised in Morroco from 5yrs of age.

Getting foreign born players for quick success can only take you so far. At the long run its not sustainable that's the difference between Algeria and Morroco.
Algeria didn't invest in their domestic game as much. That's why you barely hear about an Algerian club doing well in CAF competitions recently.

Morroco on the other hand, have invested handsomely in their home grown players and its a matter of time, they will have a steady flow of world class players which can sustain the legacy being built now. One of the best midfielders at the world cup, Ounahi came from their system.

The template to follow is to lay a solid foundation at home while getting elite foreign born players. Not 3rd rate foreign born players like Etuhu, Shittu, Maduka Okoye, etc.

planetx:
Who cares if some of them don't identify as black because they have curly hair, light skin and small nose. Anywhere outside Africa they are identified as black and stereotyped as coming from a country suffering from perpetual famine, like today in 2022 their is another famine ravaging the country 36 years after the We are the World song fundraising for Ethiopia.

Africa is not a mono ethnic continent, my friend. We have Arabs, Berbers, blacks, Habashas even white descents like Elon Musk all in the continent.
For instance, you will notice a distinct racial difference between a Yoruba man from Ogun state and a Berber from Somalia. We are all Africans but different races.

BeanX:
Are they white then or coloured?

They call themselves Habasha. You can make your investigations

FarahAideed:
Till black people take their destiny into their own hands this nonsense will continue

Ethiopians don't identify as blacks though.

TheSuperNerd:
Zanaco was literally struggling and drowning before they engaged Amunike and so far in 12 games, he has already steadied the ship. That says a lot.

He is already showing it but you weren't in the know until now that I mention it.

And U17 coaching records are big deals. Age grade coaching expertise still count especially on the global and continental level. This is exactly what got Luis De la Fuente his current Job as Spain Coach. Recently appointed after Luis Enrique stepped down.

My emphasis have been his performance on the continent, not Zambia local league. African local leagues can be dubious, clubs can bribe their way to a earn results.
DE LA Fuentes was not promoted from U17s. He was with the Spanish U23s just like Samson Siasia. As you know, U23 is no longer youth football. A player is supposed to have signed pro contract at 19. You have 23yr Olds with 40caps for their national teams these days.
Besides, you have designate youth team coaches. Maybe Manu Garba falls into this category as I'm yet to see anyone clamor for him. Juan Santisteban TROYANO is also on this boat.

TheSuperNerd:
Did Walid Regragui ever win a world title at any level?

Did he also go outside his country to qualify a lesser football nation to a major tournament in 39 years?

You guys keep coming up with "let them do this or that first" but I ask, what Amunike has achieved, did Walid also have to do that as well?

Besides, he is doing it with Zanaco in Zambia currently. Keep up with that.

We pay so much attention to U17 records. That's wrong, totally wrong. U17 championships should be strictly for developmental purposes not something to brag about. It's just like a world cup for secondary schools. An adult can't be bragging about his wins back in his secondary school days.
Zanaco is a big club in Zambia, a perfect platform for Amuneke to launch an assault in the continent just like Zesco did a few years back. He is capable, but he needs to show it.

AndSunGorilla:
The Tanzania feat is up there. However we spin it, he helped Tanzania qualify for the ANC since 1980. Before we say more teams play now, Tanzania didn't qualify for the next edition after the one Amuneke took them to.

Not to scoff at the record but it wasn't as if Tanzania beat a heavyweight to qualify for the tournament. They were grouped with Cape Verde, Lesotho and Uganda. They only qualified because Cape Verde couldn't win their last game.
At the Afcon proper, I don't think they scored a goal. I want Amuneke to succeed if made the Super Eagles handler but he needs a profound and convincing outing on the continent, not results based on luck.

TheSuperNerd:
Don't forget Keshi failed with the Naija U20s in 2001 before he went on to Togo and Mali.

Amunike proved himself with Nigeria's U17s and with Tanzania. He is now in Zambia making a difference with Zanaco.

The key ingredient here is Amunike is tactically astute. He is also one whose playing philosophy draws similarities with Walid Regragui. They both favor swift vertical attacking transition plays. And both make their midfield anchorman part of the top keys to their game. For Walid, it is a Ball-playing CDM, for Amunike, he prefers a DLP or Ball-playing CDM.

And we can execute such with the pool of talents we have.

Also, the core of the Super Eagles already know Amunike well and have worked with him closely from the age grade teams. The likes of Iheanacho, Ndidi, Osimhen, Chukwueze, Ejuke, Uzoho, Awaziem etc. He knows the lads to the depths of their abilities.

This is a coach that molded the beast Osimhen is today. Osimhen never fails to credit Amunike as the man who laid the foundations of his development into the beast striker he is. The mentality Osimhen has in that role came via Amunike's mentoring and coaching. Every other thing fell into place as he met other top coaches at Wolfsburg, Felice Mazzu at Charleroi, Galtier at Lille, Gattuso at Naples and now Spalletti.

I'd like to see Amunike compete at the CAF club competitions before hyping him for the Super Eagles job.
The minimum requirement I expect for a Super Eagles coach should be his performance at the Apex competitions in Africa (club/country) . Keshi was there with Mali and Togo and we saw his achievement with Nigeria.
The guy with Morocco is another excellent example. If only Pitso was Nigerian.

Morocco have one of the most exciting football projects currently. The implication of this Semi finals appearance is gargantuan.
Moroccan born players will be highly sort after especially from their $65M football academy. Players from Raja Casablanca, Agadir and Wydad could be heading straight to good football projects in Europe.
These guys are set-up ready for the next 20yrs atleast.
I'm jealous.

komekn:
That means you did not know Amaju , when he was commissioner and defacto chairman of Warri Wolves.

He was always an opportunistic politician anchored on local politics and tribal sentiment. He pathway to fame allegiance to Dynasty of Ibori extended to inept Uduaghan.

How did he become NFF President remember what happened at Warri and the pay off to the delegate's sponsored by who ❓

Your probably not from Delta state and don't know therefore the permutations of our politics.

Prior to his foray into football politics, there was a lot of noise around his performance as commissioner. To be fair, the likes of Okagbare and co came through at the time.
Amidst the chaos, Delta seem to have a sustainable program for sports which have seen them dominate the national sports festival. My hopes were hindged on this, but credit to the man, he knows Nigerian politics very well. The journalists on his payroll did a wonderful image laundry for him.

Blueelf:
That's why I said, "we all know why they are there"

Hopefully, the change of govt next year gives us an FA chairman with a better track record. Even Pinnick had a better track record than this current NFF chief that looks like a Joker

Going by Pinicks antecedence in Delta as commissioner of sports, I had high hopes on him. Never imagined he'd be a massive pile of stinking shiit

Blueelf:
As for pinnick, I have removed that cancer of a man from my thoughts since he left office. He is good riddance to bad rubbish

I am more interested in seeing what Shehu Gusau wants to achieve even though we all know why they are there in the first place

Time will tell

Whats Shehu Gusau known for? What were his legacies as Zamfara Fa chairman? How many football facilities did he develop in Zamfara?

Just to put it out there... Morocco have come a long way. Football in that country have been on the rise over the past few years. Their investments seem to be paying off already.

°The Royal Morocco Football association built a $65M state of the art training facility in Rabat.
°Their Chan team have dominated Africa in back to back to back tournaments.
°Their female national team have become one of the best in Africa all of a sudden. They even knocked Nigeria out last time out.
°I heard their FA pays $1M to clubs participating in CAF championships.
°They might be playing in the world cup semifinals next week.

These guys mean business.
I ask again, what is the blueprint for developing Nigerian football? What did Pinick achieve? What improvements and innovation does Shehu Gusau have up his sleeves?
Congratulations Morocco.