tbaba1234:
I have been saying this for years here. I have even been tagged a local league player hater. This article from Colin Udoh is brilliant.

The next Mikel or Ighalo isn't going to come from Nigeria's league

While Cup Final weekend is upon Nigeria, as Kano Pillars go up against Niger Tornadoes to determine who wins the 2019 Aiteo Cup on Sunday, the talk is still on the Super Eagles' Afcon campaign.

Conversation in Nigeria remains centred on the future of coach Gernot Rohr as the team's failure to reach the continental final continues to enrage, but little has been said about the team itself. Specifically, the loss of key personnel.

And therein lies the crux of the matter. The Aiteo final, and the domestic season as a whole, has done little to showcase new talent, so where will Rohr, or the next coach, find players to replace the likes of John Obi Mikel and Odion Ighalo?

The combined retirements of captain Mikel and forward Ighalo have left two huge voids in the team. John Ogu is bound to follow suit soon, and it is possible that, being on the other side of 30, Leon Balogun is not far off. Surely there must be some concern about finding replacements?

Fans and media never seem to let up with telling Super Eagles coaches to pick players from the domestic league, with goalkeeper Ikechukwu Ezenwa the only regular home-based player in the side. But the fact remains that the NPFL has no real talent of international quality, and there is a huge body of evidence to support this.

Two wins in the CAF Champions League (both by Enyimba in 2003 and 2004) are a far cry from other top African nations. The CAF Confederation Cup (including its previous two-competition iterations) offer a slightly better picture, but the wins there came at a time when Nigerian domestic football was on a high and players from local clubs represented the country.

In recent years, performances at continental club competitions have been woeful. Lobi Stars, Nigeria's CAF Champions League representatives last season, travelled to South Africa and were soundly beaten by Mamelodi Sundowns.

It was not just about the result, but the disjointed and predictable play of the Nigerian team that left heads and fists shaking.

Then, CAF's African Nations Championship (CHAN), which offers a barometer of the strength of national teams sans Europe-based players, provides a clear-eyed metric. It is not one that flatters Nigeria.

The Super Eagles B-side failed to qualify for the first two tournaments, and then at the most recent final in 2018, were thrashed 4-0 by Morocco.

They also shipped four goals against rivals Ghana in the regional WAFU Cup of Nations final in 2017, and will hope to do much better this September at the event in Senegal.

Any manner of spin may be put on these results and performances, but the bottom line is that the players are simply not good enough until they move to Europe and have all their accumulated bad habits trained out of them.

On Sunday, Pillars and Tornadoes will square up in the aforementioned Aiteo Cup final. There will be further examples of this lack of formal football education, guaranteed. Anyone even suggesting the national team coach should be there, for anything other than ceremonial reasons, probably needs to rethink some life choices.

At the moment, what the Super Eagles need are two goalkeepers, one right back, one additional centreback and at least two midfielders. None of those who will be on show on Sunday can fill those gaps.

Prime Mikel on the ball was a wonderful sight to behold. Difficult, one might even say impossible, to shake off the ball and could ping passes with the precision of a German-engineered machine. No player in the domestic league comes close. Ighalo did not have the best first touch in the world, but as a cold-blooded goalscoring forward, his numbers speak for him.

The late Stephen Keshi spent over six months in camp with domestic players and ended up taking just six to the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, so it isn't for lack of effort on the coaches' parts. Of that number, only two - Godfrey Oboabona and Sunday Mba - played significant minutes. A mere six years later, none are currently anywhere near the Super Eagles team sheet.

Rohr - if he stays - or his replacement, are better served scouting for players already in Europe to fill those gaps. At least for now.

But suggesting that Rohr, or whomever the coach may be in the coming months, picks from the teams involved in the Final is a line few are brave, or stupid, enough to venture across.

https://africa.espn.com/football/club/nigeria/657/blog/post/3906752/the-next-mikel-or-ighalo-isnt-going-to-come-from-nigerias-league

Joebie:
List of jobs Siasia has applied for over the years:

1. Cameroon National team
2. South Africa National team
3. Gor Mahia (Kenyan former league champions and CAF champions league qualifier bound at the time)
4. Zambia National team job
5. Kenya national team job ??
6. Rwanda national team

Joebie:
This story was not covered on NL

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SAMSON SIASIA LANDS MEGA DEAL WITH JAPANESE FIRM
JANUARY 12, 2019 12:57PM

Former Nigerian international and coach, Samson Siasia has landed a major deal with a Japanese sports equipment manufacturer, Mizuno Corporation. According to sports247.ng, Siasia will serve as the brands ambassador in Nigeria as corporation aims at breaking new grounds in the country and Africa.

The Japanese sport equipment and sport ware company was founded in Osaka in 1906 and makes a wide range of sports equipment for golf, Tennis, baseball, volleyball, football, rugby, skiing, cycling, Judo, table tennis, Badminton, boxing and athletics.

The 2014 Olympic Games bronze medal winning coach has stated that Mizuno coming to Nigeria is a sign of new dawn for the sporting circle as quality equipments and wares will now reach those in need of it at their doorsteps.


An excited Samson Siasia took to his Instagram handle to relay the news. “Deal sealed. I’m pleased to bring the biggest Japanese sport brand to Nigeria. I hope you will join me on this journey. Thank you”

Joebie:
Many people will still argue your first paragraph.
But I agree that Rohr has been relatively fair. I will score him about 85% in terms of getting the players we can easily get. In terms of getting players with dual-allegiance, he's been trying. But who has done better in that dept?

Joebie:
How Rorh take get part? Start the argument now oh.

Joebie:
is Aneke better than Akpom? We have two "lions in a lower league" here

AIG07:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8mAWCJsNFY

This is what an international snub can do to a player. Happy for him. Hope he continues in his new found form.

andrew444:


Good question, not too good in the ball distribution

But the ones they mentioned are they better? hell NO

andrew444:


Why azubuike No?

Please give me good reason

charlesemeka85:
i doubt man utd is serious on getting fernandes instead they are rumours that a deal have been agreed with lazio's serbian international milinkovic savic

komekn:


You have omitted a MAIN VITAL COMPONENT.

Arnold Trent Alexander and Robertson the two wing backs. Check the stats for assists from the two players who both have blistering pace and pinpoint accuracy with thier crosses.

In addition they can defend.

Danielnino00:


And that's entirely Rohr's fault!!!

What stopped him from inviting players like Ebere Eze to try out the AM role?

The AM isn't really our problem..it's the way Rohr set up the team!! When Moses was around,he was our star player.. He had a lot of freedom in the team.. Could play anywhere up front.. that was how he thrived . But Rohr has reduced our wingers to playing more defensive...
You keep saying we don't have good players.. but these players will put up good performances at their club .

With the kind of stat the likes of Chukwueze, Onyekuru and Osimhen had last season, any serious coach would have know how to utilize them properly!!

breezy147:


Mahrez was a bench warmer at city. Look what he did to you.

If you are counting our best players, Iwobi is in top 3.

breezy147:


Building the team around Iwobi is a project. If it doesn't work it can be discarded. But It will most likely work, not over night.

Iwobi's confidence grew when he began to play no. 10 for us. Building the team around him will help his development massively.

And really I think we underestimate Iwobi. You need to watch some his sublime killer and playmaking passes at Arsenal.

Rohr's defensive system may have handicapped Iwobi a bit.

Danielnino00:



The point I'm making is if our midfield is crap why can't we switch to playing more from the flank?? Agreed neither Musa nor Chukwueze are playmakers but they are goalscorers. The modified doesn't necessarily have to be the one feeding them the ball..
Using Liverpool as an example,their midfield last season lacked creativity that was right after Coutinho left and Chamberlain got injured..Klopp improvised and switched to wing play... It worked! Robertson and Arnold contributed over 30 assists between them and created loads of chance maybe more than the midfield itself.. Salah and Mane played their own part too!!
Why can't Rohr try the same strategy? Give the wingers more freedom up front!! . Look at Onyekuru for instance, he has been playing as a wide forward most of his career.. that's how he thrive. he has scored load of goals from that position. Imagine Rohr asking him to be supporting the defence when he plays!! How can he thrive in that role??

I dunno why some of us find it easy to say we have crap players when the coach's fault are glaring..

breezy147:


Rohr is the problem. He ought to build the team around Iwobi and mandate Iwobi to distribute. Same thing Chelsea did with Hazard.

Iwobi is the closest thing we have to a play maker. He may not be very reliable for now, but such project will help build his confidence.

Danielnino00:
Uzoho has cut short his holiday to team up with his club in Cyprus for pre season...

Danielnino00:

Ndidi can hold the ball..his distribution rate is the issue . Iwobi own problem is inconsistency..

Like I said,even without an AM, we can still thrive with our wingers... Aina is a full back that's better offensively than defensively but Rohr with his conservative nature will prefer Shehu and Collins to him...
At the AFCON we don't commit many men forward when attacking... Our midfield isn't really incompetent like u think

Those guys put in a better performance at their club side than they do in the GWG..

Liverpool's midfield was actually one of the worst among the top6 teams in the EPL last season but given Klopp' style of offensive football, the attackers weren't starved of the ball...

Danielnino00:


If Rohr can allow the team play more offensively, we can thrive without an AM..Last season Liverpool had no recognised AM in the team (Wijnaldum doesn't play as an AM at all). .In fact the midfield created less chance than most EPL team midfield .The bulk of the team's goals were created by Robertson and TAA who had the licence to bomb forward at will... We have good wingers in the team but Rohr is making them do defensive duties....

andrew444:


I say so bro ,Chelsea looking average no fear factor

You wanna celebrate winning Barca in pre season as your fans are doing ? That should tell you how average your fans see your team ,who is the fear factor in that team

I am not writing you off this season sha ,my opinion thou

And mind you as bad as Barca can be ,they can't be average

Go and check club rankings and see for yourself

breezy147:


Local stats or international stats?

Because he fumbles in the world stage.

Humility017:


is Ighalo a reliable striker

Barryseal:

Hamburg were relegated last season.