₦airaland Forum

somehow:
Really? Let me look that up but who's our main FK player?

Probably Mikel

somehow:
Really? Bit has he ever scored for us or when last did he score a FK?

Think he scored one for us against Tanzania or so.

[/quote][quote author=Mujtahida post=60997587]You sabi. In any case on this Mikel legend stuff it's all a matter of opinion. But if the club says he's a legend then legend he is. All other contrary opinions are academic.

Exactly man. What the club thinks, title won and longevity is what matters. Ask most Arsenal fans if RVP Is a legend and see what they'll say. But most of them won't hesitate to call Parlour, Ljunberg one.

Mujtahida:
Be more explicit. Only a fool says what?

That Roger Milla isn't a legend.

Mujtahida:
If you say Roger Milla is a legend now they won't understand.

Only a fool would say this. Roger Milla played in europe when there were quotas for foreign players

somehow:
I have one reservation for the current SE squad, does it mean we have no one who can take accurate FK? By now, we should have a 50% (accuracy) free kick taker.

There was a time Emenike used to take for us, Taiye Taiwo, okocha, oboabona, osaze but of recent, we haven't scored a free kick.

Shouldn't our players be taught this or learn on their own?

Countless times have clubs/countries been saved by FKs.

It's a leverage just like PKs

I think Moses Simon takes some good ones.

goldfish80:
Let's not pretend like we don't know why most people don't see Mikel as a Chelsea legend. I am not saying they are right or wrong but some perspective will do everyone alot of good.

For me, it was pitiful to watch a highly talented player like Mikel reduced to a role of a water carrier. He played with a lot of handbrakes, couldn't venture forward to express himself, he basically lumbered around in his own half,marking out players and providing an extra man for his team to pass the ball to and retain possession.
Look, let's be honest, this role is reserved for technically limited players like Roy Keane, Didier Deschamps and Dickson Etuhu. Mikel was too good a player to be reduced to a lumbering quater back.

If he had played the sort of role he played for Chelsea at the U20 world cup, nobody would have listed him as the better players of the tournament. Why wasn't Sani Keita rated next to Messi in 2005?

We can pretend like we don't know these, I see alot of people on this thread prefer quasi truths. Mikel at Chelsea became an object of mockery when he scored a one off goal off a corner kick against PsG.
The reaction to that goal should indicate what people expected of Mikel at Chelsea.

Yes, he could be a Chelsea legend but he never fulfilled the potential his talent deserved at Chelsea. That is the gospel truth.

You mean the same role the likes of Busquets, Alonso, Redondo, Kroos, Makalele played?? Personally I think he simply played as a CM/DM in the wrong team. I remember how well he played under Ancelotti. Imagine if he had that sort of manager for like 4 seasons straight

Happy independence day Naija.

Still a long way to go, hopefully the new generation cleans things up and atone for the sins of our fathers (yes that includes you too Ipobians)

Mickael2:
Yes he was their captain at some point but in no way is/was he a Madrid legend. That is the thing, just because you play very well for a team over a long stretch does not automatically make you a legend. Hierro would probably make it into the best 50 madrid players ever but that does not make him a club legend, Mikel wouldn't even make it into Chelsea's top 50 players(he probably should though but he is black)

Hierro - 14 years, 5 league titles, 3 UCL and over 100 goals scored for Madrid isn't a legend?? Bro are you kidding me? Dude wasn't only captain, but wielded powerful influence in the dressing room. I remember reading somewhere Steve McManaman saying nothing happened in the dressing room without his say so. If Hierro isn't a legend, then I don't know who is. Sure you can say Madrid have had better defenders, but to say he isn't a legend...wow!

Mickael2:
Well if not for some of Ramires' goals they wouldn't even be in that semifinal would they? So Ramires is a....complete the statement

Does Ramirez have Mikel's longevity?? Home many trophies did Ramires win with Chelsea?

Mickael2:
he did spend some seasons on the bench now didn't he? If longitivity is all that is needed then.... Is Carrick a united legend?

Carrick won't go down as a man united legend?? Can you talk about Chelsea's ucl win without mentioning Mikel's performance in the Semi and final?

elyte89:
Will u exclude him from d roaster of those who lifted d trophies den?his name is dere.its on d records.weda u agree or not

What season did Pinto ever make the impact Mikel did in Chelsea's ucl winning or heck even Mikel first season at Chelsea?

Mickael2:
he was a very very very good player for Chelsea that I totally agree but a legend? That is another thing

The legendary status comes with longevity and being involved in some of their best seasons ever.

elyte89:
I no sabi if peeps sabi wetin dem dey call legend


What is d exact historical feelings Mikel did for Chelsea to remember for so long, as far as I am concerned, its nothing
And ppu were saying,he played a part in winning d trophies Chelsea lifted during his stay, is it by trophy alone,one deserve to b a legend? As if he wasn't paid wyle playing for Chelsea,or wetin sef
[b][/b] If na by trophy or staying so long in a club tags one as a legend,den PINTO dt deputise so long for Valdez is also A LEGEND, cos he won more trophies dan Mikel

A legend goes beyond ur performance on d pitch of play,aw u carry along(motivate) ur team members on/off d pitch also determines,u talk of Gerrard,Zidane,Ronaldinho,Cafu...dese re correct legends,ppu who re ready to spill deir last blood on d pitch for d team to succeed. Infact to call ur attention, Mikel just started to act as a legend in our super eagles set up when he was giving a responsibility (captain band ) in d team.dt action also spurred him to go extra mile in helping out during d u-23s.

Someone we all knw b4 dt fakes injury,select matches for d eagles,come late to camp,does not put his 100percent on d pitch of play,u re calling dt one a legend,legend ko,7Up ni

Comparing Pinto to Mikel is just plain ridiculous. Pinto never had any sort of impact for barca in their wins...what are you on about?

neighy:
sure... Not debatable.. Same thing with ramires, mata... N dey r all chelsea legends

Mikel has longevity over Ramires and Mata. Tbaba gave the Ray Parlour and Thierry Henry example. You're making it look like Mikel was Wes Brown or something. Sure he wasn't world class, but he was a very good player for chelsea. Some of you guys downplay his achievements because he didn't fulfill the world class potential he showed as a youth player. Dude still managed to fashion out a good career for himself.

neighy:
mikel is a Nigerian Legend nd not a football legend.. lets not be sentimental.. Even him being world class is debatable

He doesn't have to be world class to be seen as a legend. He played a big role in some of Chelsea greatest achievements

Mickael2:
Uchebo!!!! [/b]Turns out the guy was 39[b] when he went to that World Cup(this is from an insider) and he totally burnt himself out during the friendlies prior to the world cup and when we got to the world cup he could barely run for 5mins. The guy sha did well during the friendly games we played before the world cup then.


Ramon Azeez is now in Lugo sha, he is doing quite well but...

SMH...until we sort this issue out, our football will go nowhere.

Naijaphobia:
The way Zambian fans have invaded Super eagles Fbook page and every Nigerian football sites is giving me sleepless night...I have even entered an agreement with a Zambian to renounce my citizenship if Nigeria loses and he also agreed to do same if we beat them. The screenshot of our conversation on FB is what we intend to use against eachother. Please let's pray for our Darling Super Eagles to win, I love Nigeria and can't afford to renounce citizenship now. If I do, where do I go?

Na to troll them hard if them lose...I'll personally act like a 15 year old again when we beat them

Napoleon55:
so if u r Rohr,u would drop Etebo,after having worked so hard during the qualifiers,and still very much inform,been tasted and trusted, u would drop such a player to a player like joel obi,first injury prone,second,qaulity wise,just average.
then explain the reason why u joel in place of etebo and ogu,is he better than them?

In terms of pure ability, Joel Obi Is far better than those 2. If he's fit, he makes our world cup squad easy.

soetanoreoluwa:
Nigeria/Zambia: FIFA Appoints Bondo to Take Charge of Nigeria, Zambia Showdown



Joshua Bondo, a 39-year old referee from Botswana who has been an international arbiter for the past 10 years, will take charge of the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying cracker between Nigeria and Zambia in Uyo next week Saturday.

World football-ruling body FIFA has appointed Bondo alongside his countrymen Oamogetse Godisamang (40, an international assistant referee since year 2010), who will serve as Assistant Referee 1, and Tirelo Mositwane (30, an international referee since 2013), who will serve as Fourth Official. Souru Phatsoane from Lesotho will be the Assistant Referee 2.

Mr. Carlos Manuel Neves Henriques from South Africa will be the Referee Assessor while Sudanese Osama Hassan Ataaelmanan, who was Match Commissioner for the Match-day 4 clash between the Super Eagles and the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon in Yaounde on September 4, will repeat the same role in Uyo on October 7.

Nigeria will seal a sixth FIFA World Cup appearance with the minimum win in Uyo, in a clash that will see the winners of the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations and the champions of the 2013 edition come face-to-face in a match of huge significance. Kick -off is 5pm at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium.

http://allafrica.com/stories/201709280099.html

How can they give a southern african referee this game?? CAF are smoking that high grade weed again

Mickael2:
the team should not be touched for sure, what i am talking about here is the bench. If you noticed most of the players I talked about were all on the bench this last match and 90% of them weren't even deemed fit to enter the match against Cameroon so I am not sure we would be disrupting the team if we change them IMO

Exactly my point!! What's wrong with inviting Onyekuru or Kayode and bringing one of them on as subs instead of Musa?? I'm sorry but Echiejile has no business on this team anymore. He needs to be benched soon.

ChrisKels:
It's so painful, Rohr doesn't rate Onyekuru that highly. I would pick him ahead of Musa, while the later takes Aaron Samuel's place on the standby list, I would also make a chance for Kayode on the standby list. It's his call at the end of the day and that was just my 2cent.

Seriously I'm getting tired of seeing Musa on the team. We have Onyekuru, Bonaventure, etc playing well and we keep picking Musa because of "experience". I don't know what he brings to the table that we can't get from Kayode, Onyekuru and Bonaventure

Don't support IPOB, but FG are going about this the wrong way.

Rohr calls up Mikel, Moses, Ighalo, 20 others for Zambia

Super Eagles’ Technical Adviser, Gernot Rohr, has called up 23 players for next week’s all –important 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying showdown against the Chipolopolo of Zambia in Uyo.

Skipper Mikel John Obi and forward Odion Ighalo (both based in China) and England –based Victor Moses, who bossed the two encounters against Cameroon earlier this month, retained their places, but Portugal –based goalkeeper Dele Alampasu dropped down to the standby sector alongside wing back Tyronne Ebuehi, and South Africa –based Daniel Akpeyi and Arsenal’s Alex Iwobi return after injury knocked them out of the sessions against the African champions.

The list is essentially the same personnel that decimated the Indomitable Lions, with defenders Leon Balogun, Abdullahi Shehu, William Ekong and Elderson Echiejile, midfielders Wilfred Ndidi, Ogenyi Onazi and Oghenekaro Etebo and forwards Ahmed Musa, Kelechi Iheanacho, Moses Simon, and Anthony Nwakaeme also included.

Two home –based professionals, Ifeanyi Ifeanyi and Afeez Aremu, who were part of the Super Eagles B that finished as runners –up at the just –concluded WAFU Cup of Nations in Ghana, are in the standy sector but will join the team’s training sessions in Uyo.

Nigeria welcome Zambia on Saturday, 7th October at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, with the minimum win to guarantee a sixth FIFA World Cup appearance in Russia next year summer ahead of the final qualifying match away to Algeria in November.

All invited players are to report in Uyo on Monday, 2nd October 2017.

THE FULL LIST

Goalkeepers: Daniel Akpeyi (Chippa United, South Africa); Ikechukwu Ezenwa (FC IfeanyiUbah); Ayodele Ajiboye (Plateau United FC)

Defenders: William Ekong (Bursaspor FC, Turkey); Abdullahi Shehu (Anorthosis Famagusta, Cyprus); Leon Balogun (FSV Mainz 05, Germany); Elderson Echiejile (Sivasspor FC, Turkey); Uche Agbo (Standard Liege, Belgium); Chidozie Awaziem (Nantes FC, France); Olaoluwa Aina (Hull City, England)

Midfielders: Mikel John Obi (Tianjin Teda, China); Ogenyi Onazi (Trabzonspor FC, Turkey); Wilfred Ndidi (Leicester City, England); Oghenekaro Etebo (CD Feirense, Portugal); John Ogu (Hapoel Be’er Sheva, Israel); Mikel Agu (Bursaspor FC, Turkey)

Forwards: Ahmed Musa (Leicester City, England); Kelechi Iheanacho (Leicester City, England); Moses Simon (KAA Gent, Belgium); Alex Iwobi (Arsenal FC, England); Odion Ighalo (Chang Chun-Yatai, China); Victor Moses (Chelsea FC, England); Anthony Nwakaeme (Hapoel Be’er Sheva, Israel)

STANDBY: Dele Alampasu (Cesarense FC, Portugal); Tyronne Ebuehi (ADO Den Haag, The Netherlands); Aaron Samuel (CSKA Moscow, Russia); Afeez Aremu (Akwa United); Ifeanyi Ifeanyi (Akwa United)

http://www.thenff.com/2017/09/rohr-calls-mikel-moses-ighalo-20-others-zambia/

leathalbeast:
as if you guys will go anywhere to rule something, like I said you guys won't make it to the World Cup. Zambia will beat you 2-1.

If we beat Zambia, you'll leave this Thread. Agreed?? Put your money where your mouth is...

Joebie:
Did any of them turn down Rohr's overtures initially?

One of them mentioned the administrative problems NFF have (think it was that Felix kid if I'm not mistaken).

TheSuperNerd:
Ohhhhh.... I see Ndidi is rated as no.9 but hey... no single mention of Rashford.... ouuuucchhhh.... Take that you EPL dollopheads...

Note: For players with 10 starts or more in 2017 or rather last season.... Nacho only made 5 Starts or so... lol but Rashford made way more than 10 starts and I don't see his name down here... but I see Ndidi....


https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DKGGfBaXkAENEW2.jpg

Watch out for Malcolm...that kid is a gem.

The complete L'Equipe list

Leyqute:
This is funny. You don't even know the meaning of "deadliest". And being clinical is out of it. [/b]If you don't get into the right position(s) you won't score many goals.[b]

If you were a coach and you had to choose between Kelechi and Diego Costa who would you go for?

Can you explain sensibly how Keleboy is the 3rd "deadliest/most clinical" striker in the EPL? Let's see if you can.

I agree with this.

Seriously - how is Iheanacho better than Rashford?? Just asking (p.s I'm an Arsenal fan)

komekn:
YOU ARE WRONG.

Rashford parents are from the Caribbean, his entire family background is black. And from Wythenshawe and the neighbourhoods of Moss Side, Hulme in Manchester.

Doesn't matter where you are from as long as you are not white you are black full stop.

Things are changing you are black you will face discrimination. However money has no colour. If you can produce then you will be on the ascendancy.

Rashford is not better than Tammy but he is in a team that will give youth players a chance. I have already talked about the dynamics at Chelsea race and nationality have ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO WITH IT.

The most influential person outside of Roman in Chelsea football club is EMENALO a former Nigerian international a black African.

There is no hype about Rashford he was simply given an opportunity and he seized it. If KC was at Manchester United he would certainly be a regular. There are different dynamics in each club.

A few months ago I was opportuned to watch Liverpool vs Chelsea U18. I was shocked the entire Chelsea team was black apart from the goalkeeper.

Chelsea is an international team on a lot of occasions they may not field one English player. So your perceptions and deductions are totally wrong.

Lukaku was not given a chance at Chelsea after hus move at 18 from Anderlecht, the rest as we say is now history, arguably the best striker in the premiership.

Across the top level if the EPL in thier academies there is now a racial bias in favour of strong, fast, athletic, technical players. Which simply means Black African origin players. I have had complaints from white players and thier associates saying. " You got to be black to get in, it's so unfair "
a kind of reverse racism.

If I didnt have conscience I would fly to Benin city pick out 3/4 top youth players of U17 from the various youth academies. Get them to England declare them as U14 and nurture them, put them through the system and I'll be laughing all the way to the bank and so will they.

Isn't he of Tanzanian descent?

Tammy Abraham: Striker commits to England amidst reports of Nigeria switch 21 September 2017 Football

Image copyrightHUW EVANS PICTURE AGENCY

Image captionTammy Abraham has scored twice in seven appearances for Swansea

Striker Tammy Abraham has stated his desire to have an international career with England following reports of interest from Nigeria.

London-born Abraham, on loan at Swansea from Chelsea, has played for England Under-21s but has a Nigerian father.

And the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) were thought to be keen to recruit the 19-year-old.

However, Abraham said: "I have informed The FA that I remain available for selection for England."

He continued: "Contrary to reports in the media I would like to clarify that I have not agreed to switch my national team allegiance.

"I can confirm I met the President of the NFF after our last game against Tottenham at Wembley on Saturday given he is a friend of my father.

"However, any suggestion that I have made a decision to change my international representation is incorrect and wide of the mark."

His words will be welcomed by Swansea boss Paul Clement, who believes he would be better off remaining with England.

"Hopefully he stays with the English national team," Clement said.

"I'm not sure if he'd be better off career-wise - I'm saying it because I'm English and he's a good English talent, so you want him involved in the national team.

Nigeria keen to lure Abraham from EnglandHolders Man Utd drawn away to SwanseaCardiff pedigree strengthens Euro bid

"From my point of view, there will be no influence from me.

"If he wants to ask for advice, of course I'll be there to do it, but I'm sure, between him and his family, he'll make the right decision."

NFF President Amaju Pinnick says that after a meeting with Abraham and his agent "all is looking good" for him to play for Nigeria.

Chelsea wing-back Victor Moses, Arsenal midfielder Alex Iwobi and Reading striker Sone Aluko are among those to have represented England at youth level before switching to play senior international football for Nigeria.

Two goals in seven Swans games

Abraham joined Swansea from Chelsea on a season-long loan in the summer and has scored two goals in seven appearances for the Welsh club.

"I haven't spoken to him about that [interest from Nigeria]. I will ask him at some point, but I've got more pressing issues to deal with at the moment than that," said Clement.

"Ultimately it's the decision of the player. In some cases they'll make the choice because they see a better opportunity, a chance of playing more regularly at international level.

"In other cases, it's because it's where they believe they're from, representing the country where they were born or where their parents were born and it's in their culture.

"Whatever their reasons are, it's down to the player to decide."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/amp/football/41350367.