₦airaland Forum

TheSuperNerd:
Iwobi was called up not just as a prospect but also to address a problem in the team in the Attacking Midfield roles. Oliseh picked that up when he called up the lad.

But in the case of Josh Maja... We have a couple of others also doing very well in their leagues of his age range like Osimhen and Awoniyi plus the mighty fact that we are well stocked in the attacking Dept. Josh cannot displace anyone in that team. Fact. But Iwobi could slot in because we were lacking options in the creative dept.

You mean there were no Mikel Obi of Chelsea, Sone Aluko of Fulham and Abdul Ajagun of Panathiniakos available to play the AMF role for Oliseh to call an academy player?

Besides, why did Oliseh play Iwobi as a RW in the two matches he played him and not as and?

Icon4s:
Iwobi was ready to fill a vacant AM position left by Silvester Igboun and Sonne Aluko.

You mean an academy player can to fill the position of Mikel Obi and Sone Aluko who were still in form of their lives?

Iwobi never deserved to be called in the first place but today we are reaping the rewards courtesy of FB advocates like us.

Prior to his call, you fought against anything foreign breed, not to talk of an academy player.

TheSuperNerd:
Well, you cannot blame Cameroun. Mbappe was already being capped at U-17 level by France and he moved up the grades and even won the U-19 Euros with a generation that had Jean Kevin Augustin (RB Leipzig now), Lucas Tousart (Lyon now), Issa Diop (now at West Ham) and Alban Lafont (at Fiorentina now). That team was already in France's future plans. Cameroun had no chance unless you are saying they would have spotted Mbappe when he was like 12 years old... Lol... And bring him into their U-13 team. Truth is there is no guarantee to what the future of a player holds. You only speak now because of hindsight which is so easy to do.




In any case... Cameroun still conquered Africa without Mbappe and a host of their star names who boycotted the team, did they not?

Mbappe father approach Cameroon but he was ignored.

We are talking about world stage, you are talking about Africa. Mbok!

Icon4s:
Iwobi's talent and potentials were so very obvious for everyone to see. I don't think any right thinking person here objected to his invitation.

As at that time the Super Eagles was lacking in the AM position because even Mikel was playing DM at Chelsea and CM for the Super Eagles.

Iwobi featured prominently in Arsenal's preseason tour. Iwobi was 19 and just got promoted to Arsenal's Senior team while Josh Maja was just 17 playing for Sundaland Youth team.

All players do not have equal abilities. And also the need to quickly fill a gap in the team determines how quickly youngsters will get included. If someone like Iheanacho emerged at the time we had likes of Yakubu, Martins, Utaka, Osaze and Ike Uche as strikers you think he will get his cap as quickly as he did?

Fact that Iheanacho and Iwobi got callups at 18/19 doesn't mean every other player should get same.

What did Iwobi do that made his talent obvious? Nada

He was an academy player. Fact

Josh already played for Sunderland in EFL cup and made the bench in the EPL. That tells alot about a 17 years old lad.

We were never lacking in the AMF position because Sone was inform of his life and Ajagun was still with Panathiniakos in 2015. There was never need for an academy player but we went for him.

Josh Maja, Eze, Billing, Ejara, Lookman etc have made more names for themselves than Iwobi ever made before he was called.

Foresight is the problem.

Icon4s:
The opposition told you then that the boy was not ready and even now that the boy cannot displace any of the current strikers. So what did and has tribalism got to do with that?

Was Iwobi ready?

Danielnino00:
Iwobi was called up in 2015. At that time we had failed to qualify for another afcon and we were on a rebuilding mission...so Iwobi's callup was understandable..
We are on a serious mission this time around..Maybe if we click the afcon ticket in Johannesburg next month we can cap the Josh Maja,Ejaria etc..
But if they get capped by England,we should just move on... They aren't the first neither will they be the last talented players to.emerge from England youth team

That was just the third time we failed to qualify. Check your records. Thanks

Na so Cameroon take lose Mbappe. Now, France dey win laurel because of am.

Icon4s:
Exactly! They don't know that all these calls for capping A, capping B or C for the "future" comes at a Price.

When Rohr was capping Osimhen for the future and then we lost to SA what did he do? He discarded him and went for strikers who could give him immediate result. We were 1-0 down against SA we needed to bring in another striker just to add to the striking force but unfortunately the reserve fire power we had was an uncapped inexperienced 19years old Osimhen whose major aim of being in the team was to train with the others. That is what capping a player who is not ready can do to your team. It limits your options. Rohr learnt it in a hard way. Did you see him do it again?

Rohr had to assess K. Nwakali with the Athletico and Liberia games because they were almost meaningless. Even against a lowly Seychelles Rohr did not try playing K. Nwakali, not even when we were 3-0 up!

When he was clamoring for this Josh Maja was even when we were about to commence the WCQ! You have not secured your result for today u are capping for the future . Ask Rohr how far.

What did Iwobi do before he was called to the national team at that crucial time?

The boy even almost changed the game against Egypt.

TheSuperNerd:
And the answer is Crystal clear. As at 2016, both players were not close to being ready for the war of the World cup Qualifiers which we were to execute in Africa's Group of death.

We badly needed a return to an international tournament after missing out on two Afcons and you were clamoring for rookies and neonates who had done nothing at the time to come bolster our attack??!! Think man.... Think!!! Haba!
Cameroun would have had us for dinner and Algeria would have raped us.

That was why I reeled out the other neonates in 2016 like Ogo On, Adarabioyo and others for you too to clamouring because back then you no dey hear word about focusing on the players that will get the job done and have the requisite experience instead of flying with just in baby potential.

What did Iwobi do before he was called to the national team? Nada That is exactly what I am talking about.

The point is, many here lacks the foresight. Simple and short. No need for stories

TheSuperNerd:
He is not the only future prospect and he is not the most outstanding among the future prospects. Even Taiwo Awoniyi is yet to smell the camp of the national team after a very solid season at ZW in Belgium last season and have started this season quite decently at least.
Ebere Eze nko... You saw that article I posted from Colin Udoh. They mentioned Ebere (who they have made harder to get now), Billing and even Ejaria. And I strongly believe the midfield is where we need to channel more of our attention to especially the CAM role. Not the attack. We are stocked in the attack. Even the Isaac Success that was called up is just 22. He is also the future. We still have Osimhen who is 19 and having a fine start to life in the Belgium topflight... Awoniyi is also there and is 21. So Josh Maja is not and never the only prospect we have in attack. He is not even better than what we have in the Super Eagles.

Any one of our strikers/forwards can go to league one and tear things up with aplomb... Ighalo will do it. Nacho will definitely do much more. Onyekuru was born for goals..he will paint League one like red fire paint. Success will burn it the ground with his beastly plays.

So you see.... It is not going to be easy. So deal with it. Josh Maja's time will hopefully come and I do hope we can cap him just to secure him but even that will have to come at a small cost. Dropping any of the Eight forwards (Ighalo, Success, Iheanacho, Iwobi, Kalu, Onyekuru, Simon Moses, Musa) and then ignoring any of the fringes in Kayode, Simy, and also ignoring our other bright prospects in Osimhen and Awoniyi. If Rohr can afford it then fine... But if he thinks or feels he cannot at this time then I don't blame him. We are loaded in attack.

It is only in midfield I know we have to act really fast because we have our weakness there in the CAM role in Mikel's absence. Let us be strategically truthful about what we really need. We must recruit in a vector manner and not act like scalars.

This is not about future prospect only it is about loosing future prospects FB to England desperate to have them all.

Is England dull to call players from championship? No but they just did.

Every country has learnt never to joke with dual citizen prospect. That is the point.

Eze, Onomah, Ejara, Billing, Maja, Lookman, Sheyi, or any Nigerian perceived to be a huge talent should be approached and capped once and for all.


Eze and Maja are the easiest because they don't necessarily need paper work to play for Nigeria. Simple

Icon4s:
As at that 2016 we should cap Josh Maja that what? We saw a Messi or Ronaldo?

We should just be capping every dick and Harry teenager we see playing in Europe just to secure a future at the expense of getting a result today?

How can you tie the opposition to invitation of Joel Asoro and Josh Maja to tribalism? Can u even tie the names to any ethnic groups?

Besides, if anybody here calls 20 or 30 random names of teenagers today (like u always do) that may actually turn out good there is no way at least 1 or 2 will not come out good. So stop feeling like a Prophet.

That question is left for the opposition to answer.

It's not about calling random names, it's about the ability to spot one among a million. That is what set up apart.

This fatal knock out.

TheSuperNerd:
Bookmark this post for future references oooooo... Na you take your hand type am and your mouth talk am. You will consider a Josh Maja over a Kayode. That must be really how bad Kayode have fallen. Sad.

I repeat. Yes of course!

There is no sin in capping him and if he impresses then he must be retained. I don't care about Kayode. I just care players should be given equal chances to prove themselves but if they fumble, off they go. Simple.

It's not about how bad Kayode has fallen. It's about securing a future prospect. Gbam.

Icon4s:
What was a 17 years old Josh Maja playing in 2016 that you were calling for his "immediate" inclusion in the Super Eagles team? He was no where near being ready. That post was way way off the mark.

Even now he is not better than any of our strikers in the team. I can only recommend him for the U23. The call for his Capping is just to secure him for the future just in case he turns out good.

Na only you dey recommend players here.

That is why we are different. The bold was exactly my point.


Besides, recommending players is never the problem, the problem is the suspicious minds of those who see your recommendation as nepotism and Tribalism. That's my point.

TheSuperNerd:
Well that is because at the time we had no desperate need for them. We were talking of building ahead for the WC qualifiers as at then and you were still going about just clamouring up and down for lads that were not ready.

Josh Maja is better equipped now than he was in 2016. And that is why I also gave him a good mention from 2017. And even right now in 2018, he is on track but I still maintain that it will be hard to give him am invite in the light of the abundant attacking options in the team and the rise of other talents and even the fringe players who we haven't even been given enough chances. Would you give Josh Maja a chance first before Kayode? Answer that one.

Yes of course!

kellycute:
is that how you console yourself? Hahaha. Kayode should be ashame of himself despite his old age he is still a fringe player for super eagles. Epl club rejected him without even giving him a trial Cos at the end of the day “Na money missed way” kinda deal mancity do lol. You and kayode should watch nacho on tv on Saturday same way you both did during the World Cup. Y’all gat nothing on nacho. Nacho is the standard kayode have been trying years without success to emulate but like my real gee harddon always say.... “never sell yourself short”. Kayode nor reach nacho shadow sef. I get your time today hahah (9slabs casted and sorted, no more risk for site so I ready for you)

All EPL strikers are better than strikers outside EPL. They are the standard all strikers outside EPL are trying for year without success to emulate. Dem no reach Nacho shadow. No wonder Dzeko and Falcao are EPL rejects because dem no good. Enjoy your clowning. Bye

TheSuperNerd:
You were not the only one. March 24 2017.... In bold even in a comment I made. And that was not even the only post I made about Josh Maja and a couple others like Aina even before his debut.

https://www.nairaland.com/3018619/super-eagles-thread-russia-2018/696#54912049

Well, what was your response on that post? I think that matters.

Even dad also use style call me names.

Internet doesn't forget.

However, that your post is dated 2017 but my was as far back as 2016. The difference is clear.

Joebie:
Kai we still dey scout for #9? A top class #9 cannot he hiding now. They should be painting whatever league they play with goals. They should be stand out players. Truth is if you remove Ighalo and KC, we will have to fall back to familiar names, Kayode, Ujah, Nwakaeme, Odey? and a few others. If you have to comb every backwater league searching for a #9, it means that player does not deserve a look in, in the first place. Anyone calling for dropping both players, should be able to suggest replacements from the top of their heads.

My take, Ighalo and KC are the most consistent goal scorers in the higher leagues. We have no option but to be patient with them until Kayode and co start to score consistently.

Are you saying Bundesliga and Ukrainian league are blackwater leagues?

Have you forgotten that we have strikers in the Belgium pro league too?

kellycute:
dey dere dey deceive yourself, I dey talk about kayode you dey call Willian.

Na only you dey deceive yaself. Kayode is a product of Sharktar Doneskt. It's now left for him to prove his worth. Until dem, mouse in EPL can't be taken seriously.

charlesemeka85:
Sunderland forward Josh Maja is reportedly a summer transfer target for three Premier League clubs.

The 19-year-old forward has made a blistering start to the season scoring nine goals in 12 League One matches.


Maja's goals have fired Sunderland up to third in the League One table and he currently sits top of the divisions goalscoring chart.

Unsurprisingly, his form has attracted potential suitors and a report in The Mirror this morning cites Southampton, Tottenham and reigning Premier League champions Manchester City as interested parties.

Maja is out of contract in the summer and if the Black Cats cannot tie him down to a new deal soon, they run the risk of losing him for a small compensation fee.

It is one of Sunderland's top priorities to sort out Maja's future with both the club and Jack Ross stating they want him to stay beyond this season.

Maja himself has admitted he would be open to negotiate a new deal but with big clubs sniffing, he is free to talk to other clubs in January before potentially leaving at the end of the season.

Speaking last month, he said: "It would help everybody if we could get a resolution before January.

"For the club and for him, it would help. You want the removal of any uncertainty, and if we can do that as a club it would help us and help Josh as well.



"Naturally his start to the season has just heightened the attention around him, so we want to make sure he stays here at Sunderland and that he plays a part in the clubs' ambitions.


"He'll have decisions to make when that comes around, but one thing I think about him is he is happy and enjoying his football.

"Hopefully, as a young man, he is not too much of a rush to get somewhere he may get to eventually if he keeps doing what he's doing."

Maja will miss tonight's Checkatrade Trophy clash with Carlisle with an ankle injury but is expected to be fit to return to the side for the trip to Shrewsbury later this month.

This was what I said two years years ago after what I saw but guess what, I was called tribalist because of him. They called him Majek fashek.

No bi today the thing don start. When I see something good I go talk.

Many people here just lack foresight. They see your analyses or recommendation as tribal sentiments.

ChrisMafian:
PDP senators and drama. Most of them are illiterates who know nothing about governance, only to enrich themselves forgetting the poor masses.

By his grace Atiku will be disgraced at the polls, we can't allow a big criminal rule us.

#Buhari2019

Said Buhari!

kellycute:
the mouse in epl still better pass your wall gecko for Donetsk.

Cut me the crap.

Have little respect for the current 11 best club in the world and for the club that produced players that broke into the first 11 of Epl top 5 teams coming direct or indirect from Sharktar Doneskt.

Williams enter Chelsea direct, Fred enter Manchester united direct, Fernandinho enter Manchester city direct, Mkhitaryan entered Manu and Arsenal direct etcetera

Like I said, give small respect for Sharktar Doneskt products.

edi287:
I repeat, if(when) Ebere Eze moves to a epl club - he is gone. Southgate will cap him before we can blink. This same Southgate capped Solanke who had little to no game time...what makes you think he'll wait for Nigeria to call Eze?
This was a very well calculated move from England. Rohr fanboys will look for all the excuses in the world to justify this buffoonery.
I don't think that guy learnt anything from the world cup. He's already back to playing Ndidi - Onazi as a pivot. I tire for that guy.

Gbam!

AIG07:
The National Team is bigger than Individual players.
Shirts should only be reserved for the BEST and those who CONSISTENTLY deliver results.

Gbam!

chrisooblog:
honestly forgiveness I will stop engaging you in football debates somebody did well in a tournament in 2004 and you are now saying he only started doing well 2009 haba Na! Fear God small

You can not compare Odenwingie of 2008 up with Odenwingie of 2004. No no.

He won Nigeria player of the year around 2008 -2012. The difference is clear.

komekn:
Everything in football is marred by short termism.

Not too long ago KC was worth near £30 million with a multitude of suitors. Within a season that view has changed dramatically. That's football.

When the NFF had Iorfa on thier Radar he was the considered one of the best young CB's in English football invited to train with the first team, winning MOTM awards as a teenager in the Championship.

At the time he committed to the SE he had just finished with England U21 two summers ago and still a regular for Wolves.

The Wolves situation has resulted in a FA investigation and claims of conflict of interest with the way Super agent Mendes has run Wolves. A club that has more Portuguese players than Benfica and Porto.

Currently l would be hard pressed under current circumstances to invite him. However, he is in a very unique situation of which his football is not the main issue.

Aneke was the stand out player in league and is now the stand out player in league two for MK Dons.

Iorfa is simply a player denied opportunity stuck in the politics of big money football.

It reminds me of when Brendan Rogers fell out with Sakho at Liverpool. Nothing to do with football he then went to Crystal Palace and the rest is history. I watched him training with the U23's for ages he did not loose quality just denied opportunity.

You didn't dismiss KC when for almost half the season he was relegated to playing with U23's you still reference to his exploits in Manchester city. Nobody talks about a goal tally of 4 goals in the EPL for a supposed striker. He has been called a flop in many circles not here. We still call him deadly striker.

What you have done is to create a hypocritical double standard.

How many goals has Isaac Success scored in.his third season in the EPL❓ But I see how you jubilate with unrestrained euphoria when he plays. That's double prejudiced standard.

I always say I would rather have a roaring lion from a lower league who is standing out and making waves than an anonymous mouse in the EPL.

Chai! Dere is God oooooo! na mouse you call dem dem.

Humility017:
I think about 3 of his goals so far have been penalties..
save for the goals against Cameroon in Brussels and Cameroon in Uyo.

tell me how many goals has he from open play?

you really need to quit all these naughty players stats that holds no water to defend mediocrity

Fat lies everywhere. Ighalo has scored 3 goals from open play if Luxembourg goal is counted. Fact.

Stop giving this ya oluwole chop I chop stats, abeg.

AIG07:
One thing that irks me most is our inability to learn from our past mistakes and we are hell bent on repeating them all over again and we expect to make progress.

SMH.

Prior to 2014 worldcup and post 2013 AFCON our strikers then(Emenike and Ideye) were experiencing goal drought we kept faith with them and were expecting a miracle from them at the Mundial. Late Keshi then dropped Ideye for a certain Shola Ameobi(a player who had 1 professional goal in 2years). These two players were preferred ahead of a red hot Obagoal who was turning heads in the MLS for Seattle Sounders. We all knew how the whole thing panned out. We qualified cos of luck and nothing more(to those who will like to dispute that should remember that, had Dzeko's goal had not been ruled for offside, your guess is as good as mine)

Fast forward to 2018 same scenerio played out both Ighalo and Kelechi were poor for the national team and we were all hoping they will hit form at the World Cup. You and I know how that too ended.

My major concern now is us sticking to these guys despite them not delivering post Russia the way we did with Emenike. Someone needs to sound some notes of warning to Rohr. We seem to be towing the same part again.

The federation too are not exempted from this attitude. They toyed with Alaba in 2007 today it is Eze I just hope we won't look back and regret it.

Make I stop here jare.

I'll like both Ighalo and Nacho to be excused from the national team if they both fail to deliver this coming double header. No one has the sole ownership to the national team.

Wishing them all the best.

Gbam!

tbaba1234:
Josh Maja should be capped at junior level first if possible... I think he might still be eligible for Aigbogun's team.

He is not eligible to play for junior team because he al already played for Switzerland junior team.

Modified

He is yet to capped by any national team. I mistook him for Asoro.

Humility017:
how many are penalties?

Please tell me.

charlesemeka85:
i have been hitting on the issue of billing anyanwu here for sometime and it still baffles me that a player of nigerian origin who is one of the emerging midfielders in the epl is yet to be approached till date about the possibility of changing allegiance to play for us.

this kid is playing week in week out, shunning out good performances in the toughest league in europe and is the shinning light of relegation threatened huddlesfield this season but rohr is is yet to atleast make a move on the lad. we will only get serious to lure him when he eventually signs for one of epl's finest and gets a call up from the danish national team selectors. he plays in a position where we lack quality personnel whereas someone like aging john ogu is still getting called up while half baked nwakali jnr have already had a sniff of the team.

we need to swallow our pride and reach out to this kids who i believe will make the team stronger and more competitive. i know we can't get them all but we should grab as much as we can in order to widen our pool. the french world cup winning team was made up of 95% players of african ancestry so i see no shame in our pursuit of our sons who are born and breed out of the shores of nigeria and africa.

You better don't give yourself Bp. Eze own don teach me lesson that your health is more important than anything.

Me don dey withdraw small small for football matter before I go kill myself.

Dem go suprise you.

chrisooblog:
of course it was ighalo who scored 3 goals at the 2004 AFCON

Does it change the fact he started playing well for Nigeria from 2009? Maybe 2008. I just know from the time we played WC qualifiers.