₦airaland Forum

Maybe my eyes could be deceiving me oh. But this Chidi Osuchukwu guy plays a little bit like Mesut Oezil with that educated left foot in the middle. One for the future? Perhaps.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i71vPmaipOw

lexyman:
for those of you clamouring for Sadiq Umar , i have taken my time to watch majority of all his highlights and contributions to his team , he is far from been the striker we need ... he may grow to become one if he works towards it .... presently its A BIG RISK FOR ROHR . to take the lad to the world cup ... out of every 3 attacks he has initiated he has fallen twice or 3 of every 3 times he tends to take on a defender ... every Sadiq Umar 's supporters on this forum .... look at yourself in the mirror and tell your self the truth . presently that kind of player will not gel in that team .. until he grows into that strong and energetic striker ... come 2022.

Honestly, Nigerians can be funny at times. This same Sadiq Umar who trips on his own shoe laces. I just wonder.
I wouldn't want to castigate him but frankly speaking, his footwork is reminiscent of a giraffe chasing a coconut down the stairs.

We are quick to call out the "dross" Keshi took to the last world cup (Uchebo and Nwofor) but looking at them critically and in comparison, I will be hard pressed to believe Umar is a better player than them.

Wonderful. These guys are students or lecturers posing as students?

RichardKajola:
My observations based on the two friendly
Nigeria played badly in both games. We were just lucky against Poland. Lewandowski shot hit the bar, one of their shot actually cross the goal line couple with the fact that the penalty awarded was a dive. Same goes with the match against Serbia, just that in this case we conceded twice but remember they were denied a goal which looked like it had also cross the goal line.
However the most disturbing feature of the game was that we created no notable chance. This means that something is wrong with our midfield and attack. Rohr didn't help matters by putting basically three CMF in our second match and Iheanacho was ineffective as AMF in the first match.
High press is now a feature in major football teams. The team actually did a little of that against Poland but it was nonexistent against Serbia. Rohr needs to work on that if we are to have any chance beating the best team in the world cup. One thing we should note is that in the world cup we won't be playing against African who respects us and allow us to have most of the ball and that is where the high press system becomes very important.
I think we are hyping Mikel a little too much here. Agreed Mikel is a leader in the team, but he is no where the level of Messi. Remember Mikel slows Nigeria down sometimes. Now what's my point? my point is that its possible we could have still lose the match with him involved so his absence should not be the reason why we loss. we should instead look for the fault among the players and coach involved.
Again I think Rohr is too conservative and maybe doesn't trust his players. This explains why his substitution doesn't come early. Someone will say you don't change a winning team but this is a friendly. For example in our match against Serbia, though we were playing badly he didn't deem it fit to change anyone or to try to alter the formation or tactics. Most teams actually used two teams for their two different friendly.
Meanwhile I think Uzoho is good enough for the no 1 position
The pitch used against Serbia was also small and might have affected the players though that is no excuse.
In summary I think we are still a work in progress though with our performances this break, I doubt our advancement to the knockout round if we do not up our game.
#soarsupereagles

I am in total agreement with your post. To be honest it is very difficult to take out any positive from the 180 minutes of football the team played. It appears the players bond more outside the pitch than on the pitch. This team have played together for the better part of 3 years but they still play like strangers with many unforced errors and misplaced passes.
I am sure Serbia and Poland would have been shocked how easy they found it passing through us .
Finally, I disagree about your point on Uzoho. He is a million miles from being ready for the big time. What he has going for him is his height. Not natural ability or experience.

The good news however will be that these games will ground the team and give Nigerian fans a reality check, especially those who bash the Chan team,Keshi and Uchebos, Babatunde etc....

The site engineer should be prosecuted and his license and membership of coren revoked with immediate effect.
In organised societies, the site safety officer will could be in jail .

jihday:
very talented footballer, but he has succumbed to injury woes. since I started watching youth football from 1999,i think the 2005 set is still the best. please who knows the where about of Solomon okoronkwo (I hope I got it right) the lanky but skillful guy who seems to miss lots of goals?

I met Solomon a few years back, he was based in Budapest, Hungary at the time. I feel he could be be in Hungary still or moved back to Germany where his wife hails from.

Kog45:
I think Akpeyi really messed up,Ezenwa so far decent and Ajiboye too but on Uzoho i need to see him in another friendly but big question is Uzoho really better than Ajiboye and Ezenwa.

Pls guys let's us watch those saves against Angola and Sudan again cos the issue now is not about foreign based vs home based but the best should be picked.

Tbaba pls give us Ezenwa and Ajiboye saves against Angola and Sudan.

CC:tbaba1234

Bros you're a very very smart guy. Hypothetically speaking, if Uzoho was playing for Sharks and Ezenwa or Ajiboye in Spanish 3rd division, it would have been a no contest.

somehow:
So letting Ezenwa go would be tagged as a wise move by a business man called Ifeanyi Ubah in a world cup period?

He also let Stephen Eze, an integral player with the home based eagles with a healthy sale on value to Europe leave. Point is, you're not in the man's pocket. Even Joshua Obaje was let go by the club.
If by any means means you believe Ezenwa was let go due to under performance then, you're totally misinformed.

somehow:
So how come Ubah didn't renew his contract if he was so good? ended up without a club until Enyimba signed him? I hope you know the caliber of GKs Enyimba current have?

He refused extension and left the club.I have a feeling the patron of the club is cutting down his finance on the team,probably have something to do with his financing of the Obiano campaign because this season, they lost many key players like Isaac loute, Stephen Eze and Ezenwa to mention a few.

somehow:
Oga, he was not their first choice at Ubah that i watched. i watched their game live at AGEGE stadium and he was not at the helms of affairs! team captain? Nwakanma Edwin was their first team GK while he was with them. it's not Injury that kept him out of being first choice at Enyimba, Dauda is 100% BETTER than Ezenwa sentiments apart!

Except Enyimba coach wants to put sentiments into play, he will remain on the bench. he was bought by Enyimba for business reason, hoping that when he makes it to the world cup, some foreign clubs might need his services and in the process make money from selling him!

That he couldn't keep a spot at PSL doesn't make him bad, at least we have seen him in the Ghanaian national team!

Well, I watched Ifeanyi Ubah against Rangers over both legs and he was the captain on both occasions. Against Al Masry of Egypt, in the confederations cup, he was captain of the side over both legs, his heroics in Egypt saw him save a penalty to put Ifeanyi Ubah through the the next stage of the competition. If you didn't see him against Mfm, just know that he was out injured or on national assignment. Take it from someone who knows.

Kog45:
Sir two things now,I don't think Cech,Buffon and Courtois have their national team trainer with them,so i based my point on national team trainer not personal trainer.

Mind you Ezenwa have personal trainer cos i read it somewhere saying he is working with his trainer to be fit for march friendlies especially on his injury.

The truth is that we have our own peculiarities in Nigeria. We have to device a means to get the best out of what we have and not always following the European examples. That is the reason why I like the Chan tournament for what it is.

Belgium may not send their national team gk trainer to Courtois but Nigeria can do that because we have different challenges.

somehow:
Knocked into shape? someone that can't even keep first team shirt in the NPFL? bros he should first beat Dauda at ENYIMBA before thinking of first team in the SE. I doubt he can learn within 3 months on how to catch aeria balls and the rush to the head attributes of his. I believe if teaching was a viable option, Rohr would have also gotten a personal teacher for him. They must have been discussing all the GK at their disposal to know which of them should be concentrated on.

Who told you he's not in the first team in the Npfl? Ezenwa was the captain of Ifeanyi Ubah last season. This season, he's been out injured.
What's so great about Fatai Dauda? This same Dauda who couldn't hold down a spot in PSL? I watched him last season a couple of times and I wasn't impressed. We are no longer in 2010.

Kog45:
Do they really need goalkeeper trainer at their clubs.

Uzoho issue is under stable cos Rohr have seen what some us have been saying and only way to go about it is to have his goalkeeper trainer to him just cos of his level of experience and age.

I don't think Akpeyi and Ezenwa need any special trainer again, they have attained the age and experience in goalkeeping that they just need to be playing week in week out.

My major issue is Ezenwa,can he displace Fataou Daudou in Enyimba cos the guy is damn good and from his clips have watched.

I would not deceive you Aigbogun must just have to be sentimental by given Ezenwa enough playing time and i believe this should be part of his contractual agreement with Enyimba.

I would disagree with you. A goalkeeper isn't too old to have a personal trainer. Petr Cech has a clause in his contract that he will move to Arsenal with his personal trainer. I know Buffon and Courtois have personal trainers (too lazy to dig up their names).
There's a reason why the best in the business always have their personal trainers.

somehow:
Uzoho is a young goal keeper with prospects and can still be thought/bent. How old is Ezenwa? It will take years if possible to teach or bend an almost 30 years old keeper.

He should be 29 years I think (football age)

Bros we are talking about a short term solution. Nobody is teaching Ezenwa how to catch a ball, I'm talking about improving and bringing him up to standard before June 2018.
Uzoho could be the medium or long term solution but in the short term, Ezenwa could be knocked into shape for Russia since he's the most qualified. His record isn't too bad for the main NT. Conceeding just 2 goals (penalty goals)in 4 games tells me there's something to work with if the managers aren't lazy.
cc safarigirl

tbaba1234:
Uzoho was even third choice, i believe.

Since then, he appears to have grown and improved a lot.

He certainly has some weaknesses though.

I wish Ezenwa got the same attention Uzoho is getting with the personal trainer. Ezenwa would have stood in good stead and better prepared for this world cup if the Italian Gk trainer was working closely with him at Enyimba.
The guy is very coachable that's for sure.

tbaba1234:
Icon4s, see Ezenwa reckless rushing out against Cameroon that led to a penalty...The Striker was going nowhere and Ekong had it covered..

See the distance between Ezenwa and the ball in the second frame, a good keeper would have checked his run when he figured that the defender had it covered.

The man was not going to score from that angle

That's the problem with Ezenwa, when he's good, he is a great shot stopper, world class if i may add, but what is bad about him is really bad. I remember saying this after the home leg against Cameroun, but the euphoria surrounding his performance drowned out my assertion.
This is more reason why the bench needs to watch Uzoho closely in the friendlies with an open mind and not have it at the back of their mind that he already has the position on a lock down. You don't go to the world cup to experiment.
There must be flaws in his game which explains why he was was second choice to Alampasu who I honestly think is average.

I love American movies, music and I think the country has one of the best landscapes in the world.
But what is bad about America is really bad. Health care, Cops wiping out black people, in your face corruption, corporatism, Politicians sold out to lobbyists, Prison industrial complex, gun nuts running haywire in the streets.

There remains alot of good in America but they continue to head into an abyss of uncertainty with a president who appears more like a staggering f00l than a leader.

komekn:
I think that's too harsh yes one of thier top teams got flogged 5-0 by Liverpool but the Portuguese league is a lot better than the Eredivisie.

The Portuguese League just like Eredivise is so incredibly weak that it’s hard to take seriously players that come out of it, examples I would put forward are Bas Dost, who averages over a goal a game there for Sporting Lisbon after being a 10-15 goal CF in Germany, Jonas who was the same for Valencia is averaging over a goal a game for Benfica, Renato Sanches, Lazar Markovic, Jackson Martinez, Mangala and Barca's Gomez are some of the dross churned out lately from their league.

You will of course always get a couple of players from Portugal that look special, such as Bernardo Silva (ironically didn’t star for Benfica though, had to make his name for Monaco) and Guedes looks fantastic in La Liga for Valencia, in general it’s a very weak league though and there is not as much talent there as there once was, same as the Eredivisie in that respect.

MetalJigsaw:
Ebuehi: I Turned Down Benfica Move Because Of World Cup

Nigeria defender Tyronne Ebuehi says he rejected the chance to join Portuguese giants Benfica in January to boost his chances of representing the country at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, Completesportsnigeria.com reports.

Ebuehi whose current contract with Dutch club ADO Den Haag will expire in the summer was close to linking up with Benfica during the winter transfer window after successful talks between the Portuguese giants and his club ADO Den Haag.

”It’s my choice,” Ebuehi who feat for Nigeria in the friendly win against two-time world champions Argentina last November stated in an interview with m.update.nl .

“For me, the most important thing is to keep making minutes. Going to such a club means a new adventure and you do not know whether you’re going to make minutes.

“Here, I get trust from the club, the trainer and the players. If I keep playing here, I can hopefully go to the World Cup and nice things can come.”

The young defender also spoke at the prospect of making Nigeria’s 23-man squad to World Cup in Russia

“I do not have to think about it too much otherwise it can also be a disappointment, I feel good about it, and of course I dream about it, it’s close and in terms of football, the World Cup is the biggest stage in the world,” he added.

“If I’m selected, it will be a dream come true, maybe the biggest one. “

The 22-year-old also gave a hint on his future as he is set to become a free agent in the summer.

“You never know in football. Maybe I’ll be here next season, but in the end I want to keep making personal steps and achieve the highest possible achievements, I keep all options open at the moment.”



https://www.completesportsnigeria.com/ebuehi-i-turned-down-benfica-move-because-of-world-cup/

For the sake of his career, I hope Ebuehi plays not more than a season in Portugal.
The quality of football in the country is nothing to write home about.

It was common practice to have windows or barren women "marry younger wives" for the purpose of childbearing. This was done with the intent to preserve a lineage since adoption was not popular practice in the society at the time.
However,what happens under the cover of the night between the women may or may not be sexual depending on the character of both parties.

tbaba1234:
This life is so fickle.

He had a baby just last month and now he is gone. So tragic. He has 2 young boys who will grow up with no father.

His family needs all the support, they can get.

The human angle to the story is heart wrecking. The wife will be absolutely inconsolable. I can't imagine being in her shoes.

I find the death of Chinedu Udoji quite incredulous. I heard he was man of the match in the game last night between Enyimba and Pillars only to give up the ghost just 7hrs later after his car crashed into a concrete.
To hear that his wife put to bed just last month. Jesus almighty Christ, what will be the fate of this young family? What will the young woman tell her kid about the whereabouts of his father? Is there an insurance policy for Npfl players?
What a tragedy. What a blow.
Rip capt Udoji.

Brown Ideye appears to carry this Malaga team on his shoulders. By a country mile their best player even without the goal.

jieta:
oga boss, not true https://en.mediamass.net/people/manuel-neuer/deathhoax.html

There was even a death hoax? Wow!

somehow:
Is Neurer dead?

Yes, he died in a ski accident at the winter Olympics.

mazimee:
If that happens, Ederson go be second keeper for Brazilian National team for a very long period

Na this kain competitions I like.

Just like Ter stergen will always be 2nd choice if Manuel Neurer is alive.

BascoVanVeli:
Unless Roma could see into the future they wouldn't have imagined Salah being this good. He's has almost doubled his career best.

It's not a question about hindsight. At the end of the summer transfer window, FHIS stats showed that Mo Salah was the bargain buy of the season. In the report, they wrote that Salah was grossly undervalued. This was around August.
We are talking about a transfer window Arsenal agreed to pay £90M for one season wonder Thomas Lemar.

mazimee:
I deliberately skipped this one, good thing another person mentioned it. If he makes it to Liverpool or PSG, he go break goalkeeper transfer record

One thing is for sure, he will go for a hefty sum. Roma made a huge error in judgement selling Salah £40M which was 1/3 his worth. They wont repeat that same error with Allison. Any club wishing to get him,must be willing to pay hefty sum.
He's interesting Real Madrid, so I heard.

Mickael2:
the other day I was watching Roma vs Lazio(?). The type of saves this guy was making was insane, at some point I had to check very well to be sure that what I was watching wasn't a youtube highlight of his best saves, and this guy puts up this performance week in week out

The guy is a gem. A very solid goalkeeper the couple of times I've seen him.
His distributions and ball handling is A++.
The Italians are specialists in training goalkeepers.
I like the idea an Italian is Gk coach designate for the Nigerian team.

Mickael2:
Alisson is a way, way better GK

They call him the Lionel Messi of goalkeepers

INTERVIEW: I want my twins to play for Nigeria — Amokachi

Daniel ‘The Bull” Amokachi is a phenomenal name as far as football in Nigeria and beyond is concerned.
Recently, PREMIUM TIMES caught up with the former Everton and Besiktas of Turkey star in Lagos and he bared his mind on varying issues in his favourite round leather game.
Among other things, Amokachi spoke of his desire to see his twin boys (Nazim and Kalim) play for Nigeria in the nearest future even though they are already being courted by Tunisia where from.
[img]https://i0.wp.com/media.premiumtimesng.com/wp-content/files/2018/02/Amokachi-twins.jpg?zoom=1.3009450753529868&w=600&h=429&crop&ssl=1[/img]
Excerpts:
PT: How do you feel with how the January Transfer window went as far as it concerns Nigerian players?
Amokachi: If no clubs look for you, you not going to move, so it is the players that were looked for that moved, but the good thing about it, we Nigerians, especially me, is that Ideye has moved to Malaga in the Spanish League and also Success too because for me he (Success) is one of the sexiest players Nigeria has ever had but he is injury-prone and never gets to see the potential that young man has. If we can have him healthy and well, he can be a vital addition.
PT: What of Ahmed Musa leaving the EPL to rejoin CSKA Moscow in Russia?
Amokachi: It is what he wants, and he is back to Moscow. I hope he finds his feet the way he didn’t find at Leicester because he could have easily been one of the best players to play in the Premier League because his style of football is what the Premiership wants.
PT: You coached in Nigeria before switching to Finland, how is it like over there?


Amokachi: I am enjoying every side of it, the only thing I can tell you is that it is more professional, very different from the Nigerian setup.
PT: What is your take on Nigerian players rushing abroad at the slightest chance?
Amokachi: In our society, we have to jump in and try to take care of our loved ones. 99.9% of Nigerian footballers are from poor backgrounds. So if you are doing well and you have a call to go out, why not?
PT: What is your advice to these players if they must go out because some end up being stranded when they don’t land the deals they wished for with some of these clubs?
Amokachi: What I would advise is that players must be ready to go out because there is no point not being prepared when going for trials, then failing, then not getting teams and end up being stranded all over the world and we know what is going on when you travel and you see such players that you know have quality but they have followed another path because they just could not find their way back home after they failed.
PT: So how are your twins doing, we know they were signed on by one of your former clubs, Besiktas?
Amokachi: Twins? They are doing pretty well in Besiktas, they are with the U23 team, we are trying to see if they can play the professional angle of it because, in Turkey, they leave the foreign slot for professionals. Right now, however, they are working very hard and we hope that soon, they will get the opportunity to play in a place where they can give a good account of themselves.
PT: Having seen them start out in one of your former clubs, will you be glad to also see them move on to play for Nigeria like you did several years ago?

Amokachi: Definitely, that would be my dream, their mum’s dream, even their dream because their heart is with Nigeria. Last year, they turned down the opportunity to be capped by Tunisia, hopefully, that call will come up for them and we would see what God has in store for them.
[img]https://i1.wp.com/media.premiumtimesng.com/wp-content/files/2018/02/amokachi-twins-besik-0-81935500-1476032982.jpg?zoom=1.3009450753529868&fit=560%2C350&ssl=1[/img]
PT: Let’s talk about the World Cup, what are the chances of Nigeria having a good show in Russia?


Amokachi: Qualifying is one thing but the World Cup proper is a different ball game. The most important thing is that our players should be healthy and have enough playing time in their respective clubs because that will definitely tell when it comes to the World Cup.

PT: Can you set any target you want the Super Eagles to reach in Russia?
Amokachi: I cannot have a target for the team going to the World Cup but it is our hope, belief and prayers for them to get to the next level.
You know as I said earlier, the qualification went smoothly and we have the quality that can take us to the final.
I have confidence that this team can take us to the next level, like the quarter-final or even win the World Cup.
We have players from the diaspora who have gone through the ranks to get to where they are.
They are also professionals which means they will take on the job with all level of seriousness.
The players from Nigeria, I mean who went through the Nigerian Pro League too would want to give their best when they see the rest of the team giving in their best.
PT: So what advice do you have for the players as we get set for the 2018 World Cup?
Amokachi: You don’t advise grown-up players, you don’t advise a team that has a technical bench. Yours is just to pray and hope and wish them the very best. So far, they are making Nigeria proud and we want them to continue to make Nigeria proud.
PT: What is your take on the recently launched Nigeria jerseys for the World Cup?
Amokachi: It is a cool design but let me tell you, there’s no design that can beat the one we wore in ’94. I love this Zebra style design though; it is a sexy jersey and I will make sure to get mine soon but that green one, I would not wear because the colour doesn’t represent the Nigerian green but it looks well fitted, looking sexy on the players wearing it.
PT: Do you fancy yourself handling your former club Everton if the chance pops up?

Amokachi: I would swim across oceans to go and take the job.
PT: Thanks for your time

https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/top-news/258995-interview-i-want-twins-play-nigeria-amokachi.html

This is not a myth. My first cousin suffered 2nd degree burn caused by explosion ignited by a cell phone signal he used as flash light to start up a generator back in 2009. He spent 5 months at the Portharcourt teaching hospital.
Be warned.